Applying to College – What Should I Know? College & Career Center Conroe High School

Where Do I Begin?   Much of the college application process is in the planning. The first step is for parents and students to talk about what the expectations and the possibilities are.

Plan together with parents--  Visit college campuses when on vacation  College catalogs are at your fingertips  Shadowing or internships can help you visualize career choices  Determine what you can do financially.  Make a list of all clubs, organizations, volunteer opportunities, community activities, etc. in which you have participated – and note leadership roles, awards, and time spent in each activity.

What do colleges expect?  Challenging course work  A good GPA/test score combination  A strong senior year  Community involvement  Leadership skills  Special skills or talents  An interest in their institutions

Do your research!  What are your career goals? (Don’t know? Go to the College & Career Center and do an interest inventory on Naviance.  Go to sites like to do a college search, better yet go on to Naviance and do a college search & match.  If you can, visit the colleges that interest you – at least a virtual tour-the Naviance web site has direct links to almost every college or university in the US and it is an excellent place to do a virtual tour/college search  If you plan to major in performance arts, start thinking about auditions or portfolios.  If you’re interested in participating in college sports, be sure to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center in the spring of your junior year.

Testing  After you have done your research and you know admission requirements for your college/university you have to decide which entrance exam you should take- SAT or ACT. (We will offer an SAT/ACT Combo Testing-sponsored by Kaplan in the Spring for Juniors to help decide which one they should take).

Tests Compared  SAT Test  Reading heavy  Will need Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II  Math = 33% of score  Not based on school curriculum  No science  Essay  ACT Test  Grammar/Reading heavy  Need Algebra I, Geometry and Trig  Math = 25% of score  Based on school curriculum  Science reasoning section  Writing optional *fee waivers are available for both tests, if you are on free or reduced lunch

So, Which one should you take?  We recommend they take both  Look at the comparison chart – where does your child’s strengths lie?  If you child is not particularly strong in math or in verbal skills, the ACT might be better  By taking both, you can have a better idea of which one might be best to retake if the scores are not what your child wants or needs

Now you are ready to do your College Applications  Texas Common Application –use this application to apply to all Texas public colleges and universities –  The Common Application – use this application to apply to over 302 selective colleges and universities (including Austin College, SMU, Southwestern, TCU, Trinity and Rice) –  Less than 2% of colleges use paper applications, if yours is one of them than download the application or go by the CCC to see if they have paper applications.

Parts of the Application  Student Section  School Section  Teacher Recommendation Section  Mid-Year Report Note: Not all applications will have ALL of these sections

The Student Section  Personal Data  Family Information  Educational Data  Test Information  Senior Year Courses  Activities/Awards  Essays

Some Helpful Hints  Make a copy of the application and do a draft  Apply on-line if possible  Explain your activities  Neatness counts  Ask someone to proofread – spelling, grammar, etc.  Take your time – this is important!!  Meet all deadlines!

Once complete  Make a copy for your records  If submitting a paper copy, mail application and application fee  Be sure to have test scores sent to the college from the testing agency ACT – ACT – SAT – SAT – Allow 4-6 weeks before the deadline for scores to reach the colleges

The School Section  Transcript (Request official transcripts using your Naviance Account)  School Report/Counselor Section -- Rank/GPA -- Rank/GPA -- Rating of Curriculum -- Rating of Curriculum -- If Required: Recommendation (Recommendation Request forms are in the CCC) -- If Required: Recommendation (Recommendation Request forms are in the CCC) -- Mid-Year Report – Not required by all schools -- Mid-Year Report – Not required by all schools

Teacher Section  Background Information/Context  Recommendation (academic and personal characteristics, motivation, self- confidence, independence, written expression of ideas, work habits, potential for growth)  Remember to give your teachers/counselors three weeks to write a letter of recommendation  Give the request directly to the person, do not put in their mailbox or leave on their desk.

Application Fees  These range in cost from institution to institution  If you have qualified for an SAT/ACT waiver, you will qualify for an application waiver as well. Check with your college & career counselor or check with the institution that you are applying to- sometimes they have their own application fee waiver forms.

Know your school’s procedures for processing applications:  Your College and Career handbook has procedures for your campus on how to go about requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation.  Give teachers and counselors plenty of time to write your letters of recommendation  Make sure you’ve requested that a transcript be sent in a timely manner-all transcript request must be made through your naviance account (if you forgot your log in information go by the CCC and they well reset it for you).  Watch your deadlines closely!!

Again – Deadlines MATTER!! Postmark Received by In Our office by High School deadlines Watch holiday times both for your high school and the colleges your are applying to !!!!

Now Wait for the Decision..  Decisions may be based on things you can’t control: o Gender o Ethnicity o Region o Other characteristics that create diversity o Another big part of their decision is based on what YOU can control o Major o Essays o Activities o High school course selection o Grades GPA and test scores

Good Luck!!!!!!  Now that you have finished your applications its time to give 100% to getting Money to pay for College.  Access the scholarship list on Naviance, or sign up for a search engine.  Attend the Scholarship or Financial Aid Session Presentations tonight. Also check Ms. Harbin’s web site for upcoming events in the CCC.