Fall College Information Night for Seniors and Parents Briar Woods High School Guidance Department

College Information Night Counselors will review material with seniors next week – Information packet & NACAC Guide This presentation is online – BWHS Guidance >>> “Presentations” Many of the documents and worksheets discussed tonight are online – BWHS Guidance >>> “Forms”

Agenda Review of the college selection process The college application “folder” and Briar Woods High School application procedures

The College Selection Process Ideally, students should begin their senior year with three or more colleges in mind There are many college search tools available – Family Connection college search function – every senior has an account; accessed through the internet – CollegeBoard website The BWHS Career Center Your child’s counselor & career specialist

The College Selection Process The LCPS College Fair, September 19, 4:00-5:30 & 6:30-8:00 at Stone Bridge HS – Focus on a couple schools, then… – HAVE FUN! – Helpful questions to ask college representatives

The College Selection Process College representative visits to BWHS There is no substitute for a campus visit as a way to assess a school – Use a worksheet to record your experiences, what you like/dislike, contacts you make, etc.

The College Selection Process College testing – SAT Reasoning Test (admissions) – ACT (admissions) – SAT Subject Tests (typically for placement) Register now!!! The Loudoun test sites fill up quickly

The College Selection Process - Summary Use college search programs to help select colleges Use available resources to further narrow your search Visit colleges! Take the college entrance exams (SAT and/or ACT) If you need a more thorough review, plan to attend Junior College Night on October 18

The Application “Folder” –The Magnificent Seven Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

The Application “Folder” Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

The Application Most applications are submitted electronically over the internet Print and review before submitting it! Seniors are responsible for completing and submitting their own applications (not mom & dad!) Seniors should make copies of all applications they submit Many colleges use the “Common Application”

The Application Seniors are responsible for being aware of application deadlines (see NACA Guide) – Regular Admission – traditional deadline – Early Decision – binding – Early Action – non-binding – Rolling Admission – applications accepted based on space availability until the institution is “full”

The Application “Folder” Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

The Essay Not all colleges require an essay Most essays are submitted electronically along with the application Seniors should make sure they are understand the essay topic Seniors are advised to print out and review (with help!) their essays before sending them

The Essay English teachers are more than happy to help students with essays; some teachers incorporate this into their curriculum Seniors should save all essays because they may be modified and reused – but be careful Essay resources – BWHS library, BWHS Career Center, public library, book store, internet

The Application “Folder” Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

Student Resume Many colleges accept student resumes Resumes are usually sent to the college electronically along with the application and essay Resumes can highlight your accomplishment both in and outside of school An effective resume is EASY TO READ! Use resume templates and samples to format your own Information on resumes must be 100% accurate Use , Facebook, MySpace, etc. appropriately (if you wouldn’t put it on a resume…)

The Application “Folder” Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

Secondary School Report Some colleges provide the student with a Secondary School Report form for the counselor to complete and send in It is the student’s responsibility to print it out and bring it in!

The Application “Folder” Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

Test Scores Seniors are responsible for determining the tests needed for the colleges they are applying to – SAT Reasoning Test (typically for determining admissions) – ACT (typically for determining admissions) – SAT Subject Tests (typically used for placement) Seniors are responsible for having their test scores sent to the colleges they are applying to Requests are made directly through the CollegeBoard or ACT; BWHS nor LCPS send test scores Seniors can request their scores be sent when they take the tests; or they can have their scores sent after the test date by contacting the CollegeBoard or ACT

The Application “Folder” Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

The Transcript Seniors must submit a Transcript Release Form signed by a parent. Forms can be obtained in guidance and are online Seniors must submit the form in person to the counselor (along with the Secondary School Report if required) We ask that seniors submit transcript requests a minimum of two weeks before the college application deadline (last year we sent over 1200 transcripts) We track the process date and send date – posted on Family Connection

The Transcript We include a school profile with transcript Transcript requests must be made before December 1 st in order to be sent before winter break All LCPS student’s are charged $3.00 per transcript Please only request transcripts to be sent to colleges you are actually applying to There are no costs for mid-year and end-of-year transcripts

The Application “Folder” Application Essay Student Resume Secondary School Report Test Scores Transcript Letter of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendation Counselor Letter – If a senior needs a letter of recommendation from the counselor, he/she can request it when he/she requests the transcript – Every senior will be provided with a Senior Information Packet to be turned into the counselor – The Senior Information Packet is posted online and contains a parent “brag” section

Letters of Recommendation Teacher Letter: – If a letter of recommendation is requested from a teacher, the senior should make the request directly to the teacher and provide the teacher with a postage-paid envelope addressed to the college – Think about who you are asking… they may need more time!

Letters of Recommendation Seniors should allow counselors and teachers a minimum of two weeks to write a letter Please only request letters to be sent to schools you are actually applying to If you send more letters than the college requests, you can’t control which ones they choose to read

The Application “Folder” - Summary Senior submits application electronically to the college Senior submits the essay electronically to the college (if there is one) Senior may submit the resume electronically to the college Senior has test scores sent directly to the college by the SAT (CollegeBoard) or the ACT Senior meets with counselor directly to request a transcript by submitting a Transcript Release Form Senior may submit Secondary School Report (if provided by the college) when they meet with the counselor Senior may request letter of recommendation (if needed)

Keeping Sane!!! Complete one college application “folder” at a time Trying to work on several applications at once = confusion for all! Use a checklist for each application

Interviews Some colleges interview applicants Process, procedures, and guidelines vary

Communication Your child will hear everything we talked about tonight through classroom presentations Every senior will meet with his/her counselor individually Every senior will receive a NACAC Guide – includes rights and responsibilities in the college admissions process. This is a fantastic source of information!

Communication Every senior will receive a planning folder: – Planning calendar – Student information packet – Sample resumes – Transcript release form – College visit worksheet – College application checklist

Communication Students and parents can log onto Family Connection to view transcript send dates We automatically send mid-year transcripts to the colleges our students apply to (no cost) Final transcripts are sent to the colleges our students plan to attend (no cost) The infamous “we didn’t get your transcript” postcard or

Some Advice Traditional advice – Pick three to six colleges: – “Dream” schools – “Good chance” schools – “Back-up” schools Balancing “Going for it!” with “Being realistic” – Apply to colleges that are a “good fit” – Look at GPAs, test scores, high school courses, admission rates

Some Advice Complete applications one at a time – One by Halloween – One by Thanksgiving – The rest by Winter Break Use a checklist for each application Pay attention to deadlines! HAVE FUN!

Upcoming Dates LCPS College Fair – September 19 at 4:00pm- 5:30pm & 6:30pm-8:00pm, SBHS Junior College Information Night – October 18 at 7:00pm NCAA Night – November, date TBA Financial Aid Night – December, date TBA

HAVE A GREAT SENIOR YEAR!!