Countdown to College - Part 1 October 23, 2018 Courtney Murphree - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Countdown to College - Part 1

October 23, 2018

Courtney Murphree & Christopher Wolff

PHS Counseling Team

A - Cam Nicole Jones Can - Fj Courtney Murphree Fl - Ht Willa Myers Hu - L Crystal Epps M - N Annette Moran O - Reo Kristin Cody Rep- St Christopher Wolff Su - Z Geri Kellogg College & Career Coordinator Kathy Noland

Naviance

http://succeed.naviance.com See detailed handout

What is Naviance?

• Naviance is an online college and

career planning tool.

• Students can view their GPA, take

interest inventories, and search and compare colleges.

• All RISD students have an account.

Counselors can reset student passwords.

• Parent accounts can be requested in

the College & Career Center.

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Stay on track - Stay competitive

High School Academics ○ View GPA in Naviance ○ Be sure to check grades in FOCUS ○ Communicate with teachers about test correction policies ○ Attend tutorials ○ Plan courses carefully

• Pre-Registration begins in February

Extra-Curricular Activities

• Stay involved and participate in extracurricular

activities

• Take on leadership roles when possible (great for resume)
• Participate in summer enrichment programs or

internships

• RISD Professional Internship Program (PIP):

○ Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation, Student Application, Interview with PIP Coordinator ○ Acceptance is determined by spring of junior year

Current GPA and Rank

Student’s class rank will not be calculated or reported except for the top 10%, which will be calculated at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. Class rank will not appear on any transcripts. Each student in the top 10% will receive a certificate showing the student’s position in relation to the total class size. Students will receive GPA at the conclusion

• f the 2018-2019 school year.

GPA is provided on a weighted 100 point scale. RISD does not provide a 4.0 GPA.

9

Earn College Credit

3 Ways to Earn College Credit in High School

• 1. Advanced Placement (AP)
• 2. Dual Credit (Richland)
• 3. Dual Enrollment-OnRamps (UT)

Included in weighted GPA calculation.

Advanced Placement (AP)

○ Students take college-level courses (AP) in high school and earn college credit based on AP exam score. ○ Open enrollment policy ○ Individual colleges and universities grant course credit and placement ○ Taught by high school teachers trained by College Board.

AP Exams May 6-17, 2019

10 Quality Points!

Dual Credit @ Richland College

• Students simultaneously earn high school and

college credit by completing the course through Richland College.

○ Dual Credit classes available online or on Richland’s campus.

• Prerequisite: Application & Texas Success

Initiative (TSI) or exemption score (SAT/ACT)

• Credit is awarded when a student passes a

course with a 70 or higher. C grades may not transfer to

4-year colleges.

5 Quality Points!

Dual Credit @ Richland College

○ RISD students attend classes at Richland during the high school day.

• Student must devote 3 PHS class periods in order to participate.

○ Taught by college instructors at Richland. ○ Credits accepted at most public colleges & universities in Texas. Check with individual

college/requirements of academic major. 5 Quality Points!

Dual Enrollment- UT OnRamps

• Dual enrollment program coordinated by the University of Texas at

Austin.

• Courses offered at Pearce.
• Provides the opportunity to earn college credit from UT at Austin

guaranteed to transfer to any public college/university in Texas. ○ Student may decline UT grade. ○ These courses do not guarantee automatic admission to UT.

• High School portion of the course taught by Pearce teachers trained

by UT OnRamps.

• College portion is taught by a UT faculty member.
• Check with individual college for academic requirements.

5 Quality Points!

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Begin the College Conversation…

Visit with your counselor or the College and Career Coordinator

Some College Choice Factors

○ Majors/Areas of Studies Faculty: % PhD’s vs % TA’s ○ Student/Teacher Ratio Special Study Options ○ Prestige Organizations/Activities ○ Retention and Graduation Rates Average Financial Aid ○ Size of School/Enrollment Campus Life ○ Housing Honors Programs ○ Family Tradition/Alumni Relation Facilities ○ Cost of Attendance Location/Climate ○ Basis for Candidate Selection Ethnic Representation ○ Student Body Demographics Green Ratings ○ Public/Private Affiliations

Where to begin?

○ College and Career Fair ○ College Visits (2 during 11th grade; 2 during 12th grade) ○ Books/Magazines ○ College websites ○ Naviance ○ College Reps ○ Alumni ○ Helpful websites (fastweb.com, collegeboard.org)

What Colleges Look For:

○ Rigor of coursework (#1) ○ GPA/Rank ○ SAT/ACT scores ○ Essays (originality, sincerity, voice) ○ Extracurricular activities/work experience ○ Community service ○ Positions of leadership ○ Letters of Recommendation ○ Interview or audition ○ Level of interest in attending their school

College Selectivity

Your academic credentials fall short of the school’s range for average freshmen. Your academic credentials fall within the range for average freshmen. Your academic credentials are above the school’s range for the average

• freshmen. You

can be happy here if it’s your

• nly option.

Look on college websites for specific admission requirements. Ex: Humanities vs. English 4, PreCalculus vs. Algebra 3 Reach Schools Mid-Range Schools Safety Schools

7

Take Practice Tests (PSAT/NMSQT/PreACT)

PSAT Scores

○ PSAT was given October 10th. ○ You can view scores online: https://studentscores.collegeboard.org/ home ○ Online score reports available early-mid

• December. Paper score reports will be

mailed home.

Practice Tests

Look for SAT/ACT prep materials and familiarize yourself with the exams before you take them. Free SAT prep and practice tests are available on the College Board website through Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.com). ACT website offers similar resources (www.act.org).

6

Register and take the SAT/ACT

Types of Tests

Students should consider taking: ○ SAT ○ ACT (Juniors will take the ACT in April at Pearce at no cost) ○ SAT Subject Tests - for colleges/programs that require them ○ AP Tests ○ TSI placement exam (given to all sophomores in April at no cost) Students on the free/reduced lunch program can qualify for a fee waiver for the SAT and/or ACT tests. For more details, contact the counselor of your student.

The SAT & The ACT

Differences between the SAT and the ACT:

○ SAT is an aptitude test - “reasoning/how you think” ○ ACT is an achievement test - “content/what you know” ○ ACT has a Science Reasoning Section. ○ SAT has two math sections, one of which does not allow the use of a calculator. ○ ACT has one math section with approved calculator. ○ ACT and SAT have an optional essay - register for it WITH the essay.

PHS School Code: 445839

Free practice tests are available on the ACT and College Board websites!

The SAT & The ACT

• Most colleges accept either SAT or ACT.
• When registering, take advantage of the opportunity to

send scores to up to four colleges (for free). If you wait until after

the test, you might have to pay extra.

• Colleges require that your test scores be sent from the

testing company, not from Pearce.

○ Some colleges now allow students to self-report test scores.

• If you want to play sports in college, test scores must be

sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Free practice tests are available on the ACT and College Board websites!

See handout for 2018-1019 SAT and ACT Test Dates.

Great Student but NOT a Great Test -Taker?

Consider institutions that do not require or deemphasize standardized test scores for admission purposes. Study shows test-optional policies increase diversity, preserves academic quality https://goo.gl/KxYsie More than 1,000 four-year colleges and universities do not use the SAT or ACT to admit substantial members of bachelor degree applicants. https://goo.gl/8AYSCs

5

Attend College/Career Fairs Reach out to college representatives

RISD and PHS College Fairs and Visits

RISD hosts an annual College Fair each fall. This year, over 150 universities, colleges, and technical schools attended. PHS will host a College Fair and Panel Discussion on April 4th, 6:30 pm-8:00 pm. Pearce has many colleges visit campus during Advisory and both lunches. Lists of upcoming visits are posted throughout the school, on Naviance, and in the PTA Newsletter.

4

Narrow Your List of Colleges

NAVIANCE HELPS YOU FIND YOUR BEST FIT: ○ MATCH WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU WITH THESE CRITERIA USING COLLEGE SuperMatch™ ○

○

○ Location Campus Setting Disability Services ○ Majors Public or Private Sports ○ My Test Scores Gender Mix Greek Life ○ Tuition and Fees Historically Black Religious Affiliation ○ Ethnicity Acceptance Rate Liberal-Conservative ○ School Type Graduation Rate LGBT-Friendly ○ School Size Organizations Great College Towns ○ On Campus Housing Special Services

Naviance

Keeping Track of it All...

The key is to stay organized! Create your own organization system to compare the features/pros/cons of each prospective college.

• Electronic Spreadsheet
• Paper Lists or Folder/Binder with Information
• Add schools to “Colleges I’m Thinking About” in Naviance
• Use the feature “Compare Pinned Schools” in the College SuperMatchTM

section in Naviance. Here’s an example….

Adding Colleges to Naviance

As they continue their college research and best-fits are determined, students can add colleges to their list in Naviance.

“Colleges I’m Thinking About”

College Selectivity

• Use the Scattergram graph feature in Naviance to

see where you are in relation to other students from Pearce who have applied to the same schools you intend to apply to.

• See if a school is a Safety, Mid-Range, or Reach

school for you.

• You can also see what you might be able to do to

improve your chances of admission!

SCATTERGRAMS

3

Visit Colleges

College Visitation Guidelines

○ Maximum of 4 college visit days - 2 Junior Year & 2 Senior Year ○ Approved college visitations taken during senior year will not be counted again senior final exam exemptions. To obtain approval for designated college visitations, a student must: 1. Submit a note from parent/guardian prior to planned college visit(s) 2. Upon return submit documentation of visit on college letterhead that includes student’s name and date of visit. Students who do not provide necessary documents will receive an unexcused absence. Students are responsible for making up missed school work.

Automatic Admission and Assured Admission

○ Students in the top 10% of their graduation class can be automatically admitted to Texas public colleges and universities - if they meet all application requirements and deadlines.

• UT Austin requires students to be in the top 6%.
• Texas A&M prefers students with PreCalculus

credit. ○ Assured admission - some schools post their assured admission requirements on their websites.

2

Begin Writing Your College Essays

Common App Essay Prompts 2018 - 2019 https://goo.gl/31mvng

• 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 obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you

faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

• 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the
• utcome?
• 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, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding
• f yourself or others.
• 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate

you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

• 7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different

prompt, or one of your own design.

Apply Texas Essay Prompts:

Summer 2018 - Spring 2020

Essay A: What was the environment in which you were raised? Describe your family, home, neighborhood, or community, and explain how it has shaped you as a person. Essay B: Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself. Essay C: You’ve got a ticket in your hand – Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

1

Complete your Junior Project & Update Your Resume

The Junior Project

○ Must be completed by May 24! ○ Three parts:

• Student Section
• Parent Section
• Resume (can be built in Naviance)

○ The project is required for any student who applies using Common App, Coalition App, or any school with an application that requires a school report or counselor evaluation.

• Also, some scholarships require counselor recommendation.

○ Can be found online on the Pearce Counseling website under the “Junior” tab or in Naviance.

Your thoughtful answers help counselors stay congruent with your personal narrative.

High School Resume

• Build your resume (see College Board handout)

○ Include extracurricular, jobs, volunteer work, honors/awards

• Update resume continuously
• Naviance provides a Resume Builder (About Me -> Resume)
• Easy to share with PHS staff via Naviance

Other Information

Service Learning Award

Award Criteria - to earn the Service Learning Award, student must complete a minimum of 60 volunteer service hours between June 1st prior to 9th grade and March 31st of their Senior year. 30 of the sixty volunteer service hours must be completed between June 1st and March 31st of their Senior year. Students may not count hours for activities for which they have received any monetary reimbursement for their services. To log hours, students will sign in to their Naviance Student account to access x2vol to securely and accurately track community service hours.

See handout for detailed instructions.

REMIND 101

Join the College & Career Center Remind

Text the message @cfgdbd to 81010

Receive information about college visits and events, plus reminders about the college/career tasks you must complete during your junior year.

Questions?

All handouts, including this presentation, will be available on the Pearce Counseling Website.