Presentation Transcript

1. College Portfolio

   2013-2014 School Year
2. Binder/Pocket Folder/Thank You Cards All students are expected to purchase a ½” binder or a pocket folder with brads. No 1” binders or larger are allowed. The preferred color of your binder or folder should be “White,” “Blue” or “Black.” No other colors are allowed. You will also need to purchase sheet protectors as all your assignments will be placed in these sheet protectors. Your sheet protectors CANNOT under ANY circumstances be used. If any sheet protectors look used you will receive a zero for this project. “Thank You Cards” as you will need to send one to every person who wrote you a Letter of Recommendation. Bring these items on the day we put this entire project together in class.
3. Transcript The first thing you are going to need to do is fill out a transcript form. I will gather all these forms and give to N. Patterson, your DHS registrar, and she will print an unofficial transcript for you to place in your binder. Please note that you will only have your junior GPA because your AP scores, possibly TAKS scores, etc. have not been added to your transcript and your GPA will not change until after the first semester of this school year.
4. Letter of Recommendation(s) At least three letters of recommendations in your binder are needed. Note: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES request a letter of recommendation 1 to 2 days before due date. You MUST give a professional individual at least 2-3 weeks advance notice (4 weeks preferably) for letters of recommendations. Remember, most professionals’ lead busy lives and they must have some time to think about what a great person you are as well as hopefully add a personal touch to your letter of recommendation. Remember, no one is obligated to write a LOR, so make the person you ask count. Provide a resume (that is what I prefer). Don’t forget “Thank You Cards” for those individuals who wrote you a Letter of Recommendation. Check with your teacher(s) or person your asking to write a LOR to see what they need from you. Some examples people need are: GPA, AP, SAT, ACT, TAKS scores. Leadership skills and roles How long have you known each other and what is relationship like How have you acted as a role model in high school. Extra curricular activities involved such as: volunteer and community services. What sets you apart from others. What role did you play in the English, Math, Science, etc. classroom? How did you master the AP concepts in the classroom? How have you advanced yourself educationally beyond the classroom?
5. Test Scores Make sure you collect all of your test scores since you have taken tests in high school. For example, all AP, SAT, ACT, TAKS scores. If you are not sure what those scores are make sure you speak to your counselor to retrieve that information. Otherwise, you should have been mailed or emailed those scores and should have that information available immediately.
6. DHS Senior Profile This must be completed in its entirety. This is the format you will use to type your College Resume.
7. College Resume Everyone will complete a college resume BUT it will be done/completed in the format I have given you. It will not be longer than 2 pages! Make sure to spend time on this resume as I will place on the document camera when it comes to grading. Take your time working on this assignment. It counts as a quiz grade! Most resumes will always need to be tweaked to match whatever employer or college you plan on attending. Why? Each position you are interested in obtaining will ask for a variety of tasks and not all the skills you have will necessarily match the educational or career position you are interested in seeking. Therefore, follow the format laid out for you so follow it closely. All resumes should be in Times Roman, 12 point size font. Margins should always be 1” on all sides. You will need to refer to your “DHS Profile” to help complete your college resume.
8. Example of Resume Examples were presented on what an excellent resume should look like and what type of resume will get you a zero. If you want to see examples come see me after school during tutoring and I will show good and poor examples.
9. College Essays you must complete the applications at https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/c_start.WBX and https://www.commonapp.org/Login and http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/EssayPrompts.htm and then select the type of essay prompt given for the type of university you are interested in attending.   https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays
10. Texas Apply.org
11. Texas Apply.org Essays
12. Common Apps.org
13. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
14. College “Free Money” Federal Pell Grants. By far the largest grant program, Pell grants range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. These grants are based solely on need, as determined by the student's college of choice using federally approved guidelines. Eligible colleges receive a fixed amount of Pell money each year; once it's gone, it's gone, which is why it can pay to apply for aid early. Students receiving Pell grants who are math, science or social sciences majors may also be eligible for the Academic Competitiveness Grant (up to $750 for the first year of study and $1,300 for the second). Math and science students may also be eligible for the National SMART Grant (up to $4,000 a year for the third and fourth years of study). Both were introduced in 2006. Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants. These grants of $100 to $4,000 are reserved for the neediest of students. As with Pell grants, students apply through their colleges' financial aid offices. State grants. Most states have some kind of free-money program -- again, often based on need, although some programs are also targeted to encourage study in certain areas. To find grants such as these and learn how to apply, check the website for your state's student-aid or higher-education commission. Institutional grants. These grants come from the colleges themselves, and they are handed out when federal and state aid isn't enough -- or when the school is trying to discount its sticker price enough to attract a desirable candidate. Sometimes, colleges will substitute grants for loans to sweeten the deal for a sought-after student. Typically, you don't apply for these grants. But students can increase their chances for an attractive financial aid package by targeting schools that are likely to want them, rather than fighting to be admitted to a school that has plenty of other choices. How to improve your chances. How can you improve your chances of getting a grant? The first step is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which you can submit online, find at schools' financial-aid offices, or have mailed to you by calling the U.S. Department of Education at (800) 433-3243. http://money.msn.com/college-savings/how-to-find-free-money-for-college-weston
15. Credit Cards Students have no money in college. Apply for credit cards and max out. Takes years to pay off. Interest rates are often too high. Example: Apply for a credit card with an interest rate of 24.50% and get approved for a $4,000.00 balance. You charge $3,831.99 on your credit card. Your payments are $151.00 a month at 24.50% If you make the minimum payment of only $151.00 a month in 15 years you will end up paying an estimated total of $9,351.00 on the credit card. You will have paid a total of $5,519.01 in interest charges over a 15 year period. If you can live without credit cards, live without them. Apply for scholarships, scholarships, scholarships! http://www.westchestergov.com/pdfs/PARENTSKIDS_CreditCardTips.pdf
16. Credit Ratings If you miss a payment, your credit rating will drop. This can affect when you graduate college from applying for a home loan, car loan, bank loan, etc. Check your credit ratings on a yearly basis so you know what your credit score. Most financial institutions are looking for a 750-850+ score. Anything below 725 can hurt your credit.
17. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. Make sure you clean up your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Accounts because colleges when making last minute decisions can use your these social media accounts as an acceptance factor.
18. Rate My Professor
19. Visiting Colleges and Universities Towards the end of the 2013-2014 school year, many of you have been accepted into several universities or colleges. You will be required to visit those campuses so they can convince you to attend their schools. Before you start visiting colleges – make sure you find out from attendance clerk what days are allowed to be missed for an excused absence, etc. It changes from year to year in PISD. Your attendance clerk is Ms. Robbie Uhyrek. Also, this is the BIG ONE! Know how many absences you are allowed from the university you are attending because once you hit maximum allowed absences, you can be kicked out of class.
20. Book Costs and Cost of Living Once you have accepted a university to attend and you what the cost of tuition will be per semester, find out cost of living expenses and book costs. Also, know how much your monthly or semester meal plan will cost as well.
21. Student Support Services Learn the Student Support Services program for your university or college. If you struggle with a content area, there are people who can help you understand what you might need help with.
22. Professor/Student Ratio Know the ratio of students to professors. Small classes on a university or four year college level tend to have higher success rates and higher graduation rates compared to classes where there is 140+ students per professor.
23. Admission Requirements Find out what the admission requirements are for each university you attend. If it is a Texas University, most likely you have met the admission requirements based on the State of Texas public high school’s graduation requirements. If you want to apply for an out of state college or university, keep in mind each state has different admission requirements to be accepted into outside universities.
24. Awards and Certificates Gather all your awards and certificates you have collected since you have been in high school. Only high school awards are acceptable! No elementary, middle school or junior high awards are allowed! There are a very few exceptions to this rule. Gather all newspaper clippings, trophies, medallions, etc. You will place all of these in your binder when you turn in your college portfolio.
25. Plagiarism Finally, learn about the plagiarism rules for each university and what it can do to you and your college career if you plan on trying to cheat your way through college. Secondly, know that if you get caught more than twice this school year cheating, Pearland ISD is required to notify this college or university you attend.