january 2014. mhs guidance department ms. apel ext 6168kapel@mtsd.us mr. glock ext...

January 2014

MHS Guidance Department

• Ms. Apel ext 6168 kapel@mtsd.us• Mr. Glock ext 6164 kglock@mtsd.us

• Ms. Hampton ext 6165 champton@mtsd.us• Ms. Musial ext 6166 pmusial@mtsd.us• Mrs. Pino ext 6167 hpino@mtsd.us• Mrs. Ritson ext 6172 jritson@mtsd.us• Ms. Watson ext 6163 cwatson@mtsd.us

Make an appointment through email, or speaking with a secretary.

BEGINNING THE COLLEGE SEARCH PROCESS

The Goal:Find thecolleges that are the

right fits for you!

DECISION FACTORS• Size• Location• Campus personality• Entrance

Requirements• Majors available• The school’s

commitment to a particular major

• Diversity• Athletics/Activities• Reputation • Cost…

CONSIDERING THE COST OF COLLEGE

• How much can your family afford? (including tuition, books, travel, spending money,

etc)• Compare lower tuition at a public school with the possibility that a private school may have more financial resources and be able to offer more aid• Don’t let the initial cost of college dissuade you

from applying• Consider applying for scholarships:

Going to college should Going to college should NEVER break the piggybank!NEVER break the piggybank!

Financial Aid and Scholarships

• Federal Student Aid: http://studentaid.ed.gov• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA):

www.fafsa.gov• FAFSA4caster: www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov• CSS/PROFILE: https://profileonline.collegeboard.com• The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid:

www.finaid.org• MHS Guidance Website• FastWeb: www.fastweb.com• FindTuition: www.findtuition.com• Sallie Mae: www.salliemae.com

TYPES OF COLLEGES• 4-Year Colleges and

UniversitiesLiberal Arts SchoolsIvy League SchoolsPrivate CollegesPublic CollegesTechnical Universities

Specialized Institutions

Music conservatoriesArt schoolsCulinary schoolsHealth sciences

Two -Year Colleges

Two-year private schoolsCommunity collegesGuaranteed transfer programs

Getting Started

• Begin in the winter of your Junior year

• Talk to older friends/family about their experiences

• Identify possibilities• Know your resources• Research and visit

YOUR COLLEGE SEARCH SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE:

College visits!• Best to go when

school is in session• Take a campus tour• Attend an open house• Overnight stays with a sibling or

friend• Visit actual classes

while in session• Interview?

Helpful Websites for the College Search

• CSO College Center: www.CSOCollegeCenter.org

• The College Board: www.collegeboard.com• KnowHow2Go: www.knowhow2go.org• Hobson’s CollegeView: www.collegeview.com• Peterson’s: www.petersons.com• The Common Application Online:

www.commonapp.org• Colleges That Change Lives: www.ctcl.org• College Visits: www.college-visits.com

JUNIOR PLANNING MEETINGS

• Counselors present to juniors in small groups

• Counselors meet with each student individually

• Counselors will meet with students and parents upon request

• Parents and students can use Naviance at home

What are colleges looking for?

• Grades in core academic classes – strength of program

• SAT/ACT tests• Overall GPA• Essay or writing sample• Teacher/Counselor

recommendations• Interview/Visits• Activities/Special talents

TAKING OWNERSHIP• The college admissions process calls for trust and a new kind of teamwork “directing” needs to give way to

“guiding”

• Getting into college, despite your inexperience and busy schedule, is something you must do for yourself

• College admissions officers are eager tohear about the student from the student

• It’s time to be your own advocate!

New Trends …

• Admission policies like Restricted Early Action

• Test optional schools:  

www.fairtest.com• ACT – much more

popular

Standardized Testing

Know what the colleges on your list are looking for…

SAT ?SAT II?ACT?

REGISTER FOR THE TEST• Register online:

www.collegeboard.org for the SAT and www.act.org for the ACT

• Websites also have useful resources such as practice tests, questions of the day, study and test-taking tips, college searches, etc…Take advantage of them

• Question of the Day SAT App!

SAT & ACT

SAT

• Scholastic Aptitude Test• Aptitude oriented• 3 3/4 hours in length• Score Range 200 – 800

(2400 total)• Critical Reading, Math,

Writing• Essay (scored out of 12) • You choose which

scores will be sent to colleges.

ACT

• American College Test• Achievement oriented• 3 1/2 hours in length • Score Range 1-36• English, Math,

Reading & Scientific Reasoning

• Essay optional• You choose which

scores will be sent to colleges

Which test is right for you?

SAT II – Subject Tests

• Selective colleges require subject tests for admission

• 1 hour in length (take up to three tests on one test date)

• Score Range 200 – 800 • All tests are not offered on all dates – be sure to plan ahead

SAT TESTING – Dates to SAT TESTING – Dates to RememberRemember

DATE TEST/S REGISTER BY

March 8 SATFebruary 7

May 3 SAT/Subject Tests April 4

June 7 SAT/Subject Tests May 9

ACT TESTING – Dates to RememberACT TESTING – Dates to RememberFebruary 8 January 10

April 12March 7

June 14May 9

Test Prep/Coaching Programs

• PSAT Score Report Plus and test booklet were recently returned and are agreat way to identify specific strengths and areas of need• CollegeBoard and ACT offer free test preparation on their websites. Students can familiarize themselveswith the tests and the directions for different sections• Many different individual, small and large classes, handbooks and computer programs on the market

– Effectiveness of books and classes is a hotly debated topic– Can be costly and time-consuming– Results vary– Princeton Review and Revolution Prep programs offered at MHS

TESTING – Helpful Hints

• Become familiar with the test

• Know how you learn best and invest time into that strategy

• Take timed practice tests

• People who read well – score well

• READ, READ, READ!

YOUR COLLEGE SEARCH STARTS WITH:

Registering and logging in to

What is it?

• Web-based• Supports high school career and college planning• Specific to MHS• Available only to registered users(student, parent, and counselors)• Easy registration,

easy to use

How does it help?• Shared resource linking home to school

• Organized and efficient “container” to compile a student’s data, experiences, documents, etc., relevant to college admission with consideration for student information confidentiality

Greater opportunity for parent Greater opportunity for parent participation in college planningparticipation in college planning

Accurate, complete records about Accurate, complete records about student outcomes and admission student outcomes and admission decisions from our schooldecisions from our school

Realistic assessments of your Realistic assessments of your chances of admission to colleges chances of admission to colleges where prior graduates have appliedwhere prior graduates have applied

Family Connection Login Page

Do a College Search

Scattergrams

See When College Reps are Visiting MHS

• Registered users sign up to attend meetings online

• Meeting reminders e-mailed a day before college visit

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE COLLEGE SEARCH

• From all of your research, make a list of ten to twelve schoolsthat are potential fits• Do more extensive research on those schools• Trim that list to eight to ten by September of your senior year and begin applying

This is an exciting time! • Remember to have

fun visiting campuses and learning about what makes each one unique

• Remember that there is more than one college out there for you

• Try to minimize stress by keeping all lines of communication open and seeing your counselor oftenGood luck!