Junior Year College and Career Planning West Forsyth High School.

Junior Year College and Career Planning

West Forsyth High School

Finding the right college for you…

Look for a MATCH between you and colleges

Decide what you want out of the college experience

Do your research and explore options

In the end, it’s you, not the school you choose, that will make the biggest difference

How do you get started?

Do your research—visit college websites (some

listed in handout) and college handbooks

Talk to college representatives at West during lunch or before/after school

VISIT college campuses (Spring Break or teacher workdays are great times)

What are your chances of admission? Colleges will

consider your: Transcript

Rigor of courses, grades, GPA, rank Academic course selection. What does West Forsyth offer and what did the student choose to take?

Senior Year Schedule Test Scores SAT/ACT/CPT/AP You are responsible for submitting Extracurricular activities Essays Recommendations/Interviews

Test Scores SAT/ACT/CPT/AP You are responsible for submitting

Extracurricular activities

Recommendations/Essays/Interviews

Different Schools Fit Different Students:

Examine Your Priorities

Location School Size Diversity of Student

Activities and Academic Offerings

Cost of Attendance Class Size

Schedule a visit: go online to obtain

campus tour info

Campus Visits

Good questions to ask: What do students like most about the college? Like

least? Retention rate for freshmen Graduation rate Most popular major and why? Housing Safety Role of fraternities and sororities on campus Availability of classes

Read the student newspaper/visit a class

Which colleges should I apply to?

What do you want to study?

The career interest inventory on CFNC can help you answer these questions. Your counselors will help you with this.

Make sure colleges offer your major.

Knowing what you want to major in can make the college search easier, but you do not need to pick a major before you start college.

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More competitive college admissions

Why? More students. More applications. Majority of students chasing the minority of schools.

UNC Chapel Hill- 23,000+ applied7,342 admitted (32%)3,960 enrolled (54%)Average GPA 4.47 (weighted). Average SAT (CR+Math) 1300

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College Admissions

NC State- Applied 18,000+ Accepted 10,000. Avg. GPA 4.19 Avg. SAT (CR+M) 1184.

North Carolina A&T Avg. GPA 3.11

Excellent resource for admissions criteria for all public colleges:

www.collegeportraits.com and

Handout-Freshman Profiles for UNC Universities

Rather than “the one” perfect school, look for several good matches

Counselors are available We encourage you

to meet with your counselor if you need help with college and career planning.

Testing You need to have SAT or ACT test scores if you

plan to go to a four year college directly after high school. Register online at www.collegeboard.com or www.actstudent.org Be sure to identify 4 schools you want scores to be sent for free at the time of registration.

To prepare for the tests, you can use your PSAT score report for a personalized SAT study plan. Free test preparation on CFNC.org and IneedAPencil.com

SAT vs. ACTRegister online at least six weeks before test

More of an aptitude test- tests reasoning and verbal abilities

Verbal, Math, Writing (Required)

Penalty for wrong answers

$47 (Seven times a year)

Achievement-measures what student has learned

English, Math, Reading, Science,Writing(optional)

No penalty for wrong answers

$47 (Six times a year)

Upcoming SAT Test Dates

January 22 (Registration Deadline: Dec 23)

March 12 Offered at West (Deadline: Feb 11)

May 7 June 4

We recommend Juniors take the SAT twice in the spring of their junior year and possibly once in October senior year.

.If you are planning on entering the military, take the ASVAB. West plans to offer it in the spring. Read the announcements or check with guidance.

Extracurricular Activities

Develop a list of all activities. Include summer enrichment, awards

recognition.Save list on CFNC orpersonal computer

Utilize list during application,recommendation and scholarship process.

Your organization will save you time later!

Enrichment Activities

Summer Ventures in Science and Math (GPA 3.85) 4 weeks on UNC campus

Martha Guy Business Appalachian University Architecture Summer Program UNC Charlotte Wake Forest Summer Volunteer Program NC State Design Camp www.volunteermatch.org

Extracurriculars: Balance is key

Emphasize quality instead of quantity Do something you are passionate about Through your involvement, make a

positive difference Enjoy your activities, but remember they

may only give you a slight edge over a student with equal academic standing

Cost of College NC Public College (Tuition, room/board,

expenses)

Approx. $15,000 year

Private NC College (Tuition,Room/Board)

Elon Univ. $33,600 Wake Forest $53,000

Forsyth Technical Community College

$2000 per year (Tuition, Fees)

Don’t rule out a community college

33% of West’s 2010 graduating class planned to enter a community college

You can complete the first two years of college and then transfer to a four- year college as a junior saving thousands of dollars

Class sizes are typically smaller

Limited enrollment in some areas, like health careers. Apply early!

Three Main Types of Financial Aid

Grants and Scholarships - don’t have to be repaid. Grant aid usually comes from government. Scholarships usually awarded based on merit.

Loans- Must be repaid. Most loans awarded based on need are low-interest subsidized by government (no interest until graduation).

Work-Study

Expected Family Contribution (EFC) The EFC is calculated by considering the family's financial strength -- their income and assets. Other factors: number of family members and the number of family members in college.

Financial Aid Don’t rule out colleges based on sticker

price alone

EFC remains the same regardless of college; therefore, you may qualify for more aid at a more expensive college

Financial Aid Expected Family Contribution-assumes

families will meet contribution through a combination of savings, current income, and borrowing

There are limited funds –Submit FAFSA application as early as possible (February of senior year)

ScholarshipsWest Forsyth Class of 2010

awarded $5.6 million

ScholarshipsTake a multi-directional approach

Colleges You Plan to Attend

Websites

www.CFNC.org

www.fastweb.com

www.

West Forsyth

Scholarship Newsletter

Daily Announcements

Community/Work

Scholarships

Mock Interview Committee- contact Mrs. Widle in Guidance

Park Scholarship Program “We note when the applicant is not the one calling about his/her application.” Be your own advocate.

Read the announcements. Read the announcements. Read the announcements.

CFNC ActivityTomorrow

West counselors will help you complete an interest inventory and find a college that offers a major related to your interest

For homework tonight, you must set up a CFNC account Your username should be your first initial, middle initial and last name. Use your NC Wise # as your password.

CounselorsC. Zimmerman A-Br

[email protected]

B. Freidinger

[email protected] Bu-Gh

R. Downs [email protected] Gi-Ka

T. Winchester Ke-N

[email protected]

K. Widle [email protected] O-Sl

F. Youngman

[email protected] Sm-Z