Medford High School

Guidance Department

This is the first year the Medford High Guidance Department is giving a presentation of this kind

Our goal today is to make the stressful college search & application process easier by highlighting many of the key elements student & parents will need to know

We understand that every student’s needs are different, and as a department we feel it is our job to help ALL STUDENTS develop a plan for life after high school

Counselor’s Responsibilities

What to expect from your counselor: An individual meeting with or without parents present Interest, support and encouragement Suggestions for schools to look at (assistance fine-tuning your “list”) Ongoing Feedback Guidance through the college application process Sharing of knowledge and resources with you Suggestions for further independent college exploration

What not to expect from your counselor: Ability to read your mind/Know your thoughts Keep track of deadlines and appointments for you Apply to schools or scholarships for you Write recommendations without notice or your completed Senior Brag Sheet

Student’s Responsibilities Involve parents in the conversation about post high school/ college/career

plans

Make an appointment to speak with counselor about post high school plans

Research colleges using Collegeboard, Naviance, or any of the other web or printed resources available

Register and take (or retake) any standardized tests required for admission

Visit potential schools of interest to see if they might be a good fit

Know each school’s deadline and turn in all transcript request at least 2 weeks prior! (Brag sheets need to be submitted at least 1 month prior)

Maintain a rigorous senior year schedule & put forth your best academic effort (all year long)

Parent’s Responsibilities What parents can do to help: Foster an open and ongoing dialog with your child about what they

envision for their future Be honest and realistic with your child about any financial concerns that

may affect their college search or application process As much as possible, try to let your child take the lead Pick a time and place to bring up the “college” topic, (maybe once per week

over coffee @ Starbucks, or at Sunday dinner, etc…) Realize that for many teens, every day may feel too often to be talking

about college or their “future” What parents should not be doing: Applying to colleges ON BEHALF of your son or daughter Writing application essays FOR your child Visiting potential colleges solo, without your child present Calling up admission offices to “explain” away a poor grade your child

recently received

Class of 2013

Graduation Requirements

112 credits minimum

Required courses: 4 English, 3 Math,

3 Social Studies, 3 Science, 4 Wellness, 1 Fine Art

MCAS (English, Math, and Science)

60 Hours of Community Service (or 15 hours for each year enrolled at MHS)

4 Year College Requirements 4 years of English

3-4 years of Math (through at least Algebra II)

3-4 years of Social Studies

3-4 years of Science (2 years of lab sciences)

2-4 years of the same foreign language

As you can see the MHS graduation requirements are closely aligned with most 4 year college requirements.

Post High School Options

4 year colleges or universities

2 year colleges

2 + 2 colleges

Technical colleges

Military Academy

Military Service (www.military.com)

Post Grad Year

Gap or Service Year

Employment

Community College The price is right

Students often take the same courses as they would at a 4 year college

Do not require SAT/ACT

Do not usually require letters of recommendation

Students are able to transfer to 4 year colleges after 1 or 2 years

Some community colleges have agreements with the state colleges (MassTransfer Program)

No housing on campus

Mass Transfer Program MassTransfer has two main purposes:

Provide community college students who complete associate degrees (consisting of at least 60 college-level credits) and enroll in linked MassTransfer programs with the full transfer of credit, guaranteed admission, and a tuition discount (each based on final GPA)

Provide any student in the Massachusetts public higher education system who completes the MassTransfer Block (consisting of 34 college-level credits) with the benefit of satisfying the general education/distribution/core requirements at any other public higher education institution (with the receiving institution able to add no more than six additional credits or two courses).

For more information please visit: http://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/

UMass System & MA State Colleges UMass Amherst

UMass Boston

UMass Dartmouth

Umass Lowell

Bridgewater State

Fitchburg State

Framingham State

Salem State

Westfield State

Worcester State

Mass Art

Mass College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Mass Maritime Academy

Massachusetts State Schools Minimum Admission Standards/ Sliding Scale

UMass System State Colleges

GPA SAT / ACT

2.51-2.99 950/ 20

2.41-2.50 990/ 21

2.31-2.40 1030/22

2.21-2.30 1070/23

2.11-2.20 1110/24

2.00-2.10 1150/25

GPA SAT / ACT

2.51-2.99 920 / 19

2.41-2.50 960 / 20

2.31-2.40 1000 / 21

2.21-2.30 1040 / 22

2.11-2.20 1080 / 23

2.00-2.10 1120 / 24

This is simply the sliding scale. However, with college admissions getting more competitive every year, most of public 4 year school in the Massachusetts system are looking for around a 3.0 GPA and around a 1000-1100 combined SAT (math & verbal). Umass Amherst rarely takes a student with a GPA below a 3.5 (regardless of SAT scores).

College Admissions Exams SAT: @ collegeboard.com Duration: 3 hrs. 35 mins. Cost: $50.00 Three sections: Critical Reading, Math and Writing (total possible score-2400) Loose ¼ of a point for any incorrect answers (random guessing will likely lower your score!) SAT Subject Area Tests: @ collegeboard.com Duration: 1 hr. Cost: $20.00 (basic registration fee), $9.00 (per test fee), $20.00 (per language test w/ listening) Subjects include: English Lit., Bio., Chem., Math, History, Foreign Langs. (full list on website) ACT: @ actstudent.org Duration: 3 hrs. 30 mins. Cost: $35.00 or $50.50 with writing Four sections: English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning (total possible score-36) No points deducted for incorrect answers (So go ahead and answer ALL questions!)

TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language): @ ets.org/toefl Scores MUST be sent to colleges directly from testing agency (www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org)

Some schools no longer require admissions tests, see list @ www.fairtest.org

Admission Factors Colleges Consider GPA and Class Rank

SAT/ACT scores

Rigor of secondary school record (transcript)

Senior year academic performance

Extracurricular activities/ Community Service

College essay

Recommendations

Interview (if applicable)

“Demonstrated Interest”

Admission Categories

REACH – The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT scores fall below the historical averages for the college and / or past MHS students

MATCH– The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT scores fall within the historical averages for the college and / or past MHS students

HIGHLY LIKELY – The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT scores fall above the historical averages for the college and / or past MHS students

Everyone’s Reach Almost Everyone’s Reach

The 8 IVY League schools: Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell,

+ MIT, Stanford, John Hopkins, Georgetown, Swarthmore, Duke, UC Berkeley, Olin, Amherst

(not a complete list)

Boston College, Williams, Middlebury,

Brandeis, Colby, Hamilton, Tufts, Vassar,

Connecticut College, Wesleyan, NYU, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt, Colgate

(not a complete list)

Reach Schools

There are many more qualified applicants than there are spaces. Being an average to above-average candidate is no guarantee!

Admissions officers look for students who… Think globally, and act locally

Challenged themselves academically during high school

Can handle the academic workload of college

Will contribute to college life (in a positive way)

Demonstrate the qualities of a well-rounded student

Think clearly, logically, creatively, and/or abstractly

Essay Writing Tips Admissions officers read 50 essays a day. Make yours stand out!!! Avoid clichés Be honest Watch your tone (tell your story, in your voice) Write about something familiar to you / something you are

passionate about Personalize your essay Write Authentically Read. Re-read. Ask an English teacher or your counselor to

proofread and give constructive criticism.

Admissions Options

Regular Decision: This is the most common admission option. It means that you turn in your application by the college’s deadline, and it lets you know by a specified date if you have been admitted or not.

Early Action: With Early Action, you send in your application earlier, and the college sends you its decision earlier. Make sure you read the instructions from each college carefully because some colleges have additional restrictions on their early action programs. Academically strong students will often apply to one Early Action school.

Early Decision: You can apply Early Decision to only one college. You are

committing yourself to going to a particular school if you decide to apply Early Decision and are accepted (regardless of financial considerations). You should only apply Early Decision if you have a clear idea of your first-choice college. If you are looking at several colleges and don't want to limit your choices yet, Early Decision is not for you.

Rolling Admissions: There is no deadline for this option. Schools review and

make decisions on applications as they receive them.

Application Deadlines Early Decision / Early Action -

Usually Nov 1 or Nov 15

Regular Admission -

Often Jan 1st, but can be as early as Nov 30 or Dec 1st

Rolling Admission -

Anytime - The earlier, the better

Application materials must be received by guidance department 2 weeks prior to application deadline

UMass/State Colleges permit submitting IEP/Testing in lieu

of SAT/ACT

Search for colleges that provide a Learning/Support Center

or Tutoring in addition to accommodations

Community Colleges have special programs

MHS Guidance only submits IEP/Testing information when

requested by the students due to confidentiality

Considerations for Special Education Students

Financial Aid Financial Aid Night - Thursday, November 8th @ 7:00pm

~Presented by MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority) Website: www.mefa.org

FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Available January 1st @ http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

CSS Profile - College Scholarship Service Profile- Some private schools require this

Funding Your Education – See the list of websites in your packet

Scholarships Start at MHS

Community scholarship applications are available starting in November

All scholarships will be posted in Naviance and updated daily

Hard copies will also be available in the guidance office.

Look Local- place of employment, community organization/affiliation, church, etc.

Check with your colleges

See websites in your packet

John & Abigail Adams Scholarship Provides a tuition waiver for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education

at a Massachusetts state college or university. The scholarship covers tuition only; fees and room and board are not included .

In order to use the scholarship, a student must: be accepted at a Massachusetts public college or university;

complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);

send the Adams Scholarship award letter to the financial aid or bursars office at the college or university that he or she plans to attend; and enroll as a full-time student.

To continue receiving the Adams Scholarship, a student must continue to enroll full-time at a public higher education institution;

maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 on all college work; and

annually complete the FAFSA.

Student Athletes – NCAA (Division I & II)

Must complete NCAA Clearinghouse Eligibility Form

Must send NCAA your SAT or ACT scores and a $20 fee

Must add NCAA to your Transcript Request Form (to guarantee they receive an official transcript)

Minimum 2.0 GPA required

Should be in contact with coaches

1) Read Through Entire Packet

Important to know MHS Process

We help you simplify applying to college!

2) Create Two Accounts!

Common App

Account for STUDENTS to send

their college applications

Student completes on his/her own

Naviance

Account for MHS Staff to send the

application materials

Student adds schools, adds

teachers, signs FERPA waiver, then

MHS Staff completes

Create Account

Remember Your Username & Password!!!

Most colleges use the CommonApp, but if one doesn’t, make sure you apply on that college’s individual website

NAVIANCE

SIGN FERPA WAIVER

You must use the SAME username & password you have for

the CommonApp. Failure to do this will delay your transcripts

& letters of rec being sent

Add ALL your colleges to this list, even if they don’t accept the CommonApp. This is your way of informing us where you are applying

Add your teachers writing your letters of recommendation

3) Request Supplemental Information

Request Letters of Recommendation

Give your brag sheet to teachers & counselors

Please allow at least 4 WEEKS

Ask teachers if they will do this electronically or if they need stamped envelopes & CommonApp forms

Request online that your SAT/ACT scores be sent directly to your colleges colleges

4) Meet With Your Counselor Make an appointment with your counselor

September/October appointments for Early Action/Early Decision

November/December for Regular Decision

Plan on bringing your parents if possible

Come Prepared- Bring a list of colleges and all other materials you have

5) Turn in your Transcript Request Form

Fill out your transcript request form completely with all your colleges

Have your counselor sign the finished form

Turn in the form to Ms. Sousa with your $15 fee

Forms must be turned in 2 weeks before deadline

6) Submit Your Application

Through the CommonApp or the college’s website, submit your applications

Be careful of deadlines!

Review your application checklist

Double check that your schools have received all materials

CELEBRATE!!!

REVIEW 1) Read the college packet

2) Create both the CommonApp & Naviance Accounts, and complete needed steps (as explained in packet)

3) Request letters of recommendation & SAT/ACT scores through Collegeboard

4) Meet with your counselor

5) Turn in your transcript request form

6) Submit your application

Thank you! Questions?

Review the step-by-step instructions in your packet! It’s fool proof

Would you like more information?

Forms, presentations, announcements, college resources & links will be available at www.medfordhighguidance.com

This presentation will also soon be available online