College Night for Juniors and Their Parents

1. College Night for Juniors and Their Parents

2. INTRODUCTIONS • Grace Aviles-Counselor 415-945-3757 gaviles@tamdistrict.org • Julie Gannon-College and Career Specialist 415-945-3779 jgannon@tamdistrict.org

3. Take a Deeeeeep Breath! • This year and a half is another rite of passage in parenting • Your child is well-prepared for college • Your child will get into college • This is a period of growth for you, your child and your family • You have counselors as your allies • Managing Stress – Courses/process • You are not alone!

4. College Season Etiquette: Positive Parenting • Being a Resource • Assisting vs. Doing • Respecting choices • Listening and talking

5. Scheduling Senior Year Classes • You should have 5 college prep classes if you are applying to a four year college • Balancing your honors and AP classes • Balancing your commitments and activities • Taking classes at College of Marin • Working a job • Completing your application for colleges and scholarships

6. College Search: Resources • College and Career Center • Naviance • College Board and other online resources • Books

7. Community College • 115 colleges enrolling more than 2.1 million students. • To enroll as a college student, must be EITHER 18 years old or be a high school graduate • Community college does not require ACT/SAT • Applications and registration are done in the spring Tuition is currently $46 per unit plus fees • Usually requires Math and English placement tests to enroll in these classes • Generally, 60 units are required to transfer from community college to a UC/CSU • Many UC campuses offer a TAG (transfer admission guarantee) with a 3.0-3.4 GPA and 60 completed general education units

8. Four Year Colleges:Testing • ACT or SAT is accepted at every college in the U.S • “Superscore” means to take the highest score of each section and combine to get the highest score. The CSU system allows superscoring, the UC system does not • December is the latest test date allowed for the most CSU and UC system (Some CSU’s want November) • Fee waivers for both the ACT and SAT are available from Grace or Julie • We highly recommend trying to complete testing in the Spring of Junior year if possible.

9. The List • Narrowing down the search • Pay close attention to the details that are important to you. • Try to picture yourself on campus or in class. • Organize schools based on academics: Safety, Match, Reach • Safety: A school in which a student is well above the average admissions statistics. • Match: A school in which a student is within range or matching the average admissions statistics. • Reach: A school in which a student is well below the average admissions statistics. • Organize schools based on finances • Make sure to have a “financial safety” to the best of your ability in each section of safety, match, or reach. • Be Realistic • Taking Stock • Temper Hope with Reality: What are my reasonable chances? • Compare your record: Look at published admission standards & patterns • Assess supply and demand: Determine available space vs. size of pool, distribution, etc. • Discuss finances: The sooner the better!

10. California State University Systemwww.csumentor.edu • Application window is October 1-November 30. • Students must meet coursework (A-G List), GPA (2.0 is required to be eligible) and testing (ACT or SAT) prerequisites • A cumulative GPA of a 3.0 GPA in 10th and 11th required coursework allows any SAT or ACT score to qualify for admission • No essay or short answers=simple data entry • Application fee $55 per school. Fee waivers available online within the application. Students do not send transcripts. • Some schools offer rolling admission with some admission notifications as early as November. • Qualifying Tam District students are automatic admits to SFSU and Sonoma State-but student MUST apply

11. University of Californiawww.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions • Applications go online on August 1st and can be filed November 1-November 30. Application and essay workshops held in October at all high schools. • Students must meet coursework (A-G List), GPA and testing prerequisites (ACT or SAT) • In addition to the standard ACT/SAT, two SAT Subject Tests are recommended in two different areas, chosen from the following: English, history and social studies, mathematics (Level 2 preferred), science or language other than English • Must chose 4 of 8 short answer questions (350 words each) • Application fee is $70 per school for this year. Fee waivers available online within the application. Students do not send transcripts. • Historically, guaranteed admission to UC Merced however this is changing • Admission notifications begin in early spring

12. Letters of Recommendation and the Counselor Letter(Mostly for Private Schools) • Each high school has their own process • Student should expect to complete a Letter of Recommendation packet. (See Naviance Document Library or website for an example of Tamiscal’s) • Pay special attention to your counselor’s deadlines • No Letters of Rec needed for UC or CSU and most public schools

13. The Common Applicationwww.commonapp.org • Complete one application for over 750 schools-both private and public • Students complete additional school specific questions and sometimes additional writing • All high schools hold workshops on completing the Common Application • One copy of student’s transcript, letters of rec, school profile and counselor letter are uploaded to Common Application and all colleges have access • Students invite teachers electronically and teachers submit letters directly to the Common App • Students must check for and complete questions for specific colleges • Students must pay application fee at each school if required • Coalition and Universal application entering the market

14. Out of State Public Schools • Generally less expensive than private school • Usually do not require letters of recommendation • Unless school is on the Common Application, students must send transcripts and test scores to each school if required

15. Financial Aid!!! • FAFSA may be submitted started October 1st, 2019 and will use income information from 2018. • FAFSA is starting point for all federal aid • Deadline for most CA public schools is still March 2nd • Financial aid consists of grants, scholarships and loans from federal government, state and school • Workshops through 10,000 Degrees to help students and parents complete FAFSA • Aid is available for most certificate programs and community colleges, as well as four year schools

16. EFC and Net Price Calculator • EFC calculator: Helps estimate what a family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will be after completing the FAFSA • Net Price Calculator (NPC): Net price refers to the difference between the colleges' average Total Cost of Attendance (tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other expenses) lessthe amount of need- and merit-based grant aid awarded. It's the amount you'd be expected to pay after the college awards you. All colleges are required to post a NPC on their website.

17. WUEhttp://wiche.edu/wue • Western Undergraduate Exchange • Allows CA students to attend a variety of public schools in the west for 150% of the in-state rate • Many schools have major and/or GPA restrictions but there are some that award WUE to all qualifying students • Apply as early as possible

18. The Junior Conference • Start in February • Team Junior Conferences start as small (6 students and their parents) one hour group meetings • Team students have the option of scheduling an additional private conference after the group session • Tamiscal students schedule a private one hour conference • Scheduling information is available in February

19. Do I need a Junior Conference? • Yes! This is your opportunity to get answers and advice. • The meeting starts with a review of the student’s transcript and academic progress • Topics we cover in depth include: developing the college list, UC and/or CSU programs, testing, community college, financial aid and options other than college

20. What to Expect in the next 18 months • Pay attention to calendar in packet-specifically testing dates • Parents and students: use Naviance • Develop college list, visit schools on breaks, write down random thoughts for essay material • Meet with your counselor at the beginning of your senior year. Tamiscal seniors will receive notices about scheduling a conference with both the student and parent(s) in fall • Attend college presentations at Redwood, Tam and Drake. Redwood's list is e-mailed to our students and posted • Keep organized: deadlines, passwords, letter of rec requests, test results • Financial aid Process begins in OCTOBER of your senior year. Some high schools hold Financial aid nights

21. Thank you for attending! Grace Aviles 415-945-3757 Julie Gannon 415-945-3779