1. Junior Parent Seminar: Beginning the College Selection and Admissions Process MLHS Guidance Department

2. College Search Who are you? Time for thoughtful reflection and self analysis. –Think about your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, preferences, etc. –Parents can be very helpful with this part of the process. Dinner table discussion, but not every night! Develop List through Naviance using the College Search criteria such as: 2 year/4 year, region, location, public/private, school size, selectivity, majors, sports, cost, enrollment. Once you know what you want, then you may set out to find the colleges/universities that best match your interests and goals.

3. Important Terms Early Decision Early Action Single Choice Regular Decision Restrictive Early Action Rolling Priority Waitlist

4. Evaluating an Applicant High School Grades and GPA –GPA provides admissions officers sense of performance relative to other applicants. Rigor of program and senior course selection Rank (MLHS does not rank) Standardized Test Scores –Test Optional Colleges: www.fairtest.orgwww.fairtest.org –Test Flexible Extracurricular Activities Teacher and Counselor Recommendations Application Essay(s) Interview (required/recommended)

5. MLHS School Profile Every school has a Profile that is updated each year Contains the school’s statistical data and other information Features past performance as a benchmark Colleges compare the strength of a student’s transcript to the strength of the offerings, to peers, and to the pool of applicants MLHS’ Profile is a strong statement about our school, our students, and our community

6. High School Transcript Courses taken and final grades earned in grades 9-11 with annual and cumulative GPA. Includes senior year courses as well. Midyear Report includes Q1, Q2, and quarterly exam grades. –This report is submitted to colleges in February unless a student tells their school counselor (in writing) not to send the report. MLHS GPA is calculated using all classes except PE, Audit, and Pass/Fail classes MLHS GPA is weighted on 4.0 scale

7. Standardized Testing PSAT results will be given to students in December to be used as valuable study guides SAT and SAT II Subject Tests www.collegeboard.org ACT with or without writing www.actstudent.org AP scores are used for class placement only at most colleges. Recently, some colleges use AP scores as the “test flexible” submission in place of SAT or ACT. Please note: Students are responsible for knowing the specific requirements for each of their schools.

8. Developing Your Story Beyond GPA and Test Scores Extracurricular activities Community Service Employment Honors and awards Brag Sheets with valuable information Letters from teachers, coaches, mentors, counselor, and employers

9. College Campus Visits MLHS CODE: 310855 Register (online or phone) to visit with the Admissions Office –Information sessions, campus tours, open house, etc. Talk to other students on campus Look at facilities, surroundings, professors, and students Keep notes on the visit and specific requirements Send thank you cards

10. Student Athletes and the NCAA NCAA Regulations Division I Schools Division II Schools Division III Schools Cumulative GPA NCAA’s Cumulative GPA and test scores Register/File with NCAA in June of junior year

11. Financial Aid and Scholarships Public or Private: Free government application for federal student aid –FAFSA www.fafsa.ed.govwww.fafsa.ed.gov Private: College Scholarship Service – CSS Profile www.collegeboard.orgwww.collegeboard.org Scholarships

12. Average Admissions Criteria College or University GPASATACTAcceptance Rate Princeton University 4.382240337.44% Vanderbilt University 4.3722153312.74% University of California, Berkeley 4.3320723021.68% Tulane University 4.1019623026.43% Northeastern University 3.9419553228.27% Lafayette College 3.9019322934.14% Boston University 3.8420393136.85%

13. Average Admissions Criteria Continued College or University GPASATACTAcceptance Rate Marist College 3.0417302437.45% Villanova University 4.0719403048.09% Fordham University 3.9518852848.12% Elon University 3.9218202453.98% University of South Carolina 3.6717672663.12% James Madison University 3.5517752563.56% University of Delaware 3.6517972664.68%

14. Naviance: Colleges

15. Naviance: Careers

16. Naviance: About Me

17. Naviance: Test Scores

18. Starting the College Search

19. College Search

20. Viewing College Information

21. College Information (cont’d)

23. Colleges I am Thinking About

24. Additional Resources Guidance Department Telephone: 973-334-8580 Fax: 973-316-0815 CEEB Code: 310855 Mrs. Grasso: mgrasso@mlschools.orgmgrasso@mlschools.org Mrs. Lewandowski: llewandowski@mlschools.orgllewandowski@mlschools.org Mrs. Sullivan: bsullivan@mlschools.orgbsullivan@mlschools.org Mr. Wolfelsperger: dwolfelsperger@mlschools.orgdwolfelsperger@mlschools.org Ms. Stalter: lstalter@mlschools.orglstalter@mlschools.org Ms. Corby: mcorby@mlschools.orgmcorby@mlschools.org Dr. Moore: jmoore@mlschools.orgjmoore@mlschools.org