Senior College Planning Welcome to Your MHS CollegeCareer

Senior College Planning

Welcome to Your MHS College/Career Team! • Deric Mann – 12 th Grade Counselor – 719 -328 -6604 • Natalie Real – College/Career Counselor – 719 -328 -6617 • Kim Dyson – College/Career Assistant – 719 -328 -6607

What We Do` • Deric – – – Academic Social Emotional Career Graduation Help Field Trips • Natalie – College applications – FAFSA Days – Field Trips – College Rep Visits – Career Guidance • Kim Dyson – She is the person who helps this whole thing run! – Submits transcripts – Helps schedule rep visits – Is really fun to talk to – Previous military experience

Like “Mitchell High School College & Career Counseling” on Facebook to get updates!!

Discussion this Evening. . • Upcoming Events • College Applications • Financial Aid / FAFSA – FSA ID

Upcoming Events @ MHS • Tues, 9/24 • Mon, 9/30 • Wed, 10/9 Army Recruiter here at lunch. Southern Colorado College Fair (Sign up!) CU Boulder Rep Visit 11: 35 -12: 30 Metropolitan State University Campus Visit (Denver) Navy Recruiter at lunch. Colorado Mesa U Rep Visit FAFSA Night 4 -8 PM • Thurs, 10/10 PPCC App Day • Wed, 10/16 CSU Pueblo Campus Visit • 10/23 -10/24 FAFSA Help @ PT Conferences • Wed. 10/2 • Fri, 10/4 • Mon, 10/7 • Tues, 10/8

How important is education after high school?

Getting Ready to Apply to College • Check Naviance for resources • Go to College and Career Center to use “self-service computer area” to apply to colleges – open all class periods most days – come with a pass from teacher! • Check out college websites for information regarding majors and tours • Visit Colleges • Get fee waivers for college application fees – we got you! • Develop application timeline – info available on Naviance

THE APPLICATION

Admissions Options • Regular Admission: – Colleges require applications to be submitted by a specific deadline, usually November through March – Colleges will notify you of their admissions decisions by the commonly adhered to date of April 1

Admissions Options • Regular Admission: – Private colleges and out-of-state public universities: • Have varying deadline dates between November – March • Schools that have later deadlines will sometimes accept January test scores • Private colleges will likely wait for 1 st semester Senior year grades

Admissions Options • Early Decision (ED): – A limited number of colleges offer ED – Submit application by a specified date (usually Nov. 1 or Nov. 15) – Admissions decision made by December 15 (or February 15 for Early Decision 2) – Required to sign a statement that specifies you understand that acceptance is binding, e. g. you must accept the offer and withdraw all other applications – Only option to back out of an acceptance is if the financial aid offered is genuinely insufficient

Admissions Options • Early Decision: – Recommended only if you have a clear first -choice college that offers ED – Applicant pool is extremely competitive for the type of students that the college accepts – Check the college website for the statistics of the admitted early decision students and how each individual colleges makes decisions

Admissions Options • Early Decision: – Colleges generally give you one of three decisions: – Accept – Deny – Defer to the Regular pool • If you are accepted under ED, you must immediately withdraw your applications from all other colleges • Your counselor will send your Mid-Year Report only to the ED school that accepted you

Admissions Options • Early Action: – Must submit application by an earlier date – The schools will notify you of their decision, usually by mid-December to mid-January – May submit regular decision applications to other colleges and keep that application active even if you are admitted under EA – Not bound to accept the college’s offer of admission and may wait until the common reply date of May 1 to decide which college admissions offer you will accept

Admissions Options • Rolling Admissions – Some colleges accept on a “rolling” basis. Students apply throughout the year – and generally learn their admission decision between 2 – 4 weeks after the application is complete – It is always better to apply earlier rather than later to a rolling admission school because scholarships and merit awards, financial aid, housing and even admission offers go to the students who apply early in the cycle

Admissions Options • Military Service Academies – West Point, Annapolis, Coast Guard, Air Force Academy, and ROTC programs have unique application procedures – Offer free education in exchange for service in a branch of the Armed Forces – Begin the process early – Contact local Congressional district office – Appointments are very competitive; leadership experience during high school is an important criterion

College Application Deadlines • Some Apps due between Oct 1 - Nov 30 • Other Apps due between Nov 1 - Nov 30 • Private colleges and out-of-state public colleges have varying deadlines • Regular Decision deadlines vary (usually Dec 1 - Mar 1) • Early Decision/Action apps due earlier (usually Nov 1 or 15) • SAT/ACT Tests offered in Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec if you would like to retest – We have fee waivers at MHS College/Career Center so you don’t have to pay!

What might a college application entail? • Application – Transcripts (All courses you took in high school) with GPA – Test Scores (Typically. Some colleges don’t require this) – Letters of Recommendation – Personal Essay (Especially if you want to explain some of your grades and extenuating circumstances)

TRUE OR FALSE: COLLEGES LOOK ONLY AT GRADES FROM SOPHOMORE AND JUNIOR YEAR

THEY LOOK AT ALL YEARS AND IF YOU ARE ON TRACK TO GRADUATE. THEY ALSO LOOK AT 2 ND SEMESTER OF SENIOR YEAR AS WELL.

Transcripts • These will include: – Every class you have ever taken in high school – Your Grade Point Average (Average of all your grades) – Your class rank (how you rank among your peers) • We will be uploading transcripts to Naviance so you can send them to your schools of choice.

Sending Transcripts 1. Apply to the College. (Make sure to put Natalie Real as your counselor!) 2. Log into Naviance. 3. Add that college to “Colleges I am applying to” 4. Go to College and Career and request your transcripts to be sent. After that, the ball is in our court. We will send transcripts to your colleges.

Test Scores • Test scores are needed at many schools. • Your transcript will have your SAT score from April 2019 (It’s in Q!). – If you take the test again, you have to log into SAT. org/ACT. org to send them to the college. (College and Career does not have access to your additional tests) • Most colleges accept SAT and ACT test scores. • Some colleges do not require any standardized test scores.

Some schools do not require standardized test scores. • • Test Optional Test Flexible • Northeastern University • Embry-Riddle • George Washington University • New York University • Michigan State University • Wesleyan University • New York Institute of Technology • University of Rochester • University of Washington • School of the Art Institute of Chicago fairtest. org • Florida Institute of • Colorado College Technology • Pitzer College CA • Middlebury College • Test Optional: ACT & SAT scores are not mandatory. They look at other pieces more heavily. Test Flexible: IB or AP tests can be used instead. 850+ schools don’t require test scores

ACT v. s SAT • Math is half of the test • Better with time management • Accommodations more regularly given in SAT ACT • Math is 25% of the test • Accommodations help much more on ACT. • Better for English/Science • If you put a lot of time and energy into this, you can push your score up more and more. • Easier to boost your score. • Extra time accommodations. • Fast moving test. • For students good with time management.

ACT Test Dates

What do you need to sign up for the ACT?

Test Dates @ Mitchell on Saturdays SAT Test • • August 24, 2019 October 5, 2019 November 2, 2019 December 7, 2019 March 14, 2020 May 2, 2020 June 6, 2020 ACT Test October 26, 2019 December 14, 2019 February 8, 2020

Where do I register? • ACT. org • SAT. org

Test Waivers • Go to the College and Career Center to get a waiver!!

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Tips for asking for a recommendation. • Give your recommender ample notice. 2 -4 weeks should suffice. • Make sure that you understand who the organization (College Admissions, Company, etc) is looking for. Take into account, mission and vision statements. • Make sure that you get 2 -3 recommendations. • Some colleges may require that you use their own recommendation forms.

FINANCIAL AID

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? BILLABLE COSTS ◉ Tuition and Fees ◉ On-Campus Room and Board INDIRECT COSTS ◉ Books and Supplies ◉ Off-Campus Room & Board These costs will show up on the college bill. ◉ Personal Expenses ◉ Travel Costs These costs do not show up on the college bill.

CLICK TYPES TO EDIT MASTER TEXT STYLES OF FINANCIAL AID

GRANTS ◉ Federal Pell Grants ◉ Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) ◉ State Grants ◉ Institutional Grants

SCHOLARSHIPS ◉ Athletic, Academic, ◉ ◉ Leadership, Theatre, Music Usually Competitive Institutional National State, Local, or Civic

WORK-STUDY ◉ Based on demonstrated need ◉ Student is provided an on-campus job ◉ 10 – 15 hours per week and paid directly to student ◉ Generally above minimum wage

LOANS ◉ Direct Subsidized & Unsubsidized ◉ Perkins ◉ PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students) ◉ Private Loans

REAL TALK: HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I GET TO GO TO SCHOOL?

• FAFSA Application – Federal Pell Grant Up to $ 6, 195 – FSEOG (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant) Up to $ 4, 000 – University Grants (Depends on your college) Up to full ride • A lot of these are first come first serve. • Get FAFSA done ASAP!!! • College Opportunity Fund – (Apply through https: //cof. college-assist. org/) • Public College ($94 per credit hour) • Private College ($47 per credit hour) Up to Approx $3000 Up to Approx $1500

AN IMPORTANT DAY October 1 is the first day that the FAFSA can be completed.

TRUE OR FALSE: YOU NEED TO HAVE A 4. 0 GPA TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP.

MOST SCHOLARSHIPS REQUIRE A GPA OF 2. 5+, AND SOME DO NOT REQUIRE A GPA.

Scholarships Based on academic merit, special talents and demographics Be sure to check the following: • Scholarship files in Counseling Center • Naviance for scholarship listing • Fast. Web and Tuition Funding sources on Naviance • The college’s financial aid office and website for additional resources and to confirm application deadlines • Scholarship emails from counselors

BE SMART ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS Thousands of scholarships exist. Some colleges automatically consider all applicants for scholarships. Other scholarships from colleges, universities, and private sources require special applications and additional work and motivation to make it happen. Never pay money to apply to an outside scholarship.

EXAMPLE TIME!!! ◉ Lets say that PPCC will cost you $5000 a ◉ ◉ semester. Subtract $6195 from that. That is how much you owe to go to PPCC. Yes, you are getting paid by the federal government to go to college. What do you have to do? Just fill out your FAFSA.

Scholarships! • Boettcher Scholarship Institutions • Daniels Fund • • • Clare Morris Scholarship Jack King Kent Heuser Law Scholarship Army ROTC Navy ROTC • Gamers Helping Gamers • Zombie Apocalypse Sch Full Ride to Colorado Full Ride CO, NM, UT, and WY $1500 Up to $40, 000/year $1000 Full Tuition worth up to $180 k $1500 $2000

TRUE OR FALSE: PRIVATE COLLEGES ARE TOO EXPENSIVE

GOOD QUESTION.

TRUE OR FALSE: IF YOU DON’T GO TO COLLEGE NOW, YOU WILL NEVER GO LATER.

WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT SOME STUDENTS WHO DON’T GO TO COLLEGE RIGHT AFTER HIGH SCHOOL HAVE DIFFICULTY ATTENDING LATER ON, STUDENTS WHO RETURN AFTER A PAUSE IN THEIR EDUCATION OFTEN BRING GREAT EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS TO THEIR COLLEGE WORK BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DID WITH THEIR TIME OFF FROM SCHOOL.

TRUE OR FALSE: YOU SHOULDN’T GO TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE UNLESS YOU WANT A VOCATIONALTECHNICAL CAREER.

ACTUALLY, YOU CAN START OUT AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND END UP IN ANY CAREER IF, LIKE MANY COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS, YOU TRANSFER TO A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE AFTER GRADUATION.

College Acceptance Procedure – Colleges notify students of admissions decisions by April 1 – March/April is a good time to visit – before you make your decision – Consider cost and fit, talk to family and counselor – Students must submit Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) to one school only by May 1

Common Myths 1. Colleges look only at grades from sophomore and junior year 2. Senior year grades do not count 3. Not worth taking challenging courses – need to get the highest GPA possible 4. Teachers recommendations don’t really count 5. Private colleges are too expensive 6. There is no real advantage of attending a community college

College Planning for Seniors • Like us on fb • Search for: Mitchell High School College and Career Counseling • We consistently post updates on the page and including scholarship opportunities

QUESTIONS?