College Readiness
Bishop O’Connell High SchoolCounseling Department
GPA Standardized test scores Rigor of course schedule Extracurricular activities Athletics Leadership positions Volunteer/work experience Awards/Honors
What do you think colleges look for?
A. May of senior yearB. October of junior yearC. Freshman yearD. Sophomore year
What year of high school do colleges begin looking at your grades, extra-curriculars etc?
Why should I start
thinking about
college already?!
Your decisions and actions each day impact your future!
TRANSCRIPT COURSE SELECTION GPA STANDARDIZED TESTING TYPES OF COLLEGES Am I on track for getting into college?
Our Focus
TRANSCRIPT SAMPLE
YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT
COURSE SELECTION• How challenging are
your courses?• Will you meet O’Connell
graduation requirements?
• If you know where you would like to go to college, will you have taken the college’s required high school courses? More?
• Are you planning on playing college sports?
GRADE POINT AVERAGE • Throughout high
school you will have an ongoing average of all your grades called a cumulative GPA.
• Every year counts so you must consistently work hard to learn and earn high grades.
GPA
How do you feel about your current GPA? How do you feel about what you need to do
to move up? What things can you start doing now to
move towards your desired GPA? Who can help you reach your goal?
GPA Discussion
AP provides high school students the opportunity to take college-level courses and achieve college credit or advanced placement.
AP courses signal to admissions officers that you’ve undertaken the most rigorous classes your high school has to offer.
Must meet our school’s requirements!
AP Classes
AP English Language and Comp (Gr. 11) B+ in English honors, writing sample, and recommendation of English 2 Honors Teacher; A in English 2, writing sample, and recommendation of English 2 teacher, and approval of department chair
AP Spanish 5 Literature and Culture (Gr. 10-12) Recommendation of Spanish 4 Honors teacher and approval of AP Spanish Language and Culture teacher
AP Biology (Gr. 11-12) B in Biology Honors and B in Chemistry Honors or B+ in Biology and B+ in Chemistry, department approval and consent of the current AP Biology Instructor
AP Art History (Gr. 11-12) B+ in English and permission of instructor
AP U.S. History (Gr. 11) A in History, A- in Honors History, or B in AP History; B in current English class; Social Studies teacher recommendation and approval of department chair. Students are required to submit a writing sample
AP Requirements
The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that lets you show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge.
It tests your knowledge of reading, writing and math — subjects that are taught every day in high school classrooms
SAT
PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
The PSAT/NMSQT is a test that can qualify you for scholarships and other honors.
It can also help you start thinking about and planning for college, see which academic skills you need to work on, and get ready for college entrance exams.
PSAT/NMSQT
The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in English, Math, Reading and Science.
ACT results are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the U.S.
ACT
Open Enrollment Colleges Traditional Colleges Selective Colleges Highly Selective Most Selective
Five Types of Colleges
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)
Germanna Community College Lord Fairfax Community College Montgomery College University of DC
“Open Enrollment” Colleges
Catholic University (#120) Howard University (#120) Temple University (#125) George Mason University (#139) West Virginia University (#165) Virginia Commonwealth University (#170) UNC, Charlotte (#199) Hampton University Shenandoah University Longwood University Radford University
“Traditional” Colleges*
* “National Universities Rankings” by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2013
Penn State (#46) Boston University (#51) Pepperdine University (#54) University of Florida (#54) Ohio State (#56) University of Maryland (#58) Texas A&M (#65) Clemson University (#68) Virginia Tech (#72) American University (#77) Drexel University (#83)
“Selective” Colleges*
* “National Universities Rankings” by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2013
Johns Hopkins University (#13) University of Notre Dame (#17) Georgetown (#21) Carnegie Melon (#23) UVA (#24) Wake Forest (#27) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (#29) UNC, Chapel Hill (#30) Boston College (#31) New York University (#32) William & Mary (#33)
“Highly Selective” Colleges*
* “National Universities Rankings” by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2013
Harvard (#1) ~ Princeton (#1) ~ Yale (#3) ~ Columbia (#4) ~ University of Chicago (#4) M.I.T. (#6) Stanford (#6) University of Pennsylvania (#8) ~ Duke (#8) Cal Tech (#10) Dartmouth (#10) ~
“Most Selective” Colleges*
~ Ivy League* “National Universities Rankings” by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2013
Average GPA or GPA range Average SAT/ACT scores Requirements and recommendations for high school courses
“Students who challenge themselves with the upper-level courses offered in their high school (i.e. Honors-level courses, Advanced Placement classes, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment, etc.) increase their competitiveness.”“For the 2013 admissions process, 58 percent of the applicants were admitted; however, 87 percent of the applicants were competitive.”- James Madison University Website
What do you need to know about getting into your dream school?
Please fill out the handout I will be back to pick it up ________
College Readiness PlanHANDOUT
Example
BYOD Connection.naviance.com/
bishopoconnell Bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-s
earch Look up specific colleges Search types of colleges
Where can I find this information?!
QUESTIONS?
