The GPA Game and College Admissions Your GPA

The GPA Game and College Admissions Your GPA and test scores are very good and your curriculum is challenging – so are everyone else’s who applies to competitive colleges, so why should the college accept you?

Stanton Guidance Department • May Ibasco – A-D, grades 9 -12 • Penny Studstill – E-K, grades 9 -12 • Tanya Riggio – L-R, grades 9 -12 • Helen Osburn– S-Z , grades 9 -12 • Matthew Hemphill- IB Coordinator Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

What is important in college admissions? • Your final grades in challenging courses are the most important items of your college application. • You have taken an exceptionally strong academic program (+2) • Your 7 th and/or 8 th grade Algebra I, Geometry, and/or World Language count, and all courses 9 th through 12 th. • Your final grades determine your GPA, but not all GPA’s are equal! Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Grade Point Average • State, Unweighted GPA –on report card • All courses are included • District, Weighted, Ranking GPA • All courses are included but Honors, IB, and AP are weighted. • All colleges: Re-calculated GPA • Only English, Math, Science, Social Studies and World Languages are included. AP, honors, and IB are weighted. • Florida Bright Futures GPA 16 credits, weighted as above Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Strong Academic Program • “D” in an academic course at the end of your junior year (-3) • Wrote a letter to the college admission officer and explained the extenuating circumstances surrounding a grade of “d” (+1) • Protect your GPA by not taking AP classes offered at your school (-2)

Activities and Experiences • Direct the gospel choir at your church (+1) • No extracurricular activities (-3) • Significant community service project (+1) • An eagle scout (+2) • Varsity athlete (+1) • If you’re all-region in a sport (+1)

• Participation in activities throughout grades 9 -12 is most important. You can’t wait until 11 th or 12 th grade to get started. • Start keeping track right now –see the Freshman and Sophomore pages on website. • What kind of activities are important? • Quality participation in one or few activities • Officer in club or organization • Captain/Co-/captain of athletic team • Service to the community –volunteering • Scouting, Habijax, design own project Leadership and/or significant contributions

from MIT Online : The “Right Activity” • Right is what is right for you! • There is pressure to do everything "right" • There is pressure to do the "right" extracurricular activities. • We want you to do what's right for you, not what you think is right for us. • Go out of your way to find projects, activities and experiences that stimulate your creativity and leadership, that connect you with peers and adults who bring out your best, that please you so much you don't mind the work involved.

What is important in your activities? • The colleges and scholarships to which you will apply are looking for the following: • What and how long you’ve been involved in an activity • Your understanding of the meaning of your involvement • They want to know: • what you’ve been involved with in the past, and in the present, and then to determine the probability of your future involvement which is important to them (see UF essay prompt concerning your contributions to UF), they will use: • the length of your involvement, • your understanding of the meaning of your involvement • Get some ideas for projects at http: cyberguidance. net

• Kristin created classroom lending libraries for an entire elementary school in her community. She publicized the book collection drive, set up collection boxes throughout the community, contacted publishers and suppliers for donations and sorted the books into appropriate categories. Ultimately, she presented the school with over 3, 000 books for its classrooms and library. • Josh created a recycling center at his high school. The center raises money that will be used to provide a scholarship for a graduating senior, and it improves the environment for all Marfa residents. The school's National Honor Society will continue to run the center as a permanent project.

Type of admissions decisions • Early decision application and commitment (+2) • Other types of decisions: • Early Action • Rolling Admission

College Application Essay • Besides having been involved in activities and experiences, an important tool that colleges use to measure your understanding of yourself is the college essay –how well do you know yourself? • You did not write the optional college essay (-1) • You word-processed your college essay, you forgot to change the name of the college (-3) • The topic of your college essay was sports as a metaphor for life (-1) • Yours was essay of the year, the one everyone passed around the office (+2)

University of Florida Essay Prompt • Please choose one of these essay topics if you are applying to the UF Freshman Class of 2020. • You have been elected President of the United States. Write your inauguration speech for us. • Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. " Describe a time when your perspective changed. How did your perspective change and why did it change? • If you were offered the role of the villain or the hero in a movie, which role would you accept and why? • If admitted to the University of Florida, tell us three SPECIFIC things you plan to do during your time here.

Essay Questions: FSU • We firmly believe that every person is unique and of value. Our University is enriched by embracing individual differences and creating a community that is much more than the sum of its parts. In 650 words or less, share your story with us. Tell us how you came to be the person you are today, and about your passions and future expectations. Describe how you will benefit from our community and how our community will benefit from you. Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Essay Questions: UCF • • • Respond to two of the topics below. Your personal statement should be no longer than 250 words each or a total of 500 words for both statements. If there has been some obstacle or bump in the road in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances. How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are? Why did you choose to apply to UCF? What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community? Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Learn About and Evaluate Yourself The questions which follow can help you focus college selection and admission where it belongs, on you as an individual.

Your Goals and Values What values are most important to you? How do you define success? Your Education What do you choose to learn when you can learn on your own? What has been your most stimulating intellectual experience? Your Activities and Interests What activities do you most enjoy outside the daily routine of school and other responsibilities? The World Around You What viewpoints have challenged you the most? Your Personality and Relationships With Others How would someone who knows you well describe you? Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic What do you consider your most significant contribution? How do you respond to pressure, competition, or challenge? How would you describe your school, family and hometown?

Intended Major • Intended major is Greek (+1) • Intended major is psychology or biology (-1)

Other considerations in college admissions • Legacy (+2) • Last name is Bush, and the name of the college library is bush (move to front of line) • Plagiarized an American history paper (Out of game) • First in your family to attend college (+2) • Single-parent household and must work part-time to help with expenses (+2) • Enriching summer program between your junior and senior years (+2)

College Application History: Where our students have been accepted

States of: Florida Georgia Kentucky Ave Maria University Barry University Eckerd College Embry Riddle Flagler FAMU, FAU, FGCU, FIU, FSU, UFL, UCF, UNF, USF, UWF FSCJ FL Tech FL Southern Full Sail Hillsborough ITT Jacksonville U Johnson and Wales New College Nova Southeastern Rollins St. Leo Santa Fe Stetson Tallahassee CC Trinity Baptist U Tampa U Miami Valencia CC Centre U Kentucky U Louisville Atlanta Christian Berry Brenau Clark Atlanta Emory GA Tech GA Military College GA Southern GA State La. Grange Mercer Oglethorpe SCAD Savanah State Spelman Thomas U Georgia

George Fox Lewis & Clark Campbell Davidson Duke Lenoir-Rhyne Methodist NC State U North Carolina Wake Forest Michigan State U Detroit Mercy U Michigan Western Michigan States of: Michigan Missouri North Carolina Oklahoma Oregon Texas St. Louis U U Missouri Baylor South Plains SMU Trinity U Houston Oklahoma Baptist Oklahoma State U Tulsa

Digi. Pen U U Puget Sound States of: California Maryland Ohio Vermont Virginia Washington UC Berkeley UC Davis UCLA UC San Diego Capital Case Western Cedarville Denison Kenyon Miami U Ohio State Ohio U Tiffin U Cincinnati C William Mary Ferrum Hampden-Sydney Hampton James Madison Liberty Mary Baldwin U Richmond U Virginia VA Commonwealth VA Tech Washington & Lee Champlain Hood Johns Hopkins U Maryland Washington C

States of: Arizona DC Indiana Illinois Iowa New Jersey New Mexico Arizona State U U Arizona Northwestern Roosevelt U Illinois Seton Hall Grinnell New Mexico State Indiana U Purdue Notre Dame Valparaiso American U Catholic U George Washington Howard

States of: U Montana Massachusetts Montana New York Pennsylvania Wyoming U Wyoming Boston C Boston U Holy Cross Northeastern St. John’s Sem Tufts U Mass Amherst Wellesley Worcester Polytech Carnegie Mellon Drexel Duquesne Penn State Point Park U Pennsylvania U Sciences Villanova Clarkson Cornell Fordham Hofstra Manhattan NYU Rensselaer Vassar Yeshiva

States of: Alabama Louisiana Mississippi South Carolina Tennessee Wisconsin Concordia Marquette Belmont Carson-Newman Rhodes Sewanee – U of South U Tennessee Vanderbilt Citadel Clemson College Charleston Columbia International U South Carolina Winthrop Wofford Missippi State U Mississippi LSU Southern A&M Tulane Athens State U Auburn U Birmingham Southern Huntingdon C Spring Hill U Alabama

Mc. Gill U Canada Holsby Brunn Sweden American U in Paris France

$ Meeting College Costs $ • Merit Scholarships • Need Based Financial Aid Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

How To Choose a College That's Right For You by Martha O'Connell • You can afford to go to college. • If you make the assumption that you cannot afford college based on the "sticker price" of tuition, you will miss out. • If you investigate all the options and ask for help and advice, you will find affordable choices. • Online resources, as well as financial aid workshops sponsored by high schools in local communities • College and university financial aid Web sites offer useful information and links as well. • Investigate early and ask for help. Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Meeting College Costs Merit Scholarships • Based on a talent or merit • Very competitive - national pool of applicants • High GPA and test scores Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Meeting College Costs Merit Scholarships • Essay Competitions • United Auto Workers - “What organized labor means to me. ” • Fire Sprinkler Association - “How fire sprinklers affect my community. ” • Artistic • Take science project and develop it • Discover DNA! Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Meeting College Costs Web Sites • Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking for Students: • • https: //www. floridashines. org/ Bright Futures http: //www. floridastudentfinancialaid. org/ssfad/bf/ Financial Aid Page http: //www. finaid. org http: //www. fastweb. com http: //www. collegeboard. org Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

BRIGHT FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP Requirements • Florida Academic Scholar Award: • 1290 SAT, 29 ACT; 3. 5 GPA; 100 hours of community service. • Florida Medallion Scholar Award: • 1170 SAT, 26 ACT; 3. 0 GPA; 75 hours of community service • Application opens Dec. 1 st of their senior year Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

BRIGHT FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP Award Levels • • • Florida Academic Scholar Award: $101. 00/credit hour Florida Medallion Scholar Award: $76. 00/credit hour Most college courses are 3 credit hours; the average credits per year = 30. Most FL Public University are ~$207 per credit hour. Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

Meeting College Costs Need Based Financial Aid • Most students and families receive need based financial aid • Families complete FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid • Do Not Send until after January 1 of 12 th grade. • Results are EFC - Expected Family Contribution Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic

COLLEGE A Private Moderate cost: Jacksonville University Tuition and Fees Room and Board Books and supplies Personal Expenses, miscellaneous, travel Cost of Attendance (Sticker Price *) Expected Family Contribution EFC (based on results of FAFSA) Need – amount needed to attend this college $27, 900. 00 $8, 340. 00 $1, 000. 00 $3, 000. 00 COLLEGE B State U, In-State: UNF, UF, FSU, (avg) COLLEGE C COLLEGE D State U, Private Out-of- State: University: UNC Chapel Stetson Hill, etc University COLLEGE E Public - 2 year, Live at home: FCCJ COLLEGE F Private highest cost Ivies, MIT, Duke $5, 000. 00 $27, 000. 00 $36, 002. 00 $8, 700. 00 $8, 900. 00 $10, 200. 00 $1, 000. 00 $1, 150. 00 $1, 250. 00 $4, 000. 00 $3, 800. 00 $2, 388. 00 $2, 000. 00 $3, 590. 00 $42, 098. 00 $11, 800. 00 $1, 200. 00 $3, 000. 00 $40, 240. 00 $18, 700. 00 $40, 850. 00 $51, 252. 00 $7, 978. 00 $58, 098. 00 $6, 000 $6, 000 $34, 240 $12, 700 $34, 850 $45, 252 $1, 978 $52, 098 Financial Aid Package: Grant (Gift Money) Loan Work Study Total Aid Package – if college meets 100% of need $26, 990. 00 $9, 134. 00 $27, 600. 00 $38, 002. 00 $5, 250. 00 $2, 566. 00 $5, 250. 00 $2, 000. 00 $1, 000. 00 $2, 000. 00 $34, 240. 00 $12, 700. 00 $34, 850. 00 $45, 252. 00 Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic Excellence $44, 848. 00 $5, 250. 00 $2, 000. 00 $52, 098. 00

Thank you for your attention to your student’s future! Stanton’s Guidance Office Stanton College Preparatory School Dedicated to Academic