Postgraduate Planning

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Postgraduate Planning

• Heritage High School
• Guidance Department

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Postgraduate Options

• Vocational Education
• 2-year/Community Colleges
• Career and Technical Schools
• 4-year Colleges and Military Academies
• Military
• Apprenticeships
• On-the-job Training

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Class of 2008

• 312 Graduates
• 77 4-year college
• 14- 2-year college
• 4- Other continuing education
• 2- Military
• 3- Employment

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Resources

• Naviance
• CollegeBoard.com
• Career Center
• Your Counselor

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Naviance

• Do What You Are
• Career Interest Inventory
• Will ask you
• Your talents?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• Where and how do you like to spend time?
• Suggests career groups based on the Holland
  codes
• Links to both colleges and ONET for salary and
  job outlook

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Choosing a School

• Factors to Consider
• Majors Offered
• Size
• Location
• Activities
• Affordability 2 yr vs. 4 yr

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Class of 08 Top 10 Applications

• Virginia Tech (96)
• James Madison University (94)
• George Mason University (69)
• Radford University (65)
• Northern Virginia Community College (55)
• Virginia Commonwealth University (49)
• Christopher Newport University (47)
• University of Virginia (38)
• Old Dominion University (36)
• West Virginia University (29)

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Community College

• Guaranteed admission programs
• Associate degrees
• Certificate programs
• Placement test/SAT

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How Many Applications?

• Choose 3 to 6 colleges
• What is the colleges profile of the entering
  class?
• Is it a Reach school?
• A Match?
• A Safety school?
• Check out CollegeBoard How Do I Stack Up?
  Naviance College Compare Scattergrams

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Colleges Make Decisions Based On

• Courses taken
• Grade point average
• Class rank
• Admission test results
• Letters of recommendation
• Essay
• Extracurricular activities

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Activities to Include

• Accomplishments since entering High School
• Extracurricular activities (school and community)
• Volunteer work
• Work experience

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College Admission Tests

• SAT- www.collegeboard.com
• Reasoning Test
• tests Reading, Writing, and Math. The SAT
  assesses the critical thinking skills students
  need for academic success in college
• Subject Tests
• measures knowledge in particular subject areas,
  as well as the ability to apply that knowledge
  (English, Math, Science, History, Languages)

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College Admission Tests

• ACT- www.actstudent.org
• an achievement test that measures what you have
  learned in Math, English, Science, and History
• TOEFL- www.toefl.org
• Test of English as a Foreign Language
• measures your ability to communicate in English
  in colleges and universities
• tests listening comprehension, structure and
  written expression, and reading comprehension

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SAT (www.collegeboard.com)
ACT (www.actstudent.org)
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ACT/SAT Comparison

• ACT
• Achievement test, measures English, Math,
  Reading, Science, Writing (optional)
• Score based on number of correct answers
• Score 1-36

• SAT
• Aptitude test, measures Critical Reading, Math,
  and Writing
• Score penalty for incorrect answers
• Score 600-2400

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Essay/Personal Statement

• DOs
• Optional means DO IT!
• Be sure to answer the question being asked
• Keep your focus narrow and personal
• Prove it
• Be specific
• Be careful when using humor/sarcasm

• DONTs
• Dont tell your readers what you think they want
  to hear
• Dont write a resume
• Dont use 50 words when 5 will do
• Dont forget to proofread!

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Recommendations

• Counselor Recommendation
• Brag Sheet
• Resume/Activity sheet
• Give 2 weeks notice
• Teacher Letters of Recommendation
• 2 Letters
• Junior year Teachers/Coach
• At least 1 Core teacher
• Give 2 weeks notice

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College Application Timelines

• Regular Admission
• Early Decision
• Binding
• Early Action
• Nonbinding
• Rolling Admissions
• Open Admissions

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HHS Process

• Submit application online
• appropriate email address/MySpace/Facebook
• Transcripts
• Transcript Release Form (1 per student)
• College Tracking Sheet (1 per college)
• 3 per Transcript to Mrs. Kelly in Guidance
• Test Scores
• Have SAT/ACT scores sent DIRECTLY from testing
  organization
• Supplemental forms
• Secondary school report/Counselor form
• Mid-year and final reports

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Paying for College

• FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov)
• Apply for your PIN now
• Apply for parents PIN now
• Fill out FAFSA beginning Jan 1st 2009
• Based on previous years tax info
• If you/your parents have not yet filed your
  taxes, ESTIMATE!
• LCPS Scholarship Handbook
• Career Center Scholarship Search (Naviance)
• Fastweb.com and Collegeanswer.com
• Watch scholarship priority deadlines at colleges

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NCAA Eligibility (Div. I II)

• Register at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net (60)
• Request transcript from guidance office (print
  transcript release form from NCAA registration)
• Send SAT/ACT scores to NCAA (school code 9999)
• Check that your courses match NCAA approved core
  courses

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Upcoming Events

• October 21st at 7pm- College Planning, HHS
  Auditorium
• October 15th from 9am-1130am- NOVA Open House
  for High School Seniors, NOVA Loudoun Campus
• December 2nd at 7pm- Financial Aid, HHS
  Auditorium

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Remember!

• Know your deadlines
• Make a timeline for yourself of college and
  financial aid deadlines
• Keep up grades and attendance
• 1st semester and final grades are sent to
  colleges
• Some request 1st quarter as well
• Impact of a schedule change?
• See your counselor with any questions