Getting into the College Of Your Choice Presented by Shakopee - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Getting into the College Of Your Choice

Presented by Shakopee HIgh Potential & Innovative Programs And Shakopee HIgh School Counseling Department

An Overview of the Evening

Introductions: Erin Heilman, High Potential & Innovative Programs Coordinator Sean Hildebrandt, Secondary High Potential Specialist Chris Oxtra, AVID Program Coordinator Erica Lang, Last Names: A-D Mike Jensen, E-Ji Beth Cordes, Jj-Mi & AVID 10 Nicole Drangstveit, Mj-Sc & AVID 11 Jenny Severson, Sd-Z We will end with break-out question/answer sessions targeted towards the college of your choice

Important notes…

Our priority in the counseling program at Shakopee High School – helping the student to find the right fit! FIND-YOUR-FIT Our hope – to focus on going to a college that is a good match, not to focus on getting in. Every student is encouraged to follow this admission “mantra” -- “You apply for admission to a college because you would like to go there!”

10 Tips for College Admission:

• 1. Students/parents need to be on “the same page” for college cost,

affordability, and financial plans

• 2. Take an appropriately challenging course of study, with as much

rigor as possible

• 3. Visit the campus – a great measure of demonstrated interest
• 4. Connect with an Admissions Rep/Counselor
• 5. Take special care with any admissions essay

• 6. Beat the application deadline-- if it’s due on January 1, send in your

application by Dec. 1

• 7. Pick teachers who know you well for your letters of recommendation – and

talk to them! In most cases the college wants an academic recommendation, not a character rec.

• 8. Expand your college list to include ‘reach’, ‘target’ & ‘safety’ schools.
• 9. Examine closely the early decision/early action options
• 10. Spend as much time thinking about “going” to a college as you spend

thinking about “getting in” to a college.

The College Selection Process

• Finding the right college “match”

○ Public vs. Private ○ In state vs. Out of state ○ Large vs. Small ○ Costs ○ Program quality

• Know your application type and the deadlines
• Early Action/Early Decision vs. Regular Decision
• Common Application, Coalition Application or Institutional
• Scholarship Deadlines
• Financial Aid Application - Start October 1st of Senior year

BREAK OUT Sessions

Admission to Highly Selective

Colleges: A Targeted Approach Academic Vitality College Entrance Exams Your “Exceptional Tilt” The College Application Demonstrated Interest & Big Data

• Develop your 4-year course plan - Use Naviance’s Family Connection
• Enroll & excel in Honors, Accelerated & Concurrent Enrollment courses

whenever appropriate - Maximizing your GPA & Class Rank

• Rigorous courses are "valued" more by admissions counselors: be aware
• f weighted courses
• SHS has more Advanced Placement (AP), College in the Schools (CIS),

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) & Post Secondary Education Opportunities (PSEO) options than many districts around us!

• Develop your writing skills through coursework and experience!

“Academic Vitality” & the High School Transcript

• There are over 800 “Test Optional” Universities and Colleges
• Tests provide colleges with a national measure using “norms”.
• Know if your prospective college uses “Best Composite” or the

“Superscore”

• Know the important tests and which ones prospective colleges require:

○ PSAT - Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test ○ SAT - Scholastic Aptitude Test ○ SAT Subject Tests (can take up to three in a sitting) ○ ACT - American College Test

• NUMATS - Take tests earlier through Northwestern University’s Midwest

Academic Talent Search (NUMATS)

The World of College Entrance Exams

School Provided:

• All sophomores & juniors take a practice ACT on October 11
• Princeton Review will run score interpretation sessions for juniors
• All juniors take a real ACT in the spring (April).

Free Test Prep:

• ACT prep - Naviance/Family Connection test prep
• Khan Academy - free test prep

Additional Paid Resources:

• Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc. - Online tutoring or courses ($400-$3000)
• Community Education workshops (ZAPS) - October 3rd & 4th, $89
• Test prep books - practice tests $15-20

College Entrance Exam Test Prep

• Continued participation in a few extra activities demonstrates a passion

and commitment. Work towards leadership positions.

• Leadership outside of school is just as valuable - Community service,

Volunteerism and Outreach is the best.

• Talent Development (band, choir, or drama for example)
• Find Internships, Summer Camps and other Enrichment Opportunities
• Tools used express your “Exceptional Tilt”

○ Letters of Recommendation ○ Personal Statement/Essay on applications ○ Admissions Interview

Develop your "Exceptional Tilt"

• Read Sample College Application Essays
• Know the Common Application and look at

choices for personal statements

• Begin rough drafts of personal statements &

essays.

• Ask (beg?) an English teacher or advisor to

proof or critique your drafts.

• Identify teachers/coaches that know you

best and will write good letters of recommendation (2-3).

Prepare a “Rock Star” College Application

Sample Prompt: 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?

• Begin taking virtual tours at colleges that interest you
• Meet college representatives when they visit the career

center

• Make actual college visits - schedule official campus

tours and informational sessions

• Make "Big Data" work to your advantage:

○ Send email Thank You’s to the tour guides, etc. ○ Visit college blogs and post intelligent questions ○ Shut down immature and personal social media platforms

Create a history of "Demonstrated Interest"

Okay, Breath!

Make a plan to focus on a few key areas each year & it’s never too late to start. This journey is just as much about finding yourself as it is about finding a college.

The Ninth Grade Year:

Everything counts now!

The Tenth Grade Year:

The year to get ahead (or fall behind)

The Eleventh Grade Year:

When things get really serious!

The Twelfth Grade Year:

Applications, Financial Aid, & College Selection

Other Resources:

"Family Connection" List of Test Optional Schools: http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional/state Shakopee High School Counseling Department

• Mr. Hildebrandt

www.connection.naviance.com/shakopeehs Fiske Guide to Colleges Princeton Review: The Best 379 Colleges Barron’s Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator

Thank you for coming! Please feel free to reach out to your student’s counselor or Mr. Hildebrandt for help any time!