Trinity HS Senior College Planning Meeting

Mon., Sept. 29th, 2014 6:30PMHOW TO PLAN, APPLY, AND PAY FOR

COLLEGE

Welcome parents• I am Leigh Bell, school counselor for

students with last names L-Z• I help all students navigate college

admissions, financial aid, and scholarships

• I have been the senior counselor for 14 years now and been in education for 18 years.

• New to Trinity this year and happy to be a part of Bulldog Nation!

TONIGHT’S TOPICS• Extracurricular Activities & Community Service

through high school• Course selection & grades and how that impacts

college admissions • ACT/SAT tests and preparation• Applying to college• Paying for college• Advice from parent of 2014 graduate• General Q&A

Extracurricular Activities & Community Service

• Both play a big role in competitive college admissions & competitive scholarship success

• Students need to keep track of their volunteer work & extracurricular activities since 9th grade on their own student data sheet. See Jane Doe sample data sheet in your folder. Always give your data sheet to a recommender and include with scholarship applications

• Be specific about “what” you did within your community service, hours devoted, leadership positions held

• Colleges and scholarships want to see long-term service to fewer activities rather than the chronic “joiner” who is in too many activities/clubs and has very little tangible leadership or service hours within each activity

How to possibly win those BIG scholarships

• A student who can demonstrate initiation of a community service project or event shows a level of commitment, leadership, maturity, and achievement much higher than merely participating in a project initiated by someone else.

• Try to start earlier than the senior year if possible to garner BIG scholarship consideration, however, it is never too late to do something early in your senior year for later scholarships.

• Example: A graduate initiated, planned, and carried out a 5K race in their town to benefit a children’s summer camp that she had worked at as a

camp counselor. She worked with town officials to conduct planning, got t-shirts donated, etc.

Course Selection & Grades• Have students select a curriculum that is right

for their ability and work ethic• Students NEED a challenging curriculum if they

are college bound• Sometimes making a B in an AP class looks

better than straight A’s in standard/Honors CP classes. See what the college(s) think…

• If a student is in CP level classes, try integrating one or two Honors courses first; then if there’s success there, try an AP class or two.

• Admission to the most competitive colleges requires a few to several AP courses (3-7)

ACT test- 2 or 4 year colleges

• Curriculum based test- English, Math, Reading, Writing, and Science sections

• Score range is 1-36 for each section• All colleges require ACT + Writing for

admissions• To register, pick up registration info. from

Mrs. Crotts in the guidance office OR register online @ www.actstudent.org

• Cost is $54.50 per test administration• Fee waivers applicable for free or reduced

lunch-see Mrs. Crotts.• Take at the end of Algebra II, no later than

end of junior year

ACT test- more details• All current seniors took the ACT test here at

Trinity HS for free on March 4th, 2014. Student scores on this test are applicable towards college admissions applications during their senior year. At the time of that testing session, students were given the opportunity to send their scores to up to 4 colleges for free. To send additional score reports, you must log onto www.actstudent.org and click on Send your scores on the left-hand side of page. Scores for that March ACT test are not on the high school transcript at this time due to restrictions by DPI.

SAT test- 2 or 4 year colleges

• Aptitude based test- Critical Reading, Math, & Writing sections

• Score range 200-800 for each section• To register for test, get registration information

from Mrs. Crotts in guidance office or at www.sat.org/register

• Cost is $52.50 per test administration• Fee waivers applicable for free or reduced lunch-

see Mrs. Crotts.• Take at the end of Algebra II, no later than end of

junior year• SAT scores are not on the HS transcript. Test

scores be sent directly from the College Board testing agency: http://sat.collegeboard.org/scores

What Is A Good ACT or SAT Score?

• It all depends on which colleges you are interested in applying to!– (Avg. score ranges based on College Board 2014

publication)• Duke University 1360-1550 ( SAT CR + M only)/ 31-34 (ACT)• UNC-Chapel Hill 1200-1400/ 26-31• ASU-1050-1220/ 24-28• UNCC- 1000-1170/ 21-25• ECU- 960-1170/ 20-23• WCU- 940-1120/ 20-24• Lenoir-Rhyne- 890-1090/ 19-23• High Point- 980-1170/ 21-26• NC Central- 800-950/ 17-19• Winston-Salem State- 820-950/ 17-19

Minimum admissions standards to UNC system institutions

• Appalachian State East Carolina• Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State• North Carolina A&T State North Carolina Central• NC School of the Arts North Carolina State• UNC-Asheville UNC-Chapel Hill• UNC-Charlotte UNC-Greensboro• UNC-Pembroke UNC-Wilmington• Western Carolina Winston-Salem State

THEN….YOU MUST MEET THESE MINIMUM ADMISSIONS STANDARDS:

1) 2.5 WEIGHTED CUMULATIVE GPAAND…

2A) 800 SAT SCORE (CRITICAL READING & MATH ONLY) OR

2B) 17 ACT COMPOSITE SCORE

Going to College• Highly recommend students creating an account

and regularly using www.cfnc.org• Their motto is “Plan, Apply, and Pay for College”

– Plan: materials on their website allow students to align their high school curriculum to their college & career goals

– Apply: students can apply online to most any 2-year/4-year NC college using CFNC & send their HS transcript

– Pay: students can search for NC based scholarships only available through CFNC; parents can set up 529 savings accounts for their children through CFNC and also get parent/student loans through CFNC

Planning for College Applications

• Grades from 9th grade are reflected in a student’s cumulative GPA when they apply to college

• If you plan to apply to one of these colleges, taking AP classes is a MUST:– Davidson, Duke, NC State, UNC-CH, Wake Forest– Other colleges that it would be helpful to take AP to

improve your file: ASU, ECU, UNC-Wilmington (these are getting more competitive)

– Talk to individual colleges to see what kind of curriculum they expect to see

Applying to College

• Research which colleges meet your needs! Adhere to admissions deadlines!

• Take into consideration: Majors offered, cost, location, size of college, student demographics, extracurricular opportunities, financial assistance available, student’s maturity level, etc.

• Start taking visits to colleges and/or college fairs to see if you “click” with that college. Many people change their mind after a college visit.

Applying to College• Recommendation: Apply to at least 3 colleges

– 1) dream school, 2) “I think I can get in there” school, and 3) “Sure Thing” school(s).

– Make sure you have taken the ACT or SAT by the end of the first semester of the senior year.

– If you used a fee waiver and took the ACT or SAT on a Saturday, then you qualify for 4 college admissions fee waivers.

• Make a list of pros and cons for each college if you are having a tough time making a decision

• Some families let each college’s financial aid package make their decision on where the child will attend college. Students will be offered the most financial aid their first year of college. That amt. will likely go down each year afterwards.

College Application Week 2014

• Will be held at Trinity HS from Nov. 10th-14th. Contact Shannon Edwards for details

• For students who have not yet applied to a NC college using www.cfnc.org

• Seniors can use class time to complete online college applications with the help of adult volunteers.

• Many private and some NC public colleges will waive their application fees that week.

• NOT for those seniors that want to meet early admissions deadlines.

Paying for College• If there are no college savings in place, then here are other options:

– Financial Aid- FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Based on family’s finances. Application available Jan. 1st of student’s senior year. Must re-apply each year in college. Completing the FAFSA is necessary for consideration for ALL grants & federally managed loans. Financial Aid meeting with CFNC representative at Trinity HS on Monday, Dec. 15th. CFNC’s FAFSA Day is Feb. 28th, 2015

– Scholarships- Merit based, leadership, diversity, and/or athletically based. Students must show talent for academics or athletics. Typically, academically based scholarships require grades at minimum GPA of 3.0 or better and essays/interviews are likely required in application process. Another good website to look for scholarships is through www.fastweb.com

– Work Study- Students can be placed on campus to work for limited hours and earn money either to help pay for college costs or earn spending money. Apply through FAFSA

– BEWARE of scam scholarship finders!

Scholarship app.’s & interview tips….

• Seniors must be willing to write essays for scholarship applications

• Ask for recommendations WELL IN ADVANCE• On an essay or interview, seniors need to focus

on what is unique and/or compelling about themselves- makes them memorable

• Be specific with concrete examples of leadership, community service (include hours), any struggles, WHY are they deserving.

• Being a good academic student is sometimes just not enough when in high competition

• Practice interviewing with adults to weed out bad habits and get advice on how to improve

In Review….• Get involved in community & at school• Create data sheet early, save it, and add to it!• Start researching college options• Take college entrance tests & STUDY for them!• Visit colleges and/or college fairs• Get organized with dates/deadlines• This is a joint effort: family members need to

work together and help each other. • Talk to high school counselors and ask

questions- we love questions!

Survival Tips from a parent who has lived it….

• Mrs. Kristi Green whose daughter is at UNC-Chapel Hill.

• My tips: – 1) Get on my email list– 2) Stay tuned to my website for

announcements – 3) Do your own research through other means– 4) Make it a priority to find $$ for college

PARENT SURVIVAL TIPS CONTINUED…

• VISIT the college campus and try to visit a dorm room. Your student needs to know what college living "feels" like. Could save some money this way because dorm life may not be what they thought it would be.

• Take the SAT or ACT immediately!• Look to see what the qualifications are for

all schools in which you are interested in applying---be realistic as well.

Inside your CFNC folder tonight…

• Bright yellow sample student data sheet• Bright pink CFNC account set-up & sending electronic

transcripts directions• Stapled Trinity FAQ sheet• Gray ACT & SAT test dates & registration deadlines • Orange sheet: Basic Steps to Navigating the Senior Year• Lime green Timeline for College Bound Trinity seniors• College Advice from College Officials document• Stapled cream colored scholarship listings• Light green North Carolina College Application Week flyer• Blue sheet of minimum UNC admissions requirements• ACT/SAT Average admissions ranges for NC colleges• Stapled NC four year college profiles• Trinity HS financial aid meeting flyer for December

QUESTION & ANSWER…• WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?• IF YOU THINK OF QUESTIONS LATER, PLEASE

EMAIL ME AT lbell@randolph.k12.nc.us or call me at 861-6870 ext. 111

• Email Mr. Mel Jones (Names A-K) questions at mjones@randolph.k12.nc.us or call him at 861-6870 ext.112

• Please encourage other Trinity parents of seniors or underclassman to join my email group or tell them to look at the my website & bookmark it for all this information. Go to the Trinity HS website & find my website under School Counselors on the left hand side of the page.