Class of 2020Rising Senior Night

MAY 23rd 2019

Agenda

• Overview of post-secondary options

• Creating a great college application

• Dominion High School process

• Timeline for senior year

Post-Secondary Options

• 4-year college and universities

• Community college▪ NOVA Pathway to the Baccalaureate Program▪ Guaranteed Admissions Agreements

• Junior college

• Military▪ Academies (be aware of earlier timeline)▪ ASVAB

• Gap-Year programs

• Accredited specialized career institutes & colleges

Creating a Great College Application

NACAC Important Factors in College Admission Decisions

Strength of Curriculum

“Students are always advised to take the strongest curriculum that they can reasonably handle while pursuing academic and extracurricular opportunities for which they have a passion.”

Jerome Lucido, Vice ProvostUniversity of Southern California

SATs & ACTs

• Required for most 4-year colleges & universities• Test Optional

• Encouraged to take the SAT and/or ACT twice

• Consider Early Action/Early Decision deadlines

• Register online at:

▪ www.sat.org

▪ www.act.org

• Fee waiver if student receives free/reduced lunch

SAT• Sections: Evidenced-based Reading & Writing and Mathematics

• Score range: 400-1600

• Math Section:

▪ 60% “Heart of Algebra” (Algebra 1 & 2)

▪ 30% Quantitative literacy (ratios, percentages, & statistics)

▪ 10% Geometry

• Optional Essay (50 min.): includes reading passage with prompt focused on analysis of author’s writing

• No penalty for incorrect answers

• Sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science

• Score given as composite – out of 36

• Tests math up through Trigonometry

• Optional Essay (40 min.)

• No penalty for incorrect answers

• Colleges and universities accept both the SAT and ACT

SAT Subject Tests

• Subject-specific tests: Literature, Math 1 & 2, US History, World History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Foreign Languages

• Check with the college admissions office regarding whether it’s required or recommended

• Register at www.sat.org

Test Prep Resources

● Register online at: WWW.KAPLANATSCHOOL.COM/DOMINION

● CollegeBoard partners with Khan Academy for free online personalized test prep

The Subjective Components

• Essay and/or personal statements

• Activities

• Letters of recommendation

The College Essay

Allows the college admissions committee to:

• Assess student’s ability to communicate effectively in writing

• Learn about student as a person▪ Attitudes, values, opinions▪ Personal story and background▪ Approach to life and challenges▪ Goals and aspirations

▪ Common Application Essay prompts are available now—good summer project!

Activities & Community Service

• Provides a glimpse into student’s interests, passions, and leadership

• How & why is more important than what

▪ Students need to attach meaning to their involvement

▪ What was most important to you, and why?

Letters of Recommendation

• Provides additional details regarding student character and school engagement

• Start thinking now about which teacher you might ask

• Complete resume in Naviance, helpful for teachers

Completing the College Application

Apply Online!!!• Visit each college’s website for specific instructions on how to access the

application

• Remember log-in information – keep it in a safe place for future reference

• Ensure e-mail address is appropriate• Encouraged to develop a e-mail for all college/scholarship info

• Complete supplemental information for each college (see application requirements)

• Common Application – www.commonapp.org • Coalition Application - www.mycoalition.org

Completing the College Application

Follow Instructions and Proofread• Complete all required sections

• Carefully follow all instructions

• Proofread before submission

Application Fee• Must be paid before the deadline or it’s considered incomplete

• Students should see school counselor if they need an application fee waiver

Completing the College Application

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines!

• Best to check individual college admission websites for the deadline

• Must submit college applications before the deadline• Highly recommended to submit applications early, so that you

have time to verify that the college has received all components of the application

“Traditional” College Application Deadlines

● Early Action: typically November 1st or 15th, non-binding

● Early Decision: typically November 1st or 15th, binding

● Regular: most common deadlines are December 15th, January 1st, January 15th, February 1st

● Rolling: as soon as possible, applications are reviewed as they are received

● Priority Filing Dates: some colleges set this deadline for students who wish to be considered for scholarships and financial aid

“To Do” Items for Senior Year

Develop a College List

Students should narrow down the list of colleges to which they intend to apply to 5-7 schools:

Safety Schools (1-2): typically accept students with lower GPA/test scores than yours

Target Schools (2): typically accept students with similar GPA/test scores to yours

Reach Schools (1-2): typically accept students with higher GPA/test scores than yours

• Encouraged to develop this list in Naviance by end of junior year

Considerations in finding a good college “fit”

✓ Location✓ Size✓ Career goals✓ Academic majors✓ Financial aid✓H.S. course requirements

and recommendations✓Academic profile of

admitted students✓ Student life

✓ Diversity of student body✓ Appearance of facilities✓ Athletic programs ✓ Extracurricular interests✓ Study abroad programs✓ ROTC ✓ Dorms/residence halls✓ Available support services✓ The “feel” of campus✓ Cost (don’t rule out private

or out-of-state colleges)

Visit College Campuses

• Finding the “right fit” is very important – can only do this if student has actually stepped onto the campus

• May require advance scheduling to make the most of each visit

• Arrive early for scheduled visits & make arrangements for parking ahead of time

• Try to visit nearby schools or develop a route that allows you to visit many colleges on one trip

• Visiting is a way to demonstrate interest, which can be a factor in admissions decisions

Important FAFSA Info

• FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid

▪ Students will be able to file the FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2019 using income information from the previous tax year.

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/fafsa-changes

Dominion High School College Application ProcessWho is responsible for what?

Responsibilities

Student will:

• Complete application (on college website)

• Sending Test Scores: SAT and/or ACT tests

• Requesting Letters of Recommendation & Transcripts

• Submitting Supplemental Information to Colleges

School counselor will:

• Send transcript within 3 weeks of request

• Complete/Send Secondary School Report

• Complete /Send Counselor Letter of Recommendation

• Complete/Send Midyear Reports and Final Transcript

Standardized Tests

• You must send your official score reports to each colleges directly from College Board or ACT • Counselor cannot send for you

• Select score report recipients when you register online (4 free)

• Must pay a fee per score report if you request to send to college after you take the test

• Send to NCAA (9999) if you want to play NCAA sports in college

Teachers Submit Recommendations Online

• First, check if a letter is required/accepted by the school, then have a face to face conversation with your teacher

• In September, students will receive instructions on how to formally request teacher letters through Naviance (required 3 weeks prior to deadline)

• Teachers are responsible for uploading and sending students’ letters of recommendation directly to colleges/universities

• Thank you notes

Counselor Letter of Recommendation

● The Insight Sheet is an opportunity for students and parents to

highlight students’ strengths, awards, achievements, and obstacles overcome

● Student Insight Sheet required for all counselor letters of recommendation requests

● Optional parent insight sheet

PINK Transcript Request Form

• Students should pick up form in school counseling office

• Be specific! (no abbreviations, no ASAP for deadline date)

• Indicate any additional documents you would like us to include (e.g. counselor letter of recommendation or supplemental forms)

• Student & parent (if under 18) must sign each request form

• Must be submitted at least 3 weeks before college admission deadline

Academic Transcript

The School Counseling office sends student’s official transcript to each college:

• Within 3 weeks of receiving transcript request form

• Mid-year transcripts automatically sent to all colleges once initial transcript request is submitted (no need to submit

another request)

• At the end of the year – final transcript is automatically sent to the college you plan to attend

• Students should update e-mail address so that they receive important college & scholarship info

• Create a resume

• Sign up for college or military visits during Titan Time (print out confirmation as your pass)

• Check status of transcript requests

Titans, check your e-mail frequently!

Why?• Updates on colleges visiting DHS• Information on scholarships, honors, recognitions,

special programs (some with short notice)• A great way to communicate with your school

counselor about applications after earning early release from Titan Time

• COLLEGES USE E-MAIL AS THEIR PRIMARY FORM OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOU RE: YOUR APPLICATION!

Senior Year TimelineBE ORGANIZED, WORK IN ADVANCE

Now through end of Summer

● Register for and take SAT/ACT a final time, if necessary○ There is an SAT in August, ACT in July

● College exploration and research● Campus visits● Narrow down list of schools● Brainstorm ideas for college essays● Refine resume● Gain valuable, meaningful experiences – volunteer, work,

internships, travel, academic study & research programs● Make informal request to teachers for letters of

recommendation

Late Summer & Early Fall

● Create organized way to track deadlines and progress● Write essays for college admission● Make official request for letters of recommendation

from teachers● Begin college applications

Fall & Winter

● Complete FAFSA (opens October 1st) ● Continue to monitor deadlines and progress● Submit college applications● Request transcripts from School Counseling ● Track receipt of supplemental materials

Winter & Spring

● Apply for scholarships (mostly January – April)● Attend admitted student days & campus visits● Review financial aid packages● Review college decisions (All colleges will notify

student by April 15th)● Decide where to attend by May 1st

Questions?