Senior Transition To Post-Secondary Education Standardized Testing NOTE: test scores can be sent to colleges up until admission deadline Standardized Testing - ACT - Students should have taken the ACT at least once already - If students are wanting to improve their score, they need to take the exam ASAP - Arkansas Arts Academy is a national testing facility - Test scores are attached to students transcript when sent to colleges - Test Dates: - October 10, 2020 (past registration date) offered at AAA - October 17, 2020 (past registration date) NOT offered at AAA - October 24, 2020 (past registration date) offered at AAA Register at: - October 25, 2020 (past registration date) NOT offered at AAA - December 12, 2020 (registration deadline: November 6 / late registration November 7-20, 2020) offered at AAA act.org - Study resources: - ACT Study Packet: see counselor Mrs. McGaugh - academy.act.org Register at: Standardized Testing - SAT - SAT collegeboard.org - College Board standardized test /sat/register - PSAT - often given to students in grades 9th-11th - Scores must be sent to the colleges from CollegeBoard account - Test Dates: - October 3, 2020 (past registration date) - November 7, 2020 (registration deadline: October 7 / late registration October 27, 2020 for online registration) - December 5, 2020 (registration deadline: November 5 / late registration November 24, 2020 for online registration) - Study resources: - Free practice test: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice - https://www.khanacademy.org/ Standardized Testing - NWACC Accuplacer - Students planning to attend NWACC - Taken for initial course placement - Reading, Writing, Listening, and Math - Self-Paced computerized exam - Tests offered at Bentonville campus only Register at: - Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm - Friday 8:00 am - 11:00 am - Appointments required nwacc.edu/testing - $10 fee per exam center/nwacctests - No time limit - Register at: http://www.nwacc.edu/testingcenter/nwacctests/default.aspx - Study materials and practice tests: - https://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/ Standardized Testing - Community Tests - Taken at NWACC - Proctoring for other institutions: For More Info Visit: - Limited basis during physical distancing - Proctor fee is $35 per exam nwacc.edu/testingc - Questions: 479-986-4078 enter/communitye - Additional test: - Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), The College xams Level Examination Program (CLEP), The Dantes Subject Standard Test (DSST), Pearsons VUE, Kryterion, Scantron (Castle), NALA - The Paralegal Association - Visit http://www.nwacc.edu/testingcenter/communityexams/default.aspx for more information How to Choose a College What is right for me? Finding The Right Fit - Picking a college is like picking a second family. - What’s right for one senior may not be right for another. - It’s about “FIT”. - Ask yourself: - Does the environment feel like a place you will be happy and grow? - Prioritize what factors are most important to you: - Good dept. in your major - Prestigious public vs. private Greek life - Big vs. little - Class size - Urban vs. rural - Special programs - Religious - Cost in-state vs. out-of-state - Location/ distance - Diversity - Athletics school spirit - Male / Female ratio - Liberal vs. conservative - Clubs & organizations College Admissions Process What should I be doing my senior year? Fall - Narrow college list to 5-6 schools - 2 Dream Schools: academic credentials fall in the lower end or below the school average - 2 Target Schools: academic credentials (grades, SAT/ACT scores & class rank) fall well within the school’s average - 2 Safety Schools: academics credentials exceed the school’s range for the average first-year student - Have a financially safe school as well - List schools on Naviance - User ID: AAA email Naviance - Password: contact Mrs. McGaugh to reset if needed - Requesting letters of recommendation naviance.com - Counselor: email Mrs. McGaugh for the request form - Teachers: Give enough notice - Take standardized test / PREP! Fall - Do not procrastinate with the applications! - The earlier the better - Complete all applications by December 1st - Once you have completed apps, request that your transcript be sent to the college using the transcript request form - Send thank you notes to those who have helped Transcript Request Form artsk12.org Winter - October 1st FAFSA - First day to apply for the FAFSA Website: studentaid.gov - Financial Aid App: myStudentAid - Scholarships - February 14th - Finish the FAFSA - WAHOO! - Mid February - Mid year grades will be sent, so make sure to keep up with your grades! - FASFA - Website: Studentaid.gov - App: myStudentAid Parent Ed Night: FAFSA Info Coming Soon! Don’t Catch Senioritis - Sen-ior-it-is [seen-yer-eye-tis] - Noun - Slacking off in the Spring or after being accepted - Every year colleges rescind offers of admission or alter financial aid packages as a result of Seniortis! - Because colleges do not receive final grades until July, students often don’t learn of revoked admission until August - Don’t be a victim! Early Decision vs. Early Action Early Decision - Apply early to first-choice college - Usually in November - Receive an admission decision from the college well in advance of the usual notification date - Usually by December - IS BINDING - Agree to attend the college if accepted and offered a financial aid package that is considered adequate by the family - May only apply to one college for early decision - May apply to other colleges under regular admission - Must withdraw all other applications when accepted by early decision - Usually must give a nonrefundable deposit well in advance of May 1 Early Decision vs. Early Action Early Action applicants - Apply early - Receive an admission decision early in the admission cycle - Usually in January or February - Non-binding - Do not have to commit to an EA college - May apply to other colleges under regular admission plans - Must give the college a decision no later than the May 1 national response - How do I remember the difference? - db –Early decision is binding Rolling and Regular Admissions - Rolling Admission: - Non-binding - Colleges review your application and notify you of their decision within a few weeks from submission. - Decide by May 1st - Regular Admission - Traditional admission process - Apply by regular deadline - Non-binding - Colleges notify you of acceptance in the Spring of Senior year - By May 1st WHEN Should I Apply to College? - If applying to a four-year college: - Strong students apply early in the Fall - If applying to a two-year college or technical school: - Apply for Fall admission during the prior Spring semester WHERE Do I Find The Applications? - Common Application - over 400 national universities (mostly private) - Individual college applications - many institutions have their own unique application available on their website COMMON APP commonapp.com WHAT Do Colleges Need For Admissions - Completed application - Optional - Official high school transcript - Resume - Make sure to there are no - Portfolio mistakes on your transcript! - Sometimes needed - Did you take the required courses - Secondary School Report to graduate? - Mid-year Report - Loss of credit corrected? - Counselor Letter of Rec - Is your GPS and class rank correct? - Teacher(s) Letter of Rec - SAT / ACT scores MAKE SURE TO KEEP COPIES OF - Application fee EVERYTHING! - Essay(s) WHAT Does AAA Send to Colleges? - Transcript - Senior Schedule - Change to schedule after submitting your application = must notify the college - College sees that you have “lightened” your senior load without notifying them = right to rescind acceptance. - Admissions officers regularly see this type of “lying” = will assume the worst. - Ask permission if you unsure whether or not the college will care if you drop a course - SSR (Secondary School Report) - School Profile - OPTIONAL - Counselor Letter of Recommendation IF REQUESTED - At the end of the 1st semester: - Mid-Year Report may be required to submit seventh semester grades/rank WHAT is a SSR? Secondary School Report - Instead of using each university’s variations of the SSR, some high schools choose to send their own. - Be sure that the information on the Common Application SSR is included. - At the top of the SSR, applicants are given the choice to waive or not waive your right to access their college admission file. - Due to FERPA, the student owns their confidential information and may request to see his/her application file UNLESS they waive their right. - If the student waives his/her right to access, the student no longer has the right to see what is written by anyone in your admissions file. WHAT Really Matters to Colleges? - There is no “magic formula” - There are no “rules” - Small Schools pay greater attention to the person - Large Schools often use a mathematical formula based on GPA, ACT/SAT and favor in-state applicants WHAT Really Matters to Colleges? - Courses Taken - Colleges want to see academic discipline and a challenge - Grades Received - Rank - SAT/ACT Scores - Essays - Recommendations - Extracurricular Activities - Truly commit to 2-3 activities - Interviews Most Significant Factors in Admission Grades Earned in ACADEMIC Courses! - Transcript is the BIGGEST DRIVER in the whole process!! - Admissions counselors report that colleges recalculate GPA, using only academic courses Other Trends in College Admissions - Admissions counselors reveal: - Rigor comes up often; looking at caliber of courses - Through the SSR and HS Profiles, colleges