COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE NIGHT Avon High School Counseling Department

COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE NIGHT Avon High School Counseling Department December 5, 2018

Meet Your Counseling Team ■ Mr. Todd Dyer, Director of School Counseling – tdyer@avon. k 12. ct. us ■ Mr. Andrew Ellrod, School Counselor – aellrod@avon. k 12. ct. us ■ Mrs. Lissa Irvine, School Counselor – lirvine@avon. k 12. ct. us ■ Mrs. Laura Sullivan, School Counselor – lsullivan@avon. k 12. ct. us ■ Ms. Heather Toyen, School Counselor – htoyen@avon. k 12. ct. us ■ Ms. King, School Counseling Secretary – jking@avon. k 12. ct. us

Self-Assessment ■ It’s time to reflect on who you are, what you value, and all that you have achieved. Let this reflective exercise be the start of an exciting future ■ Important factors to consider: – Do I understand my academic profile: Grades 9 -11 academic performance, GPA, PSAT (SAT? ) scores, specific areas of focus (electives in math/science vs. humanities or technology vs. art track) – What have I enjoyed about high school: specific classes, activities, living in Avon, etc. – AND what have I NOT enjoyed about high school? – What environments will set me up for success? ■ Small classes, large classes, access to resources, specific activities and opportunities (art, technology, music, leadership, athletics, etc) ■ So much more about who you are and how to generate your college list can be discussed with your counselor. ■ This assessment will help to generate ideas for your college essay as well!

Individualized Process The more we see you, the better we know you! ■ Meeting with your counselor – Students can make an appointment with Google calendar or by stopping in to see Ms. King ■ Junior Planning Meetings – Families are encouraged to attend – Beginning on December 10 – Contact Ms. King to schedule an appointment

The College Search: Learn About Schools/Use Your School Counseling Resources ■ Visit as many schools as you can - a campus visit makes all of this discussion come alive. – During school vacations, family vacations, weekends, etc. ■ Avon Annual College Fair – April 1, 2019 at 6: 30 PM ■ College Rep Visits at AHS – Approximately 170 schools visit throughout the year – Posted in Naviance – add schools to your list to get notifications – List of schools posted weekly in the office and announced daily – Reps that visit are often the reps that read AHS applications

Building Your List of Schools: Finding The Right Fit ■ Academic ■ Social ■ Financial ■ Use Naviance – Junior Planning Timeline – Junior Questionnaire – Gameplan Survey

College Research Resources ■ AHS Counseling Website: ■ ■ ■ – https: //www. avon. k 12. ct. us/ahs-home/school-counseling College websites Naviance/Family Connection: – https: //student. naviance. com/avon College Board Big Future: – https: //bigfuture. collegeboard. org Collegedata: – https: //www. collegedata. com Fairtest: – https: //www. fairtest. org

Where Do AHS Students Go? ■ For the Class of 2018: – 86% went to a 4 year school – 9% went to a 2 year school – 5% chose a gap year, the military, or the workforce ■ For the Class of 2019: – 75% have applied as of today ■ 1154 Regular Decision Applications ■ 373 Early Action Applications ■ 38 Early Decision Applications ■ 78 Priority Applications ■ 48 Rolling Applications

Naviance: Family Connection ■ College Research – Scattergrams ■ Test Preparation ■ Career and Personality Inventories ■ Resume Builder ■ Surveys: – Junior Questionnaire – Gameplan Survey – Class Planner

Standardized Testing ■ All juniors will take the CT School Day SAT on March 27, 2019 ■ If you have completed Algebra II: – Think about an early spring test (March SAT, April ACT) – *Students enrolled in Honors or AP Biology and Honors Algebra II or Pre-Calculus may want to consider a subject test in math and/or biology in May or June ■ If you have not completed Algebra II: – Think about a late spring test (May or June SAT, June or July ACT) ■ What if I don’t do well? – Test optional/test flexible schools – Concordance charts – Fairtest. org Students are responsible for sending individual test scores to colleges. The School Counseling Office does NOT send score reports.

Financial Aid ■ AHS School Counseling Department will host our annual Financial Aid Night in Fall 2019 ■ Net Price Calculators ■ Fafsa. ed. gov ■ CSS Profile: Private Colleges ■ www. fastweb. com ■ Local Scholarships: – Avon Dollars for Scholars ■ www. avon. dollarsforscholars. org – Other community scholarships ■ Check Naviance for other scholarships

College Panel Maddie Brodeur, Northeastern University Brianne Ellis, Hobart & William Smith Colleges Jayson Hodge, University of Connecticut Peter Wilson, University of Chicago

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