Reach High Scholars The Reach High Scholars Program

Reach High Scholars

The Reach High Scholars Program § Formed to help RHS students apply for and attend the best colleges and universities in the country. § Our mission is to: § Show RHS students why these colleges are so valuable § Provide assistance to help them successfully apply for a spot at a top school! § We are parents, teachers, students and RHS alumni.

Tonight’s Meeting Part I. (6: 00 – 7: 00 ) § What are highly competitive colleges § Advantages of attending § Financial aid Part II. (7: 00 – 8: 00) § Student visits to highly competitive colleges § Preparing students for admissions process

RHS Alumni Student Charlotte R. Christian John Mc. Daniels Arthur Proulx James Dannis Eugene Stockel Alan Iverson Deborah O'Donnell Eric Austrew Rich Jesmer Hannah Lee Joshua French Amy Silverstein Justin Smulski Dominique White Layne Flower RHS Class 1950 1952 1964 1978 1985 1990 1995 1997 2000 2001 2002 2005 2006 2007 College Tufts/Jackson Brown Tufts Dartmouth West Point Bowdoin Bates Yale Univ. of So. Cal. Wellesley Duke Brandeis George Washington Boston College Wesleyan Grad School . Yale Law School Harvard Law School Univ. of VT/ Medicine Yale M. S. , M. Phil. , PHD BU MBA, MIS BC Law School

Highly Competitive Colleges § Large Private Universities - Brown, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale § Large State Universities - Univ. of Cal. - Berkeley, Univ. of Michigan § Small Private Liberal Arts Colleges - Amherst, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Williams § Technical and Engineering Colleges/Universities - Cal. Tech, M. I. T. § Military Academies - Annapolis, West Point

Why Attend a Highly Competitive College? • Greater intellectual stimulation from faculty and fellow students • Availability of more academic facilities (classrooms, libraries, labs, etc. ) • More small, seminar-type classes • Better job opportunities after graduation • Better chance of acceptance in top graduate schools (business, law, medicine) • Better long-term support system among alumni and faculty

Endowment per Student at Selected Colleges Endowment ($million) # of Students Endowment/Student ($000) Princeton 15, 787 6, 898 2, 288. 63 Yale 22, 530 11, 390 1, 978. 05 Harvard 34, 635 19, 139 1, 809. 66 Stanford 17, 165 14, 890 1, 152. 79 Amherst 1, 662 1, 648 1, 008. 50 Williams 1, 899 2, 049 926. 79 Dartmouth 3, 760 5, 849 642. 84 Duke 5, 910 12, 824 460. 85 780 1, 775 439. 15 2, 781 8, 025 346. 54 Wesleyan 711 2, 900 245. 17 St. Anselm 90 2, 000 45. 00 UNH 116 13, 547 8. 56 Hamilton Brown

Great Schools, Great Prices % receiving need-based grants ave. cost after grant ave. discount from total cost % of grads with debt ave. amount of debt 56% 44% $11, 250 -- -- -- $25, 000 -- -- 77% $27, 300 Averages of 34 top colleges 45% $19, 536 Univ of NH -St. Anselm --

Trends in Financial Aid at Colleges Where RHS Alumni Have Been Accepted Brown § Eliminated loans for students whose annual family incomes are less than $100, 000 § Reduced loans for all students receiving financial aid § No parental contribution from most families with incomes up to $60, 000 Dartmouth § Free tuition for students whose annual family incomes are less than $75, 000 § Eliminated loans for all students Duke § Free tuition for students whose annual family incomes are less than $60, 000 § Eliminated loans for students whose annual family incomes are less than $40, 000 § Students whose annual family incomes are between $60, 000 and $100, 000 will have loans reduced on a graduated basis and above that line, loans will be capped at $5, 000 per year. Williams § Eliminated loans from all aid packages Yale § Families earning less than $60, 000 annually pay nothing § Families earning $60, 000 to $120, 000 pay 1% to 10% of income § Contribution of aided families earning above $120, 000 will average 10% of income.

Part II. (7: 00 – 8: 00) § Student visits to highly competitive colleges § Preparing students for admissions process

Highly Competitive Colleges Near Raymond Within Two Hours Bates College Boston College Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brown University Dartmouth College Harvard University Holy Cross Mass. Institute of Technology Tufts University Wellesley Within Three Hours Amherst College Colby College Connecticut College Middlebury College Mount Holyoke College Smith College Trinity College U. S. Coast Guard Academy Wesleyan University Williams College Yale University

Transportation Contribution § To encourage visits to the highly-competitive colleges and universities reachable in a day from Raymond. § Parents, faculty or friends taking at least two students for organized visits will be reimbursed $0. 25 per mile. § Typical Contributions: Brown Colby Dartmouth $62. 50 $76. 50 $45. 00 Middlebury Holy Cross Yale $77. 50 $45. 00 $95. 00

How to Get Into a Top College Things you should be working on starting in grade 9 § High school courses and grades § Activities § Standardized tests § Athletics Application specific topics – Not covered today § Application Essay § Recommendations

Courses and Grades § Rule 1: Take the most challenging courses Raymond offers § Rule 2: Get A’s

Courses and Grades § Most top schools will require: § Math: 4 years § English: 4 years § Science (including Chemistry, Physics, and Biology): 4 years § Foreign Language: 4 years § History: 2 years

Courses and Grades § Plan out your course schedule in advance § Course planning worksheets available as handouts

Courses and Grades Study for and take an AP test on your own: • • • • • Art History Biology Calculus AB Calculus BC Chemistry Chinese Language and Culture Computer Science AB Macroeconomics Microeconomics English Language English Literature Environmental Science European History French Language French Literature German Language • • • • • Comp Government & Politics U. S. Government & Politics Human Geography Italian Language and Culture Japanese Language and Culture Latin Literature Latin: Vergil Music Theory Physics B Physics C Psychology Spanish Language Spanish Literature Statistics Studio Art U. S. History World History

Courses and Grades § Residential summer programs: § Saint Paul’s Advanced Studies Program § Boston University’s Tanglewood program § MIT & Caltech Research and Science Institute (RSI) § Harvard Summer School

Activities let you stand out from the pack § 21, 000 high schools (and valedictorians!) each year in the U. S § 400, 000 students graduate each year in the top 10% of their class § 75% of the valedictorians who apply to Harvard are rejected

Activities § The Writer § § § § Won multiple state and national essay contests Wrote youth oriented articles for the local paper Edited the yearbook Wrote in the school literary magazine Received very good recommendation from an English teacher Showed other interests by: Taking Astronomy at Saint Paul’s, playing on the soccer team, youth mentoring, math club, student rep on school board, and others The Future President § § § Worked at the Senate as a page during the summer State speech champion President of his class all four years Student representative to the school board 4 th of July Parade committee Showed other interests by: Editing sections of the year book, managing the soccer team, refereeing soccer games, volunteering at community television and others

Activities § § § § Sports Art Music Theatre School clubs Community service Start something new!

Activities If you have an interest and don’t know how to take it further we want to help! § Be sure to fill out your interests and contact info before you leave!

Preparing for Standardized Tests § SAT I § Kaplan and the Princeton Review – Expensive but effective § Books and web sites for individual study § PSATs – Good practice and a chance for a scholarship § Student led study groups – sign up tonight!

Preparing for Standardized Tests Sophomore Year Summer Study for SATs Junior Year – Fall PSAT Junior Year – Winter SAT Junior Year – Spring Re-take SAT if desired Junior Year – Summer Last chance to retake the SAT

Preparing for Standardized Tests § How well do you need to do? § Look up the range of scores for the schools you want to attend Brown Duke Yale Critical Reading 660 -760 690 -770 700 -780 Math 670 -770 690 -800 690 -790

Preparing for Standardized Tests § SAT II Subject Tests Literature French with Listening U. S. History German World History German with Listening Mathematics Level 1 Spanish Mathematics Level 2 Spanish with Listening Biology Modern Hebrew Chemistry Italian Physics Latin Chinese with Listening Japanese with Listening French Korean with Listening

Athletics § Coaches get slots in Admissions Offices. At top schools being a recruited athlete can increase your chances of getting in from 1 in 10 to 1 in 2! § How do you get yourself noticed and recruited by college coaches?

Athletics – Getting Recruited § Email coaches at schools in which you have an interest (or send a completed questionnaire for this purpose on the website). § By the end of your sophomore year or beginning of your junior year § Express your interest in the team and the school § Send detailed information on your sports accomplishments to date § Play on a competitive club or AAU team that competes in “Showcase Tournaments. ” § Attend summer camps or clinics run by those coaches (or known to attract coaches for scouting)

Athletics – Final Notes § Academic eligibility is a major concern for coaches at colleges with high academic standards. § They will want your grades and PSAT and SAT scores. § Athletes get a preference in early admissions. § There is an advantage in knowing which school is your first choice.