Junior Parent

College Night

November 16, 2011

Presented by the

Wheaton Warrenville South

Counseling Department

What we tell the Juniors

Planning for the rest of junior year

Planning for senior year

Career and future options

College planning, including campus visits

Testing

What students will receive week of January 23

Copy of slides

Unofficial transcript

Graduation requirement notes

What happened with last

year’s seniors (2011)

71% to a four year college

23% to a two year college

4.8% working full time

Less than 1% in the military

Top five four-year colleges by number attending

University of Illinois, University of Iowa, Illinois State, DePaul, Northern Illinois, UW-Madison

Some College Trends

(according to US News and World Report)

More emphasis on tougher high school courses

More attention on the applicant's senior year coursework

More emphasis on application essays

Some schools are ‘test optional’

Less reliance on recommendations

Less emphasis on high school class rank

Criteria for

Selecting a College

University of Missouri Columbia, MO

Factors to Consider

Majors

Enrollment Size

Admission Standards

Location

Community

Cost

Student Population

Campus Life

Activities

Athletics

Special Services and

Programs

Admission Criteria

Non Academic Essays/Personal Statements

Extracurricular Activities (Resume)

Letters of Recommendation

Interviews

Community Service

Academics GPA

Class Rank/High School Percentage Rank

Test Scores

High School Courses/Rigor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

College Entrance Tests

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

ACT and SAT

Students must take at least one of the two tests

All Juniors will take ACT as part of the Prairie State Exam (April 24 & 25)

Writing portion will NOT be included in PSAE this year

Consider taking tests more than once

More testing info. . .

A perfect ACT score is 36

(South average is 24.1)

A perfect SAT score is 2400

(South average is 1921)

Colleges usually list the scores of the

middle 50% of students enrolled

. . .more testing. . .

Many schools require that students take the Writing portion of ACT or SAT Tests

Look up individual college requirements to find out if SAT Subject tests must be completed

Schools may use SAT Subject scores for placement or admission

Most students who need to take SAT Subject tests complete in the fall of senior year (Oct, Nov, Dec)

. . .more testing.

Preparation courses can help

ExcelEdge and Kaplan courses offered at South

C.O.D. offers prep courses

Other options available; ask your counselor for

assistance

AP Exams

Students who are enrolled in AP courses are

encouraged to take the AP Exams. High

scores may earn college credit (determined

by college). The highest score is a 5.

Narrowing

Your

Choices

Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Counseling Center

Many resources are available in our area

Computers to link to websites

Career and College Resource books

College files

Students are welcome before and after

school, at lunch, during a study hall with

a pass, or at another arranged time

Parents too!

The College Visit

College Representatives

Reps come to South to meet with students during the school day, generally in the Fall and Spring

List posted by Counseling Center & on website

Passes/sign-up in C.C.

Students should be prepared

to ask questions

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

College Fairs

Determine MUST see list

before attending

Pick up relevant

materials

Note the name of the

college representative

you spoke to

Ask questions ICE @ North Central College

Monday, March 19, 2012

College Applications

Target 3 to 6 schools

to apply to (safety,

reasonable, dream)

STUDENT should

apply Early in Fall of

Senior Year

Process reviewed via

counselor small group

meetings during

English classes

Essays, Personal

Statements,

Recommendations,

Interviews

Application

availability:

On-line Contact college

Counseling Center

Terms to Know

Rolling Admission— Applications accepted throughout the year as long as there is space; important to apply early

Priority Deadline— Students who have application in by this date will receive full consideration; after this deadline criteria for acceptance may be higher (e.g., U of I has a November 1 priority date)

Terms to Know

Early Action— Early application guarantees

an early answer

Early Decision— MUST enroll if accepted

and withdraw all other applications; it’s a

binding decision; student may apply to other

schools but only ONE may be Early Decision

Getting the Transcript

Fill out the form for transcript requests ($5 fee—forms are in Counseling Center or online)

Transcripts include:

Identifying information

All classes and grades

Rank

Grade point average

Student must request test scores from ACT/SAT to be sent to college—not included on transcript

Deadlines

Requests for transcripts and counselor forms must

be turned in at least 10 school days before

deadline date

November 1 deadline = October 18

November 15 deadline = November 1

January deadlines = December 6

(Remember, the office staff has a winter break too )

May 1 is the date students must notify schools

of their decision to attend or not

WARNING: Beware of

SENIORITIS

Senior grades count

Senior course selection is important

Students should be taking at least 4 core academic classes

Students who want to drop a senior academic course need to contact college

Thank You!

Please contact your student’s counselor if you have additional questions.

Presentations available on-line at wwshs.org, click Student Services, Counseling Center, then Junior Parent College Night

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