1. Kick Start to College Night Corona del Mar High School 2013

2. At this point you should:  Be narrowing your “colleges I’m thinking about” list on Naviance to 8 - 10 “colleges I’m applying to”.  Do your research using Naviance college search tools, college guide books, college visits, and conversations with college students or alumni.

3. Base this list on what you want and need in a college and on your chances of being admitted.  2 – 3 Stretch (aka - Dream, Reach, Lottery Ticket, Hail Mary) colleges  3 – 4 Likely (aka - Realistic, Mid-Range, Good Chance, Good Bet or 50/50) colleges  2 – 3 Foundation (aka - Sure Thing, Back-up or Safety) colleges (Be sure you’d be happy to attend these colleges.)

4.  It’s a match to be made by you and the college  Colleges are deciding to take a risk on you based on the evidence you present that you will: 1. be successful academically 2. bring something of value to the campus 3. take advantage of what is offered on campus 4. graduate in a reasonable amount of time 5. Attend if admitted

5.  Think about your unique talents, skills, characteristics, qualities, experiences that you would bring to a college campus.  Know your “hook” for each college on your list. It may change for different colleges.  Be sure to let your counselor and teachers know what you offer to a college. They can add it to your letters of recommendation.

6.  Students must take ownership.  Develop their own list of colleges.  Fill out their own letter of recommendation packet.  Contact their own counselor/teacher.  Fill out their own applications.  Purchase their own transcripts.  Write their own college essays.  Submit their own applications.  Make their own decision on a college.

7.  Help students get organized.  Watch deadlines. (testing, application, letters of recommendation)  Set up a schedule – ie. Sunday afternoons.  Find a space. (dining room table, desk, room)  Fill out financial aid forms. (FAFSA, CSS Profile, Cal Grant)  Provide support, encouragement and understanding.

8.  College Essay – This is where college admission committees ask themselves “Do we like this student?” “Would I want this student to be my roommate?”  Letter of Recommendation – Ask a teacher, “Are you able to write a favorable letter of recommendation for me?” (This doesn’t have to be a teacher that gave you an ‘A’ but should be someone who knows you best).  Always make a copy of anything you submit online, by mail or in person. Things can be misplaced.

9.  Start the application process early, especially the essays. You will have a lot to do senior year.  Make a chart to keep track of college information (use your College Planning Guide “My Stuff” section).  Start writing college essays over the summer.  There are a lot more great colleges than the small list of colleges everyone talks about.  Don’t narrow your options for college without knowing what you are missing.  Look harder for the hidden gems and be willing to leave California.  The U.S. has many excellent colleges that are easier to get into than the Ivies and are not the UCs.  Don’t leave anything to the last minute. Application websites can crash due to everyone trying to submit at the last minute. Submit things a few days BEFORE the deadline.  Don’t go for prestige or ranking when you decide on a college. Go where you’ll be happiest.  Don’t listen to other people’s opinions about your colleges.

10. We wish that….  students would spend more time on their college essays.  students would do the research to build a balanced list of 8 – 10 colleges.  more of the top students would apply to the hidden Ivies and gems such as Emory, Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, Tulane, Washington University in St. Louis, Colgate, Whitman, Carleton, Davidson and Kenyon.  more students would see the benefits of attending a college outside of California.  students would be willing to attend a college no one has heard of.  students would begin to consider the great colleges in the mid-west and stop flying over them to the east coast.

11. There are many great colleges where you can be happy and successful. Look for colleges that respect the work you have done during high school.

12.  Selective colleges consider the following factors for admission: -Grades & GPA -Rigor of coursework -SAT/ACT results -Application questions/essays -Teacher & counselor recommendations -Extracurricular activities

13.  Letters of recommendation (LOR) are a very important part of your application ◦ They give your colleges information about you as a person, not just a student ◦ If you are applying to PRIVATE 4-year universities, you will need a letter of recommendation from your counselor/teacher ◦ UC/CSU schools do NOT accept letters, nor do most out- of-state public schools ◦ You will need to give your counselor/teacher a packet of information so that he/she can write you a detailed letter ◦ All juniors will receive LOR training through their US History classes the week of June 10 th.  Go to CdMHS site under Programs/Counseling/Letters of Recommendation for detailed information

14.  All current juniors will be trained on how to get their counselor/teacher letter of recommendation packets completed through their U.S. History class the week of June 10, 2013. Each student will receive a 10”x13” envelope to get the process started.  JUNE: Sign up for Essay Writing Workshop (held in August)  JUNE: Ask your junior teachers to write your letter of recommendation. Many teachers want your LOR packet before school is out.  AUGUST 1 st : Research and narrow down your choices to 8-10 colleges  AUGUST 1 st – 31 st : Take your college list and put together your Counselor/Teacher Letter of Recommendation Packets  AUGUST – SEPTEMBER: Start working on your college essays based on the prompts you have identified for your colleges Timeline

15.  COUNSELOR Recommendations: ◦ A student must submit their letter of recommendation (LOR) package directly to their counselor and have a face to face conversation. LOR packages cannot be left for a counselor. ◦ Counselors will go over the packet and have a brief conversation with you. ◦ Counselors can process up to 10 LOR’s per student  TEACHER Recommendations: ◦ You must see teachers individually for their letter of recommendation guidelines. ◦ Teacher LOR packets can be found on the CdM Counseling website ◦ It is strongly advised that students also make a face-to-face contact with their teacher when requesting a letter of recommendation. ◦ Ask your teachers NOW! Some teachers want your letter of recommendation packet before school gets out.

16. If you are applying under EARLY ACTION/DECISION, you must submit your packet to your counselor/teacher by September 30, 2013 For REGULAR DECISION, submit your packet to your counselor/teacher 4 WEEKS BEFORE DEADLINE (For Jan. 1 st deadlines, submit LOR packets in mid- November)

17. In order for your counselor to write you an EFFECTIVE letter of recommendation, please place the following items in the 10”x13” envelope (provided by CdM):  Counselor Letter of Recommendation Questionnaire (parent questions are #21-30, on Naviance)  Resume  Essay (any essay that shows your writing ability)  Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) signed by student  Receipt for transcript(s)  9”x12” manilla envelope, addressed to college and stamped (3 stamps) if college does not accept electronic submission (see Naviance) Documents Required for Counselor LOR

18. In order for your teacher to write you an EFFECTIVE letter of recommendation, please place the following items in the 10”x13” envelope (provided by CdM):  Teacher Letter of Recommendation Questionnaire  Resume  Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) signed by student  Letter sized envelope, addressed to college and stamped (1 stamp) if college does not accept electronic submission (see Naviance)

19. 1. Create a Common Application account - Add the colleges to which you are applying to your list. Applications must be submitted through www.commonapp.org in order to submit documents electronically Access the common app list of members here Click here to register

20. 2. Log on to your Naviance account - (User name is first and last name, no spaces (JohnSmith). Password is student ID number) - Select the Colleges tab - Click on “Colleges I am applying to” and add colleges to this list Click “Colleges I’m applying to Enter this info after creating common app account

21.  Sign the privacy notice (FERPA) - Be sure to indicate that you waive your rights to see the documents and that you authorize all secondary schools to release your requested records.

22.  Completed FERPA waiver form on Naviance:  (Please note: You must ALSO sign the FERPA waiver found in the LOR Packet) This is your confirmation that you have signed off on the FERPA form and can now apply r, request letters of recommendation and apply to colleges and universities

23. 3. From the Naviance home page, go to the “About Me” tab and click on the “Counselor Letter of Recommendation” link on the left side. Fill out the form (Note: PARENTS need to complete parent section - questions 21-30.) Next, click on the “Teacher letter of recommendation” link of the left side. Click “Save and I am Finished” when done.

24. 4. Resume - Complete resume (either use tools in Naviance or your own format). 5. Essay - This can be a draft of your college admissions essay or a recent essay from your English class. 6. Purchase Transcripts – Pay $3.00 for each transcript requested. Go to CDMHS website and click the ASB tab/general/transcripts. Print your receipt (this will be needed by your counselor). The first 2 transcripts are free. (Note: You will need to order one transcript for every college you are sending an application to except most of the UC’s and Cal State Colleges.)

25. 7. Secondary School Report (SSR) - There are 3 different scenarios for completing an SSR depending upon whether the college is a 1) Common App College, 2) not a Common App College but accepts electronic documents, or 3) doesn't accept electronic documents. HOW DO I KNOW IF A SCHOOL ACCEPTS ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS?

26. If the college … Is a Common Application College The Secondary School Report is part of the Common Application and nothing further is needed once the Common Application is completed on www.commonapp.org. Is NOT a Common Application College but accepts electronic documents Your counselor will fill out the Secondary School Report from Naviance. Does NOT accept electronic documents Include the FERPA waiver (needs to be signed by the student) Your counselor will fill out the Secondary School Report from Naviance.

27. WHAT IS A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION PACKET?  The Letter of Recommendation Packet is a 10x13 envelope to your Counselor/Teacher requesting your letter of recommendation. This must be submitted directly to your counselor/teacher beginning September 30, 2013 and may not be dropped off.  The 10x13 envelope with the WHITE cover sheet goes to your COUNSELOR.  The 10x13 envelope with the GREEN cover sheet goes to your TEACHER. Counselor and Teacher LOR Packet

28. Include on outside: List colleges and their due dates. Include inside:  Resume  Copy of Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)  Essay  Receipt for transcript(s).  9x12 triple stamped envelope if submitting paper application Letter of Recommendation Envelope To be Completed by Student: Office Use Only College Name Applyi ng online with Comm on App? Early or Regula r Admis sion Due Date Electroni c or Paper Submissi on? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 How does your list look? Is it balanced? Dream schools? Sure bet schools?

29.  You must tell your counselor/teacher if you decide to apply to any additional schools after submitting your college list and letter of recommendation envelope. ◦ The counselor/teacher will not be automatically notified by Naviance. ◦ It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your counselor/teacher knows which schools need to receive your materials. ◦ If a college requests a transcript only, please see Linda Dunkelberger in the counseling office. She will send the transcript. ◦ All other transcript requests are handled through the LOR counselor packet. ◦ Some colleges request mid-year and end-of-the-year transcripts. You will need to fill out the blue half-sheet and pay $3 for each college. (Include a stamped and addressed envelope if needed).

31.  Each letter takes 1-3 hours to write.  Your counselor and teachers write letters on their own time.  Please respect the recommender’s time by bringing materials by the deadline.  Remember… Thank your counselor and teachers!

32.  Make sure to clean up your Facebook profile, Twitter and other social networking pages. Don’t put anything on the internet that you wouldn’t want a college to see… CHECK YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS!!  Colleges use Facebook more and more to communicate with students.  Choose a professional email address such as jane.smith@yahoo.com or jsmith@hotmail.com. (Addresses like partygirl2011@gmail.com or slacker4eva@aol.com may give schools a negative impression of you). jane.smith@yahoo.comjsmith@hotmail.compartygirl2011@gmail.comslacker4eva@aol.com

33.  College Essay and Resume Writing Workshop ◦ 4 sessions  August 21st – 23rd9:30 AM – 12:00 PM  August 21st – 23rd 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM  August 28th – 30th 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM  August 28th – 30th4:00 PM – 6:30 PM ◦ Detailed information and forms will be sent via School Loop tomorrow

34. Thank you to the CdM Foundation for your continuous support of our Counseling and College Programs departments.