College Knowledge BHHS Class of 2015

1. College KnowledgeBHHS Class of 2015 August 25, 2014 Mrs. AhYoung Chi Dean of College Admissions achi@bhusd.org

2. Agenda • College systems and application types • Personal statements & essays • What should I be doing now? • Requesting recommendation letters • Naviance & Brag Sheet for counselors • Common Application schools • Non-Common Application schools • Ordering transcripts: Parchment • College rep visits to BHHS • Upcoming events College Knowledge Class of 2015

3. College Systems & Application Types • California Community College • California State University (CSU) • University of California (UC) • Private colleges and universities • 75+ in California • THOUSANDS in United States • Out of state public colleges and universities • Simple Guidelines for Applying to Colleges College Knowledge Class of 2015

4. College Systems & Application Types Simple Guidelines for Applying to Colleges College Knowledge Class of 2015

5. California Community College • 112 campuses in California • Associate degrees (many lead to careers) • Transfer to 4-year school (to obtain Bachelors degree) • CSU or UC: must complete 60 semester units or 90 quarter units (equivalent to 2 years of full time studies) • Most private schools: 30 semester units or 45 quarter units okay to transfer (check with each college and major) • Articulation agreements or TAG are available for most schools- use www.assist.org • VERY important to plan for transferring- it is NOT an automatic 2 year plan!- use UCTAP • Apply to community college by February/March of Senior year- use www.cccapply.org College Knowledge Class of 2015

6. Pop Quiz on CCC! When should you apply to a community college? College Knowledge Class of 2015

7. California State University 23 campuses Bachelor and Master degrees First institution of higher education established by the State of California, originally created to train teachers To be eligible: 2.0 GPA, A-G courses, SAT or ACT (no Writing) Not required/accepted: SAT Subject exams, essays, recommendation letters, transcripts Application filing period: Oct 1–Nov 30 To apply: www.csumentor.edu Many CSU’s are impacted and very difficult to get into! Like… Cal Poly SLO, San Diego State, Long Beach, San Francisco State College Knowledge Class of 2015

8. Pop Quiz on CSU! When is the CSU application due? College Knowledge Class of 2015

9. Pop Quiz on CSU! Which of the following are required for CSU eligibility? (Choose all that apply.) Successfully completing the A-G coursework Minimum GPA of 2.0 SAT or ACT 2 SAT Subject exams Teacher recommendation letter 2 short answer essays None of the above College Knowledge Class of 2015

10. University of California 10 campuses but San Francisco is graduate only Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate degrees Research & theory based curriculums Competitive admissions with many highly selective campuses To be eligible: 3.0 GPA, A-G courses, SAT or ACT with Writing, personal statements, list of activities & honors Not required/accepted: SAT Subject exams (some majors “highly recommended”), recommendation letters, transcripts Application filing period: Nov 1–Nov 30 (available Aug 1) To apply: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply College Knowledge Class of 2015

11. Pop Quiz on UC! When is the UC application due? College Knowledge Class of 2015

12. Pop Quiz on UC! Which of the following are required for UC eligibility? (Choose all that apply.) Successfully completing the A-G coursework Minimum GPA of 3.0 SAT or ACT with Writing 3 SAT Subject exams 3 AP exams (subjects of your choice) Teacher or counselor recommendation letters None of the above- I can just walk into UCLA and become a student. Woohoo! College Knowledge Class of 2015

13. Private Colleges & Universities 75+ private colleges and universities in California 3,000+ in US (including public schools) All vary in admission requirements and application deadlines Application requirements: official transcript, official test scores, essays, activities & honors, recommendation letters, interview, portfolio/audition Use Common Application or Universal College Application Early Admission Plans: Early Decision vs. Early Action vs. Restrictive Early Action (more info click HERE) National Candidates Reply Date: May 1 College Knowledge Class of 2015

14. Out of State Public Institutions 3,000+ colleges and universities in US (including private schools) Many operate on rolling admissions plan (check Naviance for a list of popular schools) Many offer non-selective or slightly selective admissions with non-impacted majors Many have low out-of-state tuition Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): tuition discount for California students Don’t forget about Honors programs/colleges at public schools; rigorous academics in large, research universities College Knowledge Class of 2015

15. Personal Statements & Essays One of the most important pieces of your application One of the only ways to show your true self and personality Follow instructions, spell check, have someone look it over Not a typical English paper Don’t procrastinate- doing so will send the message that you don’t care Do it YOURSELF- your essay must be authentically you Avoid clichés and controversial topics; you never know who will be reading your essay Write about WHY and HOW, and it should always be about YOU Check Naviance for list of Essays that Worked College Knowledge Class of 2015

16. What Should I Be Doing Now? College Counseling Timeline for Class of 2015 Get organized with application requirements, deadlines, interviews, portfolios/auditions, essays Request recommendation letters Complete Brag Sheet for Counselors Attend college related events on and off campus Attend College Tuesday workshops Take/retake SAT or ACT (consider CSU apps!) Complete applications and write essays College Knowledge Class of 2015

17. Requesting Recommendation Letters • Required: • Counselor recommendation letter • Must complete Brag Sheet for Counselors in Naviance • 1-2 teacher recommendation letters from academic subjects (English, history, science, math, & foreign language) • Okay to include 1 additional letter from coach, employer, professor, club advisor, program director, etc • UC and CSU do not accept recommendation letters • Some schools do not require recommendation letters • You may need letters for scholarships College Knowledge Class of 2015

18. Naviance Family Connection • Log in: https://connection.naviance.com/bhhs • Username: your email address • If you don’t remember your log in info, email your counselor • Update email address • Tip: use the same email address for all college applications • Make sure your email address is appropriate • Click on “about me” and complete the following tasks: • Under “surveys to take” • brag sheet for counselors (if you need a counselor rec letter) • parent brag sheet (one of your parents must do this) • Resume • Test scores College Knowledge Class of 2015

19. Naviance Family Connection • Finalize your college list • Click on “colleges” • Click on “colleges I’m applying to” • Add colleges to this list • You can also move colleges from “colleges I’m thinking about” to “colleges I’m applying to” • Include all UC and CSU campuses you are applying to • Include SMC and other community colleges you are planning to enroll in • Contact your counselor for your senior meeting after completing the above steps College Knowledge Class of 2015

20. Here you can watch videos, review admission information, link to the school’s website, and even begin the application! If you are interested in a school, click here to add it to your colleges I’m thinking aboutlist. College Knowledge Class of 2015

21. Here you can keep track of colleges you are interested in, rate your level of interest, view upcoming application deadlines, and transfer schools from colleges I’m thinking about, to colleges I’m applying to. You can also research other colleges and scholarship opportunities. College Knowledge Class of 2015

22. Common Application: Inviting Recommenders • Create an account: www.commonapp.org • Save your Common App ID; you will need it to order transcripts from Parchment • Create a college list using the “College Search” tab • Your college list will appear on your “Dashboard” • Add Beverly Hills High School to your Common App: • Click on “Common App” tab • Click on Education • Click on Find School then choose Beverly Hills High School • Complete this section of Common App College Knowledge Class of 2015

23. Common Application: Inviting Recommenders Click on “My Colleges” tab then choose one of the schools listed Click on Recommenders and FERPA and sign the FERPA Release Authorization You must waive your right to review all recommendations and supporting documents in order for your counselor and teachers to write your recommendation letters Click on Invite Counselor and enter the requested information to invite your counselor to be a recommender (click HERE for counselors’ email addresses) College Knowledge Class of 2015

24. Common Application: Inviting Recommenders Click on Invite Teacher and enter the requested information to invite your teacher(s) to be a recommender You will need email addresses of your counselor and teachers Completing these steps will trigger an email to your invited recommenders with instructions on submitting their recommendation letters via the Common App Recommender website Confirm with your counselor and teacher(s) that they received the invitation College Knowledge Class of 2015

25. Non-Common Application Schools Complete online application on the school’s website Follow instructions specific to that college to request your counselor and/or teacher recommendations, if applicable (remember, not all schools want recommendation letters) If letters need to be snail-mailed, then let your counselor and/or teachers know in person and provide them with self-addressed and stamped envelopes College Knowledge Class of 2015

26. Requesting Recommendation Letters September 12: Deadline to ask your counselor and teacher(s) for recommendation letters for Early Action and Early Decision schools; also to notify your counselor if you are applying to schools with rolling admission deadlines October 10: Deadline to ask your counselor and teacher(s) for recommendation letters for regular decision schools College Knowledge Class of 2015

27. Ordering Transcripts through Parchment Once you start your college applications, you must request that official transcripts be sent to ALL of the colleges to which you are applying. UC & CSU campuses and the University of Washington do notwant transcripts. All transcripts must be ordered through Parchment. Get an unofficial copy and review it for accuracy before you send official transcripts to colleges. Follow the step by step guidelines to order your transcripts. College Knowledge Class of 2015

28. Ordering Transcripts through Parchment • Go to www.parchment.com or click on the link on the BHHS website or Naviance. • Click on “Order Transcript” and then “High School Transcript”. • Register and complete your information. You do not need a code to register. Remember that you are entering college in 2015. • Once you are registered, click on “My Transcripts” • Search for and select Beverly Hills High School • Enter your earliest year of attendance (2011 if you entered BHHS as a 9th grader) • Enter 2015 as your expected year of graduation College Knowledge Class of 2015

29. Ordering Transcripts through Parchment Complete the FERPA agreement and waive your right to review. Remember that your counselor and teacher(s) will not write recommendation letters if you do not waive your FERPA rights. If you are applying to one or more Common App schools, then you must click on “The Common Application” tab and enter your Common App ID. This will generate a copy of your transcript for all Common App schools. Search for other colleges to which your transcript should be sent. College Knowledge Class of 2015

30. Ordering Transcripts through Parchment For other organizations such as scholarships and NCAA Eligibility Center, click the link under “Select Other Destinations” and enter the required information. Once you have added all of your schools/organizations, pay for your transcripts online. If you add schools to your “colleges I’m applying to” list, then be sure to order additional transcripts. College Knowledge Class of 2015

31. College Rep Visits to BHHS • Over 100 college and university reps visit our school each year • Great way to get to know the school and the admission rep who will read your application • Most updated list is in Naviance • If you want to attend a college rep visit: • Sign up in Naviance • Get the gold permission slip signed by your teacher prior to the day of the visit • Gold forms available in House offices and College Center College Knowledge Class of 2015

32. Upcoming Events • College Tuesday workshops: every Tuesday in the College Center • Essay review sessions: more info coming soon • ACT 101 Workshop • Saturday, September 6, 9-12pm, Cherney Lecture Hall • $40 per student • College Day for Seniors: October 15 during school • Financial Aid Night: October 21, 6:30 p.m. College Knowledge Class of 2015