COLLEGE INFORMATION NIGHT Q & A

COLLEGE INFORMATION NIGHT Q & A
October 28, 2008
6:30 – 8PM

Handouts:
    Post Secondary Options
    Important Things for All Students to Know
    College Planning Goals for Sophomores
    Junior Year Planning For College
    Counseling Connection
    College and Career Planning Calendar
    Senior Planning Calendar
    SAT vs ACT

Types of colleges: Ann Nebolon
    Community colleges: approximately 100 in California; certificate, associate’s degree and transfer programs.
                      18 or high school diploma
                       Placement test
                       Recommend college prep courses if transferring
Technical and Career colleges: approximately 400 in California
        High school diploma
        Interview
        Recommend English, math and Career Tech classes
California State Universities: 23 campuses
        All sizes: 6 campuses over 30,000 and 10 campuses smaller than 10,000 the smallest being 850
University of California: 10 campuses
    Largest: 38,000 (UCLA) smallest 2,000 (Merced)
Private schools
    About 75 campuses in California. Some are highly selective others have less selectivity.
    Largest 33,000 (USC); some are smaller than SDA; Most are about 6,000-8,000

How to determine what type of college YOU want? Carolyn Lee
    Personal inventory:
        What are your strengths and weaknesses?
        What are your positive/negative high school experiences?
        What is your learning style?
    Why do you want to go to college
    What do you expect to get out of college?
    What is important to you in determining what type of college you attend?
        Distance from home                  Interaction with professors
        Cost                                         Size of school
        Major                                       Class size
        Big name school                       Dorm life
        Diversity                                   Urban/suburban/rural
        Weather                                   Social opportunities
        Sports/clubs/activities                Academic challenge

What are colleges looking for? Vicki DeJesus
    Academic curriculum: a-g subject requirements The more the better chance of admission.
        (AP classes and who should take them)
    Grades: Must have grades of C or higher each quarter. The higher the grades the better chance of admission.
    College admissions tests: SAT Reasoning Test or ACT + writing and maybe 2 or 3 SAT Subject Tests
        PSAT/PLAN and results lunch Jan 14
    Extra curricular activities
    Honors and awards
    Leadership positions
    Community service
    Essay
    Letters of recommendation

Application Process Vicki DeJesus
    Community colleges: spring of senior year
    4 year colleges: Fall of senior year
    We provide application workshops for CSU and UC
    Early Action/Decision/Regular/Rolling
    Document everything

Financial Aid Candice Rolfsmeyer Jan 15 Financial Aid Night at SDA
    FAFSA and EFC
    Grants: college, state, federal
    Loans: private, federal
    Scholarships: college: academic/talent; private
    Work Study
    CSS Profile

Where to find information Candice
    Counseling webpage: http://teachers.sduhsd.net/sdcounseling
    Counseling Connection
    SDA College and Career Center
    College rep visits to SDA "
    College Fairs: April 14, SD Convention Center
    College visits during summer and other vacations

Q & A

Testing Questions: www.actstudent.org and www.collegeboard.com

Is the PLAN only for practice for the ACT? Yes, but it also has a career component that helps students determine interests.
Is there a need to prepare for the PLAN? No
Should I take the PSAT or PLAN more than once? If you feel you need more practice, yes, once in 10^th grade and once in 11^th grade. If you normally score very high on standardized tests you will definitely want to take the PSAT your junior year to possibly qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program.
If you are taking an AP class should you take the AP test even if you don’t think you will do well? Yes, the main reasons a student should take an AP class is for a passion for the material and to take the test with the possibility of earning college credit.
When is the PSAT offered? Once a year on a Saturday in October.
Does a student need to take the ACT or SAT if s/he is going to a community college then transferring to a four year college? No
How do students find out about when the SAT/ACT tests are offered and how do they register? Our counseling website gives lots of information about the college entrance tests.
Should seniors take the SAT Reasoning Test and the ACT + Writing? The ideal testing plan would be for sophomores and juniors to take the PLAN and PSAT to determine which test score is better for them. If it is the PLAN, then take only the ACT+ Writing in June of the junior year. If it is the PSAT then only take SAT RT in June of the junior year. Seniors would then only need to take one of the tests in the fall if they thought they could improve their score.
What does the science section of the ACT consist of? Components of the ACT test can be found at www.actstudent.org. The components of the SAT can be found at www.collegeboard.com
Explain what Kaplan Test prep offers through SDA? Kaplan offers a practice test for both ACT and SAT in the fall and in the spring for a minimal charge for each student. That money is then given to SDA’s Scholarship fund.

Counselor Questions: http://teachers.sduhsd.net/sdcounseling

How can a student see his/her counselor to talk about schedule or about college? Students may drop in before or after school and during lunch any day to discuss schedules. Students may come in during those times to make an appointment with the counseling secretary for a time that is convenient for both the student and the counselor.

A-G UC/CSU Subject Requirement Questions:

       1. Why aren’t honors classes weighted? Our district follows the policy of the UC and CSU system. Only  Honors
             PreCalculus and all AP Classes are weighted.
          2. What if a student receives a C in an AP class the first or third quarter? The student should stay in the class, develop
             better study habits and ask for help so that the grade will be higher for the next quarter. Colleges want all grades to be a C or
             higher but higher is better!
          3. What are some examples of Visual and Performing Arts classes? All of our A-G Subject Requirement classes can be
             found on our webpage under “Preparing For College” click on “SDA’s UC/CSU A-G Subject Requirements and type in “San
             Dieguito Academy.”

Extra-Curricular Activities Questions:

1. Which is given more prestige in the application process sports or volunteering? Colleges would like for students to be involved in some type of extra curricular activity as well as volunteering. They are looking for leadership (captain of the team) and passion for the volunteer activity (a student may love sports and younger children so will volunteer at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club.)

Financial Aid Questions: More questions can be answered by going to our webpage under “Preparing For College” click on “Financial Aid."

1. Who should submit the FAFSA? All seniors (with parents), must submit the FAFSA between Jan.1 and Mar. 2 of the senior year. (And every year after that when the student will be attending college the next year.)

2. If parents are divorced which parents income is used on the FAFSA? The one that the student lives with the majority of the time.

3. Are students who apply Early Action/Decision likely to get more financial aid? Not necessarily but those who complete the FAFSA early may.