Class of 2016

Junior Year: Spring Semester

Goals

• At the conclusion of this presentation you will better understand:– the post-secondary options available to you– the process for scheduling an official college campus visit– the differences between the SAT and ACT as well as when to

register for these tests (ASAP!)– factors involved in college admission decisions– what is available to you through Naviance– how to conduct a college search through Naviance

Post-Secondary Options

• 2 Year College• 4 Year Colleges/Universities• Technical Institutes and

Professional Schools• Military

– Service Academies– ROTC– Enlist/Reserves

Collin College

• Associates degrees offered through a wide variety of disciplines

• Benefits of attending Collin College:– Lower costs for transferable coursework– Relationships with local and regional 4-year

institutions for transfer• Transfer scholarship opportunities

– Opportunity for students to explore areas of interests

College Match…Things to Consider

Look at Yourself:

Determine your Interest and Goals

• Academic• Career/Proposed Major• Extracurricular Activities

Look at your Institutional Options

• Size • Location• Cost• Admissions

Requirements• Private vs. Public• Large vs. Small • Special Programs

Scheduling an Official College Campus Visit

• Visit the college or university’s admissions website to schedule an OFFICIAL campus tour.– Campus tour– Dorm tour– Classroom visitation

• Register online• Sometimes you may need to call the

admissions office

Who should register with the clearinghouse?

• A student who plans to attend an NCAA Division I or II institution and who wishes to participate in intercollegiate athletics. – This also applies to walk-on’s

• www.eligibilitycenter.org • See your athletic coach if you are

interested in pursing varsity athletics in college!

Standardized Exams

• PSAT – national merit consideration• SAT• SAT Subject Exams• ACT• AP

National Merit

• Based on Junior year PSAT• Commended Students: Notified

September of senior year• Semifinalists: Notified September of senior

year– Top ½ of 1% become semifinalist

• Finalists: February

ACT

Basic Information• 3 hour college entrance exam• Composed of 4 tests

– English usage– Mathematics– Reading– Science Reasoning– 30 minute optional writing

test• Score range 1-36 for each area• Writing test score range 2-12• DO NOT LEAVE BLANK ANSWERS!

ALWAYS GUESS!

www.actstudent.org

www.actstudent.org• Exam Date: April 18• Exam Date: June 13• Exam Date: September 12• Exam Date: October 24

** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses

SAT

Basic Information• 3 hour and 45 minute college

entrance exam• Composed of 3 tests

– Critical Reading– Mathematics– Writing Skills

• Scores range 200-800 for each area

• Make your best guess ONLY IF you can reasonably rule out two of the four choices.

www.collegeboard.com

www.collegeboard.com

• Exam Date: **March 14• Exam Date: **May 2• Exam Date: **June 6• Exam Date: Oct TBD• Exam Date: Nov TBD

** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses

SUPERSCORE

• Many colleges “superscore”– Highest reading + Highest math across all

exam attempts = your Superscore– Superscoring benefits you as a student

• NOT ALL COLLEGES SUPERSCORE!!!– It is up to you to check your college’s websites

to confirm whether or not they superscore for admissions AND scholarship purposes!!!

ACT and SAT ComparisonACT SAT

3 hours, 25 minutes (with writing test) LENGTH 3 hours, 45 minutes

4 sections(English, Math, Reading, Science)

Plus an optional writing test

STRUCTURE 10 sections(3 Critical Reading, 3 Math, 3 Writing)

Plus and experimental section

SCORING

Composite of 1-36 based on average scores from the 4 test sections

SCORE Total score range of 600- 2400 based on adding scores from 3 sections

No penalty for wrong answers WRONG ANSWER PENALTY

¼ point subtracted from your raw score for each wrong answer (except for math grid-ins)

You decide which score is sent SENDING SCORE HISTORY

Depends if you are enrolled in Score Choice(Some colleges require you to send all scores)

CONTENT

Reading comprehension- 4 passages with 10 questions per passage

READING Reading comprehension-Short and long passages with questions. Sentence completion

Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry

MATH Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II

Analysis, interpretation, evaluation, basic content, and problem solving

SCIENCE Science not included

Last thing (optional): 30 minutesTopic of importance to high school student

ESSAY First thing 25: minutes Factored in to overall score; More abstract than

ACT

SAT Subject Test

• 1 hour test that measures knowledge and skills in a particular subject and a student’s ability to apply the knowledge

• Scores range 200-800• Colleges may use these scores in several ways.

– Admissions purposes – check specific schools’ websites

– Award college course credit– Help place students in the appropriate college

courses

Key Parts of College Admissions

• High school courses/ grades (G.P.A.)• Quality of courses, level of difficulty, trends/consistency of grades

• Rigor of courses• Standardized test scores• Extracurricular activities/ Your resume

• Includes academic awards/ honors, extracurricular activities, interest, jobs, community services and hobbies

• Application essays and/or personal statements• Recommendation from teacher• Recommendation from counselor• **Personal interviews

• **Not required by every college or university, but if offered, take advantage!

Selecting Senior Year Courses

• Choose rigor• Upward trend (regarding rigor and

grades)• Senior year courses MATTER

– Colleges receive a copy of your senior year courses– Challenging courses help maintain college readiness

• Drop a course after applying? You MUST notify your colleges– All parts of your application are a binding contract with the

college. If you make a change without notifying them, they could rescind an admissions offer.

Spring 2015

• Register for Spring SAT/ ACT/ SAT Subject (if needed)• Start narrowing your college search

– Utilize Naviance – SuperMatch College Search feature

• Plan college campus visits• Spring College Fair

When: March 26th 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Where: Lovejoy High School Main Gym• Choose Senior Classes, AP, Dual Credit, etc.• Plan a purposeful summer (enrichment program,

volunteer work, etc)

Naviance connection.naviance.com/lovejoy

• Update Personal Information• Update Resume• College Search• Assessments

– Learning Style– Interest Inventory– Personality Assessment

• EMAILS!!!!

Junior Home Page

Colleges Tab

Naviance Scattergrams

Reach – Target – Likely Schools

blackout

Target/Likely School

University of Arkansas

Colleges on LHS Campus

Careers Tab

About Me Tab

Updating Your Resume

Check List