Senior Mustang College Information Night Class of 201 8

1. Senior Mustang College Information NightClass of 2018 Get Ready! Get organized! Get Going!

2. Is the 5th Year an Option? Staying at WCC to finish your Associate’s degree has great advantages: • It’s saves you money! • More time on a smaller campus to gain experience, achieve success, grow in maturity • Once your Associate’s is achieved, it is accepted at all UNC system schools – the credits you’ve earned cannot be denied (leaving without it means colleges can turn down your elective credits – private schools can turn down all your credits)

3. How Do I Choose A College? What’s important to you??? • Geography (Near home? Far from home?) • Setting (city? town? rural?) • Size • Type (religious, co-ed, public/private, HBCU, research) • Costs • Freshman Retention Rates – how many come back? • Academic Programs – majors offered? • Extracurricular Programs • Student to Teacher Ratio • Demographics (gender, ethnicity) • Political Slant (liberal or conservative) • Campus Services (career, academic support, counseling) • Safety • Admission Statistics (do I have what it takes to get in?) Don’t be caught up in a “name”. Where to go is not as important as what you do when you get there.

4. Big versus Small • BIG…the Pro’s • Lots of majors and courses • Well-stocked library • Lots of housing options • Well-funded sports programs • Lots of extracurricular activities • Distinguished faculty • State-of-the-art facilities • …the Con’s • Need to be a go-getter, un-intimidated • Many basic courses may contain hundreds of students • Many courses are taught by grad students not professors • Lots of administrative red tape

5. Big versus Small • Small…the Pro’s • Small class sizes • More hands-on experiences • Strong, attentive advising system • Strong sense of community • Opportunity to get to know your professors well • Courses are mostly taught by professors not students • …the Con’s • Not as much choice in academic programs or majors • Facilities are not always as state-of-the-art • Less opportunities for a wide range of activities and extracurriculars

6. What Should I Study? • Deciding what to do with their lives is one of the hardest choices for students. • Don’t think career…students are not even aware of all the career fields that really exist today. Instead, think major first! • Choosing a major depends on a lot of variables: • Abilities • Interests • Values • Career outlook (availability/growth/salary)!!!!!!!! • Students should think about things they like to do, subjects in school that they like, things they enjoy that they are good at or topics which fascinate them. • Job shadowing, volunteering, interviewing and internships are of extreme help!

7. What Should I Study? • What about claiming “undecided” for choice of major (i.e., Exploratory Studies at NC State)?Caution: this can be time-consuming and costly. • Remember that about 80% of college students change their major once or more during their undergraduate years. It’s okay! • If you really want to know…then you really have to put in the time to explore your options! Be proactive! • Resources: besides Ms. Loury ☺ • Ms. Grantham • WCC Career Services • MyMajors.com • www.princetonreview.com/quiz/career-quiz • www.bls.gov/ocowww.bls.gov/oco (Occupational Outlook Handbook) https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip (O*NET)

8. Before Applying Residency Determination Service (RDS) - New this year for all NC students applying to a NC college. • Must apply before beginning your application through the college’s website, through cfnc.org or at ncresidency.org • Used to determine if students are eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid • Streamlined now because institutions used to have their own individual processes • Link from the college website will be provided or will be directly filled in if RDS was completed and student is applying through CFNC. • Keep your RDS number in a safe place.

9. RDS Information needed to complete the RDS: • parent & student SS#’s • residence information • federal/state tax return • Vehicle registration, driver’s license Active Duty • LES, Duty Station Orders Non-Citizens • Alien Registration Number • ITN ID# • US Citizenship and Immigration Service ID • Permanent Resident Card

10. RDS Requirements to qualify for in-state residency... Capacity:the ability to make North Carolina your permanent home legally and financially and remain in NC permanently to claim residency on your own. Presence:be physically present in and reside in North Carolina Intent:perform various actions as evidence of making North Carolina your permanent home (domicile) rather than residing in the state for the purpose of attending college Duration:maintain a domicile continuously for at least 12 full months before you claim residency

11. Applying to College Helpful Hints • How many colleges should I apply to? • At cfnc.org students can apply for almost any NC school – information is automatically populated from one application to another • The Common Application – used by almost 620 colleges across the country – one application (NC State, UNC Wilmington, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Asheville, App State) • Watch your deadlines – they will vary. • Want to know early? – October • Want to be considered for scholarships? – by November • What is Early Decision/Early Action?

12. Applying to College Helpful Hints • Don’t rush to get it done just to click “send”. • Personal statements and/or college essays should be well planned and thought out. • Most importantly – essays should truly reflect who you are as an individual. (be more concerned with getting across your uniqueness, not trying to impress the admissions officers). • A college essay tutorial will be done through senior high school class

13. Applying to College Helpful Hints • WEMCHS students apply as freshmen not transfer students • Be sure to send both high school and college transcripts • Most high school transcripts are sent electronically (CFNC.org, Common App, SENDEdu) • Out of state – request a paper copy from Mrs. Loury • Read the application – most mistakes are from not reading thoroughly and carefully

14. Applying to College • The average admissions officer reads about 1000 applications a month. They will spend about 7-8 minutes looking at each – make your most important points stand out. • Academic grades are still the #1 factor in determining admission – especially grades from English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Language (course difficulty is also a major factor). • Things like essays, test scores, extracurricular activities and recommendations supplement the academic record to give a complete picture.

15. Recommendation Letters • Be considerate when requesting a letter of recommendation – no less than 2 weeks notice is advised – remember, you’re trying to get a good recommendation so don’t leave a bad impression! • Never send a recommendation link to a teacher without asking them first. • Always give a student résumé to the recommender after they agree to write the letter. (Ms. Loury can help with résumé resources) • Be sure to give the recommender the name of the college/scholarship • Recommendation letters should come from a teacher: a. You have had in 11/12 grade b. in an academic subject c. that thinks highly of you

16. College Admissions Tests • Students planning to attend a 4-year post-secondary college must take either the SAT or ACT • Both tests are widely accepted at institutions across the US – doesn’t matter which • There are differences in these tests and usually one is more aligned with a student’s personality, abilities and learning style than the other. (See handout) • It is the student’s choice whether to take both • There are lots of websites with FREE practice • Practice will improve scores!

17. College Admissions Tests • Check cfnc.org, collegenavigator.org or a college’s website to see average SAT/ACT scores of accepted applicants. • Many colleges will consider a student’s highest scores, even if the scores are from separate test dates (super scoring). • When registering for a test, students should indicate to have their scores sent to the colleges of their choice - they can select 4 schools. If they have more than 4 schools to which they are applying, or if they choose to send scores later, they will be charged (about $12 per sent score).

18. College Admissions Tests • College admissions tests are sometimes used… • as cut-offs for admission • to compare with academic record to clear up discrepancies • by students themselves to judge the quality of students that attend that school • Students approved for Free/Reduced Lunch can receive 2 test fee waivers

19. Scholarships • Scholarships are routinely advertised on our school website (check out other schools’ websites, too). • Searching for scholarships is very time-consuming! • To get a scholarship, students should be doing something that sets them apart from others –just by having a 4.0 sometimes is not enough • Students should register with a scholarship search engine (see handout). • Never pay a service for scholarship searching! • Scholarships can be need-based or merit-based – plus many more factors. • I will always assist students with completing them if needed.

20. Scholarships • Volunteer/community service is almost always an eligibility requirement • Dropping and or failing courses can adversely affect your chances of getting a scholarship • Leadership and experiential programs can greatly benefit • Scholarships are VERY competitive! According to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study only 1 in 10 students receive an average of $2,815 in scholarship money. • Hope for it, apply for as many as possible, but don’t count on it as a sure thing!

21. Financial Aid • FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the key! FAFSA gets you eligible for grants, work-study, loans. • FAFSA looks at the cost of a particular college, then looks at the family income in order to determine the family’s expected contribution (EFC). The difference between the cost of the school and the family contribution equals the student need. • For the majority of students, financial aid is designed to assist, not completely pay for their education

22. Financial Aid • FAFSA changed last year - students now apply starting in October rather than January. • It will require your tax information from the 2016 tax year which is already available. • FAFSA is linked to the IRS (Data Retrieval Tool) – this tool will automatically retrieve tax information and send it to your FAFSA application. • A Financial Aid workshop will be given here at WEMCHS in late September. • FAFSA Day sponsored by CFNC???

23. Financial Aid • CFNC.org has so many helpful features! • Financial Aid Estimator (estimates grants, scholarships you may be eligible for) • College Aid Calculator (estimates how much the family is expected to contribute) • Smart Borrower Calculator (helps students balance what they borrow against how much they will expect to earn in their future career) • Loan Repayment Calculator

24. Net Price Calculator • All colleges have a Net Price Calculator. • The calculator measures the financial strength of your family and uses other facts you provide to estimate the amount of grants, scholarships and other financial aid that is likely to be available to you. Your "net price" is the difference between that amount and the cost of attendance. • the net price calculator will only give you an estimate of eligibility not a guarantee

25. Resources • CFNC.org • Career exploration • College Matching Assistant (where can I major in…?, • Individual College Information • SAT/ACT Prep • Scholarships Also great… https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/ eCampusTours.com CollegeWeekLive.com MyMajors.com unigo.com collegeconfidential.com collegenavigator.com cappex.com niche.com

26. Final Thoughts… • Best Advice for students: • Be Proactive! • Stay organized! • get or create an online folder/binder and calendar just for your college applications and related materials • Don’t Procrastinate! • Seek help! Ask Questions! • Check the school website often! • Fully take on the responsibility of your own education! • Don’t be afraid to contact me – Kerri Loury, 739-7072; kerriloury@wcps.org)