Berea City School District - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Berea City School District

Looking Ahead to College

Berea High School

January 16, 2014

• College admissions in the late 1970s and early 1980s is very different from today’s admissions
• More students today are expected to be college and career readywhen finishing high school

• Students apply to several colleges
• Resumes (brag sheets) start when 8th grade ends
• College admissions is now global in scope; internationals are courted
• College admissions is competitive

• Some students start taking the ACT/SAT in 6thgrade(NUMATS)
• The PSAT is given to younger students
• Some parents pay $$$$ for test prep (books/on-line)
• Web sites can compute “chances” in seconds; Naviance
• Summer is no longer “down time”

• less Federal and state funding for higher education (the economy & reluctance to raise additional revenues)
• Ohio has cut 28.9% for higher education in state spending per student FY08-FY13

Source: Center on Budget & Policy Priorities

• “Paying for college scares me . . . ”
• “My son/daughter is in the top 10, so Harvard(or MIT, Caltech, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, etc. is a real option.”
• “What do you mean Ohio State University is no longer a safety school?”

• “I want to go to a top school . . . I don’t care which one.”
• “I don’t know where to start.”
• “My mom and/or dad is pressuring me to go to School X.”
• “I’ll just go where my friends are going.”
• “I want to go to school in Florida because of the sun.”

• HS counseling loads & job descriptions are increasing
• Colleges are more expensive
• The economy is still struggling; yet college costs are soaring (OSU $20,810, Columbia is near the top at $64,144)
• Application numbers continue to rise -- acceptance percentages are declining:

Harvard 5.79% [RA 3.76%] Yale 6.72%

Stanford 5.69%[RA 4.54%] Cornell 13.47%

• Some schools are no longer able to be “need-blind”

• Reduced resources for students, schools and colleges
• Increase in students planning to attend public colleges (more top students attending in-state; test score averages are increasing)
• Students are spending less time evaluating the “fit” of their college options
• Financial aid calculators ; transparency; need to understand the financial aid process
• Colleges are paying more attention to yield rates; students who may actually enroll if offered admission

--National Association for College Admission Counseling, 2011

• The Ohio State University: Average ACT score in 1995: 22.8

Average ACT score in 2013: 28.5

• OSU mid-range: ACT 27-31 [25% above and 25% below]
• Autumn 2013 Freshman class: 7,083 students (35,475 apps)
• Total undergraduate enrollment at OSU: 50,551 (Columbus = 44,201)
• Freshman profile: Ohio residents 71.7% trending down

US (outside of OH): 21.2 trending up

Internationals: 7.1% steady

Source: Ohio State University (Office of Enrollment Services), 2014

Ohio University:

OLD: ACT of 32 = may be eligible for free tuition

NEW: Well, it’s complicated

Many schools run scholarship competitions to award merit aid

Some students are starting college later:

1967 - 14% started college at age 19 or older

2011 - it was 29%

Something to think about: There is no race to finish in 4

years; avoid debt

• PSAT: (cut-off for National Merit has ranged from 211 – 215 since 1999); less $$$$at schools for Finalists
• SAT: different test than ACT; most highly selective colleges prefer it & SAT II’s
• ACT:most popular in the Midwest

What scores are necessary for readiness for college?

R 22 E 18 M 22 Sci 23

(scores considered minimal to not need remediation)

Perfect Scores in Ohio: 58 (Class of 2013)

Perfect Scores in the Nation: 1,162

• More colleges are eliminating merit aid and only using need-based
• Most recommendations say “aim low” for better aid packages (schools where your child is overqualified) (Kiplinger’s)
• Apply to different types of schools (private, state, AP credit, etc.)
• Always apply for aid
• You can always share what the competition is offering
• Look at Financial Aid sites for merit aid (look at test scores needed for merit scholarships, scholarship criteria)
• Some success stories: $1000 @ year for an Ivy; full-rides because of family need and great students

• In 1999, US News & World Report named California Institute of Technology (Caltech)the number one college in America. Due to much criticism, the magazine then changed its criteria to reduce the importance of one measure: expenditures per student.

Source: Daniel Golden, The Price of Admission

• Different rankings emphasize different criteria:

Forbes: post-graduate success, debt & happiness

US News: selectivity, alumni giving and guidance

counselor opinions

Princeton Review: Dorms Like Dungeons, Dorms Like Palaces, etc.

Understand the Terminology (use BCSD resources):

Use the BCSD resources:

--Acronyms/ Definitions for Navigating the

College Process

--College Prep Assessment Terminology

--Suggested List of Colleges

--What College/University is Right for Me?

Where to find resources:

Berea-Midpark HS web site (Guidance)

BCSD District web site (Services > Gifted Services)

and Office of Academic Affairs

• Deadlines (waiting too long to ask

for recommendations,

information or missing

scholarship deadlines)

• SAT II’s and/or not taking both

ACT & SAT exams

• Looking ahead for the FAFSA, CSS

Profile ; timelines

• Codes (High Schools, CEEB)

360435

• Understanding the differences--

(e.g., Early Action, Early

Decision, Rolling

Admissions); tracking changes

• Look at strengths & weaknesses
• Favorite classes
• Undecided or Focused?
• Look at criteria: large v. small, rural v. urban, etc.
• Look at applications BEFORE senior year
• Reach/Match/Safety
• Engage in honest conversations with parents

• Reach, match, safety – what do they mean?
• Some schools are reach schools for everyone
• A reach school for one student may be a safety for another
• Use the lists, look at the test score mid-ranges, look at other students with similar profiles
• Maybe start with the lists of schools known to have strong programs in the interest area then gradually look at the other criteria

• Grades in college prep courses
• High School Curriculum (strength & rigor)
• Standardized Test Scores
• GPA
• Recommendations

• Look at “in-demand” majors
• Follow your heart, not your pocketbook
• Do career shadowing
• Take classes to help improve your skills

Biomedical engineering

Biometrics; Forensic Science

Computer Game Design

Cybersecurity

Data Science; Business

Analytics

Petroleum Engineering

Public Health

Robotics

Sustainability (environmental degrees)

• Start early
• Meet with your counselor
• Challenge yourself in school
• Get involved
• Use the available resources