• College Planning
    So...how can you help your child plan for college?
     
     
     
     

    2020 Junior Post-High School Planning Unit pt. 2 Video Presentation 

    2020 Junior Post-High School Planning Unit Slideshow

    SAT/PSAT/College Planning presentation from 12/4/18

     
     
    1.  Get to know your assigned School Counselor!  Schedule a meeting each year to talk about your student's current progress and future plans.  Here are some reasons why: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/high_school_and_beyond/2016/12/School_counselors_boost_students_chances_of_college_financial_aid.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2
     
    2.  There is so much information out there. One really comprehensive site is http://gettingthemthere.com/.  (This website provides free downloadable resources). 
     
    3.  There are so many helpful links and free resources on BigFuture.org,  http://www.collegeBoard.org and other websites like http://Educationplanner.org   Check them out!
     
    4.  Check your SCASD email, the Counseling Tab on the front page of the State High homepage, and the Counseling Bulletin for highlights and upcoming events like Financial Aid Night, PSAT/SAT Information Night, etc.
     
    5.  If you haven't already, start a savings plan like 529 TAP.
     
    6.  View the May 4th, 2017 panel discussion "Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be - An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania" online at cnet1.org. A direct link to the online program is below:

    7.  Your GRAND Future is a  brochure that lists the 2017-2018 school year's SAT and ACT tests dates, dates for financial aid nights, SAT/PSAT night, college fair etc. Please click on the publications tab to view.
     
    8. Click here to view the  PSAT/SAT/ACT & College Planning Overview presentation that was delivered on December 5, 2017.  This presentation is especially tailored to be helpful to parents of 8th, 9th and 10th graders.
     
    9. Some other great reads:
    Looking Beyond the Ivy League
    Excellent Sheep
    Colleges That Change Lives
    Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds
    Made to Stick
    College: What it Was, Is, and Should Be
    Harvard Schmarvard
     
     10.  Look to some great online resources like CollegeVine( https://www.collegevine.com ) or hire a private College Counselor to help you out.  You may also want to check out the Wells Fargo webinar series: Preparing and paying for college.  Click here.
     
     
    Some basic college information that every family should know:
    · All schools accept the ACT AND the SAT. They do not have a preference, some students do better on one than the other so taking both may improve opportunities for admission and financial aid. This is not an East Coast West Coast thing.
    · A student's ACT or SAT score may be used to calculate scholarships, not just admission. You may want to retake them even if your score was high enough to get admitted.
    · You do not have to be rich to go to elite schools. Families with incomes under $120,000 will likely have all their costs covered.
    · You can NOT get a driver's license in a different state and pay their in-state tuition. Buying a rental property in that state probably won't work either.
    · The minimums that are required to get admitted to a college are different than what is needed to be successful in college or in a particular major.
    · Community college is college. You will take your freshman and sophomore years there and transfer for your junior and senior years.
    · Read a lot if you want to improve your ACT and SAT scores.
    · If your parents are divorced you file the FAFSA with the one you lived with more than 50% of the previous year. It is not based on who claims you on taxes.

     
     
    Here's a great article for parents as they start to consider the college planning process:
     
    and a good overview of the college planning process:
     

    ACT Writing and SAT Essay Requirements click here

     
     
    FRESHMAN
     Click here to view tips for a successful freshman year: Freshman year
     
    SOPHOMORES
    Click here to view tips for a successful sophomore year:  Sophomore year 
     
     
     JUNIORS
     Click here to view tips for a successful junior year:Junior Year
     

     Junior Post-High School Planning Unit part 1(PPT) - A presentation by counselors regarding what juniors need to be doing during this year of high school.

     
     
    Junior College Planning Unit - Part 2 - A presentation by counselors re: what juniors should be doing to prepare for the college application process.
     
     
    Comparing Colleges (Costs/Avg. Salaries/Graduation Rates) :  http://collegescorecard.ed.gov
     

    Post secondary College and Career Planning - https://www.mycollegeoptions.org/ 
     
    SENIORS
    Not sure what to do at what time during your senior year? Click here for the Senior Year college application timeline:  Senior Year
     
    To view the Fall, 2019 Senior College Planning Powerpoint delivered Sept, 2019, please click HERE  
     
     Also...
    Please watch this emotional video about making college decisions with your student and the changing roles you will have with your child as they graduate from high school.  Sponsored by Loyola University of Maryland, it's call Embracing Change.
     
    List of nearly 1,000 schools that will make admissions decisions about all of many applicants without regard to ACT/SAT scores is at: http://fairtest.org/university/optional
     
     
     OTHER IMPORTANT COLLEGE PLANNING MATERIALS:
     
    Any student interested in applying to the University of California schools needs to be aware of the one year fine arts requirement.  Reference guide: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/quick-reference-2015.pdf
     1.  two semester-long courses in high school would have to be in the same discipline and sequential.  For example, must be in the same discipline area: dance, visual, visual art, theatre, etc.
    2.  online high school level course won't be accepted, but online college-level is.
    3.  A one semester course at a community college would fulfill the requirement.
    4.  Every UC school admits some students on an exemption basis, but only in situations where a student truly had NO WAY of fulfilling the requirement.
    5.  Must be completed by graduation date.
    NOTE:  We have heard that out-of-state kids may be admitted without meeting that requirement, as long as they made it clear on the app that the year-long art wasn't required at their school/in their state.  We have also heard that students can also fulfill the art requirement by taking the AP Art History Exam and scoring a 3, 4, or 5.  We highly suggest that you call to the individual admission office asking for confirmation of this information as this may change from year to year and vary by institution.

     
     
     
     collegePlanningGuidepic
     
     
     
    The The College Planning Guide is a resource for students and families to guide them through the preliminary steps of the college admissions process. Includes general guidelines for college planning as well as specific resources available at State High.
     
     
     
    Logo of Accredited Online schools and colleges
    The List of Accredited Online Colleges site allows schools to contact you directly to provide you with a valuable information kit about online college. Furthermore, an online college representative will contact you directly to answer your questions.

    You can narrow your search by graduation rate, student population, degrees offered, campus setting, school type, and school size. You can also sort it by Subject and State.
     
     
    how to
     
     
    How to prepare for getting recommendations for college:
        
         Directions for asking for letters of recommendation for college
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Search and Selection
     
     
    cappex.com Cappex allows users to discover colleges and scholarships, organize the college search process, and compare top college choices.
     
     
     
    Consumer reports logo Consumer Reports interactive content and pdf resources help prospective college students and parents  navigate the steps in college research and selection.
     
     
     
     
     
    BigFuture Big Futures is developed by the College Board for exploring colleges, comparing characteristics, and helping determine student "fit."
     
     
     
    FirstGenerationlogo


     

    First Generation Student     is a new resource with information catered to     students trying to be the first in their
    family to go to college.
     
     
     
     
    Tuition Lab: is a phone App that retrieves the cost of attending almost 2600 not-for-profit two- and four-year undergraduate colleges and universities.  Tuition Lab also allows the user to perform ‘what-if’ analyses by changing the amount of financial aid, family contribution and student loans in order to ascertain the affordability of going to a particular school.
     
     
     
     ADDITIONAL HELPFUL LINKS:
     
Last Modified on May 11, 2020