THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS _______________________ Senior - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS _______________________ Senior Year Presented by the Aragon’s Senior Team

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OUR COUNSELING TEAM 12th Grade Counselor: Josephine Ho 12th Grade Advisor: Rachel Leota College & Career Advisor: Laurie Tezak Financial Aid & Scholarship Advisor: Caroline Moala CTE & Career Coordinator: Helen O’Brien ELD Specialist: Edwin Martinez Student Data Analyst: Thalia Luna Assistant Principal: Ron Berggren Wellness Counselors: Jill Ma, Staysha Veal, Max Bernstein, Joanne Michels

Today’s Agenda ➢ Comparison of College Application Requirements ➢ ACT & SAT ➢ Additional Requirements for Private Colleges ➢ Community Colleges ➢ Financial Aid & Fee Waivers ➢ Upcoming Events ➢ Transcript Distribution ➢ Naviance Activity: Senior Surveys & more...

College Application Requirements

Comparison of College Application Requirements* Online ACT or SAT Personal Letters of Official Application scores Statements Rec Transcript Community X Colleges X X CSU’s X X X UC’s Private X X X X X Colleges * See Comparison of College Requirements handout for more details. ** Requirements vary for out-of-state public colleges.

College Application Deadlines ➢ CSU & UC Application Deadline: November 30 th ➢ Private College Deadlines: ○ Early Application varies (Oct. to Nov.) ○ Regular Application varies (Dec. to Jan.) ➢ Community Colleges: Priority Enrollment begins February 2019

The DUE date is not the DO date!

Recommended College Application Timeline SEPTEMBER ❏ Finalize college list Work on college application essays ❏ Complete letter of recommendation survey* ❏ OCTOBER Request letters of recommendation* ❏ Submit FAFSA financial aid application ❏ NOVEMBER Submit UC/CSU college applications ❏ DECEMBER Last chance to take the ACT/SAT ❏ Submit CSS Profile financial aid application* ❏ * Private colleges only. Deadlines for early applications may be sooner.

California State Universities (CSU’s) ➢ Minimum 2.0 GPA to apply ➢ SAT or ACT scores required ➢ Application window: October 1 st to November 30 th ➢ Apply online: Cal State Apply

University of California (UC’s) ➢ Minimum 3.0 GPA to apply ➢ SAT or ACT scores required ➢ Four Personal Insight Questions ○ Answer four of eight questions that tell your story in 350 words or less ○ Check out the writing Guide for Freshman Applicants on the UC Office of Admissions website ➢ Application available now - Submit between November 1 st to 30 th ➢ Apply Online:University of California Admissions

Private Colleges ➢ Each college sets their own application requirements and Due Dates ○ ACT/SAT scores ○ Personal Statement & supplemental essays CA Essay Tips ○ Letters of Recommendation (1 counselor, 2 teachers) ○ Official Transcript, Mid-year transcript, Final transcript ➢ Only apply to colleges you would seriously consider attending if accepted ➢ Apply online: Common Application, or check college website

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) ➢ California students can attend public colleges in other western states at a reduced tuition level ➢ Scholarship application sometimes required University of University of University of Nevada, California (UC) Colorado, Denver Reno Tuition Tuition Tuition Without With WUE Without With WUE WUE WUE $11,220 $29,040 $17,505 $20,128 $9,327 ➢ For more info: www.wiche.edu/WUE

ACT & SAT ACT/SAT Concordance Table

ACT & SAT If you’re applying to a 4-year college & haven’t taken the ACT or SAT, SIGN UP NOW!! ➢ Upcoming ACT Dates ACT ○ Oct. 27th – Register by Sept. 28th ○ Dec. 8th – Register by Nov. 2nd ➢ Upcoming SAT Dates SAT collegeboard ○ Nov. 3rd – Register by Oct. 5th ○ Dec. 1st - Register by Nov. 2nd ARAGON HIGH SCHOOL CEEB CODE FOR SAT/ACT: 053163

Sending ACT/SAT Scores ** Students must send ACT/SAT score reports to colleges themselves! ** ○ CSU’s : Send SAT/ACT scores to any one CSU campus, and it will be shared with the rest ○ UC’s: Send SAT/ACT scores to any one UC campus, and it will be shared with the rest ○ Private Colleges: Send ACT/SAT scores individually to each school ● Some colleges ask to send scores only AFTER you receive admission and accept! Save $ and double check!

ACT & SAT – Sending Scores Money-saving tip: You can send scores to up to 4 colleges for free if you request them BEFORE taking the ACT/SAT!

SAT Subject Tests ➢ SAT Subject Tests ○ Optional for most colleges ○ Some colleges and/or majors may require subject test scores -- Check individual colleges ○ Students applying to STEM majors at UC’s are strongly encouraged to take subject tests

Free SAT Test Prep Need help prepping for the SAT? Check out Khan Academy’s FREE online test prep... www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat www.satpractice.org Studying for the SAT for 20 hours on Khan Academy’s free Official SAT Practice is associated with an average score gain of 115 points. That’s nearly double the average score gain compared to students who don’t use our free test prep.

Online ACT Test Prep Interested in preparing for the ACT? Check out the new OFFICIAL FREE ACT online test prep: https://academy.act.org

Private College Applications

Private College Application Process Private colleges require: ◻ Common App online application ◻ ACT/SAT score reports ◻ Personal statement ◻ Supplemental essays ◻ Letter(s) of Recommendation ◻ Official transcripts sent from school (both initial and mid-year)

Private Colleges ➢ Early Action = Non-Binding ➢ Early Decision = Binding

The Common Application Over 700 private colleges, one application. 1) Register at www.commonapp.org 2) Add at least one college 3) Submit the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) waiver 4) It is recommended for students to waive their right to view letters of recommendation 5) Sync Naviance account to Common App -- REQUIRED for colleges to receive necessary documents from Aragon - How-To Video

Alternative Applications from Private Schools ➢ Please use the Common Application , even if you are offered a free alternative from a private school. (For example, University of the Pacific). ➢ You can still apply for free through Common App but we are better able to process your paperwork through Naviance ➢ If you apply directly through a college’s website, they might not get all your documents (out of state public schools, Georgetown are exceptions)

The Coalition Application ➢ Some private colleges are offering the “Coalition Application” as an alternative to the Common App ➢ Aragon does NOT recommend using the Coalition Application. Please use Common App, if option is available ➢ Students who wish to use the Coalition App must talk to their counselor first!!

Personal Statement ● Your ‘interview’ ● Explain what you were given, and how did you work with it? ■ Not necessarily a sob story ● Talk more deeply about an activity and what you got out of it ● Hear your voice, not a thesaurus’ voice ● Should resemble a conversation ● Common mistakes: ■ Talking about others ■ Not going in depth ■ Using a thesaurus too much ■ Sob Story

Demonstrated Interest Some private colleges track “demonstrated interest,” or how ➢ much interest a student shows in the college prior to applying Students should make multiple contacts with colleges they ➢ will apply to: ○ Email or call Admissions Office with questions ○ Request an interview if offered ○ Join their Twitter/Facebook/Instagram page (please “clean up” your own account first!) ○ Visit the campuses (if possible) ○ If the admissions rep visits Aragon, be sure to attend! They may be the person who reads applications for our area.

Demonstrated Interest After adding colleges in Naviance, it may ask if you’d like colleges to communicate with you. Select “yes!”

Letters of Recommendation How many rec letters do students need? Most private colleges require 1 to 2 teacher letters of ○ recommendation Students may request letters from a MAXIMUM of 2 ○ teachers Some colleges also require a counselor rec letter - Check ○ each college’s admissions website The UC’s & CSU’s do not accept letters of rec! ○ Exception: Some applicants to UC Berkeley & UC Davis will be invited to submit 2 optional letters of recommendation. After applying, students should check their emails regularly to see if the college is requesting letters.

Letters of Recommendation How should students request letters? Teacher rec letters: ➢ Ask teacher in person 1) Use Naviance to submit requests to each teacher 2) Counselor rec letters: ➢ Check in with Mrs. Tezak 1) Ask counselor or assistant principal in person 2) Complete the Letter of Rec Student Questionnaire on AHS 3) website (REQUIRED!) Email the counselor or assistant principal to schedule an 4) appointment

Letters of Recommendation When should students request letters? Counselors and teachers need 6 weeks to write a letter of ➢ recommendation. Ask early!! ☺ ○ Come in NOW: Deadline to request letters for Early applications ○ November 1st: Deadline for Regular decision applications How to Get a Great Letter of Recommendation Article ➢