1. College Night
Presentation
with assistance from Cappex.com and NAIS.com
for Juniors and their Parents
of
Abbeville Christian Academy
2. Agenda
●Letter
●Us and Them
●Myths Parents Believe
●Words of Wisdom
●Preparing for a College Search
●Scholarships
●Parent Tips
●Next Steps for Juniors
3. Excerpt of Letter to Dean of
Admissions
Since we realized about a year ago that the college application
cycle was about to materialize for us, my wife Barbara has
been in a constant state of agitation. To say that she has
made life miserable for my daughter Alison and me would be
a colossal understatement; we are talking about daily SAT
vocabulary words, nagging about homework, reminders
about college essays, and the like. The only way for me to
placate her was to promise her that Alison would be accepted
at an outstanding college. Now I must produce the results I
promised. …Were Alison not to be admitted, I would beg that
you could notify me in advance, confidentially, so that I could
make my plane reservations for Zimbabwe before the
rejection notice appears. I know as well that your burdens of
decision are many. Just know as well that my whole life rests
in your hands. I am praying daily for you, your family, and
your favorite charity.
4. Us and Them
● Anthony Campolo’s dictum: “I want me
child to be…
● In Japan: “…successful.”
● In US: “…happy.”
● Better answer: “…good.”
● Douglas Heath research: Schools of Hope,
Lives of Hope: those who turn out “good”
more likely to be both successful and happy.
5. Myths Parents Believe
● Myth: “There’s only one right
college (or school) for my child.”
● Reality: Of the 4000 colleges and
university in the US, there are
dozens where any child of
whatever ability can make the
most of his or her potential.
6. Myths Parents Believe
● Myth: “Our family paid dearly for independent
school tuition. That investment had better pay off
in the form of admission to a prestigious college.”
● Reality: Independent schools do offer a solid
return by providing a challenging academic
environment and rich extracurricular
opportunities…but what a student makes of this
is the biggest factor in where they are admitted to
college…. Like paying for membership in an
expensive health club: must exercise to benefit
from it.
~College is a match to be made, not a prize to be
won --Frank Sachs, College Counselor, Blake School,
MN
7. Myths Parents Believe
● Myth: Guidance counselors are responsible for getting
a student accepted to his/her favorite college.
● Reality: Guidance or college counselors do not get a
student in…the student’s record does.
● Most selective college do “keep score.” Applicants
must have the right “colored dots” on their folder to get
into the pool of those seriously considered: within the
college’s mid-50% of SAT scores, high GPA and class
rank, rigorous 4-year program and leadership.
8. Myths Parents Believe
● Myth: “In a label-conscious culture, if
students don’t make it into a big-
name college, they’ll always lag
behind those who did.”
● Reality: All the research shows zero
financial impact on long-term success
of attending a big-name university:
what one does in college tracks with
success not where one went to
college.
9. Myths Parents Believe
● Myth: “My child must go to college
right after high school.”
● Reality: A “gap year” can be
invaluable in terms of developing
maturity and perspective and a
wise and safe strategy, given the
deferred admissions option.
11. Words of Wisdom
You don’t need to go
far away.
88% of high school
students go to college in
their home state.
12. Words of Wisdom
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.”
15. Types of Colleges
Type Description Tuition Admission
Requirements
Four year Degrees offered: State: Typically ● SAT or ACT
Bachelors and beyond under $15,000 ● GPA
/year ● Class rank
Provides: A well-rounded ● Essay
college experience that Private: ● Extracurricular
includes an academic area Typically more activities
of study. than $20,000 ● Letters of
/year recommendation
● Transcripts
16. Types of Colleges
Type Description Tuition Admission
Requirements
Two year Degrees offered: Typically around Open-door
Associates $4,000/year admission policy
Provides: A way to ease
into college / take general
college classes for credit.
Typically have agreements
with four year colleges to
transfer credits.
18. About College Admission Tests
● 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
19. What information do college
admission officers review?
●Grades / Overall GPA
●Strength of high school course selections
●Admission Test Score
●Essay
●Teacher and counselor
recommendations
●Class rank
●Student’s demonstrated interest
●Personal accomplishments
●Personality characteristics
●Courses in progress Junior and Senior
year
20. Collecting College Information –
Where to go
● Cappex.com - College search made simple.
Your first stop to kick-start your college and
scholarship search
● nacacnet.org - National Association for College
Admission Counseling. Offers national college fair
information and articles about the college process
● collegeboard.com - Information about the SAT
● act.org - Information about the ACT test
22. Merit Scholarship Tips
Merit scholarships are where the money is.
●There is more than $11 billion in merit scholarships
available to students from colleges
●Not just for “A” students
●Many awards emphasize leadership or school
involvement
●Nearly all colleges offer merit aid scholarships
●The average merit scholarship is $5,000
●Many awards can be renewed year after year
23. Scholarship Resources
●Fastweb.com - Private scholarships
●fafsa.ed.gov - Free Application for Federal Student
Aid
●Studentaid.ed.gov - The federal government’s
website about paying for college
●MeritAid.com - $11 billion in merit scholarships
●Cappex.com - Scholarship matching
●finaid.org - Free student resource for learning about
all types of financial aid
25. 10 Tips for would-be Helicopter
Parents
● Help your student understand
the college search process
●Be realistic and non-judgmental
●Be in the "back seat" - and not the driver - of the
college search process
●Be open to dialogue and responsive to questions
●Be aware of deadlines and fees due
●Know that things have changed since your college days
●Don’t overemphasize your own alma maters
●Don’t compare your student with others
●Don’t dwell on disappointments, like a rejection letter
●Celebrate successes!
27. Next Steps for Juniors
In School
●Stay focused on academics
●Do not lighten your academic load for senior year
●Meet with your school counselor
●Stay involved in school activities
Standardized Testing
●Prepare for and register for ACT / SAT tests
●Register for AP tests as appropriate
College Exploration
●Explore colleges on the Web
●Visit colleges if you can
●Meet with college representatives
●Attend college fairs
28. Other points
Set up a dignified/respectful email
●
●Use it in all communications with the colleges
or universities
●joseph.e.sellers@gmail.comjoseph.e.
sellers@gmail.com is better than
superjoe@gmail.com
●Set up a blog or website to display your
expertise, hobbies, academic work, or
athletic prowess.
Better than Face Book
●
Take down your social network or hide it.
●
29. Other Points
●Set a conference with me (parents-student-
me)- 30 min at most
●Visit colleges and universities during the
summer.
●Go a a week day
●Go through the admissions office
●Get a tour
Prioritize your choices –
●
Apply to all you feel comfortable with
●
●Get to know the admissions reps on a first
name basis