TABLE OF CONTENTS. A Word From Guidance 2 Where to Begin 3 - Junior Checklist. Testing Information 4 - ACT - SAT Reasoning Test - SAT Subject Test

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1 LOOKING AHEAD Topic CLASS of 2016 SPRING COLLEGE PLANNING WORKSHOP TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Timeline Inside Cover A Word From Guidance 2 Where to Begin 3 - Junior Checklist Testing Information 4 - ACT - SAT Reasoning Test - SAT Subject Test Guidance Website 5 Naviance - College/Career Planning 6 Matching Self & School 7 - College Search - Tips for Visiting Colleges - Questions to Ask - Getting on Mailing Lists Mark Your Calendar 10 - National College Fair - Additional Workshops Glossary of Terms i 1

2 A Word From Guidance Your guidance counselor is the liaison between you and the colleges. Our job is not to choose your colleges or to get you admitted, but to direct you in the exploration of possibilities, to help you make more knowledgeable choices, and to help guide you through the application process. We can bring facts about you and your background to the college s attention. Your job is to help your guidance counselor highlight your unique qualities, personal strengths, and special circumstances. Remember, in most cases, you are looking to make a four-year commitment. Be yourself! Don t try to be what you think the colleges want you to be! Choose your college because it is the right one for you and you are right for it! 2

3 Where To Begin In this workshop, we will discuss: 1. Naviance - Our college search software 2. College Appraisal 3. Matching of Self and School During the Junior Seminars in Guidance, we covered the Self-Appraisal component of college planning. Every junior had the opportunity to complete the Do What You Are section of Naviance. This was the first of several steps in the career/college search process. Please refer back to your self-assessment on Naviance under My Personality Type for suggestions on potential major/career choices. For more assistance, complete the Career Inventory under About Careers. First, you need to determine where you are in the process. To help you with this we have provided checklists for you to review. The checklists are very important in helping you to be more organized in making thoughtful and thorough decisions about your potential colleges. By mid-april, you should have: Attended the Junior Seminars, which are scheduled to begin the week of January 19th. Attended the College Admissions Seminar for Juniors and Parents Presentation on February 5, 2015 starting at 6:30pm. Registered for the March, or May or June SAT Reasoning Test and/or Subject Tests (if required). Some students may want to register to take the April or June ACT Test with Writing. Developed a list of colleges that interest you and might be a fit. Make plans to visit one of the College Fairs held in our area. Scheduled college visits for February and April vacations. Work on your list of colleges that you plan to visit over the summer. Knowledge you should have: Reasons for going to college. An accurate appraisal of your academic standing via course work, your extracurricular activities, and your personal values. A good place to start would be to complete the Activity Sheet on Naviance located under the Document Library tab. Remember, it is never too late to get involved in other outside activities. A priority list for choosing a college (size, location, cost, etc.). A solid understanding of what colleges consider when making admissions decisions. A realistic view of your admissions and financial standing. Pay special attention to: SAT & ACT Registration deadlines and test dates. Guidance and teacher forms. Who you might ask to write your letter of recommendation. Maintaining good grades! 3

4 Testing Information ACT Test Dates & Deadlines The ACT is an achievement-based test that coincides with the general curriculum. It is not an aptitude or an IQ test. Instead, the questions on the ACT are directly related to what you have learned in your high school courses of English, mathematics, and science. It consists of up to 5 sections: English, mathematics, reading, science, and an optional writing test. Students should take the writing section. Most colleges and universities recognize the ACT as being comparable to the SAT. Some students elect to take the ACT in lieu of and in addition to the SAT Reasoning test. * NDA is not a test site for the ACT s (St. Peter- Marian High School and Becker College are 2 sites where NDA students have taken the ACT). Test Date Late Registration forms are available in the NDA Registration Registration Guidance Office or you can register online at Deadline Deadline 02/07/15 01/09/15 01/16/15 Registration for the ACT Test is $54.50 and must 04/18/15 03/13/15 03/27/15 be done through American College Testing. 06/13/14 05/08/15 05/22/15 There is an additional fee of $24.00 to register late. *09/15 **TBA TBA *10/15 **TBA TBA ** You will not be able to register for the Fall 2015 ACT until approximately mid-july The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems these are skills you have learned in school and you will need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of with 500 being considered an average score. It is administered seven times a year; please see the testing dates below. SAT Reasoning Test Dates & Deadlines * NDA is not test site on these dates. Test Date Late Registration forms are available in the NDA Registration Registration Guidance Office or you can register online at Deadline Deadline 03/14/15 02/13/15 03/03/15 Registration for the SAT Reasoning Test ($52.50) *05/02/15 03/26/15 04/21/15 and must be done through the College Board. *06/06/15 05/08/15 05/27/15 There is an additional fee of $28.00 to register late. *10/2015 TBA TBA *11/2015 TBA TBA You cannot take the SAT Reasoning and Subject *12/2015 TBA TBA Tests on the same day. 4

5 The SAT Subject Tests (formerly SAT II) are designed to measure your knowledge and skills in particular subject areas, as well as your ability to apply that knowledge. Students take the Subject Tests to demonstrate to colleges their mastery of specific subjects like literature, history, mathematics, science, and world language. Not all colleges require students to take the SAT Subject Test. While you re developing your potential list of schools, you should note whether or not your schools recommend or require you to take the exam. Colleges that do require these subject tests typically want you to take either Math I or II plus 1 or 2 subjects of your choice. If you need assistance with determining which tests you should be taking, please stop by and see your guidance counselor. SAT Subject Test Dates & Deadlines * NDA is not a test site on these dates. Test Date Registration Late Registration forms are available in the NDA Deadline Registration Deadline Guidance Office or you can register online at *05/02/15 03/26/15 04/21/15 Registration for the SAT Subject Test ($26.00 *06/06/15 05/08/15 05/27/15 10/2015 TBA TBA basic registration fee + $16.00 per subject test) must be done through the College Board. *11/2015 TBA TBA There is an additional fee to register late. *12/2015 TBA TBA You cannot take the SAT Reasoning Test and Subject Tests on the same day. You may take as many as three one hour SAT Subject Tests on a single day, but we recommend taking no more than two tests on a given day. 5

6 Guidance Website Visit the NDA s website at: Click on the Guidance tab and view the following information under Guidance Guidance Services. Workbook Available. College Planning direct link to Naviance. School Profile, Seminars, College Scholarship Information on Daily Homeroom Announcements. 6

7 Naviance Our College/Career Management Program Welcome to Family Connection Nice to see you again! Please log in. password remember me Thanks to technology, most of your college/ career planning information is now available on the computer. Through the Notre Dame Academy s website, Naviance, and College s websites, most of the information is at your fingertips. You can log on to Naviance through the link under College Planning in the Guidance link: Naviance- Family Connection a-worc Log In Be sure to review the following information on Naviance: My Profile please update yours/parents addresses My Personality Type My College Search Explore, Explore, Explore Naviance!! It s important that you become familiar with this software program. You will have to use it throughout the college search process. 7

8 Matching Self & School College Searches It is now time to seriously begin your college search. What colleges and universities are a good fit for you? There are many ways to do a college search. Perhaps the easiest is using a computer program for that purpose. I. Most of you have been instructed on the Naviance software program. With your password to this program, you may complete a college search from any location. This program will simplify your search by asking you to input some information about your personal preferences for a college. For example, size of college, geographic location and majors offered might be criteria important to you. After you input your personal preferences, the search program will develop a potential list based on your criteria. Be sure to add potential colleges to your My Colleges list. After the initial search is completed and you ve added your potential schools to the My College section, Naviance can provide you with more detailed information about each college and university that you re interested in. * Remember, your list is a work in progress; it will change during the coming months as you research and visit various colleges. As your list changes, continue to update your list on Naviance under My Colleges. As you search, remember to be realistic in your search, adding a combination of schools to your list (reach, realistic, and safety.) II. Naviance is the primary software program that the Guidance Office utilizes for the college search and application process. We strongly encourage you to become familiar with this program, as you will need to access this regularly. If you re looking for additional resources for search purposes, the following are good sites to use: College Board at: The Princeton Review at: College Prowler at: Checking Listing of Favorite Websites.. III. If you have any questions, please stop by to see Mr. Bardier or Ms. Xenakis. We will be following up with each of you throughout third and fourth to check in on your progress. A WORD TO THE WISE.ORGANIZE!!! Start a file folder for each college that interests you. Keep copies of any correspondence you have with the school as well as application forms and financial information you have received. 8

9 Tips for Visiting a College A campus visit is a MUST Nothing else can give you a sense of the campus and what it will be like to go there! You can go online or call the Admissions Office ahead of time to find out the tour schedule and reserve a spot if necessary. Meet with an admissions counselor, if possible. Take a student-led campus tour offered by the Admissions Office this will give you a chance to talk with a current student. Remember don t let the personality of the tour guide dominate or influence your impression of the college. Have questions ready prepare a list of your own questions and some from your parents too! Read the bulletin boards, campus newspaper and other publications. What bands are coming to campus? What comedians? What speakers? What political groups are active? What functions or activities are popular? What seem to be the vocalized issues on campus right now? Sit in the student union or commons have a soda and simply look around you. Does the atmosphere seem appealing to you? Do the people there seem friendly and happy? Sit in on a class if you can it can be a very valuable experience. Be sure to check out sports or other major areas of interest to you while you are on the campus. If you want to talk with a coach or a department chairperson, be sure to call ahead and schedule an appointment. If visiting the college requires significant travel, you might consider having an admissions interview while on your visit. If you re unable to travel to the campus, admissions representatives will try to schedule interviews with potential candidates when they are in the Boston area or colleges will have alumni in the area interview potential candidates. If you speak with other students, ask some of these questions: How many hours a week do you study? Is that typical of students here? Are campus jobs readily available? Are faculty members interested in students and accessible outside of class? Do many students go home on weekends? Do you? How do you like the food? Is it possible to study in your dorm room? What s the library like as a place to study? What do you like most about this college? What do you like least? How easy is it to get the courses you want at registration? Do you feel safe walking around on campus? At night? 9

10 Questions to Ask Admissions Which standardized test scores do you require? What are the most popular majors offered? What are the accepted grades and SAT scores for the more competitive majors? If you re applying undecided, are there majors that are more difficult to transfer into? If so, which majors? Are interviews required? Who interviews prospective students? Classroom What is the average class size? How accessible are the professors outside of class? Will professor or graduate students teach my courses? What student services are offered (tutoring, career, counseling, study workshops)? Is the campus wireless? Housing What type of housing is available? Is student housing guaranteed for all four years? How are roommates selected? Is this the residence hall where freshmen live? Student Life What special interest groups, activities, fraternities/sororities are available? What is it like on campus on the weekends? Are there any programs offered to help students adjust to college life? Are intramural, club and varsity sports offered? How are the athletic facilities? What types of meal plans are available? Is the food good? Just the Facts What is your school known for? What are the recent graduates doing now? What is the freshman retention rate? How safe is the campus and surrounding neighborhoods? Can freshmen have cars on campus? 10

11 Getting on the Mailing Lists Now that you have what you feel is a good college list to begin working with, it is time to get your name and address on their mailing lists so that their latest information as well as application forms will be sent directly to you. Getting on those mailing lists is now easier than ever! I. Pull up a college website on your computer. Go to their Admissions section. Usually you will find an inquiry form to complete and submit online. You re done! II. Sending an through by clicking on the college s link in your List of Schools that I am Interested in. III. You might want to visit the National College Fair in Boston this spring with your potential list of colleges. Approximately 500 colleges and universities will be represented at this Fair. You can speak with admissions representatives from specific colleges and sign up on their mailing lists. Mark Your Calendar! National College Fair (NACAC) At the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and Springfield Eastern State Exposition(Big E) Boston: Thursday, April 9 th - 6-8:30p Springfield: Sunday, April 12 th -1-4 pm This is a great place to gather information and make personal contact with several colleges in a short period of time! You should plan on attending with your parents. New England College Fair (NEACAC) At Assumption College Worcester: May 20 th 6-30pm-8:30pm College Planning for Juniors and their Parents February 5, :30-8:30pm College Planning for The Parents of Seniors The Nuts & Bolts of Applying to College September 2015 Financial Aid Seminar At your local high school 11