September 25, 2013

1. Junior Parent Information Night September 25, 2013

2. Tonight’s Agenda • Senior year courses • Overview of college admissions • ACT and SAT testing • Test Preparation • Options after high school • College Admissions • NCAA Eligibility Center • Resources • College visits and representatives • Financial Aid • Family Connection/Naviance • Summary

3. General Timeline • Strong Interest Inventory • PSAT – October 16th • December-March: Junior Parent Conferences • April/May/June: College Entrance Exam testing • Ongoing: Research and visit institutions • September 2014: Senior meetings to outline college application process • September to Thanksgiving Break 2014: Applications due in the Counseling Department

4. Senior Year Courses • Online course registration (2nd semester) • Two credits English • American Govt. • Strong emphasis on core courses, academic units

5. Overview of College Admissions • Steady Growth of Students/Changing Demographics • Economic Factors – More Adult Students Returning to College • Early Decision/Early Action Programs • Common Application/Online Applications/Increase in Applications • Lottery Effect • US News and World Report Rankings • Marketing and Business Approach • Role of the Media • Institutions Becoming More Competitive • Waitlist

6. Increased Uncertainty and Stress for Parents and Students Regarding College Planning

7. The Search for the Right Fit“Getting into a college that is good for me”

8. Factors Determining College Admission • Rigor of the Curriculum • Grade Point Average • Core Courses • Test Scores • Student Essay • Extra-curricular Activities • Letters of Recommendation

9. ACT & SAT Testing 2013-14 ACT Testing Dates • Writing optional • Dec 14 • Feb 8 (hosted at Bay) • April 12 • June 14 SAT Testing Dates • Writing required • January 25 • March 8 • May 3 • June 7 (hosted at Bay)

10. SAT Subject Tests • May 3 • June 7 AP Testing • May 5 - 16

11. Test Preparation • High school curriculum • Preparation materials in counseling office such as sample tests & questions • View counseling department website for various resources (under college entrance test preparation tab) • Classes • ACT & College Board website

12. Options After High School • Four and Two Year Colleges • Technical Training • Specialty Schools • “Gap” Year/AFS • Military

13. College Admissions • Rolling Admissions • Open Admissions • Early Decision (binding) • Early Action (non-binding) • Regular Admissions

14. Eligibility Center • Division I Schools • Division II Schools web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/

15. Resources • College reference books • College/Career fairs • College rep visits to the Counseling Dept. • Evening college visits at nearby hotels • Counseling Department website • Students and alumni • Naviance/Family Connection

16. Milwaukee National College Fair • Wisconsin Center • Sunday, September 29th! • 12:00-3:30pm • Meet one-on-one with college representatives • Counseling Center and Financial Aid Center • Attend a workshop (financial aid and essay writing) • Please register ahead of time to beat the lines. Register @ www.nacacnet.org/ncfstudent

17. Career Fest • November 6th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Concordia University R. John Buuck Fieldhouse • This annual event is sponsored by several southeastern high school counseling departments, including WFB. • Over 100 careers will be represented and all students, regardless of grade level, and parents are invited to attend. Come when you wish; leave when you wish. • Here is an opportunity to investigate careers, employment outlook, salary, training and education requirements.

18. College Visits & College Representatives

19. Why should a student visit with a college representative? To learn more about: • various academic programs • scholarships • study abroad opportunities • campus organizations • clubs • campus life • tuition, financial aid, academic requirements • other extracurricular activities

20. Students are being notified of college visits in a number of ways: • Daily morning announcements • Message board posted on Family Access • Messages through Naviance/Family Connection

21. How to Meet with College Reps Students should obtain a pass from the Counseling Department a day before the college representative visit and obtain teacher permission from the class(es) they might miss.

22. Good times to visit schools Students are encouraged to visit colleges during: • 4 day weekend (October 24 - 27) • Spring break • Summer • Campus preview days (varies by college)

23. College Essays & Interviews

24. Types of Financial Aid • Grants • Work Study • Loans • Scholarships

25. Scholarships • Institutional • Generic • Whitefish Bay Helpful websites: *Check Naviance/Family Connection (senior year) *www.finaid.com *www.fastweb.com *www.scholarships.com

26. Net Price Calculator All post-secondary institutions now have a net price calculator on their websites to help families estimate the cost of attendance.

27. North Shore Financial Aid Night • Monday, December 9, 2013 – Hosted at Nicolet High School • Presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium • Open to both students and parents • Presenter will be a financial aid representative from the Milwaukee area • Great opportunity to learn more about financial aid

28. Counselor’s Role • Assist with the exploration of postsecondary options • Clarification of college admission requirements • Monitor and process application information • Letters of Recommendation • Communicate with College Admissions Offices • Members of the Wisconsin Association of College Admission Counseling and the National Association of College Admission Counseling

29. Introduction to Naviance/Family Connection • What is Family Connection? • What can I do with it? • How does it help with post-secondary and career planning? • How do I access it? • Family Connection Tips

30. What is Family Connection? • Web-based resource that supports post-secondary and career planning. • Linked with Naviance Succeed, a service that the counseling office uses. • Specific to WFB students.

31. How does it help? • On-line tool for communication among students, teachers, counselors, and parents. • Updated GPA & test scores from WFB graduates. • Assessments of your chances of admission at colleges where prior graduates have applied.

32. What can I do with it? • Explore careers & majors. • Complete career and personality surveys. • Search & compare colleges. • Produce scattergrams of past WFB acceptances… denials…waitlists. • Show WFB college visits. …..and much more!!

33. How do I access it? • Last year, students were given instructions and registration codes to create their own accounts, including registration codes for their parents. • If a student lost their code or forgot their password, please have them see their counselor. • Students must use their own account because it has additional features/utilities that parent accounts do not have.

34. Home Page

35. Colleges Tab

36. Colleges I’m Thinking About

37. Careers

38. About Me

39. Scattergrams

40. My Planner

41. Student/Parent Brag Sheet • They help teachers and counselors write thorough recommendations on behalf of the student. • The brag sheet can be found under the “About Me” tab in the student’s Family Connection account. • Students must complete a brag sheet for a staff member to write a letter of recommendation. • Students should take time to start filling out the brag sheet this year.

42. Naviance/Family Connection Tips • Visit the website often! • Explore on your own and with your child. • Always keep a current email address. *We hope you will find this resource helpful and if you have any questions, please contact the counseling office.

43. So, what should you (students & parents) be doing this year? To sum it all up, here’s what we encourage students and parents to do this year: • Familiarize yourself with Naviance • Visit colleges/meet with reps • Meet with your counselor for the junior conference—an invitation will be sent (December thru March). • Sign up for the ACT and/or SAT • Keep track of dates and deadlines • Research and consider all options • Keep working hard at school

44. Thank you for attending Junior Parent Information Night!