1. Junior Year: Fall Semester
Class of 2016
Junior Year: Fall Semester

2. Goals
At the conclusion of this presentation you will better understand:
the post-secondary options available to your student
the process for visiting a college campus
the differences between the SAT and ACT as well as when to register for these tests
factors involved in college admission decisions
what is available to you and your students through Naviance
how to conduct a college search through Naviance
how to register for a college visit

3. Types of Higher Education
Liberal Arts Colleges
Universities
Service Academies
Technical Institutes and Professional Schools
Community or Junior Colleges

4. Collin College
Associates degrees offered through a wide variety of disciplines
Benefits of attending Collin College:
Lower costs for transferable coursework
Relationships with local and regional 4-year institutions for transfer
Transfer scholarship opportunities
Opportunity for students to explore areas of interests

5. College Match… Things to Consider
Look at your Institutional Options
Look at Yourself:
Determine your Interest and Goals
Size
Location
Cost
Admissions Requirements
Private vs. Public
Large vs. Small
Special Programs
Academic
Career/Proposed Major
Extracurricular Activities
Social Preference
Week 7: Handout College Preference
Naviance: College Search Questionnaire
Searching for and applying to colleges is a stressful process. Your students will find decisions easier to make if they have up-to-date and thorough information about the colleges they are considering- or ones they may not have considered.
Emphasize to students that the first step in researching colleges is to examine their own interests, goals, and plans for the future.
Direct students to Naviance, books, and college board
Questions to open up discussion with students:
What do you like about Lovejoy High School?
What would you change if you could?
How well do you anticipate that your high school will help you reach your goals?
If you could choose your high school now, what would you look for?
Things the students should be considering:
Institution Size: will have an impact upon many of the students opportunities and experiences. The range of academic majors offered, the extracurricular possibilities, the amount of personal attention they will receive., and the number of books in the library will be influenced by size.
Size: small, medium, or large
Look at average class size for both freshman and upper classmen.
Large schools may offer extensive support services for students.
Location: Distance from home
Also look at: urban, suburban, small town, rural, out of state, in state, north, south, east, west, midwest, or international
Other things to consider:
Public vs. Private, 2 year vs. 4 year, Single vs. coed, Liberal arts and sciences vs. comprehensive universities, Academic offerings, Majors, Faculty, especially in desired field, Academic skills enhancement
Residential and social life, Student organizations and activities, Athletics and recreational sports (varsity, intramural, club), Community service organizations, Personal and career counseling
Extracurricular activities, Personal attention, Diversity of student body, Religious affiliation
Retention and Graduation Rates: 1 of the best ways to measure a school’s quality and the satisfaction of its students is to find out what percentage of students return after their first year and the percentage of students who actually graduate. A college with good retention and graduation rates often indicates that responsible academics, social and financial support systems exist for most students.

6. Things to ask yourself How do I learn best?
In large or lecture style classes, or in small discussion/ seminar settings?
What extracurricular activities have been most important to me?
Which will I want to continue in college?
What have I learned about my academic interests and abilities that will influence what I might study in college?
Naviance has a learning style assessment that may be helpful… takes about 20 minutes to complete

7. Standardized Exams PSAT – national merit consideration SAT
SAT Subject Exams
ACT AP

8. National Merit Based on Junior year PSAT
Commended Students: Notified September of senior year
Semifinalists: Notified September of senior year
Top ½ of 1% become semifinalist
Finalists: February

9. ACT Basic Information www.actstudent.org Exam Date: December 13
3 hour college entrance exam
Composed of 4 tests
English usage
Mathematics
Reading
Science Reasoning
30 minute optional writing test
Score range 1-36 for each area
Writing test score range 2-12
Exam Date: December 13
Exam Date: February 07
Exam Date: April 18**
Exam Date: June 13**
** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses
National:
Test Takers: 1.4 million
Average Composite Score: 21.1
Texas
Test Takers: 79,050
Average Composite Score 20.7
Average writing test score 7.7

10. Things to Remember about the ACT
There is no penalty for wrong answers
If you are not positive… guess
If you have no idea… guess
If you run out of time… guess
Do not leave blank answers!
Science: charts and experiments
English: stresses grammar
Reading: 4 passages (1 of each: social science, natural science, prose fiction, and humanities)

11. SAT Basic Information www.collegeboard.com
3 hour and 45 minute college entrance exam
Composed of 3 tests
Critical Reading
Mathematics
Writing Skills
Scores range for each area
Exam Date: December 06
Exam Date: January 24
Exam Date: March 14**
Exam Date: May 2**
Exam Date: June 06**
** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses
National:
Test Takers: 1.49 million
Average Scores:
Critical Reading: 502
Math: 515
Writing: 494
Texas:
Test Takers: 137,024
Critical Reading: 488
Math: 505
Writing: 480

12. Things to Remember about the SAT
Questions are arranged in order of difficulty
1/3 easy
1/3 medium
1/3 hard
Points
Correct = 1 point
Incorrect = Minus ¼ point
Blanks = no effect on your score
0 points subtracted for incorrect student-produced response (math section)
Guess if you can narrow it down to 2 answers (3 answers use your judgment but often times guess)

13. ACT and SAT Comparison Act SAT 3 hours, 25 minutes (with writing test)
Length
3 hours, 45 minutes
4 sections
(English, Math, Reading, Science)
Plus an optional writing test
Structure
10 sections
(3 Critical Reading, 3 Math, 3 Writing)
Plus and experimental section
Scoring
Composite of 1-36 based on average scores from the 4 test sections
Score
Total score range of based on adding scores from 3 sections
No penalty for wrong answers
Wrong Answer Penalty
¼ point subtracted from your raw score for each wrong answer (except for math grid-ins)
You decide which score is sent
Sending Score History
Depends if you are enrolled in Score Choice
(Some colleges require you to send all scores)
Content
Reading comprehension-
4 passages with 10 questions per passage
Reading
Short and long passages with questions. Sentence completion
Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry
Math
Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II
Analysis, interpretation, evaluation, basic content, and problem solving
Science
Science not included
Last thing (optional): 30 minutes
Topic of importance to high school student
Essay
First thing 25: minutes
Factored in to overall score; More abstract than ACT

14. SAT Subject Test
1 hour test that measures knowledge and skills in a particular subject and a student’s ability to apply the knowledge
Scores range
Colleges may use these scores in several ways.
Admissions purposes – check specific schools’ websites
Award college course credit
Help place students in the appropriate college courses

15. Key Parts of College Admissions
High school courses/ grades (G.P.A.)
Quality of courses, level of difficulty, trends/consistency of grades
Rigor of courses
Standardized test scores
Extracurricular activities/ Your resume
Includes academic awards/ honors, extracurricular activities, interest, jobs, community services and hobbies
Application essays and/or personal statements
Recommendation from teacher
Recommendation from counselor
Personal interviews
Many schools may not require them but strongly encourage them and/or provide the option for you to interview

16. What will you contribute to their campus?
The Ultimate Question
What will you contribute to their campus?

17. Who should register with the clearinghouse?
A student who plans to attend an NCAA Division I or II institution and who wishes to participate in intercollegiate athletics.
This also applies to walk-on’s

18. Naviance connection.naviance.com/lovejoy
Update Personal Information
Update Resume
College Search
Assessments
Learning Style
Interest Inventory
Personality Assessment
S!!!!

19. Junior Home Page

20. Colleges Tab

21. Naviance Scattergrams
blackout
Reach – Target – Likely Schools

22. Target/Likely School
University of Arkansas

23. Colleges on LHS Campus

24. Careers Tab

25. About Me Tab

26. Updating Your Resume

27. Fall College Fair – Sept. 10th 1PM – 3PM PSAT: October 15th
Register early for SAT Reasoning, ACT, or/ and SAT Subject test for later in the the year
Start planning your college visits
Official visits through admissions offices
Review PSAT results
Extra effort on your Junior Grades… they are the last thing the college will see on your transcript!

28. Spring Spring College Fair - TBD SAT/ ACT/ SAT Subject (if needed)
AP Exams
Senior Classes, Dual Credit, etc.
Make Summer Plans (Enrichment Programs)
Scholarship Search
Plan College Visits
Start Narrowing College Search