COLLEGE PLANNING

The College Search

How to Get Started

Start talking!

Car rides, friends, dinner table, parents, siblings, teachers, etc.

Have conversations about colleges, jobs, where relatives attended, what they do for work, etc.

Good Questions to Ask Yourself

How far you are realistically willing to go?Big school or small school?College Major?Financial Cost?Climate?What can I see myself doing for a job in ten

years?What do I definitely not want to do?

Search Engines & Information

NavianceCollegeboardGuidance Website

Has info on Upcoming College Fairs, College Reps visiting, SAT/ ACT info, Scholarships, College Resources, Common Application info, NAHS Application Info, Campus Visit Forms, Open Houses etc.

Princeton ReviewCampus visits – Info Sessions + ToursCollege Admissions Rep visits @ NAHS College FairsCollege Guide Books

(Fiske, Peterson Guide to Colleges, Princeton Review)

How to use a Search Engine:

Search by TypeMajorSizeAdmissionsAthleticsSpecial ProgramsLocationReligious Affiliation

***The less specific the search, the more results you get. ***Should start off with a big list and narrow it down this

Spring and Summer.

TEST STUDENT:

College Search on Naviance4 Year schoolMajor in BusinessPlay BaseballNortheast Region

Make sure to save your prospective colleges in Naviance under “Colleges I am Thinking About.” ( Use the college match feature)

“College Match” to expand the list.

How to Narrow Down Your List:

Campus Visit !!!

Be realistic about where you stack up academically ( GPA , Test Scores) ( Use naviance graphs and analysis for quick check on how you stack up).

Financial Reality/ Responsibility.

Meet with Representatives.

Talk with Alumni.

Do Your Research

The more you put into your search, the less stressful senior year will be, and the easier it will be to find the best college fit for you.

Do a little at a time each week

You are unique. Finding the right College fit is different for each student. What fits for me, will not fit for you.

What Do Colleges Look For?

GPA ( grade point average) – Transcript.Courses of Study.

- Courses taken by the student (core courses).

- Rigor of Courses (College Prep, Honors, AP) Standardized Test Scores.Extra Curricular / Volunteer Activities.Recommendations.Essay.

Make Sure You Meet The Requirements

Every Colleges sets their own requirements.Do not assume Massachusetts State schools

are your “safety schools” – students must meet their requirements.

Use Naviance and college websites for data.Many Private schools will be easier to get

into than some of the Massachusetts State Colleges.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Admissions requirements for every school are different.

Most require SAT’s, and 1 Teacher Recommendation.

Some require SAT II and 2 Teacher Recommendations.

All have different application deadlines.

Some majors within a school have different standards and application deadlines.

Competitive College Majors

These majors usually have earlier deadlines and more difficult admission standards. Be informed and know the admission standards/requirements.

EngineeringNursingArt / Music ( Portfolio or Auditions)

1-2 Reach SchoolsThese schools are usually the top choices and dream

schools. It is okay to include long shots.

2-3 Realistic or Possible SchoolsSchools that possess the significant features a student

desires and at which the probability of admission is slightly better than even.

( 60% chance of acceptance).

**Many of you will have more than 3**

1-2 Safety or Likely SchoolsSchools that have most of the features a studentdesires and at which the probability of admission is highly likely to certain.

****One of these schools should also be financially safe.****

A TYPICAL LIST FOR APPLICATION TIME:

Each Year Becomes Increasingly More Competitive for College Admissions

What does this mean? Finding safety schools that students like should be a

big focus of your search. Both Academically and Financially.

Understand that even valedictorians with perfect SAT and ACT scores will get rejected by colleges….and this happened in record numbers in 2014.

DEMONSTRATE INTEREST!!

Minimum Required Courses for State School Entrance:

Algebra II: Students must successfully reach and pass Algebra II to be

accepted into a state school.

Two Years of the Same Foreign Language:Students must complete this to be accepted into a state school, unless they have the appropriate documented disability.

Students must pass 4 English, 3 Math, 3 Science, 2 History, 2 Unified Arts 2 Foreign Language:All NAHS students need to complete this for graduation requirements anyway.

State University Minimum Required GPA 3.0

If an applicant’s GPA falls below the required minimum, a sliding scale will apply. This scale should be used only when an applicant’s GPA falls below the required 3.0 minimum for admission to the state universities or UMASS.

Sliding Scale for Freshman Applicants to a State College

Weighted GPA Combined SAT UMASS Schools CR and Math (ACT Equivalent in Italics)

2.5-2.9 920 (19) 950 (20)

2.4-2.5 960 (20) 990 (21)

2.3-2.4 1000 (21) 1030 (22)

2.2-2.3 1040 (22) 1070 (23)

2.1-2.2 1080 (23) 1110 (24)

2.0-2.1 1120 (24) 1150 (25)

**No applicant with a high school GPA below 2.0 may be admitted to a state college or university campus.

COLLEGE DATA:

This is not meant to scare you.

Remember these are only averages from students at NAHS.

DATA can be skewed a little bit due to the number of applicants who actually apply.

Best place to look is directly on the college website.

Students with lower GPA’s and SAT’s are accepted to many of these schools.

All of this data can be found on Naviance under the Analysis or Graph features.

College Data for 2012 - 2014

College –State Schools

AvgGPA

Avg SAT(Crit.Reading / Math)

% Accepted

Applied/Accepted

UMASS Amherst 3.80 1222 71% 290/409

UMASS Lowell 3.38 1131 70 % 169/242

UMASS Dartmouth 3.05 1059 82% 59/72

Framingham State Univ.

3.19 1025 66% 23/35

Salem State Univ. 3.12 1010 84% 68/81

Fitchburg State Univ. 2.88 1022 54% 19/35

College Data for 2012 - 2014

College –Others/Popular

AvgGPA

Avg SAT(Crit.Reading / Math)

% Accepted

Applied/Accepted

Tufts University 4.52 1470 10% 3/29

Boston College 4.22 1350 41% 15/37

Northeastern University

4.10 1329 49% 82/169

Univ. of Vermont 3.70 1205 81% 76/94

Stonehill College 3.67 1143 83% 43/52

Univ. of New Hampshire

3.49 1114 86% 163/189

Endicott College 3.32 1039 78% 39/50

Univ. of Maine 3.32 1106 92% 46/50

Plymouth State Univ. 2.77 969 86% 44/51

Fisher College 2.18 868 93% 13/14

Things To Do:

Plan your testing schedule in advance: [ SAT’s, Subject Tests, AP Test, ACT’s]

Search and Build a list of Colleges [ Start Big, then narrow down].

Load colleges into Naviance and start researching them: [“Colleges I Am Thinking About” ]

Visit Campuses, Take Tours, Attend College Fairs. Juniors get 3 College Visits that do not count toward credit reduction.

Complete Resume [on Naviance]

Complete Student Recommendation Form + Parent Rec. Form [On Naviance]

Identify teachers to write recommendations (Do this in the Spring!)

Keep a file of usernames and passwords for different accounts (Naviance, College Board, Common Application.)

How do I find the “BEST” College?

Highly selective colleges

Less selective colleges

Only 300 of over 3500 colleges and universities are highly selective.The “best” college for any student

is one that will most closely meet their needs and may be found at

either or both ends of the spectrum ~