COLLEGE PLANNING AT VAN HORN HIGH SCHOOL It’s YOUR choice.

GAME PLAN! Introduction College Planning Picking a Best Fit College College Web Lingo A+ Eligibility Upcoming Events Questions

MS. MEYER  Born and raised in House Springs, MO (AKA 30 minutes south of St. Louis)  1 st Generation College Student  Graduated from University of Missouri this past May! (MIZ)  Bachelor of Arts in Psychology  Bachelor of Arts in Sociology  Multicultural Certificate

 THIS YEAR : National College Advising Corps has over 450 advisers will be working in more than 500 high schools in 14 states!  IN MISSOURI : 41 advisers- 16 advisers here in the Kansas City area!  OUR MISSION : Increase the number of first-generation college going, low-income, and/or underrepresented students who APPLY, ENTER, and COMPLETE college!

WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU!? I CAN HELP WITH:  Researching colleges and/or majors!  College Apps!  ACT Registration!  Taking you on College Tours and Providing Rep Visits!  FAFSA!  Scholarships I CANNOT HELP WITH:  Deciding your future for you.  Getting you out of classes you do not like.  Writing passes when you are running late to class. Sorry. Not Sorry.

SENIOR YEAR PLANNING August-December COME SEE ME! Attend College Rep Visits/Tours Start Applying Shoot for Three Schools! Note: Specific Deadlines! Scholarship Deadlines Send out Transcripts/Fee waivers Get Letters of Recommendations Write Personal statements or Application Essays Take the ACT to Improve Score. Fee Waivers Improving a score 1 or 2 points could be thousands of dollars.

SENIOR YEAR PLANNING CONT. January-May FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Can be completed ASAP after January 1 st Priority Deadline – March 1 st Missouri Final Deadline – April 1st Scholarship applications Wrap It Up! Housing Verification Documents Accept Financial Aid Awards Enroll in classes SMILE YOU DID IT

JUNIORS NEVER TOO EARLY TO START PLANNING FOR YOUR FUTURE August-December Get academics on track Explore college and major options Make a list of 7-10 schools that interest you Sign up for Campus Tours and Representative Visits January-May Take the ACT Narrow your list down to 5-6 colleges Sign up for Campus Tours and Representative Visits Find an internship, job, or volunteering opportunity to help with your college applications later!

WE WANT TO FIND YOUR BEST FIT SCHOOL!  Best Match refers strictly to numbers (GPA and ACT), which is not always a best-fit for students.  Best Fit is all things that pertain to what YOU want! What’s the difference between “best match” and “best fit?”

RANK YOUR PRIORITIES! Size Location Extracurriculars Majors/Areas of Study Sports Religious Affiliation Prestige Social Atmosphere Academics

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHILE SEARCHING FOR A BEST FIT SCHOOL: Sports: are a HUGENORMONGOUS time commitment in college. You better REALLY love your sport to play in college—keep in mind, why are you playing? If you get an athletic scholarship, it is more worth it to continue in your sport, if not, you are more likely to burn out. Location: students who go away to a college, but plan to drive home every weekend for family, work, etc. lose a connection to their school and are less likely to graduate.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHILE SEARCHING FOR A BEST FIT SCHOOL Academics: If you are choosing a major that begins with pre-, like pre-nursing, and you are required to later re-apply to get into the professional program actually called Nursing School, HAVE A BACKUP PLAN! You are not guaranteed to get in!

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHILE SEARCHING FOR A BEST FIT SCHOOL Social Atmospheres: party schools are colleges that have a bad reputation for students putting social life above academics. That does not mean that you should not go there, but DO be careful. Be responsible, finish your work before you go out, and have A LOT of self-control. They are often very large schools too, so obviously, not everyone parties, and there are lots of different types of people who go here.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHILE SEARCHING FOR A BEST FIT SCHOOL Religious Affiliation: many schools are affiliated with one religion or another, and some schools are more affected by this affiliation than others.

COLLEGE EXPLORATION  Keywords:  Admissions Prospective student Future student Incoming freshman Undergraduate  Priority Deadline DECEMBER 1 ST  Academics Academic Programs Majors IT’S ALL THE SAME!!

A+ PROGRAM It is a state funded program that can pay for your community college tuition! Because it’s called A+ do you have to have A’s to be in it? I am definitely going to a 4-year school, so why does this matter to me? Visit Student Services and talk with Mr. Amaya about eligibility requirements and setting up tutoring hours!

UPCOMING EVENTS ACT National Test Date: September 13  Registration Deadline: Already passed. ACT National Test Date: October 25  Registration Deadline: September 19 ACT National Test Date: December 13  Registration Deadline: November 7 Look out for announcements about college ambassador information, college rep visits, and college tour dates!

QUESTIONS? Ms. Meyer’s Location and Contact Info: Room 206 (Ms. Solomon’s old room!) on Twitter