2011 junior night

Junior NightOctober 12, 2011

West Potomac High School – Student Services

Agenda• Graduation Requirements• College and Career Resources• College Admissions• SAT and ACT• Career Information• Junior Class Sponsor


Survey Results• 98% of students plan on attending college• 24% would like to attend a community college• 42% of students feel like they don’t

understand the college admissions process


Standard Diploma Credit & SOL Requirements

• 4 English• 3 Math• 3 Science• 4 Social Studies• 2 Health/PE• 1 Fine/Practical Art• 5 Electives– 2 sequential electives

6 SOL Tests:• 2 English• 1 Math• 1 Science• 1 Social Studies• 1 Other


Advanced Studies Diploma Credit & SOL Requirements

• 4 English• 4 Math• 4 Science• 4 Social Studies• 3 World Language (or 2/2)• 2 Health/PE• 1 Fine/Practical Art• 2 Electives

9 SOL Tests:• 2 English• 2 Math• 2 Science• 2 Social Studies• 1 Other


College & Career Center Resources

• College Information• College Visits• Scholarships• Financial Aid Information• Test Prep Info• Career Information


Room 332

Family Connection

• Log in through Blackboard

Students Should• Make sure e-mail address is current• Click on “About Me”• Complete “Game Plan”• Create “Resume”• Update list of “Favorite Colleges”• Complete the “All About Me” survey


College Tab


Scattergrams


College Visits in Family Connection


Colleges I’m Thinking About


About Me


Resume


Scholarship NominationsJob interviewsCollege activity sheetsLetters of recommendation

Career Exploration


Factors to Consider When Selecting Your College

• Academic Programs / Majors

• Size• Location• Setting• Type of School• Student Life

• Academic Reputation• Special Programs– Study abroad– ESOL– ROTC

• Cost• Financial Aid


College Fair/Night


Military Academies or ROTC Path• Request pre-candidate application for each

service academy or ROTC this spring• Recruiters advise to take both SAT and ACT• Visit the service academy in the summer

(some have great summer programs)• Get in top physical shape• Military Night at South County Secondary is

March 7


Two-Year College• Open Admissions with placement test• Transfer to a four-year college or prepare for

employment• Certificate of completion or associate degree• Have honors, college prep, remedial and ESOL

options• Offer lower tuition and no expense for room

and board


APPLYING TO SCHOOLSCommunity colleges or 2-year schools

4-year collegesTechnical or trade schools


Admission Considerations• Grade Point Average (GPA) – grades 9-11• Strength of schedule

– Choosing courses appropriate for the student’s abilities

• SAT or ACT scores• Essay or personal statement• Letters of recommendation• Resume or extracurricular activities

– Quality of involvement is more important than quantity

• Portfolio or other supplemental materials


SAT & ACT


SAT Reasoning Test•Three hour and 45 minutes test•Three sections with a maximum score of 2400•Critical Reading (200-800)•Math (200–800)•Writing

•Multiple Choice (200-800)•Essay (2-12)

ACT•Achievement test more closely tied to high school curriculum•English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning •3 hour test•Composite score (1-36) is an average of the 4 sub-scores•Optional essay (2-12)

TOEFL•Test for students who are not native English speakers•Especially important for those who don’t score well on SAT reading/writing •Test is completely online•Register on TOEFL web site

Which test should my student take?


• Most colleges accept either SAT or ACT • Check requirements of individual schools• Northern Virginia Community College

administers own placement test• Differences between SAT and ACT tests– Measure different skills– Students may perform better on one test than the

other• We encourage students to take both tests

SAT & ACT Test DatesSAT• November 5• December 3• January 28• March 10• May 5• June 2

ACT• October 22• December 10• February 11• April 14• June 9


SAT Subject Test


• Some schools will require Subject tests• Test knowledge of particular academic

discipline (history, math, sciences, etc…)• Scores used for placement in classes and

sometimes for admissions• Take immediately after the course in

high school (US History in spring)

Financial Aid• Dale Schmidt• Scholarships available through various sources– College & Career Center Files– Family Connection– Fastweb.com

• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)– Fill out online January of senior year– Qualify students for grants/loans/work studies


COLLEGE ISN'T THE ONLY OPTION…


Apprenticeships• Do the “Career Interest Profiler” survey in Family

Connection• Paid on-the-job training• Related classroom instruction• Application required• Available in more than 400 fields, such as– Carpentry– Cosmetology– Plumbing– Heating ,Ventilation, Air Conditioning,& Refrigeration


Entering the Workforce• Do the “Career Interest Profiler” survey in Family

Connection• Build a resume• Research occupations• Practice interviewing• Attend job fairs• Visit the Job Center at the South County Government

Building


Military Service• Take the ASVAB– Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery– February 14 @ WPHS – Register in Career Center

• Talk to a recruiter• Earn money for college• Provides classroom and on-the-job training


College Success Program• Early Identification Program• College Partnership• AVID• Project Discovery• Pathways to the Baccalaureate


Pathways to the Baccalaureate• Co-sponsored by FCPS, NVCC and GMU• Provides assistance to students– Transition to college– Choosing a major– Placement testing– Financial aid– Transferring to a 4-year college– Register at NVCC before high school graduation

• Guaranteed admission to GMU with a 2.5 GPA and a NVCC AA/AS degree


Junior Class Sponsor


Counselor Breakout Rooms• Rodriguez (A-Bas)-501• Moore (Basa-Cob)-502• Levine (Coba-For)-504• Allison (Fora-Jab)-Auditorium• Otoyo (Jaba-Mam)-Auditorium• McMahon (Mama-Ny)-528• Watlington (Nya-Robe)-518• Turner (Robf-Ten)-503• Jefferson Dixon (Tena-Z)-524


Education

2011 junior night