If you were unable to attend our presentation on September 28th, or you would like to refer to the presentation from that evening regarding getting started with the application process for four-year universities and colleges, this presentation provides helpful information and resources.

1. Welcome to College
Information Night

2. What to do right now?
✓ Start building a college list with pros and cons and back up plans.
✓ Discuss finances and logistics.
✓ Gather documents needed to complete applications and put them in a
secure place.
✓ Determine a secure way to keep track of all of your usernames and
passwords as you may not be able to use the same ones for all of the
different accounts you will be creating.
✓ Begin writing your personal statements for applications which require
them.
✓ Keep up with your school work. SENIOR GRADES MATTER!!!
✓ Register to take the SAT or ACT and start preparing for the test

3. Testing
Requirements
• Take SAT/ACT by December
• Send one score to a UC you’re
applying to and all other UCs can
access it.
• Some majors require or recommend
the subject tests:
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/requirements/examination-requ
• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Jose,
and San Diego State do not accept
the December SAT/ACT.
• All other CSUs will accept the
December SAT/ACT.
• For the SAT, use score code “3594”
so that any campus can access your
scores.
• For the ACT, send your scores to
one UC, and all can access them.
Register for SAT at www.collegeboard.com
Register for ACT at www.act.org
Fee waivers are available for students that qualify for free/reduced
lunch - make an appointment with your counselor to get one.

4. What's a good SAT/ACT
score?
SAT
(out
of
160
0)
ACT
(out
of
36)
Excel
lent
(top
25%)
120
0
24
Good
(aver
age)
100
0
20

5. Applications
✓ $70.00 fee for each campus. Their fee waiver approval is a part of
the application. If approved, you can apply to four campuses for
free.
✓ Applications available Aug. 1st through Nov. 30th. Applications
can be submitted starting November 1st. Late applications
WILL NOT be accepted.
✓ You will complete just one application and indicate the campuses
to which you want to apply.
✓ Use the UC Eligibility Report given to you in your English class
to help you complete the High School Coursework section.
✓ GPA is calculated using a-g courses in 10th & 11th grades only.

6. Applications, cont.
✓ Letters of recommendation are NOT required and won’t be
accepted with the application. If a school offers the student a
chance to submit one, an email will be sent explaining the
process to follow. Berkeley is the only campus that might offer
this, but some majors at other schools might as well.
✓ The 3 most competitive UCs are: UC Berkeley , UCLA, and
UC San Diego.
✓ Apply online at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply
✓ For help when we aren’t available, access the UC’s
presentation on completing the application posted on our
counseling web page.

7. UC Eligibility Report

8. What will the UCs Consider in
an Application?
• UC campuses use a comprehensive review process—pick up the
handout with the 14 factors they consider.
• Campuses Look For:
Strong grades, test scores, and course preparation
A robust educational experience
• Assess Students Within Context:
Educational environment
Available resources and opportunities
• The Full Application:
Not just the Personal Insight Questions
Not just grades and test scores

9. The Personal Insight Questions
• Why do they ask the questions?
– This is how they get to know a student beyond courses, grades, and test scores. Students
need to consider them as their chance to be “interviewed” by the admissions reps.
– These questions are direct, so there’s no need for guessing about what the reviewers are
looking for.
– They allow for student choice to answer what is most relevant to them.
• Instructions
Answer 4 of the 8 possible questions.
– Choose four of the questions that you feel will best tell them who you are, add detail
and context to your application, and provide new information.
– There is absolutely no extra weight given to certain questions.
• Essay vs Personal Insight Questions
– It’s not an essay! They are not looking for style and structure.
– Answer the questions about yourself. It’s OK to brag.
– They want to see you use personal pronouns.

10. Additional Comments Section
• The UC application has a section that allows
students to provide additional information.
• This should be used to explain situations like:
– Not taking an AP class
– A semester with lower grades than others
– Other types of abnormalities in the application
• This is not a place to answer another PIQ or to
give more personal information in hopes of
improving your chances of acceptance.

11. Tips from UC Admissions Reps
• At our annual UC conference, we get to hear
from each campus and what is important for us
to know from them.
• These are the folks who help to review the tens
of thousands of applications.
• Please refer to the goldenrod handout to see
what they shared.
What they suggest means
something!!

12. ✓ $55.00 fee for each campus. Their fee waiver is a part of the
application, and if you qualify, you will be able to apply to four
campuses for free.
✓ Applications available Oct. 1st through Nov. 30th. They can be
submitted beginning Oct. 1st. Late applications WILL NOT be
accepted.
✓ You will complete one application and indicate the campuses to
which you want to apply.
✓ Use the UC Eligibility Report given to you in your English class
to help you complete the High School Coursework section.
Applications

13. ✓ 3 most competitive CSUs are: Cal Poly SLO, Long Beach, and
San Diego.
✓ Apply online at www2.calstate.edu/apply
✓ For help outside of our workshop times, make use of the
information on the green handout and through the help
available on the CSU application website.
Applications, cont.

14. Completion of a-g Requirements
✓ Coursework for 9th-12th grade is reported
✓ GPA is based on a-g course grades from 10th and 11th grade
only. Cal Poly SLO uses grades from 9th-11th.
Eligibility Index
✓ This is a score assigned to an applicant using a combination of
SAT/ACT test scores and the GPA .
✓ It is used to determine if a student meets minimum eligibility
requirements.
✓ CSU does not use the SAT Essay or the ACT Writing score to
calculate the CSU Eligibility Index.
What criteria is used to
determine acceptance?

15. SAT Minimum EI Score: 2950
Reading and Writing Score & Math total + (800 x GPA) = _____
EX: 1050 + (800 x 2.85) = 3330
ACT Minimum EI Score: 694
(10 x ACT composite) + (200 x GPA) = _____
Ex. (10 x 19) + (200 x 3.17)= 824
Eligibility Index Scores

16. Where can I find my EI Score?
On the CSU Eligibility Report, a student’s
EI Score will be figured if they have taken
the SAT and/or ACT
It can be found on the right side of the
document, just under the GPA calculation.
This example shows both EI Scores, one
for the SAT and one for the ACT.
Schools will use the one that BENEFITS
the student the MOST.
When a student has multiple SAT or ACT
scores, the calculation will use the best
score for each section to figure the best EI
Score.

17. ✓ Check with the universities individually to be sure you are meeting their
admission requirements, test requirements & deadlines (via their website or
calling admissions office).
✓ 700 colleges use the common application (most are private but some are public).
www.commonapp.org
✓ This link provides a list of all Common App schools, their deadlines, and
requirements:
https://apply.commonapp.org/ca4app/application-requirements/PublicFile?fn=ReqGrid.pdf
✓ Western Undergraduate Exchange—WUE—is a scholarship that can help with
the costs of attending out of state (may pay 150% v. 300% out of state tuition).
www.wiche.edu/wue
Private and Out-of-State Options

18. ✓ Tuesday, October 17th
✓ Reps from many out-of-state and international colleges
and universities will be there to answer questions and
provide information.
✓ 50 seniors are able to attend.
✓ Sign up tonight or in counseling office. Permission slips
must be returned by the end of the day Friday, Oct. 13th.
✓ Buses will leave during 1st period and will return to
campus before the end of the school day.
Out-of-State Exploration Opportunity

19. College Reps at Serrano
✓ Admissions representatives from a variety of campuses will be
here in the coming weeks.
✓ Presentations will provide valuable information to help
students learn about the school.
✓ A great way to gain exposure and help to determine if there is
interest in applying and then attending if accepted.
✓ Students can speak with a counselor to sign up for
presentations.
Grand Canyon University University of Southern California Soka College
UC Santa Barbara UC RiversideCSU, San Bernardino University of
Redlands CSU, East Bay

20. What to do after you apply
✓ Check your email that you used to apply and set
up your student portal for each college to which
you applied.
✓Be aware of and meet deadlines.
✓SENIOR GRADES COUNT!!!
✓Continue to learn more about each campus so you
can make an informed decision if accepted.

21. The Student Portal
Communication from colleges to students is
through their student portal NOT personal
email.

22. What can I do now for Financial Aid?
• Go to fsaid.ed.gov to create an FSA ID for the student and
one for the parent.
• Estimate the amount of financial aid your family will qualify for
using www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov.
• If the student does not have a social security number they
can still apply for financial aid through the Dream Act
application instead of the FAFSA at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.
• Look for scholarships online
- Consider setting up an account on Fastweb.com
- Frequently look at our counseling web page for new
scholarship opportunities.

23. Application Workshops
Attend the workshops after school every
Wednesday in October & November
Career Center
2 – 3 pm
Oct. 4, 11, 18 & 25 Nov. 1, 8, 15 & 29
Saturday, October 21st & November 4th from 8-
12
Nov 30th – ALL DAY – DEADLINE
Allow a counselor to check the application for
accuracy.

24. Want Reminders?
Text:
join dbacks2018
To:
81010
We will send you important reminders
such as when to file the FAFSA, Cal-
Grant GPA verification forms,
graduation practice, and more.

25. Useful Websites
Calculate student loan payments: www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments
Locate scholarships: www.fastweb.com
Estimate your financial aid: www.FAFSA4caster.ed.gov
Information about Cal Grants: www.calgrants.org
Help find colleges and scholarships: www.collegeprowler.com
Career interest surveys, career outlooks and college information:
www.k16bridge.org
CSU information including enrollment dates and deadlines:
http://www.calstate.edu/sas/counselor-conferences/2015-
conferencecampuspresentations.shtml

26. Walk-in Counseling
• Students can walk in to the counseling
office during their lunch to request to see
their counselor without an appointment.
• Counselors will be happy to help them if
they are not already with a student.

27. Counselor email contact
information
A-E
Chris Rosado
chris_rosado@snowlineschools.com
F-L
Lesley Carver
lesley_carver@snowlineschools.com
M-Q
Michele Scribner
michele_scribner@snowlineschools.com
R-Z
Michele Berberena
michele_berberena@snowlineschools.com

28. See you at
Financial Aid Night
October 5th
6:00 PM in the PAC
Please be sure to create your FSA
ID prior to this night.
Thank you for attending!!!