1. Doug Wiegand Rising Sun High School

2.  Better Paying Jobs  Access to Wider Range of Career Choices  Exposure to variety of people and cultures  “Supposed to make you worldly”  Avoid becoming an Adult

3.  College Graduates earn more Money  Most students switch majors  25% do not return for their Sophomore year  50% of those who start college will not graduate  Involvement increases graduation chances

4.  35-40% are Drug and Alcohol Related  Other Reasons; ◦ Relationships ◦ “I’m taking a year off” ◦ Financial Issues ◦ Depression ◦ Homesick

5.  23% of US Population has a Bachelor’s Degree  20% have an Associates Degree  6% have a Master’s Degree  1% have a Doctorate  2% have a MBA, JD or MD  Average starting salary for a Bachelor’s Degree in 2012 will be $58,000

6.  10. Grades are more important than challenging classes  9. SAT tests are more important than grades  8. I need to decide on my career prior to college  7. A difficult 9 th or 10 th grade year will doom you.

7.  6. I need to be in many activities to be considered  5. College is 4 years  4. My life is ruined if I don’t get into _____ college/university  3. Liberal Arts colleges lack Science and Engineering Programs  2.The Federal Government gives the most Financial Aid

8.  1. “There is no way I can afford this”

9.  Cash  Credit Cards  Payment Plans  Parents work at college that offers free tuition to dependents  Utilize Financial Aid Options like 75% of College Students Nationwide

10.  Merit-Based ◦ Scholarships (Public and Private) ◦ Institutional Aid (from the college) ◦ Grants (State Residents) ◦ Awards (Local Groups, Civic organizations etc.)

11.  Need-Based Aid ◦ Cost of attendance – EFC = Financial Aid ◦ CA – EFC = FA ◦ Starts with The FAFSA

12.  4-year State University  $17,000 cost (Tuition, Room, Board, Fees, Books, Supplies, “incidentals”)  FAFSA says you have an EFC of $10,000  The remaining 7,000 is Financial Aid  This is called a “Financial Aid Package” through the Institution

13.  Community College ◦ $5,000 cost (Tuition, Fees, Books, Supplies) ◦ EFC is $10,000 ◦ You can still receive Merit-Based scholarships from the school or other sources

14.  Harvard University $50,000/year ◦ EFC is $30,000 ◦ You qualify for $20,000 in Financial Aid ◦ Do the FAFSA no matter what you think your EFC might be

15.  Perkins Loan  $5,500 maximum per year for Undergraduate  8,000 maximum per year for Graduate  5% fixed rate  Product of the 1965 Higher Education Act

16.  Stafford Loans (subsidized)  Fixed 4.5%  Government pays the interest  $ 3,500 Freshman Year  $ 4,500 Sophomore Year  $ 5,500 each for Junior/Senior Year  $ 5,500 for “Fifth Year”  NEED BASED

17. UUnsubsidized Stafford Loans ◦6◦6.8% Fixed ◦2◦2,000 per year Freshmen through “Fifth Year” for Dependent Students ◦6◦6,000 for Freshmen and Sophomore Years, 7,000 for Junior, Senior and “Fifth Year” ◦*◦*NOT NEED BASED

18.  Most Federal Programs are need-based  You EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) is the most important factor in receiving financial aid.  Scholarships are mostly merit-based and competitive.  Scholar ship

19. FFinding the “right” school for you EEnvironment AAcademic Program ( No Marine Biology at North Dakota State) CCost PProximity to Parents (and Vice Versa) SSelectivity (How tough is it to get in)

20.  Take your own tour after the admissions office tour  Acknowledge your reactions to a campus visit  Process these reactions with your child (in the car, they are trapped)  Think of this process as the same as buying a house  In reality, your child is moving there

21.  Regular Decision Submit an application by a certain date Receive a decision by a clear date Non-binding commitment Decide by May 1st

22.  Applications are reviewed throughout the year  Decisions are made as applications are submitted  Non-binding commitment  May 1 st is usually the deadline

23.  Apply early with the intent to receive a decision early  Early action is usually about two months prior to the regular decision deadline  Non-binding commitment  Still have until May 1 st to decide

24.  You have made a commitment to this school as your first and only choice  100% sure that this is where you want to go to school  Deadlines are early  Commitment is binding

25.  Think of your application as a pizza with eight fairly equal slices

26.  Think of yourself as the Delivery Person of your Application

27.  Have you taken challenging classes in your High School Career?  This includes your Senior year  Many Colleges want to see the 1 st semester Senior Year grades

28.  The most accurate way to compare you to other students (standardized test)  Taken into greater consideration the more applications a school processes (College Park, UD, PSU, UVa.)  Writing portion allows admissions to assess your skills  “Writing on demand”

29.  Quality vs. Quantity  Leadership position vs. Membership  Emphasizes being “well-rounded”

30.  How do you compare to students in your class?  Top 10% in a class of 280 where 40% go to a 4-year college (RSHS)  Top 10% in a class of 280 where 15% go to a 4-year college  Top 10% in a class of 140 where 95% go to a 4-year college

31.  How is your GPA configured?  Unweighted vs. Weighted  Unweighted of a 3.1 and a weighted of a 3.5 shows that you have taken challenging courses (Slice #1)

32.  Clear and concise  Answering the question?  Avoid an overabundance of flowery language. This seems disingenuous.  Be mindful of the SAT/ACT writing section that is sent with your scores to schools.

33.  A teacher that you have had in a challenging class  A coach that knows your character  Leadership skills, ability to work with others, work ethic and habits  You want the recommendations to reflect a cross section of your teachers

34.  Misspelled words, poor grammar  Organized, neat and professional-looking  Within the deadlines given  Is your application appetizing?

35.  Did Aunt Gertrude or Uncle Paulie donate large quantities of cash to the general fund of the College?  Are you the second coming of Peyton Manning or LeBron James?  Are you the Next American Idol?

36.  Apply Online  Many Colleges/Universities are paperless, or as paperless as possible  Send a Thank You card to the representative if you meet with one.  Approach this process as if it is another class

37.  Early November- Early Decision/Action Deadlines  November/December- Filling out Applications (mostly online)  December- Last time to take the SAT’s for 4 year college purposes  Financial Aid/FAFSA Workshop

38.  January is FAFSA-time  February- Mid-Year Transcripts sent to College Admission offices  March- Student Aid Report (SAR)  March/April- Acceptance Letters  April- Decisions and Deposits  May- Avoid Senioritis  Graduate

39.  Be Involved in the process ◦ Counselor/Student/Parent meetings ◦ Visit Colleges with your child ◦ Help organize the paperwork, but let your child do the majority ◦ “peeking over their shoulder”

40.  Organization of Materials  Payment of application fees  Deciding where to go to school  Payment of Tuition, Room and Board  Managing the due dates and deadlines

41.  Transcripts $2.00 per request  Example; 3 Transcripts= $6.00  Completing School Report on Admission Application  Transcripts and School Reports are sent by mail by Guidance  Transcripts become unofficial if opened by someone other than college official

43.  Good luck in College!!!