College Planning Seminar

presented by

Renee Baker,

Early Awareness Counselor

CSLFEarly Awareness & College Planning

Department

Free Services College Planning Services Financial Aid Assistance Assistance with Aid

Applications One-on-One Advising Workshops and

Professional Development Programs.

Resource Center Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Toll Free Number 1-800-237-9721 ext 589rbaker@mail.cslf.org

Visit our website @ www.cslf.com

Fundamentals

No such thing as ………“I’ve worked hard for 3 years and I deserve an easy senior year”

Senior grades courses

Count-Colleges

will see them

and

use them

Special circumstances

ATHLETES: Div. I and II must Eligibility Form for NCAA

IDEA/504: You may qualify for special considerations and services

ARTISTS & MUSICIANS: Prepare portfolios and/or auditionsNote: There are special College Fairs for Artists and Musicians and hints at www.nacacnet.org

Senior year test dates

SAT Test Deadline October 6 SAT & Subj. September 10 November 3 SAT & Subj. October 2 December 1 SAT & Subj. October 30 January 26 SAT & Subj. December 26 ACT Test Deadline____

October 27 ACT September 21 December 8 ACT November 2

Haven’t started yet ?

Your GPA? Testing? Meet with

your counselor? Career direction?

Do a computer search Visit websites and

colleges Gather applications

College Options 2-year colleges

Associates Degree or Certificates

Private or community Terminal or transfer Major in a subject Take courses in

math, English, history, etc.

4-year colleges Bachelor’s Degree Private or public Major in a subject Take courses in

English, math, history, science and world language

Current Trends1. Admission is getting more difficult

2. “Gapping” in financial aid offers

3. Early Decision/Early Action

4. Use of electronic/internet-based applications, FAFSA, SAT, etc.

5. Earlier applications=better results

When to Apply

Non-Restrictive Plans Regular Decision-Traditional admission plan

Notified between mid-March and early April Rolling Admissions-Reviewed upon receipt

Notified within 4-6 weeks Early Action-Submitted early in senior year

Notified well in advance of college’s usual date Restrictive

Early Decision-Making a commitment that student will enroll if admitted

How Colleges Make Decisions Student transcript is the

most important consideration

Testing usually is second in importance

Other things are less important but can help in admissions such as activities

Key Factors

Questions You Need To Answer

Size of college or number of students

Location(major city, suburban, rural)

Majors Difficulty of admission Dorm or Home?

Distance from home Activities or clubs Sports: NCAA

eligibility Support services Dietary needs Medical needs College costs

Have you considered…?Can you get in and pay for it?

Reach colleges

Good Match or TargetLikely schools

How much can you afford? Financial aid: Need/Merit-based

Narrow your list

Review and prioritize your criteria-do they all fit your needs and goals?

Are they all schools you would attend?

Applications

Paper or electronic-tell your counselor Answer all questions Fill in neatly and completely Essay Colleges’ deadlines Know your high school’s deadlines

Recommendations “The thicker the file, the thicker the student”

Teachers Counselor Coach Employer Club Advisor

Two faculty: Verbal and Quantitative

One from other person possible (shop teacher?)

Don’t send too many Only from people who

know you

Who does what?

Your part Application Fee Getting

recommendations Deadlines

High School Part Transcript Counselor

Recommendation School Profile Mid-Year Grades Final Grades

College decisions

Admit: No definition needed

Denied: No definition needed

Wait List: Admissible if space later

becomes available-after May 1 “What ifs”: Financial aid insufficient

What is This Going to Cost? Annual tuition and fees for colleges in Connecticut

range from $2,878 to more than $37,000 per year

$2828

$8,362

$37,106

Add-Room and Board For comprehensive total

According to Money Magazine

and the College Board, more

than 80% of students attend

colleges that cost less than

$18,000.

Distribution of Undergraduates by Published Tuition and Fees

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Under $3,000

$3,000-$5,999

$6,000-$8,999

$9,000-17,999

$18,000-26,999

$27,000--$33,000

Bar 1

3%

43%

21%

10%

9%

Source: Trends in College Pricing, 2005. The College Board

9%

14%

What Is Financial Aid?

Gift Aid scholarships grants

Self-Help loans work programs

Tax Credits and Deductions

Source: The College Board: Trends in Student Aid 2005

47%

6%6%

7%

19%

5%10%

$128.9 Billion

Federal Loans

Tax BenefitsOther Federal Programs

Private and Employer Grants

Institutional Grants

State GrantsPell Grants

What is Merit Aid? Money given without demonstrated need Money given because of some special

characteristic May or may not be renewable Not all colleges give Merit aid

What is……Gapping?

Definition: Documented need not met

Cost of Attendance= 40,000EFC= -10,000Need= 30,000Aid Package= -10,000Gap= 20,000

Money Saving Ideas

Community College & transfer State colleges and universities New England Regional Program AP or other college courses in high

school for college credit Merit Scholarships (with Honors Programs?)

Canadian and overseas colleges and universities

What’s Your EFC?

Go to www.cslf.com Click on Parents Click on Tools and

Calculators Click on College Aid

Calculator Also, check out our Early

College-Cost Estimator

What’s next? Notify colleges where admitted that

not going Send deposit by May 1 to college you

will attend Remember, senior grades will be sent

to the college. They can withdraw admission because of poor semester 2 grades

Thank you for coming tonight

Connecticut Student Loan Foundation