SENIOR PARENT NIGHT

The College Admission Process

TIME MANAGEMENT

THIS NIGHT IS FOR YOU

Ask questions as we go along!

CLASS OF 2016GRADUATION AND TIME

Date: June 4th

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Place: Sam Houston Coliseum

POST SECONDARY OPTIONS

Junior /Community Colleges

• Open Admissions

• Will gain an Associate’s Degree

• Can Transfer to a University to earn Bachelor’s degree

• Cheaper/smaller class size/ not as rigorous

Technical/ Trade Schools

• Open Admissions

• Designed to enter workforce immediately

• Can gain an Associate’s degree

• Can transfer to a University

• Many offer high pay for

for skilled trade

Universities & 4 year Colleges

• Admissions based on rank, ACT/SAT score, and extra-curricular/communit

y service.

• Earn a Bachelor’s degree– a broader education.

• More expensive, generally

more rigorous.

POST SECONDARY OPTIONS

Junior/Community Colleges

Lone Star

Angelina College

Blinn College

Austin Community College

Tyler Junior College

Panola College

Northeast Community College

Trade/Technical SchoolsLone Star

Angelina College

Kilgore College

Tulsa School of Welding

UTI/Art Institute

Lee College

Texas State Technical

Universities & 4 year Colleges

Sam Houston State

Texas A&M

University of Texas

Texas State

Stephen F. Austin

North Texas State

Tarleton University

University of Texas at San Antonio

POST SECONDARY OPTIONS

Military • Army

• Navy

• Coast Guard

• Marines

• Air Force

National Guard• Enlistment is 8 years

• Will provide tuition assistance—Ask for details.

• May be called to active duty

• Train one weekend per month, plus one annual two week period.

• Basic Training- 10 weeks- 3 week intervals

• Serves both Federal and State governments.

STEPS TO COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Be on target to graduate!

2. Take the ACT/SAT

3. Apply for College--- APPLY TEXAS

4. Request transcript to be sent to all colleges

5. Record extra-curricular activities/community service

6. Look for scholarships– fill out one a week!

7. Get Teacher recommendation letters– ask early!

8. Get Taxes in Early!– JAN. 1st - FAFSA

9. Make sure you meet the College Readiness Guidelines—TSI

STEP ONE: GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

• 26 of required state credits total

• 4 English

• 4 Math

• 4 Social Studies

• 4 Science

• 2 Foreign Language

• 1 PE

• 1 Fine Art

• .5 Speech

• 5.5 Electives

• PASS ALL SECTIONS OF STAAR EOC’s– English I , English II, Algebra I, Biology, US History

STEP TWO: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TESTS

ACT DATES

Test Date Registration Deadline Late Deadline- Fee

September 12, 2015 August 7, 2015 August 8- 21, 2015

October 24, 2015 September 18, 2015 Sept. 19- Oct. 2, 2015

December 12, 2015 November 6, 2015 Nov. 7-20, 2015

February 6, 2016* January 8, 2016 Jan. 9-15, 2016

April 9, 2016 March 4, 2016 March 5-18, 2016

June 11, 2016** May 6, 2016 May 7-20, 2016

STEP TWO: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TESTS

SAT DATES

Test Date Registration Deadline Late Deadline- Fee

October 3, 2015 Sept. 3, 2015 Sept 22, 2015

November 7, 2015 Oct. 9, 2015 Oct. 27, 2015

December 5, 2015 Nov. 5, 2015 Nov. 23, 2015

January 23, 2016 Dec. 28, 2015 Jan. 12, 2015

March 5, 2016 Feb. 5, 2015 Feb. 23, 2015

May 7, 2016 April 8, 2016 April 26, 2016

June 4, 2016 May 5, 2016 May 25, 2016

ACT/SAT TEST PREP

• College and Career Website- Mrs. Kempton

• College Board.org

• ACT.org

• Barnes & Noble/Amazon

• Free Study Guides on stage!

STEP THREE: APPLY FOR COLLEGE

• Apply Texas.org

• Lone Star- on their website

• Common Application- TCU, Southwestern, SMU, University of Dallas, Trinity University, Austin

College, Texas Lutheran, Southwestern University

• Check Colleges for application process

PREPARING THE APPLICATION

• Be Perfect.

• Colleges may ask for essays, teacher recommendations, transcripts, application fee.

• ESSAYS– breathe life into the statistics and numbers

• Income question– IMPORTANT!

• Field of Study- College Major-- Important for top Majors at competitive Universities.

• Include every possible extra-curricular/community service. Many scholarship

applications pull straight from Apply Texas application.

STEP FOUR: SEND TRANSCRIPT

• Request transcript from Registrar's Office- Ms. Toney

• Request Lone Star transcript at end of year

• Request final transcript after graduation

STEP FIVE: EXTRA CURRICULAR/COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Fill out form --- College and Career Website

• Look for service opportunities now!

•Get Involved- Clubs- over 65!

• Create a resume for scholarships

• Fill out a Parent brag sheet

STEP SIX: SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH

Types of Scholarships• Marketing Scholarships– no GPA required

• Work Scholarships

• Merit Scholarships

• Need Based Scholarships

• Local Scholarships/National Scholarships

• Minority Scholarships

• Athletic Scholarships

• College Scholarships—Academic– Most Deadlines by February 1st.

• Special Talent/Situational/Quirky Scholarships

SCHOLARSHIPS—WHERE TO FIND?

HHS College and Career Website

Scholarship Search Engines

University/College Scholarships– Know your deadlines!

Local Scholarship– One Application

REMIND 101– TEXT Ms. Kempton

Google It!

Ask your Employer

STEP SEVEN: RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

• Students need to fill out ‘Senior Data Sheet’ for Recommendation letters. They will give completed data sheet to teacher and allow 2 weeks for letter.

• It would be great if student could also attach a resume to the data sheet. A resume is a living document and is extremely valuable for a student to have for scholarships, jobs, colleges, and interviews.

STEP EIGHT: FILL OUT FAFSA

The office of Federal Student Aid provides grants, loans, and work-study funds for college or career school.  They offer more than $150 billion each year to help millions of students pay for higher education.

FINANCIAL AID--FAFSA

• Federal student aid includes:

• Grants—financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund)

• Loans— borrowed money for college or career school; you must repay your loans, with interest

• Work-Study—a work program through which you earn money to help you pay for school

• Use FAFSA4caster to get an estimate of how much aid you might receive from the U.S. Department of Education.

• Apply for federal student aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). And remember, the first F in “FAFSA” stands for “free”—you shouldn’t pay to fill out the FAFSA! 

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FAFSA DEADLINES

• Fill Out FAFSA4caster now to see award amount.

• Prepare Taxes ASAP- First come, First served!

• The Sam Houston Go Center will come to Huntsville High School in the Spring to provide help filling out the FAFSA.

• January 1st is the first day you can submit FAFSA

for 2016-2017 school year.

STEP NINE: COLLEGE READINESS-- TSI

• You must take a College Readiness test before beginning classes at a Texas public college or university to be sure you have the reading writing and math skills needed for college-level work. If you do not score high enough, then you will take a remedial Math, or English to prepare you for College Algebra and College English.

COLLEGE READINESS: TSI

These tests may not be required if you:

• Scored a 23 or higher on the ACT composite and a minimum of 19 on both the English and math tests.

• Earned a combined (verbal + math) SAT score of 1070, with a minimum score of 500 on both sections of Math and Reading and Writing OR

• Enroll in a certificate program of 42 or fewer semester credit hours in a public community college or technical college

PARENTS’ ROLE

• Listener

• Advocate

• Advisor of deadlines

• College Trip Organizer

• Researcher

• Cheerleader

• Career Counselor

CHECK LIST FOR PARENTS

• College Visits are important– like test driving a car!

• Be an asker of questions instead of provider of answers.

• This process begins the year of “Letting Go” for both you and your son or daughter

• Have your Child take OWNERSHIP of this process

• Post reminders on Fridge! Apply for scholarships today!

• Help your child stay organized– a file folder is best!

• Career Exploration– HELP!

• There is a place for every student after high school.

• Need to look for “Best Fit” not “Best School”– a place where your child can be successful both academically and socially.

Admissions committees have your child’s interests at heart.

WHAT ARE COLLEGES LOOKING FOR?THE FIVE P’S:

Program- How challenging is the coursework?

Performance- How well has the student done?

Potential- Indicated by standardized test scores.

Participation-What commitments outside the classroom? Job? Activities? Community Service?

Personality– Essay and teacher/ counselor recommendations. Interviews can explain a bad year.

WHERE SHOULD I APPLY?

1. Good Match Schools– apply to 2-3 of these

• Compatibility between student grades and academic quality of the school’s freshman profile.

2. Reach Schools- apply to 1-2 of these

• If you are thinking “it won’t hurt to try” then it is more than likely a reach school.

3. Safety Schools- apply to 1-2 of these

• More than likely will not turn you away. Your child must be happy and willing to attend this school.