Rising senior meeting March 27, 2012

1. Class of 2013 Rising senior meetingMarch 27, 2012

2. General & Bowie-Specific Information Kathy Luckett & Kristi Michener College Advisors Project ADVANCE Bowie College & Career Center

3. Priorities for this Spring! • Use the tools in Naviance to help • Register and prepare for the SAT or ACT • Send scores for FREE • Sign up for and attend college information sessions at Bowie • Consider who could write letters of recommendation • Work on finalizing the list of colleges to which you may apply

4. The Rising Senior Summer • Work on College Essays • Work on the High School Resume • Enjoy experiences that add enrichment to life • Work • Volunteer • Visit Campuses

5. Before August, Every Senior Should Know These By Heart! • Social Security number • Home address and how to write it correctly • How to address an envelope • Parents’ level of education and military background, if any • The difference between “received by” and “postmarked by” • Their own idea of a REACH SCHOOL, a SOLID SCHOOL, and a SAFETY SCHOOL

6. Fall of Senior Year • Begin college applications • Polish college essays • Talk with recommenders about the materials they will need • Retake SAT or ACT, if needed • Apply to colleges by October 31

7. Spring of Senior Year • Learn about Financial Aid • Submit FAFSA • Apply for Scholarships • Wait for the Financial Aid Offers • Apply for Scholarships • Make those Final Decisions • Apply for Scholarships

8. Information from the Admissions Experts! • In-State Public College Perspective • Nick Howell • University of Houston • Out-of –State College Perspective • Claire Land • University of Alabama • Private School Perspective • Aaron Graff • Concordia University

9. In case you want to start on your admissions essays…. • The Apply Texas applications has four essay topics. • Institutions do not require all four essays, but most require at least one or two. • Generally, the essay(s) should be typed and be no longer than one page (8 1/2” x 11”). • You can see which essays were required by your schools by looking at Apply Texas Application in Navianceon pages ii-v.

10. Essay Topics A & B for 2011-12 Topic A • Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you. Topic B • Choose an issue of importance to you – the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope – and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.

11. Topic C • There may be personal information that you want considered as part of your admissions application. Write an essay describing that information. You might include exceptional hardships, challenges, or opportunities that have shaped or impacted your abilities or academic credentials, personal responsibilities, exceptional achievements or talents, educational goals, or ways in which you might contribute to an institution committed to creating a diverse learning environment.

12. Topic D • The essay in this section is specific to certain college majors and is required by only a few universities. This essay usually applies to majors in Architecture, Art, Art History, Design, Studio Art, Visual Art Studies/Art Education. • Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. • For your intended area of study (architecture, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?