Navigating the College Admissions Process- Preparing to Apply April 21 & 22

Navigating the College Admissions Process- Preparing to Apply April 21 & 22

Agenda for Today Reminder on Upcoming Events Applying to College College Fit-Hit Activity College Essay Preparation 2

Upcoming Events in the College Selection and Application Process 3

Upcoming Events For all college related events: Do remember that you represent Saint Francis High School and your words and actions make an impression! 4

Upcoming Events If You Signed Up: 6:30: Sign In 8:30-9:30:College Fair Be sure to read the application packets and bring packet with you. 5

Upcoming Events San Francisco National College Fair- Do Register If You Plan to Attend at: https://www.gotomyncf.com/registration/eventselectforstate?sta tename=all Location: Cow Palace North Hall and Arena Floor 2600 Geneva Ave. Daly City, CA 94014 415/404-4100 Fair Hours: Saturday, May 2, 2015 1:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 6

Upcoming Events Thursday, May 7 Mission College Time: 6:00 pm 8:00 pm Location: Gym 3000 Mission College Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95054 If you plan to attend, do register in advance: https://www.wacaccolleg efair.com/registration/ EventSelectForState?sta tename=all 7

Check Family Connection for Colleges Coming to Saint Francis Updated daily with new colleges coming DEMONSTRATE INTEREST!!! 8

Applying to College 9

Update College List in Family Connection Spring 2015 DISCOVERY PHASE Your first list in Colleges I m Thinking About in Family Connection Summer 2015 PLANNING PHASE Where will I actually apply? Sort out Reach Target Safety Fall 2015 APPLICATION PHASE Complete and submit applications 10

Your First College Meeting in August/Sept. Colleges I m Thinking About (list) Research college website, take virtual tour, take real tour, attend college rep meeting, college fair, case studies Colleges I m Applying To (list) 11

Good decisions are made by gathering good information and by being organized. Prepare to Apply 12

College Application Review May Include: Teacher(s) Rec Counselor Rec Secondary School Report College Application May include Activity Section, Essay, or Personal Statement SAT/ACT TRANSCRIPT 13

Example of Selective Private School Approach to Admissions After review of all application documents student is given: Academic Rating-comprised academic achievement within the high school +standardized testing. Personal Rating-designed to provide a summary of the student s high school and community involvement and potential for involvement on the college campus: How has this student impacted his/her community? Community includes family, classroom, grade, religious group, organization. School Fit Rating-Gives a rating for how likely the applicant is to make a valuable contribution to the particular school or program to which he/she is applying. Overall Rating: Summary of applicant s likely outcome in the process and potential for scholarships consideration. 14

Applications and Timing Apply for Fall 2016 Before filling out an application for any college, make sure you are selecting the right school year. Apply for 2016-17 School Year You are applying for the 2016-2017 school year: Fall 2016. Read the College Website Many colleges do not update applications until August or September of 2015. 15

Know The Admission Option for Your Colleges 16

When To Consider EA or ED ED You have visited this college and are convinced it is your true love. (Would you marry someone you never met?) EA You have researched this college and know it is a match. Your 6 th Semester Transcript represents your best performance, and your first semester senior year grades would not tip the academic scale in your favor. Your 6 th Semester Transcript represents your best performance, and your first semester senior year grades would not tip the academic scale in your favor. ACT/SAT Testing Completed by Oct., 2015 ACT/SAT Testing Completed by Oct., 2015 You are willing to sign a contract that if admitted you will attend. You have researched the ED odds. Understand the college s policy on applying EA. Will it benefit you to apply early? Scholarship options? Discuss with parents and counselor. Discuss with parents and counselor. Prepared to present your strongest application by ED deadline. Prepared to present your strongest application by EA deadline. 17

University of California Application Application Opens August 1, 2015 File Application Between November 1 st -30 th Use one application for all campuses. No Letters of Recommendation Accepted!! You will fill out: Self-Reported Transcript Comprehensive Activity Section Personal Statement. 18

UC Admission Trends for Class of 2015 Look Beyond UCB and UCLA!! UC Santa Cruz? UC Riverside? UC Merced? 19

Apply to the California State Universities Use CSU Mentor to apply. One application can be sent to several campuses. No letters-no essay! Cal Poly SLO also has Early Decision option. Deadline for ED: October 31 st. Application Opens October 1st Must Be Submitted by November 30 th 20

Applying to CSU: Begin to Enter Courses and Grades Prepare your CSU application by going to CSUMentor. 21

USE HIGH SCHOOL PLANNER TO ENTER COURSES THE INFORMATION YOU ENTER WILL TRANSFER TO YOUR APPLICATION ON OCTOBER 1 ST WHEN THE APPLICATION OPENS. 22

Out of State Public Colleges and Universities May Use Application Portal If a College or University Out does not of use State the Common Public Application Portals- Some application Publics portal linked Do to Use that college the Common or university s website to complete and App App, you will apply using the submit your application. 23

What to Know About the Common Application Your Fall 2016 application will not be online until after August 1st. The Common App essay questions are posted in the Class of 2016 Portal in Family Connection. Do not try to set up an account on the Common Application before August 1 st, as your account will be deleted. 24

You can review the Application Requirements for the Common App Colleges. 25

Use Common App-Application Requirements Grid to See What Colleges Want Activity: Please go to this grid now. Take out ipad-open browser. Go to www.commonapp.org On the top of the page locate the Member Colleges. Go to link to Application Requirements 26

Candy Quiz How many teacher letters does American University require? What is the testing requirement for Boston College? Does Santa Clara University have Early Action or Early Decision? How many teacher letters are required by Colorado State? What is the last date you could apply to University of San Francisco? What is the last date to apply to San Francisco State? 27

Planning Ahead-Where Are You? Update Resume this summer! Connect with Teacher(s) NOW!! Email Counselor your Questionnaire by May 26th 28

Spring SAT/ACT Testing- Are you registered? More Test Prep Over Summer?? Draft of College Essay Due in English course soon. 29

Assessments If you would like your counselor to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf: 1. You MUST have completed all assigned assessments in Family Connection including: Strengths Explorer MI Advantage Do What You Are 2. Complete and submit the Counselor Recommendation Questionnaire and email to your counselor by May 26 th. 30

Activity-College Fit Hit 31

Make sure to fill in as you listen to other students in your group. 32

Instructions: In Groups of 4 Choose a college. Take about 5 minutes to prepare. Take on the role of the admissions officer. Present the highlights of this college to your peers. As you listen to other presenters, fill in the college chart. Each group choose one college to present to the entire class. Collected and placed in file for meeting with your College Counselor. 33

College Essay Preparation 34

College Essay or Personal Statement Review Assessments and your Resume before deciding on essay. Look for themes and qualities in yourself you would like to share with colleges. Who are you? What would you like to become? What impact do you want to make? 35

Example: From Do What You Are descriptions: People like you are independent, curious, and creative. You may have a passion for science or the arts and enjoy learning new things. Inventive and imaginative, you make quick and insightful connections, and enjoy coming up with original solutions to problems. UC Prompt for Personal Statement: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are? 36

Point of College Essays: How Can You Show Your Traits Through Actions? Adventurous/Risk taking Leadership Socially aware Actively involved in a community Intellectually immersed Resourceful/inventive Artistic/creative Self aware Check out this list of personal qualities: LIST: http://www.sc.edu/career/pdf/identifypersonalqualities.pdf 37

New Prompts for Common App Essay The Common App has changed the essay prompts: 2015-16 Common Application Essay Prompts We are pleased to share the 2015-2016 Essay Prompts with you. New language appears in italics: 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? 4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. 5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. 38

There are several presentations on College Essays in the Class of 2016 Portal! Review the College Essay Resources provided by the Counseling Department and your English teachers. 39

Extra Extra: Help is On the Way!! Mandatory Senior College Workshop Sunday, August 23 th Time: 1-4 pm Required attendance for all seniors. One parent will also be required to attend. More information will be sent to you in August. 40