Welcome to Junior Parent Night! Hall High School January 10, :00 PM

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1 Welcome to Junior Parent Night! Hall High School January 10, :00 PM 1

2 Tonight s Agenda 7:00pm Post-Secondary Options Junior Planning Activities & Timeline College Tests & Test Preparation College/Career Resources Available Naviance Important Upcoming Events Q & A 2

3 Post High School Options Four Year College Two Year College Cost effective Transfers to State Universities Technical School Career specific, hands-on training Gap Year Travel, Community Work, AmeriCorps Military Employment 3

4 Important Upcoming Events Individual Junior Student Meetings (January March) Course Selection (January - February) Junior Planning Seminars (3 rd Quarter on Wednesdays) Gap Year Fair (Thursday, January 11 th at 6 pm at Conard) National College Fair in Hartford (Wednesday, March 28 th ) 4

5 Why is junior year so important? Colleges will look for: End of junior year transcript and GPA Evidence of improvement, demonstrate positive trend over previous years Consistent participation in extracurricular activities Senior year grades and courses are also important and will be viewed by colleges! 5

6 Junior Planning Meetings Juniors will be scheduled for an individual planning meeting during the school day with their school counselor sometime from January to March. Topics to be covered include: High school reflection and transcript review Planning for senior courses Review PSAT results and discuss strategy and timeline for SATs/ACTs College and career planning (next steps to be covered in junior planning seminar) 6

7 Junior Planning Seminar Juniors are scheduled to participate in a 9 week series of workshops during the 3 rd Quarter on Wednesdays to assist them in the post high school planning process. Topics to be covered include: Understanding the college admissions process How to conduct a college search College testing Common Application Resume/brag sheets College essay tips Mock Interviews Other post-secondary options/gap year 7

8 PSAT Score Reports Scores from the October PSAT released to students online Monday, December 11. Create College Board account: MUST BE student information Only ONE account Check CollegeBoard.org for most updated information about PSAT scores. We encourage parents to review the test scores and connect scores to Khan Academy for free SAT studying. 8

9 College Testing: The SAT 3 Subtests: Evidence-based Reading and Writing, Math, Essay (optional). It measures a student s ability to analyze and solve problems by applying what they have learned in school. (produces a score for each subtest) Not all colleges require testing! The SAT Subject Tests Only a handful of colleges require subject tests If you need to take a subject test for admission, take it at the completion of the course (May or June) 9

10 The ACT The ACT is another college entrance exam that can be submitted in lieu of the SAT It includes five subtests: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Writing We recommend taking it with writing! The scoring is also different from the SAT (1-36) 1 0

11 In School Test Dates SAT: will be administered to all Hall juniors during the school day on Wednesday, March 21st. Scores are reportable to colleges. Does NOT include Writing section. Is REQUIRED for graduation. ASVAB: military entrance exam Offered at Hall High School March 1st at 7:30 AM Contact Amy Shaffer in the Career Center or your child s school counselor to sign up! 11

12 College/Career Resources: College & Career Center College and career reference section Naviance support and other online resources Scholarship information Financial Aid resources Admission rep visits in the fall Community Service/Volunteer Information 1 2

13 College/Career Resources: School Counseling Department Website Accessed through Hall High School website Grade 11 Webpage: Comprehensive list of post-secondary planning resources Junior year checklist Click here to view page 1 3

14 College/Career Resources: Naviance Naviance is a comprehensive online program that Hall subscribes to that assists students and their families in all aspects of college and career planning

15 Naviance Tutorial (Go to family connection page)

16 Naviance Naviance and links within the Naviance system will allow you to do the following: Research colleges and conduct an individualized college search Compare your academic profile with former Hall applicants Students and parents receive s about important deadlines, events, and special opportunities Find SAT/ACT test preparation and registration information Obtain financial aid and scholarship information Complete a resume Complete a personality assessment Research careers and majors Links to college resources 16 Keep track of your college applications 1 6

17 The College Search Where should students start? Run a preliminary search using Naviance and College Board Helpful information to consider when researching: GPA, course requirements, test scores, majors, location, cost Develop a broad list of schools (safety, ballpark, reach) Start visiting colleges: Consider size, location, atmosphere, student body, and special programs It is best to visit colleges while they are in session. Take advantage of school vacations! This will be covered in the junior planning seminar series 1 7

18 Where should students be by the fall? Know which post-secondary option they would like to pursue and what requirements you must meet. If they plan to attend college A list of 6-8 prospective schools Have taken the SAT/ACT (careful to send scores on time!) Have visited a few colleges Have completed a resume, brag sheets, and the Do What You Are inventory Identify teachers to ask for letters of recommendation Have begun working on their essay over the summer See your counselor for help as often as needed! 1 8

19 College Admission Trends Overall number of college applications continues to rise nationally Common Application use has expanded, however so has Coalition application use State schools continue to grow in popularity and competitiveness, including CT community colleges Most competitive colleges have not seen a drop in enrollment Increase in Early Decision (ED) & Early Action (EA) applicants Waitlist activity is increasing, Waitlist acceptance remains low Tuition/Room & Board fees continue to rise Financial Aid is competitive 1 9

20 Financing College Financial Aid Night Fall of Senior Year Start searching for Scholarships online in the fall Fastweb.com and Naviance Individual Colleges Financial Aid pages There are two types of financial aid: Need based and Non-need based Student Loans - Be aware and be careful 2 0

21 Need Based Aid Starts with completing the FAFSA form The government decides how much you can afford to pay toward college tuition (EFC) and sends it to the colleges to which you ve applied. The financial aid package will be broken down into: Grants/scholarships Work study Loans. Some private schools will supplement the federal aid amount if you complete a CSS Profile form. Some local, state, national and private scholarships also based on need as well as other criteria. 2 1

22 Merit Based Aid Colleges may offer Scholarship monies to students they want to recruit to their campus (athletes/artists/musicians) or who meet certain academic standards (merit based). Some scholarships are automatically offered upon acceptance and others need to be applied for. Note: The more competitive the college, the less likely it is you will be offered merit money. Many local, state, national and private scholarships offer monies based on a wide variety of criteria. These need to be applied for. (Scholarships listed on Naviance website) Note: Not all scholarships are monetary. 2 2

23 Moving forward, who does what?! Student Do Take control of the process! Attend the Junior Planning Seminars Begin researching your post-secondary options now to develop a plan (and back-up plan!) Initiate contact with colleges or programs of interest Parent Support and encourage your child s genuine interests. Encourage them to self-advocate and have them communicate with the college admissions offices directly. Prepare your child for the possibility of disappointment. Give them realistic expectations of your part in paying for college. Don t! Ask your parents to make appointments, phone calls or complete applications for you! Wait until senior year to begin your research Call the college admissions offices for them. Register the student for the SATs/ACTs Complete their applications or write their essays for them.

24 Helping your student keep it in perspective Maintain balance as much as possible. Study hard, but have fun too! Participate in activities you enjoy most. Begin the process early so you don't get overwhelmed Take your time on making final decisions about colleges. Remember that there are many potential matches for you; you don't have to find "the one You don't have to have the whole journey mapped out; only the next few steps Ask for help and clarification when needed 2 4

25 Keep in mind... Yes, rejection stings. But say these words aloud: The admissions process isn t fair. Like it or not, colleges aren t looking to reel in the greatest number of straight-a students who ve taken seven or more Advanced Placement courses. A rejection isn t really about you; it s about a maddening mishmash of competing objectives. NY Times: "What Colleges Want in an Applicant" 2 5

26 Questions? This presentation will be posted on our website. Thank you! 2 6

Juniors Spring Presentation

Juniors Spring Presentation First of all. Congratulations on all your hard work junior year! Now everyone take a deep breath And get ready for what s next: 1. Finish strong over these last 5 weeks 2. Make