College Corner. Fall is in the air! November SAT

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1 O C T O B E R the College Corner Fall is in the air! Contents: Page 1: Senior plan for October - Upcoming Test Dates Page 2: College Profiles Page 3: For Juniors: The Graduation Project I m a senior. What should I be doing? Right now, you should be visiting the schools on your list and beginning to narrow down your choices. Continue your research and look for schools that have programs that meet your interests both academically and socially. If you are looking at going to a 4-year institution, you should have a minimum of four schools to apply to. Once you have narrowed down your list, start working on applications, and see Mr. Norcross if you have questions! Good luck! Page 4: Upcoming College Representative Visit Dates Page 5: What to ask on a college visit or when meeting a rep Page 6: SAT practice materials Page 7: College Application Checklist Save the Date! October SAT October ACT November SAT Saturday, Oct. 11 Keep practicing! See page 6 for more practice resources! Saturday, Oct. 25 Make sure you start studying and practicing for the test! Saturday, Nov. 8 If you have not registered yet, the deadline is October 9th! See Mr. Norcross if you need help Application Completion Day Wednesday, Nov. 12 Need help completing an application? Come to the learning commons and work with an admissions rep to finish your application!

2 College Profiles Looking for some schools to add to your list? Take a look at these great options! Lebanon Valley College LVC is a private liberal arts school of around 1,800 students located in Annville, Pennsylvania, just outside of Hershey. Business, Education, and the Health sciences are the three biggest majors on campus. LVC has a few distinctive programs such as a 6-year doctorate in Physical Therapy as well as Music Recording Technology. Check out their website for more info: University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown A branch campus of Pitt with about 2,800 students, UPJ is located about midway between Biglerville and Pittsburgh. A beautiful rural campus reminiscent of a ski lodge, UPJ has many great facilities available for all students. Engineering and business are two of the biggest programs on campus, and you can also do a 2+2 with Pitt main campus. Check the website for more info: Pennsylvania College of Technology Penn Tech is located in Williamsport, where the Little League World Series is held. There are around 5,600 students on campus with the option of both associates and bachelors degrees. Most associate programs will have an equivalent bachelors program to enter into if a student wishes to continue beyond two years in school. Check the website for more info: Slippery Rock University Located in Western PA, SRU is one of the state schools and has around 7,600 students. SRU is known for the various athletic degree options such as exercise science, athletic training, and sports management along with many other great degree options. Head out to the Rock and get a great tour of campus. Go check out their website for more info: 2

3 2 1 For Juniors: The Graduation Project While graduation may still seem far away, it is getting closer every day. This means it is important for you to be prepared not only for your senior year, but also for beyond high school. The goal of this graduation project is not for you to carve your future into stone, but to lay the foundation of your college and career search. Throughout the school year, you will be given various assignments that will help to get the ball rolling and to give you ideas about what you would like to do after you graduate. Even if you are not sure of what post-high school life holds for you, this graduation project will help you to become familiar with the resources necessary to help you along your way. We will begin by looking at potential career options and will then progress into looking at what colleges appeal to you. You will also fine tune and enhance your writing abilities by producing your own resumes and cover letters. The final component is where you will present your project to your peers. Do not worry, you will have help along the way. If you have any questions, schedule a meeting with Mr. Norcross and you can also talk to Ms. Hazlett, Mr. McLean, and Mrs. Graham. We are all here to help you along the road to your future! By the end of October: Juniors should have finished the following sections and gotten their passports stamped: 1) The Passport itself 2) All parts of Career Cruising: - Learning Styles Inventory - Career Matchmaker - Career Questions in the packet for 3 careers 3

4 Upcoming College Visits September 29th - October 3rd - Monday, Sept. 29 York College (10:00 am) - Tuesday, Sept. 30 University of Pittsburg Johnstown (1:00 pm) - Thursday, Oct. 2 Shenandoah University (11:30 am) - Slippery Rock University (1:00 pm) October 13th 17th - Tuesday, Oct. 14 Messiah (1:15 pm) - Villanova (1:45 pm) - Thursday, Oct. 16 Shippensburg University (10:30 am) October 20th 24th - Monday, Oct. 20 Penn State Mont Alto (10:00 am) - Tuesday, Oct. 21 Bloomsburg (8:00 am) - Lebanon Valley College (8:30 am) - IUP (9:00 am) - Albright College (10:15 am) - Wednesday, Oct. 22 Empire Beauty (10:30 am) - Lock Haven (1:00 pm) October 27th 31st - Thursday, Oct. 23 Millersville (10:15 am) - Friday, Oct. 24 Gettysburg College (12:00 pm) - Thursday, October 30 Susquehanna University (11:15 am) 4

5 Questions To Ask On a College Visit About Academics 1) What factors go into the admissions process (test scores, class rank, interviews, etc.), and how important are these factors? 2) What percentage of students graduate in 4 years? 3) Which academic programs are most popular? 4) Does the school have a major that I am interested in? 5) How easy is it to change majors? 6) Will my York College credits transfer? 7) Who teaches the first year classes (TAs, grad students, or the professor)? 8) Is there an honor code? 9) Is there an honors program? 10) What career planning services are available? 11) What percentage of students have a job or are in grad school within 6 months of graduation? About Student and Social Life 1) How diverse (economically, racially, academically) is the campus? 2) What activities or clubs are there to join? 3) Does the school have a Greek program (sororities and fraternities) and how many students participate in this program? 4) What are the most popular extracurricular activities? 5) Can first year students have cars on campus? 6) How easy is it to get around campus? 7) What emergency services are available? 8) Is there an on-campus security force? 9) Are tutoring services available? 10) Is there wifi across campus? 11) What laundry facilities are available? About Housing and Dining 1) What percentage of students live on campus? 2) Is housing guaranteed all four years? 3) What housing options are there? 4) What meal plans are available? 5) Are first years required to have a specific meal plan? 6) What are the different dining options on campus? 7) What are the hours of the dining facilities? 8) How is my roommate assigned? 9) How hard is it to find off-campus housing if housing is not guaranteed? 10) How much does housing cost? About Costs and Paying 1) What is the all-inclusive cost? 2) Is your admissions process need-blind? 3) Which financial aid forms are required? 4) Is there a separate application for financial aid through the school? 5) What is the average financial aid package? 6) What percentage of students receive financial aid? 7) Does the school meet 100% of demonstrated need? 8) Will outside scholarships affect the amount of aid given by the school? 9) Are work study programs available and how easy is it to find a job on campus? 5

6 SAT Practice Materials Study Island SAT Prep! If you are interested in using Study Island through Biglerville, you must be registered for the SATs. See Mr. Norcross or Mrs. Graham about registering for the SATs and getting signed up to use Study Island as test prep materials Other Options: Applications for the iphone: Want fun, creative ways to prepare for the SAT? Check out these FREE applications! 1. SAT QOTD (Question of the Day) The College Board a. As the official question from College Board, it s a guaranteed accurate source. 2. SAT UP Score Beyond a. This application lets you take mini tests and times you! There is also a scratch pad function and calculator to help you solve the math problems. 3. SAT Flashcards Brainscape Education a. Contains a lengthy list of words and provides the user an option to star tougher words so that the user can come back to them for more practice. You can also share your practice and progress via Facebook and work with your friends to improve your skills! 4. Flashcubes Kaplan SAT a. The cube is more interactive than other applications and provides sentences that use the word correctly, as well as synonyms. 5. SAT Vocab Veritas Prep a. The application has a number of games that help sharpen your vocabulary and you can challenge your friends to play against you. FREE online SAT Prep materials: - Sign up for the SAT Question of the Day! You can even download an app for your phone. Khanacademy.org/sat Fun websites to help with vocabulary and grammar: quizlet.com SAT Prep offline: The Official SAT Study Guide a book published by Collegeboard, the makers of the SAT! Cracking the SAT, 2012 Edition published by The Princeton Review SAT for Dummies Look at lists of prefixes and suffixes this will be more helpful than studying flashcards since you do not know what words will be on the test. 6

7 Checklist for Seniors: During October and going into November, follow this checklist as a guideline of what tasks need to be completed and when you should complete them. Are you on the right path? 1. Narrow down your schools and work on applications 2. Visit schools 3. Keep deadlines in mind for different types of admission: Early Decision, Early Action, or Rolling 4. Fill out a pink sheet from Mr. Norcross door for EACH SCHOOL you are applying to! 5. If you re taking the SATs again, Practice, Practice, Practice! 6. Aim to have most, if not all of your applications submitted BEFORE Thanksgiving break (Sooner = less stress for you). 7. Work on essays (Mr. Norcross will proofread them if you ask nicely) 8. Ask for Letters of Recommendation (if needed) 9. Check the scholarship list on the Senior Google Classroom page and in Guidance to see what scholarship options there are 10. See Mr. Norcross if you have questions