Post-Secondary Planning

1. Post-Secondary Planning Central Bucks High School South Home of the Titans Class of 2015

2. Overview • Junior and Senior Year Timelines • NEW Resources • Selection Process & Considerations • Applications • Funding Your Education • Key Words

3. Junior Year Timeline

4. 12th Grade Timeline Fall • Make a calendar of deadlines! • Complete applications • Take SAT/Subject Tests/ACT • Contact & visit college admissions representatives • Secure teacher recommendations • Submit transcript request forms to senior house office • Arrange for SAT/ACT scores to be sent to schools • Attend Financial Aid Night in November • Seek and apply for scholarships • Athletes- complete NCAA Clearinghouse • Spring • Submit FAFSA January 1 • (Free Application of Federal Student Aid) • Notify senior house office to send 1st MP grades to schools if required; mid-year grades are automatically sent for all students • Watch mail for acceptance letters & compare financial aid packages • Choose school and send housing deposit by deadline • Keep a rigorous academic schedule and maintain grades!

5. Course Change Policy Changes in next years schedule will only be approved if a student meets the following criteria: • Misplaced in a course • Student does not meet the prerequisite **Early Releases and Late Arrivals are not guaranteed. **Courses cannot be changed because of a change in prospective major, job, or because credit requirements have already been fulfilled.

6. NEW Resources • Featured Articles • Video Tutorials via Screenomatic • Using Naviance • Requesting teacher recommendations • Requesting counselor recommendation • Transcript request process

7. Top Factors in the Admissions Process • Grades/GPA in college prep classes & rigor of course selection~ Senior mid-year grades are sent to all schools to which you apply! • Standardized Test Scores • Class Rank (CBSD does not provide rank for admission purposes) • Application Essay • Teacher and/or Counselor Recommendations • Extracurricular Involvement & Leadership

8. College Acceptance Rates NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/04/15/education/thechoice-2013-acceptance-rates.html/

9. The Selection Process After Some Introspection… • Undergraduate enrollment • Average class size • Geographic location/size of community • Distance from home • Athletics/Extracurricular Activities • Facilities & housing • Average financial aid award • Technology integration • Diversity • Admissions standards- selectivity & criteria • Specialized programs • Tuition, room & board, & fees Naviance map of where CB South students are attending

10. Other Considerations • Statistics: • Retention rate & 4-year graduation rate • Job placement & career center • Graduate school acceptance • Co-op/internship experiences • General education curriculum • Early skills development/career development • Advisory system • Parking & public transportation • New construction

11. Types of Applications • Online • Common Application (300+ schools) mmwww.commonapp.org • PA State System • www.passhe.edu • PSU online only • The Universal College Application (43 schools) • https://www.universalcollegeapp.com/

12. When should I start my applications? • Applications become available online in the summer- you cannot complete the Common App until after 8/1. • CB South will start processing transcript requests in mid-September. • Goal should be to have applications completed by mid-November. • PSU • Rolling admissions schools fill as students are accepted

13. The Common Application • Email address used for Common App MUST match Naviance Log-in. No parent email addresses! • We recommend using the same email for CollegeBoard and ACT as well. • Re-set your Naviance log-in email if it is an old email account. • Applications must be submittedbeforethe Transcript Request Form is turned in. • School records stay in “cyber space” for only so long. If you submit your TRF before submitting your application, it could “time out” and the college will not be able to access it. Watch VIMEO Instructions- How to match Naviance and your Recommenders to Common App!

15. Funding Your Education • “Financial Aid Night” November 12, 2014 • Financial aid forms cannot be completed until winter of senior year (FAFSA & CSS profile). • Financial Aid Calculators on websites. • Start thinking about scholarship search. • Naviance, employers, service organizations. • You should NOT pay for a scholarship search or opportunity.

16. Scholarship Websites NAVIANCE studentaid.ed.gov fastweb.com finaid.org collegeboard.com/bigfuture collegenet.com scholarshipmonkey.com meritaid.com

17. What can I be doing right now? • Resume in Naviance • Rough draft application essays (CP 11) • Develop & research a “short list” of 7-10 schools • Trim the list to 3-7 by September of senior year • Schedule campus visits/interviews • Summer involvement • Clean-up your social media

18. Key Words… Initiative Synthesis Originality Authenticity

19. “It may be hard for parents to watch students struggle at first with this important task, just as it wasn’t easy to watch them strike out at the plate, listen to their first violin solo, or feel them let the clutch out too soon. Great hitters and virtuosos are made with time, effort, and the opportunity to get better, and so are good drivers. The best way to help them reach their college destination is to give them the keys.” Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D.

20. Fall College Planning Meeting September 11, 2014 at 6:30pm *VERY Important Session* Thank you for joining us tonight!