Strake Jesuit College Preparatory FALL COLLEGE INFORMATION NIGHT Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Factors Which Influence How a College Crafts a Class A.Application Review Holistic Review Decisions based primarily on quantitative data B.Quest for Diversity Economic Regional Racial/Ethnic Gender balance

Factors Which Influence How a College Crafts a Class C.Extracurricular Achievement Athletics Art, Music, Debate, Theatre, etc. Summer activities Volunteer work Leadership D.Special Ties- Alumni/Development Connections E.Institutional priorities

Students should consider: A.Quantitative Data: Can I get in? Rigor of curriculum High School GPA SAT/ACT scores SAT subject test scores if required

Students should consider: B. Different types of colleges: Public, Private Liberal Arts, Jesuit/Religious Public: Lower stated tuition costs Usually large campus Variety of program offerings Diversity of population (?) More bureaucracy; sometimes crowded Can be easy for students to get “lost in the shuffle” Many courses taught by teaching assistants

Students should consider: Private liberal arts colleges : Higher tuition, but sometimes less expensive overall Smaller class sizes More opportunity for engaged student participation Likely that professors teach all classes Maybe fewer majors offered

Students should consider: Jesuit/Religious : Campus culture may offer safety and comfort to our students Shared values and beliefs Many opportunities for community service Jesuit colleges and universities often are more generous to graduates of Jesuit high schools in terms of admissions decisions Many Jesuit colleges and universities offer scholarships to graduates of Jesuit high schools

Students should consider: C.Academic Culture Available majors Internships, practicums, research opportunities Ability to access dual majors/minors, create own major Teaching styles: lectures, seminars, discussions Who teaches? (professors, adjuncts, graduate students) Class size, course availability, graduation rate General education requirements, grading system Semesters/quarters

Students should consider: D. Location/Campus Surroundings  Weather,  Accessibility (how far to airport?)  Backdrop (urban, suburban, rural), close to shopping, entertainment?  Do students have cars, bikes, take bus, walk?

Students should consider: E. Campus Culture  Where are students from?  Diversity: socio-economic, ethnic  Campus housing (guaranteed?/for how many years?)  What do students do for fun? Extracurriculars/sports/Greek life  Religious life?  What do students talk about?

Students should consider: F.Cost Use net price calculator to estimate cost to you Merit scholarships, financial aid, loans/no loans G.Prestige? Selectivity ≠ Prestige Perceived Prestige ≠ Success College fit → Success

To learn more: A. Meet with College Reps Access scheduled college visits in Naviance under COLLEGES List updated regularly so should review often Teacher permission required Announced on SJET and Crusader Connection student newsletter B. Visit campus C. Visit college websites

To learn more: D. College Fairs Catholic High Schools College Fair October 8, 2014 Strake Jesuit College Preparatory Competition Gym 6:30 pm Houston Performing/Visual Arts College Fair October 20, 2014 Rice University, Alice Pratt Brown Hall 7:00 pm NACAC College Fair February 12, 2015 NRG Center (formerly Reliant Center) 9:30 am -12:30 pm, 6:00-8:00 pm

TEXAS A&M UPDATES December 1: Application deadline; rolling admissions Students are encouraged to apply early to impacted programs Architecture Business Engineering Natural Sciences Students should complete optional ApplyTexas essay AND upload a detailed resume through their A&M portal. Mays School of Business Students will initially be admitted in the Business Administration program and then transfer into upper level classes after the first year. Engineering All students initially placed in general engineering program; apply to select specific discipline after pre-requisite coursework complete

A&M statistics 21,892 total admits, 17,226 admits to main campus 10,836 (62.9% of main campus admits) top 10% 3,447 (20%) Automatic Academic Admits 2,943 (17.1%) Review admits (admit rate of 17.7%) 600 Summer Gateway admits 566 Engineering Academy at Blinn admits 3,500 Blinn team admits TEXAS A&M UPDATES

University of Texas Updates December 1: Application deadline; some honors programs have Oct. 15 priority deadlines Most competitive programs: Architecture BusinessEngineering Natural Sciences Applicants from Texas high schools: Top 7% are automatically admitted; 2016 – top 8% Top 7% admits comprise 75% of entering class Admission to the university does not guarantee admission into 1 st or 2 nd choice major