ACT College Planning

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ACT College Planning

• By Rosemary Bobish
• Assisted By Daniel Koehl

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Plan Your High School Course Selections

• Colleges care about which courses you're taking
  in high school!
• Colleges will be more impressed by respectable
  grades in challenging courses than by outstanding
  grades in easy ones.
• Many colleges require two to four years of a
  foreign language
• Each college and university may have different
  high school course requirements.

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Plan Your High School Course Selections

• English Four or more years (grammar, composition,
  literature, etc.)
• Mathematics Three or more years (Algebra I and
  higherdoes not include general math, business
  math, or consumer math)
• Natural Sciences Three or more years (biology,
  chemistry, physics, etc.)
• Social Sciences Three or more years (history,
  economics, geography, civics, psychology, etc.)
• Additional Courses Some colleges and universities
  require other classes as prerequisites for
  admission, such as two or more years of the same
  foreign language or courses in the visual arts,
  music, theater, drama, dance, computer science,
  etc.

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College Planning Checklist Junior Year

• Take challenging courses
• Keep your grades up
• Join an academic club
• Register for the ACT in the Spring
• Talk with your parents and high school counselor
  about colleges that interest you.
• Visit colleges
• Investigate scholarship opportunities
• Volunteer for activities and clubs related to
  your career interests
• Get a part-time job, apprenticeship, or
  internship or job shadow in a profession that
  interests you

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Summer Preparation

• Work on an updated resume
• Include all Community Service
• Include all academic and athletic honors,
  achievements, and awards
• List all High School activities
• List all leadership roles

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Summer Preparation

• Begin gathering letters of recommendation
• Teachers
• Employers
• Family Friends
• Religious Leaders

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Summer Preparation

• Gather family financial data
• Parent earnings
• Student earnings
• Assets
• Debts
• Savings (Parent and Student)

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Senior Year, No Time to Slump

• Before you give in to senior slump, you should
  know that the college may be watching you.
• Colleges, especially selective Universities, have
  been known to withdraw offers of admission to
  students who drop college prep classes or begin
  earning uncharacteristically low grades.

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College Planning Checklist Senior Year

• List, compare, and visit colleges
• Consider putting together a portfolio that
  highlights your special skills and talents
• Take The ACT in the fall
• Start or update an academic resume
• Apply early to Colleges
• Investigate scholarship opportunities
• Have fun your senior year, but don't give up on
  your college preparation

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College Planning

• Location- Distance from Home
• School Environment- i.e. urban/rural, two
  year/four year, location
• Size- Enrollment, Physical size of the campus
• Admission Requirements
• Academics- Majors offered, class size
• College Expenses- Tuition, Room Board
• Financial Aid
• Housing
• Facilities
• Activities
• Campus Visits

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Sending High School Transcripts

• All seniors can register at docufide.com for
  electronic transcript service to most Indiana
  colleges.
• Docufide recently announced agreement with the
  Indiana Department of Education to provide free
  transcript service nationwide, and a majority of
  colleges in the country have registered for this
  service.
• The electronic counselor report form (eSSR) is
  only available to Indiana colleges. For most
  Indiana colleges, NO PAPER is required because
  both the transcript and counselor form will be
  done through Docufide.
• For all out-of-state colleges and non-eSSR
  Indiana colleges, students must print the one to
  two page Counselor form (also called Secondary
  School Report) and turn it in with a records
  waiver.

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Questions to Ask on a Campus Visit

• What activities and services are available to
  help students get settled (academically and
  socially) during their first year?
• How big are the classes?
• How easy is it to meet with faculty?
• Are you able to register for the classes you
  want?
• What is the total cost of attending the college?
• What types of financial aid does the college
  offer and how do I apply?
• Are all freshmen assigned to an academic advisor?

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Questions to ask on a Campus Visit

• Where do most freshmen live?
• Can I take a tour?
• What activities are available for students?
• Who teaches the courses for first-year students?
• How successful are the college's graduates in
  finding jobs?
• What services (such as transportation and
  shopping) are available locally?
• What is there to do on weekends? Do most students
  stay or leave campus on weekends?

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College planning checklist

• Start Early!- It takes time to get scores
  tabulated and sent, and it takes time for school
  counselors and others providing references to
  gather information.
• The application form is often an admission
  committee's first contact with a prospective
  student.
• Work with your high school guidance office to
  send transcripts test scores.
• Make the most of personal references.-Ask people
  who know you and can support the recommendation
  well.
• Write an outstanding essay.- spend time crafting
  a good essay
• Be ready to interview, audition, or submit a
  portfolio.

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Top 10 College Application Mistakes

• Misspellings and grammatical errors
• Applying online, but the application isn't
  submitted.
• Forgotten signatures
• Not reading carefully
• Listing extracurricular activities that aren't
• Not telling your school counselor where you've
  applied
• Writing illegibly
• Using an email address that friends might laugh
  about
• Not checking your email regularly
• Letting Mom or Dad help you fill out your
  application

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Financial Aid Information

• The cost of education includes
• Tuition and Fees
• Room and Board
• Books and Supplies
• Transportation
• Other personal expenses
• Financial Aid is a general term for any
  financial assistance given to a student for any
  type of postsecondary education (four-year
  college, two-year college, trade and technical
  schools).

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Financial Aid Information

• Generally, financial aid is divided into two
  groups
• Need-based financial aid
• Merit-based financial aid
• Not all financial aid is based on financial need.
  Some awards are based on academic performance or
  selected skills

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Need-based Financial Aid

• Need-based Means that your family's financial
  resources, as measured by a formula established
  by the federal government, are not sufficient to
  cover your educational costs. This formula
  analyzes a family's income and assets to
  determine its Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
  toward the cost of college.

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Need-based Financial Aid

• Need Based financial aid can come in the form of
• Scholarships or grants (money that does not need
  to be paid back)
• Loans (money that is paid back, usually at lower
  interest rates than other types of loans)
• Work-Study (a job on campus)

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Financial Aid Packages

• Most colleges arrange financial aid packages for
  students who have financial need.
• The rules for these packages are based on federal
  financial aid rules.
• To be eligible to receive a student financial aid
  package, you must complete the Free Application
  for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• The federal government uses the Free Application
  for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to compute
  financial need.
• The FAFSA website lists the documents you will
  need
• Within a few weeks of filing your FAFSA, you will
  receive a paper SAR. This provides information
  from your FAFSA and your Expected Family
  Contribution (EFC).

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How to Apply for Need based aid

• The first step in applying for financial aid is
  to complete the U.S. Department of Education Free
  Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• File only one FAFSA regardless of how many
  colleges you are considering. The FAFSA includes
  a section to list the colleges where you want
  your information sent.
• Forms are available at the FAFSA website
  www.fafsa.ed.gov

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Financial Aid www.schoolsoup.com
Writing an Essay www.collegeboard.com
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Apprenticeship

• An apprenticeship prepares you for a career
  through a structured program of on-the-job
  learning with classroom instruction, while you
  work and earn a salary.
• The programs can last from one to six years
• Most apprenticeships are registered through the
  U.S. Department of Labor, ensuring the program
  meets government standards for fairness, safety
  and training.

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Top 10 occupations offering apprenticeships

• Cook, restaurant and cafeteria
• Automotive service technician, mechanic
• Licensed practical and licensed vocational
  nurse
• Carpenter
• Police Officer
• Electrician
• Hairdresser, Cosmetologist
• Maintenance and repair worker
• Welder, Cutter, Solderer and Brazer
• Plumber, Pipefitter and Steamfitter

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More Information

• For more information on apprenticeships, visit
  with your counselor.
• You also can call America's Workforce Network
  toll-free at (877) US2-JOBS. (872-5672)

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The End