College Planning Workshop Portage Central High School
Agenda O Know who you are. O Know which college is right for you. O Gather your academic information. O Make a plan to apply to college. O Make a plan to pay for college. O Hear what current PCHS seniors have done.
Handouts O College Planning Workshop O Class of 2018 College Planning Talking Points O Consider O College Comparison Worksheet O Definitions of Admissions Options O PCHS Class Profile Entering Freshmen O Procedures for College Applications Class of 2016 O Parchment O NACAC s Top Ten Tips for Writing a College Essay O Paying for College is a Family Affair O Financial Aid and Scholarship Information O Class of 2016 Senior Plans O PCHS Senior Timeline Checklist and more.
Get Set For College
Step One: Know Yourself What do you have and need for college? O Personal goals O Reasons for attending college O Certificate O Degree O Interests and activities for college
O O O Check your academic preparation. Transcript: Grades and coursework O Your transcript for freshman through junior year will be mailed home over the summer. Check for accuracy. ACT: Standardized test score O Take the ACT more than once. O Send your scores where you plan to go*. O Pay attention to ACT registration deadlines! SAT: Check the college admissions page to see if the SAT II subject tests are required. (Usually out of state highly selective colleges.)
Step Two: Consider College Characteristics O Types of schools O (Public vs. Private) O Size of schools O (Large vs. Small) O Cost O Keep your options open O Check admission standards O Plan visits and tours*
Sources of Information O Internet college home pages O College Board s student web site www.collegeboard.org O College representatives O Parents, students, and alumni O School counselors and teachers O Other professionals in the field
Step Three: List, Compare and Visit Colleges O Attend a college fair O Meet with the college rep at PCHS in the fall O Plan your visit to the campus O Checklist for campus visit, see handouts. O Narrow your choices
Open Admissions Fill out the application completely and you are in! Applications are accepted all year. ACT results used for course placement not for admission.
Liberal Admissions O Some college freshmen who rank in the lower half of their senior high school class are accepted. O Applications are accepted all year. O Transcript, GPA and ACT are used for admission.
Traditional Admissions O Majority of college freshmen rank in the top 50% of their senior class. O Transcript, GPA and test scores are used for admission. O ACT range: 20-25
Selective Admissions O Essay questions are utilized in addition to GPA, ACT scores, and transcripts. O Watch deadlines!
Highly Selective The majority of freshmen accepted rank in the top 10% of their high school senior class. Transcripts and SAT scores are used for admission. Essay is required. Letter of recommendation is required. Watch deadlines! Common Application is used.
Application for Colleges Western Michigan University (Paper, on-line, in person) http://www.wmich.edu Michigan State University (On-line) http://www.msu.edu
Applications for Colleges O The University of Michigan (2 on-line forms) www.umich.edu O The Common Application www.commonapp.org O Check the list of schools that use the Common Application. You may find more schools!
N u m b e r o f S t u d e n t s 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 U of M GPA Acceptances for PCHS April 2016 4.43-4.49 4.51-4.58 4.60-4.66 4.70-4.78 4.81-4.89 GPA Range
U of M ACT Scores Acceptances for PCHS April 2016 N u m b e r o f S t u d e n t s 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 ACT Composite Scores
U of M Unweighted GPA Acceptances April 2016 N u m b e r of S t u d e n t s 4 3 2 1 3.93 3.94 3.95 3.96 3.97 3.98 3.99 4.00 Unweighted GPA Range Five students were accepted with a unweighted GPA below 3.93, with the lowest accepted at a 3.80
Check your transcript and SAT/ACT score for admission requirements. O Safety School. O Where you meet or exceed the requirements on the college website. O Target School? O Where you are in the average range of the requirements on the college website. O Reach School! O Where you knowingly fall short on some requirements, but it is still worth it to apply.
The New SAT O The test you took on April 12, is the new SAT. O Soon, you will get information about how to send your test scores. O Some, but not all, colleges have the minimum scores for SAT available on their websites. O Check the college admissions websites for the most up to date information.
SAT minimum scores 4/27/16 O MSU 1040-1210 O WMU and CMU 1070 O Calvin 940 SAT range 400-1600 O Kalamazoo College scores optional O GVSU will use standardized scores, but there is no cut off at the time of this presentation.
Our Guarantee All students who do not apply to college, do not get in to college. That is a 100% guarantee. Just apply!
Step Four: Apply for Admissions O Know the process O Plan and complete the required process O Application! O Essay? O Letters of Recommendation? O Meet the application deadlines KVCC Admission at www.kvcc.edu WMU Admission at www.wmich.edu
PCHS Procedures for College Applications O Many schools use The Common Application www.commonapp.org O You must submit your transcript online. O Soon, you will get an email through your portageps.org account. Parchment www.parchment.com
Step Five: Paying For College O FAFSA www.fafsa.ed.gov O Scholarships O Local: www.portageps.org PCHS Counseling tab O Regional: www.kalfound.com O National: www.fastweb.com Watch the deadlines for the FAFSA and for scholarships!
Step Six: Review and Finalize Plans Checklist For College Planning
Follow-Up With Your Counselor O Mr. Tarnutzer A, B, F, M & N O Mrs. Scott G-L O Mrs. Jepson C-E, O-R O Ms. Kelly S-Z
Where Those Before You Have Gone
Senior Panel