Presented by the Guidance Department

Junior Workshop

How have we prepared for today?

• Freshman Seminars– Calculating GPA’s– Transcript Review

• Sophomore Seminars– Career Exploration– Career Interest Inventory

Junior Seminar Objectives

• Introduce the college process• Factors to consider in choosing a college• Required Guidance Forms and Resources• How to register for Standardized Testing• Practice using Naviance• Developing a well balanced list of reach, realistic

and safety schools• How to find the best fit for you!

Some Questions for You

• How many of you think you want to go right on to college when you graduate?

• How many of you will be the first child in your family to apply to college?

• Why do people go to college?

• What are your fears or concerns, if any, regarding the college search process?

• Have you started to do anything yet about considering colleges?

Factors to Consider in choosing a college

LocationDistance From HomeAdmission SelectivitySizeMajor

HousingFinancial AidStudent DiversityCampus Culture

This is a very individualized process and it is important to remember that

there is a college for everyone!

Types of Colleges• Liberal Arts Colleges: 4 years, broad core requirements

• Specialized Colleges and Universities : business, art, engineering, etc.

• Religiously-affiliated Colleges and Universities: religious ties, and usually a religion class required to graduate

• Single Sex Colleges: all female or all male

• Military Academies : West Point (Army), the U.S. Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, as well as other military focused colleges.

• Private vs. Public Colleges and Universities: Differences both in state and out of state

Developing a well balanced list

• Reach- GPA/Test score averages fall above your own range. All Ivy League and “Ivy Like” schools in the most competitive category are considered reaches for all students!

• Realistic- 50/50 chance of getting in. GPA/Test score averages fall within your own range

• Safety- Likely that you will get in. GPA/Test score averages fall below your own range

**Remember that you should visit every school on your list, and should be happy to attend every school on it!

Visits count!

Tips on the College Visit

• Now is the time! February or April vacation• Research colleges before going and then take notes on

your tours• Limit yourself to 2 visits a day maximum• Go on formal tours and info sessions• Call the college ahead of time or register on their websites

for tour times

Admission Terminology4 Types of Admission Plans:• Early Action – Nonbinding, early

response

• Early Decision – Binding, early response

• Regular Decision

• Rolling Admission

Standardized Tests

Testing Strategies

• Retake your best test in the fall!

• Prepare for these tests, but know they don’t outweigh the importance of your grades!

Resources and Information about College

• Guidance Counselor• Guidance Website• College Websites• Campus visits• College guidebooks• Barron’s Guide (September 2013)• College Board (www.collegeboard.com)• Naviance

(http://connection.naviance.com/westwood)

Guidance Forms Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ)*

- To be completed on Naviance

Activities Resume- Check your WHS gmail. Mrs. Higgins will email it

to you and once you complete it, upload it to googledocs and share it with your counselor.

Parent Information Form

* All of this due by March 1st, 2013

Application Process

• Common Application – online application that includes almost 500 colleges and universities.– Commonapp.org

• School Specific Application – some schools will not be included on the Common Application, therefore you must fill out their own application.

Letter of Recommendation

• You must ask 1 teacher if they will write you a letter of recommendation for next year. See the purple form in your folder

• Choose wisely! - Academic subject area teachers only- Someone who knows you and your work well- Someone you had a positive relationship with!

• Colleges prefer an 11th grade teacher over a 10th grade teacher.

• Be sure to ask by the deadline: June 1st.

** Few schools asks for two letters from teachers. If you have done research and you see that your school requires two letters from a teacher, show proof to your guidance counselor, and THEN ask a 2nd teacher.

Other Material Included in your Folder

• Transcript

• GPA Graph

• Junior Time Line

• Factors to Consider

• Practice SAT

• Teacher Rec. form

What’s Next?

• College Planning Night Feb. 6th 7-9pm

• Attend two more junior seminars

• Introduction to Naviance– Completing a college search– Developing a well balanced list

Parting Advice from Seniors

A happy statistic: Over 51% of last year’s seniors got into their top choice school, and 25% got into their second choice school…