Junior Parent Presentation May 28, 2013

1. Junior Parent PresentationMay 28, 2013 Medford High School Guidance Department

2. 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

3. 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. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. Massachusetts State SchoolsMinimum Admission Standards/ Sliding Scale UMass System State Colleges 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 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).

8. 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

9. 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

10. Looking aheadCounselor, student & parent responsibilities for the fall of senior year

11. 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)

12. Student’s Responsibilitiesuse all the online resources available to youcollegeboard’scollege comparison is a great tool!

13. Student’s Responsibilitiesuse all the online resources available to youconsider student-faculty ratio & freshman year retention rate

14. Student’s Responsibilitiesuse naviance to compare yourself to other Medford high students who have previously applied to a particular college

15. Student’s Responsibilitiesuse key features under the college tab in naviance“colleges I’m thinking about / college I’m applying to”

16. Student’s Responsibilitiesuse key features under the career tab in naviance“career interest profiler, personality type, cluster finder”

17. Student’s Responsibilitiesvisit the Medford high guidance website for news, tips & advicewww.medfordhighguidance.com

18. 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

19. Parent’s Responsibilities What 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

20. Admissions Information

21. College Admissions Exams SAT: @ 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

22. 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”

23. Reach Schools Everyone’s Reach Almost Everyone’s Reach • 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) • There are many more qualified applicants than there are spaces. Being an average to above-average candidate is no guarantee!

24. 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!!!

25. 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

26. 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.

27. 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

28. tips and advice to help you stand out!

29. 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

30. New guidelines for the common application essay • Same as before: You must submit only one essay • New this year: • 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. • There is now a 250 word limit. The system won’t accept anything shorter than that. • The writing prompts have changed, “topic of your choice” is no longer an option.

31. common application essay questions for 2013-2014 • 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. • Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? • Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? • Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? • Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

32. 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.

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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)

36. not satisfied with your sat scores?one option is to take a prep course

37. Presented byThe Medford High SchoolGuidance DepartmentDirector: Frank Howard Secretary:Judy SousaCounselors:Barbara DavisVictoria GlasserWendy HorneAmelia Westmark