JUNIOR PARENT PRESENTATION

MAY 28, 2013Medford High SchoolGuidance Department

WELCOME!

Our goal today is to give students some tips and information to get a head start in the college application process

Special Guest Speaker from the English Department

Let’s Get Ready Guest Speaker to discuss free upcoming SAT prep program

CLASS OF 2014 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

112 credits minimum Required courses: 4 English, 3 Math, 3

Social Studies, 3 Science, 4 Wellness, 1 Fine Art

MCAS (English, Math, and Science) 60 Hours of Community Service (or 15

hours for each year enrolled at MHS)

4 YEAR COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS 4 years of English 3-4 years of Math (through at least Algebra II) 3-4 years of Social Studies 3-4 years of Science (2 years of lab sciences) 2-4 years of the same foreign language

As you can see the MHS graduation requirements are closely aligned with most 4 year college requirements.

THERE ARE MANYPOST HIGH SCHOOL OPTIONS

4 year colleges or universities 2 year colleges 2 + 2 colleges Technical colleges Military Academy Military Service (www.military.com) Post Grad Year Gap or Service Year Employment

UMASS SYSTEM & MA STATE COLLEGES

UMass Amherst UMass Boston UMass Dartmouth Umass Lowell

Bridgewater State Fitchburg State Framingham State Salem State Westfield State Worcester State Mass Art Mass College of Liberal

Arts (MCLA) Mass Maritime

Academy

MASSACHUSETTS STATE SCHOOLSMINIMUM ADMISSION STANDARDS/ SLIDING SCALE

GPA SAT / ACT 2.51-2.99 950/ 20 2.41-2.50 990/ 21 2.31-2.40 1030/22 2.21-2.30 1070/23 2.11-2.20 1110/24 2.00-2.10 1150/25

GPA SAT / ACT 2.51-2.99 920 / 19 2.41-2.50 960 / 20 2.31-2.40 1000 / 21 2.21-2.30 1040 / 22 2.11-2.20 1080 / 23 2.00-2.10 1120 / 24

UMass System State Colleges

This is simply the sliding scale. However, with college admissions getting more competitive every year, most of public 4 year school in the Massachusetts system are looking for around a 3.0 GPA and around a 1000-1100 combined SAT (math & verbal). Umass Amherst rarely takes a student with a GPA below a 3.5 (regardless of SAT scores).

COMMUNITY COLLEGE The price is right Students often take the same courses as they

would at a 4 year college Do not require SAT/ACT Do not require letters of recommendation Students are able to transfer to 4 year colleges

after 1 or 2 years Some community colleges have agreements with

the state colleges (MassTransfer Program) No housing on campus

COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN MASSACHUSETTS

Berkshire CC Bristol CC Bunker Hill Cape Cod CC Greenfield CC Holyoke CC Mass Bay CC Massasoit CC

Middlesex CC Mount Wachusett CC North Shore CC Northern Essex CC Ouinsigamond CC Roxbury CC Springfield CC

LOOKING AHEAD

COUNSELOR, STUDENT & PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE FALL OF SENIOR

YEAR

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES Involve parents in the conversation about post high school/

college/career plans Research colleges using Collegeboard, Naviance, or any of the

other web or printed resources available Register and take (or retake) any standardized tests required for

admission Make an appointment to speak with counselor about post high

school plans Visit potential schools of interest to see if they might be a

good fit Know each school’s deadline and turn in all transcript requests at

least 2 weeks prior! (Brag sheets need to be submitted at least 1 month prior)

Maintain a rigorous senior year schedule & put forth your best academic effort (all year long)

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIESUSE ALL THE ONLINE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOUCOLLEGEBOARD’S COLLEGE COMPARISON IS A

GREAT TOOL!

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIESUSE ALL THE ONLINE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU

CONSIDER STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO & FRESHMAN YEAR RETENTION RATE

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIESUSE NAVIANCE TO COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER MEDFORD HIGH

STUDENTS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY APPLIED TO A PARTICULAR COLLEGE

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIESUSE KEY FEATURES UNDER THE COLLEGE TAB IN NAVIANCE“COLLEGES I’M THINKING ABOUT / COLLEGE I’M APPLYING

TO”

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIESUSE KEY FEATURES UNDER THE CAREER TAB IN NAVIANCE

“CAREER INTEREST PROFILER, PERSONALITY TYPE, CLUSTER FINDER”

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIESVISIT THE MEDFORD HIGH GUIDANCE WEBSITE FOR NEWS, TIPS & ADVICE

WWW.MEDFORDHIGHGUIDANCE.COM

COUNSELOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES

What to expect from your counselor: An individual meeting with or without parents present Interest, support and encouragement Suggestions for schools to look at (assistance fine-tuning your

“list”) Ongoing Feedback Guidance through the college application process Sharing of knowledge and resources with you Suggestions for further independent college exploration

What not to expect from your counselor: Ability to read your mind/Know your thoughts Keep track of deadlines and appointments for you Apply to schools or scholarships for you Write recommendations without notice or your completed Senior Brag

Sheet

PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITIESWhat parents can do to help: Foster an open and ongoing dialog with your child about what

they envision for their future Be honest and realistic with your child about any financial

concerns that may affect their college search or application process

As much as possible, try to let your child take the lead Pick a time and place to bring up the “college” topic, (maybe

once per week over coffee @ Starbucks, or at Sunday dinner, etc…)

Realize that for many teens, every day may feel too often to be talking about college or their “future”

What parents should not be doing: Applying to colleges ON BEHALF of your son or daughter Writing application essays FOR your child Visiting potential colleges solo, without your child present Calling up admission offices to “explain” away a poor grade

your child recently received

ADMISSIONS INFORMATION

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EXAMSSAT: @ collegeboard.com Duration: 3 hrs. 35 mins. Cost: $50.00 Three sections: Critical Reading, Math and Writing (total possible score-2400) Loose ¼ of a point for any incorrect answers (random guessing will likely lower

your score!)

SAT Subject Area Tests: @ collegeboard.com Duration: 1 hr. Cost: $23.00 (basic registration fee), $12.00 (per test fee), $23.00 (per language

test w/ listening) Subjects include: English Lit., Bio., Chem., Math, History, Foreign Langs. (full list on

website)

ACT: @ actstudent.org Duration: 3 hrs. 30 mins. Cost: $35.00 or $50.50 with writing Four sections: English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning (total possible score-

36) No points deducted for incorrect answers (So go ahead and answer ALL questions!)

TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language): @ ets.org/toefl

Scores MUST be sent to colleges directly from testing agency (www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org)

Some schools no longer require admissions tests, see list @ www.fairtest.org

ADMISSION FACTORS COLLEGES CONSIDER

GPA and Class Rank SAT/ACT scores Rigor of secondary school record

(transcript) Senior year academic performance Extracurricular activities/ Community

Service College essay Recommendations Interview (if applicable) “Demonstrated Interest”

REACH SCHOOLS

The 8 IVY League schools: Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell,

+ MIT, Stanford, John Hopkins, Georgetown, Swarthmore, Duke, UC Berkeley, Olin, Amherst (not a complete list)

Boston College, Williams, Middlebury,

Brandeis, Colby, Hamilton, Tufts, Vassar,

Connecticut College, Wesleyan, NYU, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt, Colgate

(not a complete list)

Everyone’s Reach Almost Everyone’s Reach

There are many more qualified applicants than there are spaces. Being an average to above-average candidate is no guarantee!

APPLICATION DEADLINES Early Decision / Early Action - Usually Nov 1 or Nov 15

Regular Admission - Often Jan 1st, but can be as early as Nov 30 or Dec

1st

Rolling Admission - Anytime - The earlier, the better

Application materials must be received by guidance department 2 weeks prior to application deadline!!!

ADMISSION CATEGORIES REACH – The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT

scores fall below the historical averages for the college and / or past MHS students

MATCH– The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT scores fall within the historical averages for the college and / or past MHS students

HIGHLY LIKELY – The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT scores fall above the historical averages for the college and / or past MHS students

ADMISSIONS OPTIONS Regular Decision: This is the most common admission option. It

means that you turn in your application by the college’s deadline, and it lets you know by a specified date if you have been admitted or not.

Early Action: With Early Action, you send in your application earlier, and the college sends you its decision earlier. Make sure you read the instructions from each college carefully because some colleges have additional restrictions on their early action programs. Academically strong students will often apply to one Early Action school.

Early Decision: You can apply Early Decision to only one college. You are committing yourself to going to a particular school if you decide to apply Early Decision and are accepted (regardless of financial considerations). You should only apply Early Decision if you have a clear idea of your first-choice college. If you are looking at several colleges and don't want to limit your choices yet, Early Decision is not for you.

Rolling Admissions: There is no deadline for this option. Schools review and make decisions on applications as they receive them.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

UMass/State Colleges permit submitting IEP/Testing in lieu of SAT/ACT

Search for colleges that provide a Learning/Support Center or Tutoring in addition to accommodations

Community Colleges have special programs MHS Guidance only submits IEP/Testing information

when requested by the students due to confidentiality

TIPS AND ADVICE TO HELP YOU STAND OUT!

ADMISSIONS OFFICERS LOOK FOR STUDENTS WHO… Think globally, and act locally Challenged themselves academically during high

school Can handle the academic workload of college Spend their summers productively Will contribute to college life (in a positive way) Demonstrate the qualities of a well-rounded student Think clearly, logically, creatively, and/or abstractly

NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE COMMON APPLICATION ESSAY

Same as before: You must submit only one essay

New this year: 1) Essay must be no more than 650 words. The word limit

was just 500 words last year, but it wasn’t strictly enforced. This year if your essay is OVER 650 words, you will not be allowed to submit it.

2) There is now a 250 word limit. The system won’t accept anything shorter than that.

3) The writing prompts have changed, “topic of your choice” is no longer an option.

COMMON APPLICATION ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR 2013-2014

1. Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?

3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

4. Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

ESSAY WRITING TIPS Admissions officers read 50 essays a day. Make yours

stand out!!! Avoid clichés Be honest Watch your tone (tell your story, in your voice) Write about something familiar to you / something you

are passionate about Personalize your essay Write Authentically Read. Re-read. Ask an English teacher or your

counselor to proofread and give constructive criticism.

IN CONCLUSION…

WHERE SHOULD JUNIORS BE RIGHT NOW?

Familiar with their Naviance account and other college search websites

Visiting colleges Have taken the SATs Filling out the brag sheet and asking for

letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors

Making sure their senior courses are challenging for next year

WHAT TO FOCUS ON THIS SUMMER Finalize the college search, your college

visits, and come prepared in the fall with your college list

Decide if you need to take one more SAT, ACT or Subject exam, if so, sign up ASAP for the October testing date

Look at the CommonApp (do not create an account until August 1, 2013 or it will be DELETED)

Start brainstorming/writing your college essays

Finish your community service

IMPORTANT SENIOR EVENTS NEXT YEAR

September: Senior Assembly Senior Parent Presentation

October: Individual meetings with your counselor MHS Annual College Fair

November: Early Action & Early Decision applications due Financial Aid Night

December/ January: Regular Decision applications due Start the financial aid process/ scholarship process (the

FAFSA cannot be started before Jan. 1, 2014)

NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR SAT SCORES?ONE OPTION IS TO TAKE A PREP COURSE

PRESENTED BYTHE MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOLGUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

DIRECTOR: FRANK HOWARDSECRETARY: JUDY SOUSA

COUNSELORS: BARBARA DAVISVICTORIA GLASSERWENDY HORNEAMELIA WESTMARK