Information presented tonight will be available online at: College & Career Resources College, Career, and Military Planning

Transcription

1 Information presented tonight will be available online at: College & Career Resources College, Career, and Military Planning Session Room -Introduction & The College Search Process Taylor Auditorium -Applying to a State University Taylor Auditorium -College of DuPage Room 802/804 -Naviance and other online tools Cafeteria Schedule *7:00 7:50 Introduction & The College Search Process *7:55 8:25 Session One *8:30 9:00 Session Two

2 Began week of Nov. 3 rd and continues throughout 1 st semester *Each Conference is a period long *Counselors schedule is posted in the CCC/Counseling Office *Conferences include: *Credit / Graduation Requirement Check *Discussion of the student s high school experiences *Senior Course Selection *College Planning Resources ( and Naviance) *Review of the college search process *What you should be doing now up until next Fall!!!! *

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4 Go live anywhere but here!

5 Universities are comprised of a group of colleges and have graduate programs *

6 *Knowing about the colleges *Planning *Taking the right courses *Testing *Making decisions *Paying for it *Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

7 *A strong senior course load Transcript grades and rigor of academic courses weigh heavily in admission decisions (is student challenging self appropriately; taking core academics consistently) *The proposed field of study /major *Are admission requirements different/elevated for this major? *Do you need to apply directly into that major? *Personal Qualifications *Leadership and involvement in school activities *Achievements/Honors *Community Service/Employment/Summer Experiences *Testing Are scores looked at for admission? *If so, what is the average ACT/SAT for admission

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9 *Students will take an ACT w/ writing on March 3rd *Accepted by all IL colleges/universities and most out-ofstate ones *Consider taking tests more than once, but do not overdue it (April and June 2015 tests available if needed as well as a September option) *Test Dates/Deadlines and Test Preparation Options are available at: College & Career Resources ACT/SAT Testing Information *When registering, students can send scores to 4 schools for free ($12 per school if sent later)

10 SAT I Test *Critical Reading, Math, & Writing sections *2400 equivalent to 36 on ACT (sub sections out of 800) *Did student score well on PSAT? *If so, consider taking this test for college admission if better representation of academic ability *SAT II Subject Tests *20 tests available across 5 subject areas: English, History, Math, Science, Languages *Required or recommended by selective & highly selective colleges/universities *If recommended, we suggest you take for admission in areas of your academic interest/strength **SAT I & SAT II tests cannot be taken on the same day, so plan accordingly if considering both in combination with ACT testing. For more information go to: *

11 All schools will have conversion charts for ACT/SAT tests to determine highest score achieved *They will always take your highest score they WANT to admit students *Some schools super score (take highest sub scores from multiple tests) so do not be afraid to send multiple test scores to schools (NCAA does super score!) *

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13 My boss s niece s best friend s cousin went there and she said it was a good (or bad) school

14 *Find Student s Best Fit *Location How far from Wheaton does he/she want to be? *Urban, Suburban, or Rural *Public or Private *Enrollment size (Private=smaller, Public=bigger) *Cost (Private=$$$, In-State Public - $, Out-of-State Public=$$) *Community/Campus Life/Environment *Liberal, Conservative, Moderate *Athletics/Activities *Special Services Offered

15 Post-secondary schools are not obligated to provide services for students with identified disabilities and offer varying levels of support Research this fully if your child received services in high school Schedule appointment with Special Services Office when visiting campus (if they have one) Bring Individualized Education Plan/504 Plan documentation from most current student Reevaluation Have other diagnosis documentation as well (some schools will require new diagnosis/testing if not done in the past year Examples of schools with special programs University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (Project Success) / UW Whitewater (Project Assist) Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Achieve Program) Lynn University (Comprehensive Support Program) Lora College (Learning Disabilities Program) University of Arizona (S.A.L.T) University of Indianapolis (BUILD) Lincoln College (ADHD/LD program) More specifics can/will be discussed during each student s Annual Review in the spring

16 Type *Christian, Liberal Arts, Selective/Highly Selective,Technical, or Specialized (i.e. Art) *Commuter, Suitcase, or Traditional *Calendar *Traditional semesters, trimesters, single-course focus *Colorado College (not University of ) and Cornell College (also, not University) are the only two institutions that require that you do this when choosing your classes? *Answer = Only pick one! According to Cornell students, You can do anything for 18 days!

17 *Small schools *Allow more personal involvement *Offer community atmosphere (including faculty) *Have smaller classes (from 5-50 students) *Have faculty focused on teaching undergrads, not conducting research *Offer direct instruction by faculty, not graduate students *Usually have a higher price tag (Do not discount small schools because of price when conducting your initial search) *Large schools *Have a class size anywhere from students *Tend to be more impersonal *Allow more anonymity and learning of independent living skills *Tend to be less expensive *Offer the college experience *Carry a bigger name

18 Colleges range in size from 20 to 50,000 students. Big difference between attending a small school - under 3,000 and attending a large school - 3,000-50, Augustana College North Central College Illinois Wesleyan U North Park University Knox College Monmouth College Beloit College Lawrence University Bradley University Butler University Creighton University Drake University Millikin University Carthage College 7500 Marquette University DePaul University Northwestern University Loyola University University of Chicago Washington University (St. Louis) *

19 Private Schools Most Often Applied to by Wheaton North Students Marquette University Taylor University DePaul University Wheaton College North Central College Carthage College Augustana College Bradley University Loyola University Butler University Hope College Northwestern University Indiana Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University Elmhurst College Calvin College Washington University (St. Louis) North Park University University of Chicago Lewis University

20 Focuses on creating a well-rounded student Broad education study literature, languages, and the natural and social sciences Requires a more complex list of general education requirements which may include religious study Smaller number of requirements in each major with a lot of overlap allows for multiple majors and/or minors Unique schedule of academic terms (trimesters with J- terms, etc.) Higher rates for admission to graduate and professional school programs What do you want your student to be able to do when s/he graduates? Get a job in a specific field Have a diverse array of options including going on to graduate school *

21 Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) College fair at Calvary Church in Naperville offered every October What does Christian mean on campus? Class requirements Chapel attendance Pledge or code of conduct

22 Not just a mathematical equation, but still starts with strength of schedule, GPA, and ACT (but not always) Essays Resume of activities, involvements, and work experiences Letters of recommendation Interviews Visits Demonstrated interest Legacy **REMEMBER** Colleges are looking for ways to get students IN

23 Knox College Rose-Hulman Kenyon College Grinnell College Hillsdale College Carleton College McAllister College Lawrence University University of Chicago Washington University Notre Dame University Northwestern University Selective Colleges Require elite credentials and may only admit 20-30% of their applicants. ACT Averages are typically in the range Have the highest placement rates for graduate school Do not typically offer merit scholarships Recommend that students take the most rigorous coursework available to them while in high school

24 Accepted students are primarily from the Top 5-10% of the class. Test scores are also in the Top 5-10% range. Typically admit fewer than 20% of applicants; can be even below 10% Harvard 5.9%, Yale 6.26%, MIT 7.73%, Stanford 5.07% 80% of applicants meet the admission requirements but only 20% are accepted. The difference between being lucky and unlucky.

25 *Wednesday, December 10 th *Taylor Auditorium *7:00PM 9:00 PM *Presented by: Mary Lee Hoganson, former National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) President, and Wendy Biggs, counselor

26 Parent Is my student ready to go away to college (academically, emotionally, etc.), and am I ready for him/her to leave? Family How far from home is too far (or too close)? What is our backup plan if the financial aid does not work out the way we had hoped? What do we get for the extra cost of a private or out-of-state school, and is it worth it? *

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28 Many more schools are using (UIC, Purdue, Calvin, Hope; more to join in 2015) Can be used for over 400+ schools Only use if multiple schools in application list are using it. Otherwise use school specific application. Workshops held in early September for seniors using it (attendance highly recommended due to confusing, in-depth process) *

29 Most applications open for senior students August or September 1 st, but cannot be finalized without counselor assistance so have them wait for their Senior Conference Session *Help them organize what materials each college will need and when (i.e. are teacher recommendations required/used, counselor secondary school reports, deadlines) *October 1 st deadline for Senior Information sheets (counselor) and teacher rec requests *

30 Each student application should be their own work and effort. Allow your student to take charge and control of his/her own college applications. Remember, they will be on their own and acting independently in college, so the more practice they have doing this, the more successful they will be.

31 *Seniors seen in September/Early October to finalize college questions and get assistance w/ completing their college application materials *Target 3-6 schools at this point (safety admissions and financially, reasonable, reach) * Apply early (mid-september through Early November) *Shown how to move their interest schools to their applying to tab in Naviance for transcript submission *Teacher Recommendation process reviewed requests due by October 1 st (ONLY IF NEEDED)

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33 Counselor *College and Career Center (can be used during Access time w/ pass from counselor) *Computers (Naviance and Career Cruising) *Reference books *College representative visits *School s website- *Announcements/Bulletin Boards *College/University Admissions Office (refer to Miscellaneous Resource Reference sheet)

34 Feel free to contact your student s counselor. Counselor names, e- mails and phone numbers can be accessed on our school website: (College & Career Resources)