1. Class of 2011
College Planning

2.  What do I need to do now?
 What should I be doing over the summer?
 What happens in the fall?
 How about a timeline to make this all
comprehensible for visual learners?

3. But first, some reassuring words . . .

4. Relax…
You will get in.
70% of colleges accept an
average of 70% of their
applicants.

5. You don’t need to go far
away.
88% of high school students
go to college in their home
state.

6. If you don’t have a major,
it’s OK.
More than half of new
college students say a very
important reason for going
to college is “to find my
purpose in life.”

7.  Start practicing good time management,
prioritizing, and study habits.

8. Don’t get used to procrastinating because your
workload in college may overwhelm you.

11.  Colleges are interested in students who
demonstrate a love of learning and are willing
to take on academic challenges.
 AP and Dual Enrollment courses will grab their
attention and prepare you for college success.

12. Plan a rigorous schedule for next year = choose
AP and /or DE classes
Take a foreign language, English, social studies,
science, and math . . .
even if you have already satisfied your Richmond
Public Schools Advanced Studies Diploma
requirements in each of these disciplines.

14.  Option 1: Four-year college or university for a
bachelor’s degree
 Option 2: Two-year community college for an
associate’s degree
 Option 3: Technical/vocational/trade school
for certification, license

15. . . . is to prepare our students for
Option 1, offering college-prep
courses to prepare students for
the academic challenges of
college.

16. You could start right now, and continue working on this
over the summer.

17.  values?
 ambitions?
 achievements?
 academic strengths?
 interests?
 standout talents?

18. www.careercruising.com
will be available to Open students in the Fall.
Seniors will take interest, personality, and
learning style inventories and link to possible
careers and college major identification

19. What is important to you?
 Location
 Academics
 Size
 Campus Appeal
 Social Life
 Total Cost – Including aid

20.  What makes a college/university selective?
Answer: The number of applicants.
The more applicants for each spot in the
entering class, the more selective that college
can be.

21.  Take a look at reported median GPAs and
ACT/SAT scores
 Are you in the range?
 This calculation will inform your concept of
“fit”

23.  The factors of
 Size
 Location
 Majors offered
 Athletics
 Aesthetics
 Extra-curricular offerings
 Cost and financial aid offered
 Academic preparation
are as close to matching your preferences, abilities, and
comfort level as possible

24. • ACT
– Consists of four tests: English, Math, Reading,
Science, and Writing
– Writing component is optional
– Top composite score is 36
• SAT
– Consists of three tests: Verbal, Math, Writing
– Each test is scored on a scale of 200-800

25.  Open students are advised to take SAT and/or
ACT in the spring of junior year and in the fall
of senior year
 Do take one of them a second time.
 Colleges will accept either or both.

26.  Available to those who qualify for
Free/Reduced Lunch
 Students can use up to two each to take ACT &
SAT
 4 fee waivers granted for college applications
from College Board

27.  Practice
 Read. A lot.
 Whatever score you get the first time, work on
improving it.
 These scores are the most direct way to merit
aid. The higher the score . . .

28.  ACT Composite score range
 open admissions 16-21
 traditional 18-24
 selective 21-26
 highly selective 25-30

29.  SAT combined verbal & math
 open 780-990
 traditional 870-1110
 selective 990-1180
 highly selective 1140-1340

30.  The higher your scores, the better your chances
are to go to a more selective college.
 The more selective the college, the more likely
it is that you will graduate within 4-6 years.

31.  Work to improve your scores
Summer is a great time to do this. How?

32. Pick up a copy of Jo’s handy, meticulously
researched, annually updated, and intensely
fascinating handout, which is creatively titled:
Taking the SAT and/orACT:
Strategies and Advice*

33. *It will be of absolutely no benefit to you
if you do not read it.

34. It’s this:
Work hard in school.

35. Talk with yourself, your parents, your mentors,
your grandparents, your teachers, your
minister, your siblings, your friends

36.  www.collegeboard.com
 www.collegeanswer.com
 www.collegeresults.org
 www.petersons.com
 www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
 www.unigo.com

37.  Start working on some essays (click here)
 Work on the 21 Questions (click here)
 Start a spreadsheet with applications due dates
for the colleges you’re interested in
 Plan when you will take SAT or ACT (click
here)
 Create your resume/activities list (click here)

39.  After self-reflection and your consideration of
“fit” factors, you should come up with a list of
3-8 colleges/universities.
 They should ALL be schools you would be
happy to attend.
 They should cover a range of selectivity.

40.  Make separate files for each college/university
 Use a checklist or spreadsheet to record
application deadlines
 Record financial aid and scholarship deadlines
as well
 Research honors programs within institutions
(different deadlines for applications)
 Know all the essay questions and begin
working on them in advance of deadlines

41.  Non-restrictive
Regular Decision
Rolling Admission
Early Action
 Restrictive
Early Decision

42. •Grades / Overall GPA
•Strength of high school course selections
•Standardized test scores
•Essays
•Teacher and counselor recommendations
•Student’s demonstrated interests
•Personal accomplishments
•Personality characteristics
•Courses in progress senior year

43.  What classes did you take?
 How did you do in those classes?
Colleges pay particular attention to the
challenging courses (AP and DE) a student has
successfully taken.

44.  Completeness
 Neatness
 Edited, thoughtful essay responses

45. Student’s responsibilities:
 Make final decisions about where to apply
 Download or fill in online
 Pay the fee or request a waiver
 Request transcripts (click here)
 Mail entire application (including Jo’s stuff)
Jo’s responsibilities:
-write recommendations
- copy transcript, school profile, and
recommendation(s) and give to student within two
weeks of request

46.  College and scholarship applications generally
require 1 or 2 recommendations
 I will write one, if the student writes the 21
Questions
 Decide which teacher knows you best and ask
whether they might be willing. Fill out the
Teacher Recommendation form and give it to the
teacher. Wait two weeks.
 Please request only one from one teacher.
 Jo will keep a copy to send in each packet.

47.  is unique
 is the only way colleges get first-hand
knowledge about you in the classroom

48.  How does the student perform
 in classroom discussions?
 on research papers?
 presentations?
 independent study?
 group work?
 What skills have been developed?
 Did the student meet your expectations?
 Tell us about enthusiasm, cooperation,
attention to detail, patience, civility, persistence

49. Help your recommending teacher to remember
concrete details about your performance in
their classroom. Use the Teacher
Recommendation form for this.

50.  Each college’s Financial Aid deadlines differ
 Everyone must file the FAFSA (Free
Application for Federal Student Aid)
 Scholarships can be national, local, nominated
by our scholarship committee or open to all
and have deadlines from fall through spring

51.  File on or after January 1, 2010
 The sooner you file, the closer you are to the
money
 Research the financial aid filing deadlines for
the schools you’ve applied to

52. For detailed information go to
www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov

53.  Begin watching for postings on line and in the
senior room in September
 Postings will be updated, often weekly, so you
must stay tuned
 Here’s where your resume comes in
 Fill out a transcript request for each scholarship
you apply to

55.  Virginia Commonwealth University 5
 James Madison University 4
 JSRCC 3
 Clark Atlanta University 2
 Hampton University 2
 Howard University 2
 Mary Baldwin College 2
 Marymount University 2
 Old Dominion University 2
 Spelman College 2
 University of Mary Washington 2
 Virginia Union University 2
 Bethune-Cookman University 1
 Carnegie Mellon University 1
 ECPI 1
 George Mason University 1
 Regent University 1
 Sweet Briar College 1
 UNC Asheville 1
 Virginia State University 1
 Virginia Tech 1

56.  Opportunities: Preparing for Higher Education
Guide and Workbook
 Passport to Your Future
 Taking the SAT and/or ACT: Strategies and
Advice
 Senior and Parent Contract
 College Planning Timeline