Micro-Scholarship, What it is, How can it help me.pdf
Zero to admitted2012
1. Zero to Admitted:
The Road to College
Jeff Ream – School Counselor
530.581.7003 jream@ttusd.org
2. Welcome and Agenda
Tonight I hope to share with you:
• Expectations, role norms, and share a down to earth moment
• Where, what, and when?
• Useful data and stats
• UC Admission Requirements and Application Overview
• UC Resources and suggestions
• CSU Admissions and Application Overview
• CSU Resources
• What about private schools/Common App?
• The Process and Procedures at NTHS
• What happens next?
• Questions and answer time
3. What you can expect of me.
• Goal: All students are A-G ready.
• I will put 100% of my professional self to seeing that every
single one of your children is as competitive as possible in their
academic and college preparations.
• I will be available to answer questions, find resources, and
assist with the college application process.
Some false expectations.
• It is my job to apply for your child.
• I am working 24/7.
• I have all of the answers.
• I am better looking than Brad Pitt.
4. Applying To College
The Student/Parent Norms
Parents role
It will help if you:
• Let go! Applying to college is the student’s responsibility (parents are
cheerleaders, encouragers, but not enablers)!
• Separate Nuts & Bolts from emotions
• Support but do NOT do
• Plan time to talk about college – just not every day!
Students role
It will help if you:
• Have considered college in light of your vocation and purpose, not just material
considerations
• Stay organized
• Stay on top of deadlines
• Apply broadly but limit applications to a reasonable number (6-10 maximum)
5. Where do I apply?
College application fees are expensive and non-refundable. By
now you should have narrowed your options to:
• Two “reach” schools (dream schools, a stretch as far as your
competitiveness)
• Two to four “target” schools (you fit the profile of an admitted
student)
• Two “safety” schools (you can fall back on – know you are
admissible)
• ALL should be “first choice” schools
6.
7.
8. What are schools looking for?
• Admissions officer’s mission: Create a diverse applicant class
that will enhance the culture and community of their campus.
• They do look for the obvious things like good grades, test
scores, class rank, and GPA.
– Strength of schedule
• Just as important are things like school/community
involvement, personal statements, letters of
recommendation, and supporting portfolios.
9. Important “No-Brainers”
• There are a few very important “no-brainer” points to bring to
your attention before we start looking at the UC/CSU more
closely.
– DEADLINES MATTER! If you miss them, you will miss out. Be sure to be
on top of them.
– If your home language is something other than English, include that on
college apps. Helps to put test scores in perspective.
– Ensure that you use your OFFICIAL name (i.e. what is on your
transcripts, birth certificate, passport, etc.). If any of your materials are
in a different name, get it fixed (esp. test scores).
– Create a professional email address (not sexxxystarz52@yahoo.com)
and check it regularly
• Same with your USPS mail – check at least weekly.
10. Options for next year:
• Four- year Colleges & Universities:
• University of California
• California State University
• Private schools
• Out of state public schools
• Community Colleges
• Trade or Vocational Schools
11. Creating Your Support Network
Starts Now!
• Take a few minutes and find:
– one parent of an 11th grader and one of a 12th
grader that you DO NOT KNOW.
– Yes – that means you need to get out of your seats
– Get their contact information (name, phone
number, email, students’ ideas of colleges)
– Use them to bounce questions off of in the future.
12. University of California:
• Apply November 1 -30 ONLY
• Apply online at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply
• (online required – no paper apps!)
• One application for all nine campuses;
• $70 per campus application fee
• Fee waivers available for up to 4 schools
• For additional program and location requirements see:
• www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/counselors/requirements/
index.html
• Order test scores to 1 campus and the other 8 get it
13. UC Stats for Fall 2012:
UNIV OF CA Applied Admitted Admit Rate:
Berkeley 61,702 13,038 21.1%
Davis 49,416 22,538 45.6%
Irvine 54,532 19,806 36.3%
Los Angeles 72,657 15,455 21.3%
Merced 13,148 9,874 75.1%
Riverside 29,888 18,375 61.5%
San Diego 60,838 22,939 37.7%
Santa Barbara 54,831 23,803 43.4%
Santa Cruz 32,954 19,936 60.5%
14. University of California
• See UC website for more information
• No letters of recommendation needed
• Eligibility based on:
• a-g course work taken (rigor/recommended)
• GPA (as calculated by UC): Important! H/AP credit varies by
campus! (3.0 minimum)
• 10th/11th grades only. A-G courses only. Max 8 weighted courses.
• SAT Reasoning Test / ACT with Writing
• SAT Subject Tests (for highly competitive majors)
• Other factors (leadership, co-curriculars, community
service, etc.)
• Personal statement
15. Personal Statement:
The personal statement is probably the most difficult portion
of the UC application. Ask your English teacher for help and
come see me.
Personal Statement Questions for Fall 2012 admission
Application Instructions
• Respond to both prompts, using a maximum of 1,000 words
total.
• You may allocate the word count as you wish. If you choose
to respond to one prompt at greater length, we suggest your
shorter answer be no less than 250 words.
16. Personal Statement (cont.):
Questions
Prompt #1
• Describe the world you come from – for example, your
family, community or school – and tell us how your world has shaped
your dreams and aspirations.
Prompt #2
• Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution
or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or
accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the
person you are?
17. Filling out the Application
Resources when coming up against application questions:
• Re-read the instructions
– Read them…again.
• Visit the help or FAQ sections
• Call the admissions department at the college
• Make an appointment with me to go over the application
• Come to the Wed/Thurs. RTI college workshops and help
sessions
18. Filling out the Application
Common Questions:
• We use an exact class ranking system and a Semester term
system.
• Use your weighted A-G course GPA from grades 10 and 11
unless otherwise instructed.
• Some fields only can take up to 5 entries, like extra non-A-G
coursework, extracurricular activities, etc. If you have more
than 5, you will need to decide which ones speak most about
you and what you think is most important for the admissions
department to know.
• EOP is a great program and you typically are qualified if you meet the
SAT fee waiver requirements.
19. California State University
• Apply October 1 -November 30
• Apply online at www.csumentor.edu
(required)
• One application for all 23 campuses; $55. per
campus application fee
• Many campuses/programs are impacted
• See list/description here
http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impactioninfo.shtml
20. California State University
• No essay or personal statement
• No letters of recommendation
• Eligibility based on grades in a-g courses and
college admission exam results
• Eligibility index:
• [H.S. GPA X 800] + SAT score (no writing) = Eligibility
Index or [H. S. GPA X 200] +[ ACT X 10] = Eligibility Index
• 2900 for most campuses
• Non-residents: 3502
21. California State University
• Sign up for on-campus housing when applying
even if you are unsure if you want that.
– If you don’t select this, housing will probably be gone by the time
you get admitted.
• Send SAT test scores to the CSU Mentor campus at Long
Beach (code 3594)
– ACT (no writing section required) can be sent to one campus and us
the ACT Score Manager to release to additional campuses.
• With all apps, double check that they were submitted. Log
out and login to check submission status.
22. California State University
• Excellent tutorial on the CSU Mentor website
under the Apply Online Tab and undergrad
admissions applications. Highly recommended.
• The CSU Mentor site makes this application
process really efficient and it will be hard for you to
make an outright error. Biggest confusions come
from courses, college credit, and test scores.
23. Private Colleges
• Deadlines vary - call or go to their website
• Early Decision/Early Action/Restrictive Early
Action/Regular Decision/Rolling Admission
– Read ALL fine print and understand how it works for each
college. ED is a binding contract.
• Letters of recommendation needed
• Counselor + two teachers (typical)
• Secondary School Report
• Mid-year Report
• AT LEAST TWO WEEKS NOTICE!
24. The Common Application
• Apply online or download at
www.commonapp.org
• Some colleges have separate supplemental
forms –see website for details
• There are now 488 Common Application
members in 46 states and the District of
Columbia, as well as in
France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and
Switzerland.
25. Q & A Time
• Now is the time for Q & A. Please speak up for
the benefit of all in the room.
• Please note that I may not have the answer
you seek at this time. If so, please kindly send
me the question over email and I can get you
an answer soon.
26. Resource Time
• Please take a few minutes and speak with the
outside resources that are available to you in
the lobby.
• I also encourage you to email me or stop by
the office and request your son/daughter’s
transcript.
THANK YOU.
Editor's Notes
I am planning on taking about an hour or so of our time during the presentation, but I want to value everyone’s time and get started. If you have questions, please jot them down and we will save some time at the end for Q & A. I also want to give you some time to explore the resources that are available to you in our community. I invited several college counselors to share their services with you outside in the lobby after our presentation. I encourage you to talk with them and find out how they can help and decide if utilizing their services are right for your family.
I really do love my job, but having 305 kids and duties that reach far beyond simply college counseling, I may not have the amount of time you would like me to spend with you or your student.
As in any relationship, there are certain stated and unstated roles or norms. As you go through the college application process, it will be good for you to adopt some of these roles.Next: Where do I apply (reach, target, safety)
Reaching for all ivy league, but not in top 10% - may be disappointed.Schools are having to turn away even top students at timesNext: Close up to tree – shut your eyes – new experience
Many people think of college admissions as looking for certain attributes in their admittance class. I am sorry if you came to sit by yourself and mind your own business tonight, I want you to take 30 seconds and turn to your elbow partner and take turns describing the tree in this photo.What does the tree look like? <volunteers> Now most of you would be able to tell me that it is a tree from the bark (unless you are a botanist), but there would not be too many important details like how tall it was, what type of tree it was, did it have lots of leaves, only a few? This is the view that most people think that admissions officers take of their student. Very focused and minute looking at their GPA, Class rank, and test scores. Those things, like the bark of a tree, are huge parts of each, but far from the only thing.
Now describe the tree. You can see that it is tall, perhaps it went through a rough winter and had some scars from lightening. You would not know this huge piece of information from looking so closely at the tree. You need to see the whole picture and that is what colleges are really looking at.
Their jobs are to create a diverse community for their students. True, they want valedictorians, but that is not the only type of person they want. If it was, it probably would be a pretty boring campus.Next: No-Brainers
Next: Activity time, creating your support network
Next: UC
There is a narrow window for applications to be submitted. They are available online to begin working on starting Oct. 1st but must be submitted between Nov. 1-30. You only need to complete the application once, but for each UC campus you turn it in to – you will have to pay a $70 fee.Before we move on to the next slide, I want to tell you to not let it scare you – but put a real perspective on the UC system.
As you can see from the statistics from this years freshman class, the UC schools are fairly competitive. I am sure that your attention has already noticed the admittance rate of Berkeley and UCLA. I would highly encourage anyone applying to those schools to take these numbers into account and be prepared to apply to alternate campuses or schools. You may be the top notch student involved in everything and having great test scores, but there are probably 13,000 others like you in the state and the school has to make a difficult decision on who to admit.
One common mistake is going over the allotted word count. Many schools are pay close attention to each application to see if the student can follow directions. Not following directions is an easy way to get on the not admitted pile.
For private colleges, you will need to be extra on top of things as each will have different requirements and timelines. The individual college’s websites will soon become your best friend and provide you with the much needed info regarding the entire application process. If you cannot find an answer on the website, call the admissions number listed. That is where I turn when I have questions and you should not be afraid to do so either.A very important part of the private college applications is what application window you apply in and how they process admissions. Early decision is a binding agreement that you enter in with, what is usually, your top choice school. You agree that you are submitting the app for priority consideration and that because of that, you will attend the school if they grant you admission. You cannot apply to any other schools under the early decision category. Check out the schools policy to find out if you can apply to other early action and regular decision schools. Restrictive Early Action is similar to Early Decision, but allows you to reject an offer of admissions.Early action allows an applicant to apply early but with no restrictions. These programs can provide some advantages in applying, but if you do not follow the rules, can come back to bite you. Typically schools only allow you to apply in one application window – so if you apply Early Action, you wont be able to showcase your later work in the Senior Year and if you are not admitted, you will not be able to apply in the regular decision.
