Welcome to Junior Planning Night! Hall High School January 7, :00-8:00pm

Transcription

1 Welcome to Junior Planning Night! Hall High School January 7, 205 7:00-8:00pm

2 Tonight s Agenda 7:00-8:00pm Post-Secondary Options Junior Planning Activities & Timeline College Tests & Test Preparation College/Career Resources Available Naviance Important Upcoming Events Q&A 2

3 Post High School Options Four Year College Two Year College Cost effective Transfers to State Universities Technical School Career specific, hands-on training Gap Year Travel, Community Work, AmeriCorps Gap Year Fair: Conard High School Thursday, February 5th at 6:30pm Military Employment 3

4 Important Upcoming Events Individual Junior Planning Meetings (January March) Course Selection (January 26th) Junior Planning Seminars (3rd Quarter on Wednesdays) Gap Year Fair (February 5th at Conard High School) National College Fair in Hartford (March 25th &26 ) 4

5 Junior Planning Meetings Juniors will be scheduled for an individual planning meeting during the school day with their school counselor sometime from January to March. We encourage you to speak with your child to recap the meeting at home. Topics to be covered include: High school reflection and transcript review Planning for senior courses Review PSAT results and discuss strategy and timeline for SAT s/act s College and career planning (next steps to be covered in junior planning seminar) 5

6 Junior Planning Seminar Juniors are scheduled to participate in a 9 week series of workshops during the 3rd Quarter on Wednesdays to assist them in the post high school planning process. Topics to covered include: Understanding the college admissions process How to conduct a college search College testing Common Application Resume/brag sheets College essay tips Interview skills Other post-secondary options/ Gap year 6

7 College Testing: PSAT Score Reports Scores from the October PSAT were distributed to juniors during advisory on December 7th We encourage parents to review the test scores and My College Quick Start Test Registration and Planning will be covered during the junior seminar series. 7

8 College Testing: The SAT It includes three subtests: Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing It measures a student s ability to analyze and solve problems by applying what they have learned in school. Not all colleges require testing! The SAT Subject Tests Only a handful of selective colleges require subject tests If you need to take a subject test for admission, take it at the completion of the course (May or June) 8

9 College Testing: The ACT The ACT is another college entrance exam that can be submitted in lieu of the SAT It includes five sub-tests: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science and Writing We recommend taking it with writing! The scoring is also different from the SAT 9

10 College/Career Resources: College & Career Center College and career reference section Naviance support and other online resources SAT/ACT test prep resources Scholarship information Financial aid resources College rep visits in the fall 0

11 College/Career Resources: School Counseling Department Website Accessed through Hall High School website Grade Webpage: Comprehensive list of post-secondary planning resources Junior year checklist Click here!

12 College/Career Resources: Naviance Naviance is a comprehensive online program that Hall subscribes to that assists students and their families in all aspects of college and career planning. 2 2

13 Naviance Naviance and links within the Naviance system will allow you to do the following: Research colleges and conduct an individualized college search Compare your academic profile with former Hall applicants Students and parents receive s about important deadlines, events, and special opportunities Find SAT/ACT test preparation and registration information Obtain financial aid and scholarship information Complete a resume Complete a personality assessment Research careers Links to college resources Keep track of your college applications Keep track of college rep visits to Hall Communicate with your counselor! 3 3

14 Naviance Tutorial (Go to family connection page)

15 The College Search Where should students start? Run a preliminary search using Naviance and College Board Helpful information to consider when researching: GPA, course requirements, test scores, majors, location, cost Develop a broad list of schools (safety, ballpark, reach) Start visiting colleges: Consider size, location, atmosphere, student body, and special programs It is best to visit colleges while they are in session. Take advantage of school vacations! This will be covered in the junior planning seminar series 5

16 Why is junior year so important? Colleges will look for: End of year transcript and GPA Evidence of improvement, demonstrate positive trend over previous years Senior year grades and courses are also important and will be viewed by colleges! 6

17 Where should students be by the fall? Know which post-secondary option they would like to pursue and what requirements you must meet. If they plan to attend college A list of 6-0 prospective schools Have taken the SAT/ACT Have visited a few colleges Have completed a resume, brag sheets, and the Do What You Are inventory Identify teachers to ask for letters of recommendation Begin working on your essay in the summer See your counselor for help as often as needed! 7

18 College Admission Trends Overall number of college applications continues to rise nationally Common Application use has expanded State schools continue to grow in popularity and competitiveness, including CT community colleges Most competitive colleges have not seen a drop in enrollment Increase in Early Decision (ED) & Early Action (EA) applicants Tuition/Room & Board fees continue to rise Financial Aid is competitive 8

19 Moving forward, who does what?! Do Student Parent Take control of the process! Support and encourage your child s genuine interests. Attend the Junior Planning Seminars Begin researching your postsecondary options now to develop a plan (and back-up plan!) Initiate contact with colleges or programs of interest Don t! Encourage them to self-advocate and have them communicate with the college admissions offices directly. Prepare your child for the possibility of disappointment. Give them realistic expectations of your part in paying for college. Ask your parents to make appointments, phone calls or complete applications for you! Call the college admissions offices for them. Wait until senior year to begin your research Complete their applications or write their essays for them. Register the student for the SATs/ACTs

20 Helping your student keep it in perspective Maintain balance as much as possible. Study hard, but have fun too! Participate in activities you enjoy most. Begin the process early so you don't get overwhelmed Take your time on making final decisions about colleges. Remember that there are many potential matches for you; you don't have to find "the one You don't have to have the whole journey mapped out; only the next few steps Ask for help and clarification when needed 2 0

21 Questions? This presentation will be posted on our website. Thank you! 2