Presented by the Guidance Department

1. Junior Workshop Presented by the Guidance Department

2. How have we prepared for today? • Freshman Seminars • Calculating GPA’s • Transcript Review • Sophomore Seminars • Career Exploration • Career Interest Inventory

3. Junior Seminar Objectives • Introduce the college process • Factors to consider in choosing a college • Required Guidance Forms and Resources • How to register for Standardized Testing • Practice using Naviance • Developing a well balanced list of reach, realistic and safety schools • How to find the best fit for you!

4. Some Questions for You • How many of you think you want to go right on to college when you graduate? • How many of you will be the first child in your family to apply to college? • Why do people go to college? • What are your fears or concerns, if any, regarding the college search process? • Have you started to do anything yet about considering colleges?

5. Location Distance From Home Admission Selectivity Size Major Housing Financial Aid Student Diversity Campus Culture Factors to Consider in choosing a college This is a very individualized process and it is important to remember that there is a college for everyone!

6. Types of Colleges • Liberal Arts Colleges: 4 years, broad core requirements • Specialized Colleges and Universities : business, art, engineering, etc. • Religiously-affiliated Colleges and Universities: religious ties, and usually a religion class required to graduate • Single Sex Colleges: all female or all male • Military Academies : West Point (Army), the U.S. Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, as well as other military focused colleges. • Private vs. Public Colleges and Universities: Differences both in state and out of state

7. Developing a well balanced list • Reach- GPA/Test score averages fall above your own range. All Ivy League and “Ivy Like” schools in the most competitive category are considered reaches for all students! • Realistic- 50/50 chance of getting in. GPA/Test score averages fall within your own range • Safety- Likely that you will get in. GPA/Test score averages fall below your own range **Remember that you should visit every school on your list, and should be happy to attend every school on it!

8. Visits count! • 45 % of the class of 2012 wish they had visited more colleges before applying • Some colleges track demonstrated interest- they want to see you on campus • 4 pre-approved college visits do not count towards the absence limit, so take advantage and start touring now

9. Tips on the College Visit • Now is the time! February or April vacation • Research colleges before going and then take notes on your tours • Limit yourself to 2 visits a day maximum • Go on formal tours and info sessions • Call the college ahead of time or register on their websites for tour times

10. Admission Terminology 4 Types of Admission Plans: • Early Action – Nonbinding, early response • Early Decision – Binding, early response • Regular Decision • Rolling Admission

11. Standardized Tests • ACT with Writing • Measures academic achievement in the areas of English, mathematics, reading and science. Focuses on "core-curriculum" content. • www.actstudent.org (ACT) • Dates: • February 9th, 2013 • April 13th, 2013 (at Westwood High School) • June 8th, 2013 • SAT • Measures critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills. Focuses on testing critical thinking skills. • www.collegeboard.com (College Board) • Dates: • March 9th, 2013 • May 4th, 2013 (at Westwood High School) • June 1st, 2013 • Subject Tests • Subject Tests may be required by the more selective schools. See your counselor for more information. • The ACT may take the place of a subject test. Please refer to individual college websites for this information.

12. Testing Strategies • Retake your best test in the fall! • Prepare for these tests, but know they don’t outweigh the importance of your grades!

13. Resources and Information about College • Guidance Counselor • Guidance Website • College Websites • Campus visits • College guidebooks • Barron’s Guide (September 2013) • College Board (www.collegeboard.com) • Naviance (http://connection.naviance.com/westwood)

14. Guidance Forms • Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ)* • To be completed on Naviance • Activities Resume • Check your WHS gmail. Mrs. Higgins will email it to you and once you complete it, upload it to googledocs and share it with your counselor. • Parent Information Form * All of this due by March 1st, 2013

15. Application Process • Common Application – online application that includes almost 500 colleges and universities. • Commonapp.org • School Specific Application – some schools will not be included on the Common Application, therefore you must fill out their own application.

16. Letter of Recommendation • You must ask 1 teacher if they will write you a letter of recommendation for next year. See the purple form in your folder • Choose wisely! - Academic subject area teachers only - Someone who knows you and your work well - Someone you had a positive relationship with! • Colleges prefer an 11th grade teacher over a 10th grade teacher. • Be sure to ask by the deadline: June 1st. ** Few schools asks for two letters from teachers. If you have done research and you see that your school requires two letters from a teacher, show proof to your guidance counselor, and THEN ask a 2nd teacher.

17. Other Material Included in your Folder • Transcript • GPA Graph • Junior Time Line • Factors to Consider • Practice SAT • Teacher Rec. form

18. What’s Next? • College Planning Night Feb. 6th 7-9pm • Attend two more junior seminars • Introduction to Naviance • Completing a college search • Developing a well balanced list

19. Parting Advice from Seniors Senior video A happy statistic: Over 51% of last year’s seniors got into their top choice school, and 25% got into their second choice school…