1. October 12, 2015 1

2. Agenda ●Upcoming Events ●Senior Year Courses ● Overview of college admissions ● ACT and SAT testing ● NCAA Eligibility Center ● College visits and representatives ● Financial Aid ● Family Connection/Naviance 2

3. General Timeline ● PSAT – October 14, 2015 ● November-March: Junior Parent Conferences ● March/April/May/June: College Entrance Exam testing ● Ongoing: Research and visit institutions ● September 2016: Senior meeting to outline college application process ● September to Thanksgiving Break 2016: Complete majority of college applications/follow up with counselor 3

4. Senior Year Courses – Online course registration (2 nd semester) – Two credits English – American Govt. – Strong emphasis on core courses, academic units 4

5. The Search for the Right Fit “Getting into a college that is good for me” 5

6. Overview of College Admissions 6

7. Factors Determining College Admission ● Rigor of the Curriculum ● Grade Point Average ● Core Courses ● Test Scores ● Student Essay ● Extra-curricular Activities ● Letters of Recommendation 7

8. Understand College Admissions Terms ● Regular Admissions ● Rolling Admissions ● Early Decision (binding) ● Early Action (non-binding) ● Accepted/Deferred/Waitlist/Denied 8

9. Increased Uncertainty and Stress for Parents and Students Regarding College Planning 9

10. ACT & SAT Testing 2015-16 ACT Testing Dates ● Writing optional ● Dec 12 ● Feb 6 ● March 1—mandated & paid for by the state (hosted at Bay) ● April 9 ● June 11 SAT Testing Dates ● Writing required ● January 23 ● March 5 ● May 7 ● June 4 10

11. SAT Subject Tests ● May 7 ● June 4 Advanced Placement Exams ● May 2 - 13 11

12. Test Preparation ● High school curriculum ● Preparation materials in Counseling Office such as sample tests & questions ● View Counseling Department website for various resources (under college entrance test preparation tab) ● Classes ● ACT & College Board websites 12

13. Options After High School ● Four and Two Year Colleges ● Technical Training ● “Gap” Year/AFS ● Military 13

14. Resources ● College websites/student blogs ● College/Career fairs ● College rep visits to the Counseling Dept. ● Evening college visits at nearby hotels ● Counseling Department website ● College reference books ● Students and alumni ● Naviance/Family Connection 14

15. College Visits & College Representatives 15

16. Why should a student visit with a college representative? To learn more about: – various academic programs – scholarships – study abroad opportunities – campus organizations – clubs – campus life – tuition, financial aid, academic requirements – other extracurricular activities 16

17. Students are being notified of college visits in a number of ways: 1. Daily morning announcements 1. Friday email through Family Access 1. Messages through Naviance/Family Connection 17

18. How to Meet with College Reps Students should obtain a pass from the Counseling Department a day before the college representative visit and obtain teacher permission from the class(es) they might miss. 18

19. Good times to visit schools Students are encouraged to visit colleges during: – 4 day weekend (October 29 – Nov. 1) – Spring break – Summer – Campus preview days (varies by college) 19

20. College Essays in Advanced Composition class 20

21. Eligibility Center ● Division I Schools ● Division II Schools web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/ common/ 21

22. Career Fest ● November 4th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Concordia University R. John Buuck Fieldhouse ● This annual event is sponsored by several southeastern high school counseling departments, including WFB. ● Over 100 careers will be represented and all students, regardless of grade level, and parents are invited to attend. Come when you wish; leave when you wish. ● Here is an opportunity to investigate careers, employment outlook, salary, training and education requirements. 22

23. Types of Financial Aid ● Grants ● Work Study ● Loans ● Scholarships 23

24. Scholarships ● Institutional ● Generic ● Whitefish Bay Helpful websites: *Check Naviance/Family Connection (senior year) *www.finaid.com *www.fastweb.com *www.scholarships.com 24

25. Net Price Calculator All post-secondary institutions now have a net price calculator on their websites to help families estimate the cost of attendance. 25

26. North Shore Financial Aid Night ● Monday, November 30, 2015 – Hosted at Whitefish Bay High School ● Presentation begins at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium ● Open to both students and parents ● Presenter will be the Director of Financial Aid from Marquette University ● Great opportunity to learn more about financial aid 26

27. Counselor’s Role ●Assist with the exploration of postsecondary options ●Clarification of college admission requirements ●Monitor and process application information ●Letters of recommendation ●Communicate with College Admissions Offices ●Members of the Wisconsin Association of College Admission Counseling, National Association of College Admission Counseling, and College Board ●Balance & wellness 27

28. What is Naviance/Family Connection? ● Web-based resource that supports post- secondary and career planning. ● Specific to WFB students. ● Met with juniors recently to review its features. Completed a career interest survey along with a goal planning survey, and searching colleges. 28

29. How does it help? ● On-line tool for communication among students, teachers, counselors, and parents. ● Updated GPA & test scores from WFB graduates. ● Assessments of your chances of admission at colleges where prior graduates have applied. 29

30. What can students do with it? ● Explore careers & majors. ● Complete career and personality surveys. ● Search & compare colleges. ● Produce scattergrams of past WFB acceptances… denials…waitlists. ● Show WFB college visits. …..and much more!! 30

31. Home Page 31

32. Colleges Tab 32

33. Colleges I’m Thinking About 33

34. Careers 34

35. About Me 35

36. Scattergrams 36

37. My Planner 37

38. More About Me survey ● The More About Me survey can be found under the “About Me” tab in the student’s Family Connection account. ● The survey helps teachers and counselors write thorough recommendations on behalf of the student. ● Students must complete this survey for a staff member to write a letter of recommendation. ● Students should take time to start filling out the survey this year (we will remind them during our junior conference.) ● There is a parent comment form that is optional and only seen by the counselors. 38

39. Naviance/Family Connection Tips ● Visit the website often! ● Explore on your own and with your child. ● Always keep a current email address. *We hope you will find this resource helpful and if you have any questions, please contact the counseling office. 39

40. How Many College Applications? ➢ (1-2) Reach: These are schools with highly selective admissions. Your grades and scores could be around the averages or below the averages for these schools. When you study the admissions data, you find there might be a possibility of getting in, but it’s a bit of a long shot. ➢ (3-4) Reasonable/Target: When you look at the profiles for these colleges, your academic record and test scores are right in line with the averages. You feel you measure up favorably with typical applicants for the school and you have a decent chance of being admitted. ➢ (1-2) Reliable/Safety: These are schools where your academic record and test scores are measurably above the average of admitted students. 40

41. So, what should you (students & parents) be doing this year? To sum it all up, here’s what we encourage students and parents to do this year: ● Familiarize yourself with Naviance—search and compare schools. ● Continue to take challenging courses and keep grades up. ● Continue to participate in extracurricular and volunteer activities. Demonstrate leadership, initiative, commitment, and leadership. ● Visit colleges/meet with reps. ● Meet with your counselor for the junior conference—an invitation will be sent to your home (November thru Feb/March). ● ACT and/or SAT in the spring. ● Keep track of dates and deadlines. ● Research and consider all options. ● Get a part-time job, apprenticeship, internship, or job shadow in an interested profession. ● Overall, keep working hard at school. 41

42. Twitter Come follow us on Twitter!!! @WFBcounseling 42

43. Remember….. *We are here to help guide you and your student through this process and answer any questions you might have. *We look forward to seeing you during the junior conference. *The time goes by fast….it can be stressful, but we’ll help you get through it. ☺ 43

44. Thank you for attending Junior Parent Information Night! 44