College Night Slides

 

 

12th Grade College Night Slides

If you click the above, you should be able to download the slides from Tuesday’s 12th Grade College Night.

 

 

College Guidance Update, 9/19/2011: Searching for Schools and Picking the Right Kind of Application

Using CollegeBoard Effectively to Find Schools That Are a Good Fit

The CollegeBoard is just as much a bane of my existence as it is yours, but its college search features are actually really, really good.  Besides being able to search schools that you know and click “See Similar,” as well as the ability to compile lists of schools you’re interested in and being able to see how you stack up, there’s also the “Find Your Match” feature:

By clicking on this, you’ll have the chance to search for schools by Type of School (Large, Medium, Small; co-ed; etc.) Location (Urban, Suburban, Rural, amongst others); Majors (you can type in a keyword or interest and it gives you every major that might relate to that interest); Admissions (is it highly selective, easy to get into, etc.); and several other categories:

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It’s a great tool, and could help you find out about a college you didn’t know about!

“Express,” “VIP,” and Other Priority Applications

Several students have come up to ask me if they should fill out one of various “express” applications offered by colleges, usually where the application fee is waived.  If you take a look at the school’s website/literature/CollegeBoard profile and you think it’s something you’d be interested it, then apply!

However, it at all possible, apply on the Common Application!

I’m happy to provide all the necessary documentation for any college you apply to, but the more we use the Common App and and ApplySUNY, the less paperwork (i.e., the less time Mr. Frick is locked in that windowless office).  Usually, these schools will give you the option of providing a code to waive the fee on the Common App, and if they don’t you can call them and tell them you’re applying on the Common App.  This cuts down on the paperwork/copying/etc., and is better for everybody. Like I said: I’ll help you apply anywhere you want, but I get a bit testy when I find out I’m doing 15 minutes of paperwork for a student applying to a school they have no real interest in, but one for which “they got a free application.”  Please, don’t!

Early Decision or Early Action: Should You Consider It?

Applying Early Decision means that should you be accepted, you are committed to attending to said school.  Early Decision deadlines are usually November 1, and have several advantages:

• It shows that you are really, really interested in the school, possibly giving you an edge you wouldn’t otherwise have–especially at private schools
• Means you’re competing with a smaller pool of applicants, which could also be an advantage

However, applying Early Decision also has several disadvantages:

• You are basically legally obliging yourself to attend a school before you find out what kind of financial aid package that school is going to give you.  If they don’t offer you what you need, it could get awkward.
• For public schools, if you don’t meet the criteria and are rejected Early Decision, there is a strong chance you’ll be rejected regular decision, too, as public schools can’t be very flexible on their admissions criteria

Early Action offers the benefits of finding out early–usually by Christmas–that you’ve been accepted, but still leaves you flexibility to field other offers.

EOP/HEOP  and SEEK Programs

Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) are programs within the SUNY that offer slightly different admissions criteria to students whose economic circumstances are such that it might have had a detrimental effect on their academic performance; at private schools, these are called HEOP programs, and at CUNY, they’re called SEEK/College Discovery. EOP/HEOP programs are a great opportunity, because they provide a lot of financial aid, so if you think you might quality, you should check to see if you meet a specific school’s income and academic guidelines to be considered.

EOP is not, however, the only way you should apply to college. Competition for EOP spots is tough; out of an incoming class of several thousand at a large SUNY university, only 100 or so spots will be for EOP. If you qualify, you should pick a few schools to apply EOP–you should NOT apply to all your colleges this way! The paperwork and follow-up is intense, and EOP applications require more essays and often need supplementary recommendations! So if you go this route, please be prepared to follow up!  See me if you have specific questions or want to see if you qualify.

We will be going over all of this in detail in Advisory the next few weeks!

College Guidance Update, 9/11/11: Setting Goals, Narrowing Your College List, and Some Dates to Remember

This week we’ll have our first two real advisory periods, on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we’ll laying out some basics for senior year and applying to college.  Here’s a quick rundown:

Setting Goals and Managing Expectations

You’ll be getting a copy of your transcript, which will have your cumulative gradepoint average (GPA).  At MVA, as you know, we do things on a scale of 100%.  Many colleges list their requirements on 4.0 scale, so you’ll want to convert your GPA to get a rough idea of where you stand on a 4.0 scale.  The CollegeBoard uses the following conversions:

A+ (97-100) = 4.0
A (93-96) = 4.0
A- (90-92) = 3.7

B+ (87-89) = 3.3
B (83-86) = 3.0
B- (80-82) = 2.7

C+ (77-79) = 2.3
C (73-76) = 2.0
C- (70-72) = 1.7

D+ (67-69) = 1.3
D (65-66) = 1.0
E/F (below 65) = 0.0

This is very approximate, as you can see, so take it with a grain of salt!  How an 89 can be a 3.3 but a 90 a 3.7 is a bit odd! 

In any case, your cumulative GPA–the one you’ll see on your transcript–is the one the colleges will see.  Some will ask for your senior grades (the first quarter progress report), but for most part, you’ll be judged on your grades as of completing 11th grade.  (More to the point: if you have an 80% cumulative GPA right now, that’s what the college is going to see.  And even if you work really hard this semester and do really well, the cumulative GPA is only going to increase by a few points–NOT the 15 points you’ll need to have a shot at Columbia.)

Narrowing Your Search

That being said, there is a school out there for everybody–whether it’s a CUNY school, one in the SUNY system, or a private school.  Now that you know where you stand GPA-wise, and probably have a good idea where you stand in terms of SAT scores, you can start to narrow down your college list so that you’re getting the most for your money (remember: applying to college costs money!) and that you’re being realistic about your chances. The school you apply to can be put into three broad categories:

Reach Schools–A reach school is one for which you meet MOST of the admissions criteria (GPA, SAT/ACT scores, difficulty of schedule, recommendations, etc.), but are a bit short in one area.  That is to say, when you’re looking at the typical student who gets admitted to a certain school, you meet all the criteria, but your SAT scores are a little under what they usually take.  Note: I said a little under, not several hundred (or the case of GPA, more than 5 points)! This is not to say that you have no chance, as there might be reasons why your scores don’t fully represent you, but it’s your time and money that’s going into these applications, so being realistic helps!

Solid Schools–A solid school is one for which you (more or less) meet all the admissions criteria and have a solid chance to get in, especially if you write a strong essay and have glowing recommendations (or, on the other hand, this is the type of school that would otherwise accept you, but your essay has a ton of errors).

Safety Schools–A safety school is one for which you are above and beyond the admissions criteria; there is virtually NO WAY you can get rejected, bar not submitting everything that’s needed.  Depending on your grades, this might be a community college.

So, how many colleges should you apply to?  Totally up to you!  The CUNY application allows you to apply to six schools on one application, and because everybody is strongly, strongly encouraged–required, even–to apply to CUNY, you’ll apply to at least six!  But according to the above grouping, think of it this way:

Reach Schools: Apply to 1 or 2

Solid Schools: Apply to 4-6

Safety Schools: Apply to 1 or 2

The CollegeBoard actually has lots of great features in its “college search” option.  When you search a school, you can click the “How I Stack Up” button and see how you compare with that school’s admissions criteria).  I showed you guys this last spring, but let me know if you have questions: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/index.html?student

Fees and Expenses 

I’ll go into much greater detail about fee waivers later, but here’s a general breakdown:

CUNY Schools–Fee waivers are VERY LIMITED (usually we only get about 10), so expect to pay $65 (+$10 to send your SAT scores), but remember that this gets you applications to six different CUNY schools/programs (and you only need to send the SAT scores once).

SUNY Schools–Generally, if you qualify for free-or-reduced-price lunch, I request a fee waiver for you that is good for four free applications.  After that, you must pay $50 per SUNY school.  If you don’t qualify for fee waivers, it’s the same: $50 per school

All Other Schools (Private or Out-of-State Public)–If you qualify for free-or-reduced-price lunch, I can send an NACAC fee waiver request form–which can be denied, but if you give me the proper documentation, it’s unlikely.  I’m happy to help you out here, but I usually limit these requests to 6-8 per student.  Otherwise, application fees at these schools range from $45-$75.

Important Dates

The 12th Grade College Night, where I will lay out the whole process, from admissions to financial aid, will be Tuesday, September 27th at 6:00 PM.  You are and your parent/guardian are strongly encouraged to attend! There will be a separate night for Financial Aid in December.

The first College Lock-In will be Friday, October 28th.  You will not be permitted to leave the building until you have shown proof of having completed your CUNY application and/or the first part of the SUNY application.  Pizza will be provided!

The second College Lock-In will be on Friday, November 18th.  Some students will be permitted to leave, but students who need to complete supplemental applications for SUNY and on the Common Application will be strongly encouraged to stay.

As always, if you have questions, email or comment.

SAT and ACT Deadlines; Social Media

Not that any of you really need reminding, but the registration deadline for the October SATs is Friday, September 9th!  Register on the CollegeBoard: http://sat.collegeboard.org/home

For those of you considering taking the ACT, the October test is on the 22nd, and the registration deadline is Friday, September 16th!  To register: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/index.html

As mentioned in my email, I’m going to be maintaining a Facebook and Twitter page to better disseminate information this year.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MVAFrick

Facebook: Search for “MVA College Gudiance” and friend away!