CLASS OF 2017 SENIOR PARENT NIGHT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ST

AGENDA POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS FACTORS IN COLLEGE ADMISSION DECISIONS CREATING YOUR COLLEGE LIST COMPONENTS OF THE COLLEGE APPLICATION DOMINION HIGH SCHOOL PROCESS TIMELINE FOR SENIOR YEAR

POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS

COMMUNITY COLLEGES 23 COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN VIRGINIA OPEN ADMISSION WITH HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA/GED OFFER ASSOCIATE DEGREES & CAREER CERTIFICATES GUARANTEED ADMISSION AGREEMENTS TO TRANSFER TO 4-YEAR COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES COST COMPARISON

NOVA PATHWAY DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE A GOAL OF EARNING A BACHELORS DEGREE PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO EASE THE TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO NOVA PATHWAY COUNSELOR VISITS WEEKLY SECOND SEMESTER OF SENIOR YEAR: PAPER APPLICATION OBTAINED FROM COUNSELING DEPT DEADLINE EARLY NOVEMBER

JUNIOR COLLEGES INTENDED FOR STUDENTS WHO WANT TO TRANSFER TO A 4- YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS CAN EARN AN ASSOCIATE S DEGREE OFTEN PROVIDE RESIDENTIAL HALLS AND OTHER FEATURES TO INSPIRE ACTIVE CAMPUS LIFE

SPECIALIZED CAREER INSTITUTES & COLLEGES INTENSIVE INSTRUCTION IN A PARTICULAR DISCIPLINE FOR WHICH A 2 YEAR OR 4 YEAR DEGREE IS NOT REQUIRED ENSURE THAT THE INSTITUTION IS ACCREDITED EXAMPLES: ART INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTON CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA PAUL MITCHELL SCHOOL FASHION INSTITUTE OF DESIGN & MERCHANDISING

MILITARY ENLIST UPON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RECRUITERS VISIT THE CAREER CENTER ROTC PROGRAMS AND SCHOLARSHIPS MILITARY ACADEMIES

GAP YEAR PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROGRAMS GAP YEAR FAIR IN THE SPRING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, STUDY, OR WORK PROGRAMS

4-YEAR COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES OVER 4,000 IN THE USA BACHELORS DEGREE

WHAT ARE 4-YEAR COLLEGES LOOKING FOR IN APPLICANTS?

NACAC IMPORTANT FACTORS IN COLLEGE ADMISSION DECISIONS 100 90 80 Considerable Importance Moderate Importance 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

ADMISSION TEST SCORES: SAT AND/OR ACT THERE IS STILL TIME TO TAKE IT! ACT: OCTOBER 22 SAT: OCTOBER 1 (DEADLINE TODAY), NOVEMBER 5 FREE PRACTICE TESTS AVAILABLE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH KAPLAN TEST PREP THIS FALL (SEE HANDOUT) REGISTER ONLINE AT: WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.COM (SAT) WWW.ACTSTUDENT.ORG (ACT)

SAT SUBJECT TESTS SUBJECT-SPECIFIC TESTS LITERATURE, MATH 1 & 2, US HISTORY, WORLD HISTORY, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, FOREIGN LANGUAGES CHECK WITH THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS OFFICE REGARDING WHETHER IT S REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED REGISTER AT WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.ORG

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES PROVIDES A GLIMPSE INTO STUDENT S INTERESTS, PASSIONS, AND LEADERSHIP QUALITY OVER QUANTITY STEADY, CONSISTENT INVOLVEMENT THAT SHOWS YOUR COMMITMENT HOW & WHY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO ATTACH MEANING TO THEIR INVOLVEMENT

CREATING YOUR COLLEGE LIST HOW MANY COLLEGES SHOULD I APPLY TO?

REACH TARGET AND SAFETY REACH: COLLEGES WHOSE ADMITTED STUDENTS MAY HAVE A HIGHER AVERAGE GPA AND SAT/ACT SCORE THAN YOURS TARGET: COLLEGES WHOSE ADMITTED STUDENTS AVERAGE GPA AND SAT/ACT SCORES ARE COMPARABLE TO YOURS SAFETY: COLLEGES WHOSE ADMITTED STUDENTS AVERAGE GPA AND SAT/ACT SCORES ARE GENERALLY LOWER THAN YOURS APPLY TO A MIX OF EACH (1-2 REACH, 1-2 SAFETY, AND 2-3 TARGET)

CONSIDERATIONS IN FINDING A GOOD COLLEGE FIT Location Size Career goals Academic majors Financial aid H.S. course requirements and recommendations Academic profile of admitted students Student life Diversity of student body Appearance of facilities Athletic programs Extracurricular interests Study abroad programs ROTC Dorms/residence halls Available support services The feel of campus Cost (don t rule out private or out-of-state colleges)

COLLEGE CAMPUS VISITS Finding the right fit is very important can only do this if you ve actually stepped onto the campus Contact Admissions Office to take an official tour Arrive prepared Try to visit nearby schools or develop a route that allows you to visit many colleges on one trip Missing school for campus visits is excused, but does count against senior exemptions!

COMPONENTS OF A COLLEGE APPLICATION

COMPLETING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION Visit each college s website for specific instructions Common Application www.commonapp.org Be sure to complete supplemental information, specific to each school Make sure your e-mail address is appropriate Consider creating an e-mail for all college/scholarship info Colleges use email as their primary form of communication with you!

COMPLETING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION Follow instructions and proofread! Application Fee Must be paid before the deadline or it s considered incomplete See your counselor if you need an application fee waiver

COMPLETING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines! Check individual college admission websites Late applications are not accepted Submit applications early, so that you have time to verify that the college has received all components of the application

COLLEGE APPLICATION DEADLINES Early Action: mid-october to early November, non-binding Early Decision: mid-october to early November, binding Regular: most common deadlines are December 15 th, January 1 st, January 15 th, February 1 st Rolling: as soon as possible, applications are reviewed as they are received Priority Filing Dates: Typically in December/January; Some colleges set this deadline for students who wish to be considered for scholarships and financial aid

STANDARDIZED TESTS You must send your official score reports to each college directly from College Board or ACT Counselor cannot send it for you Select score report recipients when you register online (4 free) Send to NCAA (9999) if you want to play NCAA sports in college

INTERVIEW At most colleges, an interview is optional. If a college offers an interview, take it! This can be a great opportunity for students to learn more about the college and to share more about themselves

TEACHER S LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION Check each college s website to see how many teacher letters are required or recommended Think carefully about who you ask Etiquette is important! Have an in person conversation at least 3 weeks prior to the deadline, before officially requesting via Naviance

COUNSELOR S LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION Must indicate on transcript request form whether you need a counselor letter of recommendation You will be able to indicate which counselor writes your letter. Sent with the student s transcript, school profile, and secondary school report Must submit Insight Sheet with transcript request form Parent and Student Insight Sheets

DOMINION HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS

One form per college Be specific! PINK TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM Do not use abbreviations for the college name List the city/state in which the college is located List the specific deadline (asap is not an acceptable deadline, neither is leaving it blank) Student & parent must sign each request form Must be submitted at least 3 weeks before college admission deadline (beware of weekends and holidays).

ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT The school counseling office sends your official transcript to each college: At the time you submit the transcript request form Mid-year sent with 1 st semester grades (to all colleges no need to submit another transcript request) At the end of the year final transcript is sent to the college you plan to attend

MATCHING COMMON APPLICATION TO NAVIANCE

HOW TO REQUEST TEACHER LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION After your student has a face to face conversation with his or her teacher, student will request letter through Naviance

REQUESTING TEACHER LETTER OF RECOMMENDATIONS The Naviance team is hard at work upgrading the letters of recommendation experience for the next school year. The new experience will enable you to request recommendations for specific colleges and will also tell you the number of recommendations required by colleges you're applying to.

REQUESTING TEACHER LETTER OF RECOMMENDATIONS

REQUESTING TEACHER LETTER OF RECOMMENDATIONS Students will be able to indicate which colleges a teacher letter should be sent to.

CHECK STATUS OF APPLICATION MATERIAL

RESPONSIBILITIES Student s Responsibilities: Complete application on college website Sending Test Scores: SAT and/or ACT tests Submitting Supplemental Information to Colleges Requesting Letters of Recommendation & Transcripts School Counselor s Responsibilities: Transcript Secondary School Report Counselor Letter of Recommendation

SENIOR YEAR TIMELINE: WHAT TO EXPECT & WHEN

LATE SUMMER & EARLY FALL REGISTER FOR AND TAKE SAT/ACT CREATE ORGANIZED WAY TO TRACK DEADLINES AND PROGRESS WRITE ESSAYS FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION MAKE OFFICIAL REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FROM TEACHERS BEGIN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

FALL & WINTER REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE SCHOOL COUNSELING OFFICE SUBMIT COLLEGE APPLICATIONS COMPLETE FAFSA, OPENS ON OCTOBER 1 ST WWW.FAFSA.ED.GOV

WINTER & SPRING APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS ADMITTED STUDENT DAYS & CAMPUS VISITS REVIEW FINANCIAL AID PACKAGES MAKE YOUR DECISION! APRIL 1 ST COLLEGES WILL HAVE NOTIFIED REGULAR DECISION APPLICANTS MAY 1 ST STUDENTS MUST NOTIFY COLLEGE OF THEIR INTENT TO ENROLL

QUESTIONS???