CANYON CREST ACADEMY 2017 2018 th 12 Grade

CANYON CREST ACADEMY 2017 -2018 th 12 Grade Presentation NAVIGATING THE COLLEGE ADMISSION PROCESS a. k. a.

2017 -2018 Counseling Department Ashley Bahner Layne De. Lorme Holly Austin April Maniscalco Rebecca Erquitt Sarah Djernes Student Last Names A - COE Student Last Names COH - G Student Last Names H - LED Student Last Names LEE – PA Student Last Names PE-S Student Last Names T - Z Please contact your alpha-counselor if you have any questions Darlene Burton College & Career Center Coordinator Mon. -Thurs. 11: 05 am - 3: 00 pm, Fri. 11: 05 am - 2: 00 pm Andy Shephard CCA Registrar

Agenda Overview of College Application Process Staying Informed & Upcoming Events Community College Admission CSU/UC Admission Private & Out-of-State University Admission College Entrance Testing Creating a College List Naviance Letter of Recommendation Procedures Official Transcripts College Application Tips and Advice

The College Application Process & “Rejection” In most cases, there is no formula to guarantee admission and there will be some uncertainty in the process. No single factor is the reason why a particular student is admitted. The college is looking to fit its own criteria each year. Colleges receive more applications than available spaces so even qualified applicants may not be admitted. Not being admitted is not a reflection of an applicant’s worth or ability nor is it a prediction of future success. It only reflects lack of space to accommodate every student who seeks admission. Suggestions to minimize stress and increase successful outcomes: ◦ Apply to colleges that are a good fit in multiple ways & make a compelling case by emphasizing your preparation, motivation and fit with the college ◦ Use a calendar to set goals and alerts for deadlines ◦ Utilize the many resources available to you to plan ahead, prioritize, and stay organized ◦ Maintain perspective and take good care of yourself – take breaks, don’t compare yourself to friends and remember that your parents want the best for you! ◦ Ask questions if you need help or are unsure Ask questions

Resources & Staying Informed 12 th Grade Counseling Website 12 th Grade Monthly Counseling Calendar Naviance • • CCA College Application FAQs Four-Year College Checklist College Application Guide by Application Type Creating and Finalizing Your College List Counseling, College & Career Center Newsletter Aeries (monitor your grades & graduation status) Daily Bulletin CCA website & CCA Calendar

Upcoming Events at CCA CSU Application Workshop Oct. 4 8: 30 am Proscenium Theater (Late Start) ü ü UC Application Workshop Oct. 11 8: 00 am Proscenium Theater Oct. 11 9: 45 am Proscenium Theater ü Common App Workshop Oct. 11 8: 00 am Learning Commons Oct. 11 9: 45 am Learning Commons ü Community College Workshop Oct. 11 8: 00 am College & Career Center Financial Aid Night Oct. 16 6: 00 pm Proscenium Theater ü College Representative visits to the College & Career Center are on-going and can be found in Naviance & the Daily Bulletin

Community College • Students may enroll at a California community college if they earn a high school diploma. There are no specific requirements for entrance but rigorous classes help to prepare students. • SAT/ACT are not required. • Benefits - smaller class sizes and lower costs. It may be a good fit for students who aren’t sure what they want to study yet or who want to prepare for a career like culinary arts, cosmetology or audio tech. • Students can earn professional certificates, associate degrees and/or participate in transfer programs, including the UC TAG. • Students who are not admitted to their first choice college or do not receive sufficient financial aid may attend and transfer with higher acceptance rates. • Complete Mira Costa College application & attend Matriculation Day in spring term. • Visit the CCA Community College page

Cal State Universities (CSU) Admission § Fulfill the minimum A-G subject requirements § Self-report scores for ACT or SAT Reasoning (CSU does not require the Writing scores from SAT or ACT for admission). *CSU Campuses will contact you directly to request official score reports (to be sent to via College Board or ACT). Please look out for email messages and/or continue to check your CSU portals to make sure that you are not missing anything that is requested. Determined by an eligibility index CSU Application Tips § 23 CSU campuses - apply broadly! § Application October 1 – November 30; During late start on 10/4 attend the CSU application workshop at CCA to ask questions before submitting § Use your transcript to enter ONLY college prep courses and grades without plus/minus signs Each CCA grade on the transcript is the equivalent of a semester (fall/spring) grade *Enter all 12 th grade college prep classes as: “IP-In Progress, NO- No Course this term, or PL - Planned” accordingly § The CA Statewide ID is in Naviance and in Aeries Student Data: Demographics § Further info testing for CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP) can be found on Cal State Apply §NOTE: Print your CSU & UC eligibility report from Aeries to confirm your a-g coursework

University of California (UC) Admission § Fulfill the minimum A-G subject requirements § Submit scores for SAT Reasoning or ACT with Writing. If official SAT or ACT scores are sent to one UC campus, it will share with other campuses to which you apply. § SAT Subject exams are not required but may be submitted if they add value. Visit the UC website for more information. Determined by Admission Index & Comprehensive Review. All campuses use the same 14 factors to evaluate applications but may apply them differently and make admission decisions independently. Be sure to review the process of each campus. UC Application Tips § 9 UC campuses- apply broadly and confirm major choices § Application is open now, submission Nov 1 - 30. Attend the 10/11 UC application workshop at CCA to confirm and ask questions before submitting § Use your transcript to enter ONLY college prep courses and grades without plus/minus signs in the ”Academic History” section; Each CCA grade on the transcript is the equivalent of a semester (fall/spring) grade; *Enter all 12 th grade college prep classes as: “IP-In Progress, NO- No Course this term, or PL - Planned” accordingly *Enter up to 5 non-college prep courses that demonstrate a particular focus/interest in the “Activities and Awards” section, under “Coursework Other Than A-G” (i. e. Research Methods) § Complete the scholarship information within the UC application NOTE: Print your CSU & UC eligibility report from Aeries to confirm your a-g coursework

Private & Out-of-State University Admission Requirements vary so review each college, including whether they require SAT Subject Tests, Letters of Rec and Transcripts. Many use Committee Selection - entire student application is reviewed so extracurricular activities, portfolios, auditions and recommendations play a more significant role. COMMON APPLICATION Students can apply to many colleges using this one application. CCA uses Naviance to interface with Common App. org for all required school materials. REQUIRED COMMON APPLICATION MATERIALS • COUNSELOR - Secondary School Report (SSR)- includes Letter of Rec & Transcript *required for all students • ACADEMIC TEACHERS - Teacher Evaluation & Letter of Rec will be submitted via Naviance only • You must check each college for the number & type of recommendations required • List CCA classes as semester courses/credits; use the College App FAQ for assistance • ART & MUSIC teachers and any other (coach, employer, etc. ) recommenders - must be invited via Common App. and will submit their recs. directly to Common App. , not through Naviance. • Personal essays and often additional supplemental* materials *Supplements - please follow the instructions for each college as these supplemental Common App. materials cannot be submitted via Naviance

College Entrance Testing Remaining Test Dates for 2017 • SAT Reasoning & SAT Subject Exams November 4 ( Registration deadline is October 5) December 2 (Registration deadline is November 2) • ACT October 28 (Late registration deadline is September 22) December 9 (Registration deadline is November 3) December test administrations are the last dates accepted by most colleges for regular decision; September & October for Early applications. • Register and send scores at www. collegeboard. org for the SAT and www. act. org for the ACT. AP, SAT and ACT scores cannot be posted to the CCA transcript and must be ordered directly from College Board and ACT. • www. fairtest. org: A resource with a list of colleges and universities that do not require the ACT or SAT for admission.

Creating & Finalizing a College List Use multiple factors - consider majors, cost, type of college/school mission, location, admission rates, size, student life – to find a good fit for you. Your college list should include a broad range of schools, mostly ü“Safety” Schools – preparation well exceeds admission requirements & costs ü“Match” Schools – preparation meets or exceeds admission requirements & costs And a few… few ü“Reach” Schools - admission is very competitive regardless of student preparation (historically low admission rates); student does not meet or exceed requirements, or the costs exceeds your college budget § Use college websites and Naviance* to research admission criteria and acceptance rates to compare your qualifications with those of students who have been admitted in the past. *Your best source is always the college. For impacted or competitive majors, plan to have many more safety schools. § Keep your list manageable (8 -12) and focus on what is right for you. § Applications involve many steps and each item must be done carefully. Fees range from $45 -$90 and applying to a large number of schools can be time-consuming and expensive.

Costs & Financial Aid Ø Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) For the 2018 19 year, you can apply between Oct. 1, 2017, and March 2, 2019. *However, there are federal student aid programs that have limited funds, so be sure to apply as soon as you can once the FAFSA form is available for the year you’ll be attending school. 2017 -2018 CSS/Financial Aid Profile used by many institutions to award institutional financial aid; becomes available to families on Oct. 1, 2017 Ø Confirm IF any of your colleges require it Ø College Financial Aid Offices & Applications Ø Private Scholarships (in Naviance) Resources – including net costs and calculators Ø College Board Ø

Application Types & Deadlines Regular Decision Applications due to most colleges between 11/30 and 2/1. Most students apply under Regular Decision. Priority Deadline earlier than regular, can be required for scholarships. Rolling Admission colleges accept applications throughout the year Early Action (EA is non-binding) Applications due earlier than Regular Decision (10/15, 11/1); students may receive admission decision sooner. * Request LOR by 9/29. Single-Choice/Restrictive Early Action Students may apply early to one college only (students may not apply to other schools using Early Action or Early Decision). * Usually 11/1 deadline. Early Decision ED is binding. Students may apply ED only to one college and must commit to attend that college if accepted. Typically students can apply to other colleges through early action and regular admission, but students accepted under ED must withdraw all other applications. * *Read all details of the different application types prior to selecting and compare yourself to the Early Admission profiles to see what application type is best for you and each college to which you apply. Application deadlines are firm and colleges will not accept late materials. For Early Applications, request CCA LOR by 9/29

Naviance Ø If you haven’t already, research colleges, view acceptance history with admission statistics available for CCA Classes of 2014 -2017. Ø Sign up for college representative visits to the College & Career Center Ø Receive reminders and updates from the Counseling Dept. throughout the application process Ø Finalize your “Colleges I’m Applying to” list Ø Complete the Brag Packet if applying to colleges that require Letters of Recommendation Ø Coordinate school forms and Letters of Recommendation from your counselor and academic teachers Ø Search for scholarships

Student account – if you never registered, use your student ID number as the registration code. Parent account - parents who have never registered should use the student ID number with a letter p (ex. 123456 p) as the registration code. Sign in with your e-mail address and password. If you forgot your log in information, use the “forgot password” link or contact Mrs. Burton in the College and Career Center.

Get to know the college: Research requirements, overall admission statistics, financial aid/costs, majors, student life and links to the college website.

After you have researched the college and compared yourself to previously admitted students, decide if you want to add this college to your list. Click the heart to add a school to your list of ‘colleges I'm thinking about', click again to remove it. You can easily access this school anytime from your ‘colleges I'm thinking about’ page

Application types/deadlines for each college will appear here. After completing your research, move colleges to the final “Colleges I’m Applying To” list by clicking “Move to Application List” AND…

After you add the college to “Colleges I’m applying to, ” select the APPLICATION TYPE (i. e. Regular Decision, Early Decision, Restrictive Early Action, etc. ) and “Add Applications. ” Note: Even though all application types are listed, you should only choose application types that are actually offered by the college to ensure correct deadlines are shown.

You must select how you will be applying for each college.

Indicate how you are applying. *The Common App FERPA & Waiver must have been completed with the same email as Common App to accurately match materials electronically. If you selected the correct available application type for each college, the deadline will appear. This assists you and your teachers & counselor with due dates. Don’t leave any blank or incorrect. If you need to change any information for a college in this list, click on the pencil to edit.

Students applying using the Common Application must complete the “Common App FERPA Waiver & Authorization” within the Common App and then enter the Common App email address in Naviance to match accounts. Students who will NOT apply to any colleges via Common App can skip this box. Having difficulties matching your account? Click here to view a tutorial about matching accounts.

Make sure that all columns of the final “colleges I’m applying to” list are accurate. Your counselor and academic teacher(s) will use this list for recommendations, college visits, reminders, scholarships and all deadlines. If you add, delete or change deadlines, we are notified so you’ll need to communicate directly if you do so after submitting your FERPA.

Evaluations/Letters of Recommendations Evaluations or Letters of Recommendation may be required for private or out-of-state colleges, scholarships or special programs/majors. Letters of recommendation are not required or accepted for CSU or UC. * *Some UCs may invite specific students to submit LOR after applications. Please visit the UC website for information. Colleges may state that they prefer teachers from specific disciplines or grade levels; read the instructions for each college carefully. Deadline to request a letter or evaluation form and turn in the CCA FERPA to your counselor &/or teachers: • Friday, Sept. 29 for Early Application Deadlines (any October and/or Nov. 1) • Monday, Oct. 30 for Regular Admission (please submit sooner for 11/15 deadlines)

4 Steps to Requesting a TEACHER Letter or Evaluation Form 1. Ask in person first. 2. Complete the Brag Packet in Naviance. 3. Add academic teachers under “Letters of Recommendations” under “Colleges” tab in Naviance. 4. Turn in a completed CCA FERPA* form and any additional paper materials. (FERPA can be found on the left column of Naviance titled “cca ferpa”). *Note: A FERPA is required for any forms that require a counselor or teacher to release information about you

Brag Packet is under “about me”

AFTER completing the Brag Packet, use the ‘letters of recommendation’ feature on the Colleges tab to add and track the status of your teacher LOR requests. Select Add Request to add academic teacher(s).

3 Steps to Requesting a COUNSELOR Secondary School Report (including Letter of Recommendation and Transcript) or “other” School Forms 1. Complete the Brag Packet in Naviance. 2. EMAIL your Counselor directly with your request, indicating your earliest application deadline in the subject line. 3. Turn in a completed CCA FERPA* form and any additional paper materials at least 3 weeks ahead of your earliest deadline. (FERPA form can be found on the left column of Naviance “cca ferpa”). *Note: A FERPA is required for any forms that require a counselor or teacher to release information about you

No teacher or counselor can complete an evaluation without a CCA FERPA agreement. Download and read it carefully! Complete the CCA FERPA and give it to each recommender with any other required materials (forms, envelopes, etc. ).

CCA FERPA guidelines: 1. Confirm that the colleges to which you are applying REQUIRE/ACCEPT letters of recommendation. 2. Complete the Brag Packet and finalize your college list before turning in the CCA FERPA. 3. Check specific recommendation requirements per college. If requesting that a teacher only send a LOR to a specific (not all) colleges in the Naviance list, write only those colleges on the FERPA. 4. List starting with earliest college deadline which should match Naviance deadline column. 5. Complete your name, staff name and signatures in pen. 6. The deadline to request a letter & turn in the CCA FERPA for early application deadlines (any October and/or Nov. 1) is Sept. 29, and for regular admission is Oct. 30.

Do Colleges Care About Senior Classes and Grades? Absolutely! They expect to see performance that indicates students are ready to succeed in college-level coursework. Students will include all 12 th grade courses (1 st and 2 nd term) in applications. Colleges do not have a preference related to terms. Some colleges will also require mid-year reports and transcripts at the end of first term. A college can withdraw an offer of admission when courses change or grades drop significantly over the course of the senior year. For many colleges this includes a D or F grade in any course. If classes change after an application is submitted a student must notify the college(s). We recommend contacting colleges directly before changing courses.

Official Transcripts • Review the transcript to confirm that all information is accurate including legal name and birth date. • UC and CSU do not usually require transcripts at the time of application unless a campus or program specifically requests it. Read all instructions and emails. • Common Application Only Initial and mid-year transcripts can be sent electronically through Naviance by your counselor if you completed the waiver correctly and your college list is accurate. • For all other transcripts, students can order official transcripts from the CCA Registrar. Allow 24 -48 hours processing time. • For a transcript only (no form, letter or other materials) for a non-Common App college, you can also order online via Parchment. • Off campus classes: Students must have an Off Campus Course form on file with the registrar and be completed by May 25, 2018 to be posted to the 12 th grade transcript before final transcripts. For off campus classes that are not posted to the CCA transcript, you must contact the other school to have a transcript sent to colleges. All final transcripts in June must be ordered from the CCA Registrar to be mailed. •

Personal Statements/Essays Personal statements should be crafted in the students’ own voice, using concrete examples to support the points made. The statement is presenting an overall picture that cannot be found elsewhere in the application. Emphasize your role and actions and be mindful of not just repeating information that is already included, such as listing extracurricular activities. Save all work & ask multiple people to proofread. Some further resources: https: //bigfuture. collegeboard. org/get-in/essays/tips-for-writing-an-effectiveapplication-essay-college-admissions

Transcript p= college prep/CSU-UC a-g Note: Each college determines which GPA to use for admission and it is the student’s responsibility to use the appropriate GPA per the application instructions. GPA is on a 4. 0 scale. SDUHSD does not rank students. Total GPA 9 -12: Includes every course taken in grades 9 -12. Acad. GPA 9 -12: Includes all courses taken in 9 -12, except PE, Teacher Aide and courses graded with a Pass/Fail. Acad. GPA 10 -12: Includes all courses taken in 10 -12, except PE, Teacher Aide and courses graded with a Pass/Fail. Cumulative GPA means 9 -12 GPA at the time of application.

College Application Tips Stay informed and organized – use a calendar with goals and deadlines. Be proactive and take one step at a time. Avoid procrastinating or completing application materials at the last minute. Use an appropriate email account specifically for college applications. Create folders in your inbox for each college, read everything thoroughly and save! Save all application usernames and passwords *in an accessible place (i. e. notes app in your phone). If you feel stressed out, take time to participate in one of your favorite activities, take a break, or ask for help. General information like CCA’s address, phone, fax, CEEB/School Code, staff extensions, etc. are on the website and school profile. Give teachers and counselor adequate time (3 weeks) to complete a letter of recommendation. Students with questions can come in to see a Counselor during Counseling walk-in periods (before/after school, lunch) every day.

Thank you!