WELCOME TO JUNIOR COLLEGE PLANNING NIGHT! Wednesday April 3, 2019 Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us
Overview *Intros & Resource Overview 1. How to Package Yourself for Success ● Essays ● Résumé ● Testing ● Recommendation Letters 2. How to Choose the Right Colleges for You ● Affordability ● Academic Match ● Fit for Career Interests ● A Good Return on Investment 3. How & When to Apply to College ● CommonApp, Coalition Application & Individual College Applications ● Early Action/Early Decision vs. Regular Decision ● National Scholarships Q&A Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 2
The College & Career Center (CCC) College & Career Center Assistance Post-Secondary Planning College Applications College Planning Naviance Career Planning ACT/SAT Registration Gap Year FAFSA Military Scholarships Employment ASVAB Technical/Trade NCAA Eligibility Employment Opportunities Résumé College Essays Fee Waivers Internships Transcripts Ms. Stacy Morris, College & Career School Counselor Room A114 | stacy.morris@acps.k12.va.us |703.578.6250 Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 3
The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria (SFA) SFA supports TC students with: ● Scholarships for College ○ Gave out almost $1 million to TC grads in 2018 ○ 50% of applicants win a scholarship from SFA ● College, Career, & Financial Aid Advising ○ Assistance with choosing best fit colleges ○ Editing college essays and résumés ○ Applying for financial aid and scholarships, etc … Weekdays: 8am - 4:30pm School Year Weekdays: 9am - 3:30pm Summer Ms. Margaret Feldman | margaret.feldman@acps.k12.va.us | A-115 Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 4
How to Package Yourself for Success Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us
Essays ● Most applications require one or more personal essays ○ Share your background story, interests, & struggles ● Many 2019-20 essay prompts already available ● Free assistance with brainstorming & editing your essays from: ○ Scholarship Fund of Alexandria ○ College and Career Center ○ Your Counselor ○ Your English Teacher Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 6
Résumé ● A one-page summary of your academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, work experience, & skills ● What colleges & scholarships want to see on your résumé: ○ Consistent involvement in a few activities (sports, clubs, religious community) ○ Volunteer experience ○ Employment ○ Honors/Awards ○ Languages spoken, etc. ● Download a résumé template here Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 7
Testing ● SAT and ACT are two different college entrance exams ○ All colleges accept both – they don’t have a preference ○ So take both the SAT and ACT and then focus on preparing to retake whichever exam is a better fit for you ● SAT Subject Tests are one hour tests on specific subjects (e.g. US History, Biology, Spanish, etc.) ○ Offered on the same Saturdays as the traditional SAT ○ Students may take up to 3 subject tests in one day, but may not take subject tests on the same Saturday as traditional SAT ○ Recommended for students applying to highly selective colleges Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 8
Testing ACT Test Dates 2018-19 ACT Registration Deadlines Saturday, June 8 May 3 Saturday, July 13 June 14 Saturday, September 14 August 16 ACT also offered Oct & Dec of senior year SAT Test Dates 2018-19 SAT Registration Deadlines Saturday, May 4 April 5 Saturday, June 1 May 3 Saturday, August 24 July 24 SAT also offered Oct, Nov, & Dec of senior year Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 9
Testing ● Qualify for free/reduced priced lunch? ○ You can take both the SAT and ACT for free 2 times ○ Waivers available from Mrs. Hawn in Transcript Office (A-119) ● Borrow SAT/ACT practice books at College & Career Center (A-114) ● Link your SAT (or PSAT) scores with the Khan Academy, a free, online SAT prep tool with personalized practice questions & video tutorials ● Check out ACT Academy for free, online ACT prep Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 10
Recommendation Letters ● Most colleges will ask for: ○ 1 recommendation letter from school counselor ○ 1 recommendation letter from core subject teacher (English, math, science, foreign language, or history) ○ 1 recommendation letter from either core subject, elective teacher, coach, employer, etc. (just not a family member) ● Your recommenders should be able to speak to your work ethic, academic achievement, & responsibilities outside of school ● Ask 2 teachers for recommendations before summer break & give them your résumé Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 11
Recap ● How to Package Yourself for Success ○ Essays ○ Résumé ○ Testing ○ Recommendation Letters Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 12
How to Choose the Right Colleges for You Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us
Affordability: Where to start ● Have an open and honest conversation NOW about what your family can afford to pay for college ● Estimate your college costs NOW using the Net Price Calculator and choose accordingly ○ Don’t rule out NOVA ● Stay in the loop about upcoming scholarships. Sign up for Ms. Feldman’s monthly scholarship email NOW: http://bit.ly/SFAemail Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 14
Affordability: How much does college cost? ● Before financial aid, the ANNUAL costs of college range from: ○ $6,000 at NOVA ○ $30,000 at in-state public colleges ○ $50,000 at out-of-state public colleges ○ $80,000 at some private colleges ● However, what’s important is not the starting price, but the “net price” -- or the price after financial aid... Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 15
Affordability: What is financial aid? ● Financial resources intended to help pay for college expenses ● = Free Money SCHOLARSHIPS/GRANTS = Work to earn funds WORK-STUDY = Must pay back LOANS ● Where can you get financial aid? ○ Federal/State Government ○ Your College (Institutional Aid) ○ Private Scholarships Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 16
Affordability: How to estimate your college costs The Net Price Calculator Estimates: 1. How much financial aid you’ll receive, and 2. How much will be left for you to pay. Go to collegecost.ed.gov/netpricecenter.aspx to get started! Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 17
Affordability: Choose colleges accordingly Net price for a family of three making $30,000/year: College Annual Sticker Price Annual Net Price University of Richmond $64,890 $2,170 University of Virginia $30,496 $4,000 George Mason University $27,970 $18,255 University of Maryland $46,633 $36,558 The more competitive a college is (or the higher your grades must be in order to get accepted) the more financial aid is available. Great grades = money! Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 18
Affordability: Steps for next year ● Complete FAFSA in OCTOBER 2019 ○ Attend one of SFA’s FAFSA Completion Workshops ● Wed, Oct 2 from 4-7:30pm ● Thurs, Nov 7 from 4-7:30pm ● Complete CSS Profile in OCTOBER 2019 (if required) ○ See SFA for a one-on-one appointment ● Apply for SFA Scholarships Nov 1 - Feb 3rd (just for TC seniors) ○ Keep working on scholarship applications throughout the year Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 19
Affordability: FAFSA eligibility Do qualify for FAFSA Do NOT qualify for FAFSA ● ● U.S. Citizens Undocumented (or Dreamer/DACA) ● ● Permanent Residents (Green Card) Student Visa ● ● Refugees Diplomat Visa ● ● Asylees Exchange Visitor Visa What if I don’t qualify to complete the FAFSA? ● Regardless of citizenship status, it is safe to apply to 100% of colleges ● The challenge is getting the funding you need, ○ Focus on institutional aid and private scholarships ○ See Ms. Feldman in A-115 for a confidential conversation & this list of colleges & scholarships that provide funding to non-FAFSA eligible students Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 20
Academic Match Resources ● Select a mix of safety, match, and reach colleges ○ Make a free account for Princeton Review’s College Search ○ GPA chart for VA colleges on p. 7 in tonight’s handout ○ TC data in Naviance scattergrams (not comprehensive) Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 21
Fit for Career Interests ● BLS Occupational Outlook (www.bls.gov/ooh/) ○ Shows education/training needed for the career of your choice; this will help you determine a college major ○ Also shows average salary, day-to-day responsibilities, and employment outlook ● Don’t know what career you want? ○ Take Naviance career and personality assessments Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 22
Fit for Career Interests Every Student Succeeds www.acps.k12.va.us www.acps.k12.va.us 23
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