Fall College Planning Workshop October 5, 2005

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Fall College Planning WorkshopOctober 5, 2005

• Heritage High School
• Leesburg, Virginia

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Presented by the Heritage Guidance Department

• Heritage PRIDE
• Planning for the future!
• Responding to student needs!
• Inspiring success!
• Developing rapport!
• Encouraging academic excellence!

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Agenda

• Heritage Graduates
• Making a Plan
• Applying to College
• Paying for College

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Data!

• Heritage Graduates
• Class of 2003 2004
• College and Scholarship
• Information
• -Where did they apply?
• -Where were they
• accepted?
• -Scholarship Money!

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Where Do Heritage Students Apply?

• VA Tech
• JMU
• NOVA
• GMU
• Longwood
• CNU
• VCU
• Radford
• UVA
• William and Mary
• ODU

Top Ten in 2004/5
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Heritage College/University Acceptances

• U.S. Naval Academy
• Drexel University
• Cornell University
• Stanford
• Yale
• Purdue University
• College of William and Mary
• University of Virginia
• VA Tech
• JMU
• VMI
• VCU
• Washington and Lee
• Virginia State

• Temple University
• Hampton-Sydney College
• University of Mary Washington
• Michigan State
• Ithaca College
• Marymount University
• Stanford University
• Boston University
• Rose-Hulman Institute of
• Technology
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• WVU
• Florida State
• University of Central Florida
• GMU
• And many others.

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Scholarships/Scholarship Potential for Heritage
Graduates

• Class of 2004 -248,250
  (598,250)
• 248,250 in awards from colleges, business,
  industry, athletics, national or state awards
  plus 350,000 from the Naval Academy. A total of
  598,250.
• Class of 2005-528,178
• All awards from colleges, business, industry,
  athletics, national or state awards. No military
  academy amounts included in 2004/5. We had 1
  student accepted at the Navel Academy, but the
  student decided to attend elsewhere. That
  appointment would have increased the total amount
  to 888,178

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Finding A College

• Do a college search!
• Resources
• College Board www.collegeboard.com
• Family Connections www.connections.naviance
  .com/hhs
• Bridges/Choices www.access.bridges.com
• The Career Center at Heritage-make an
  appointment
• The High School Counselors-give them a
  call!
• Read the college profiles! (see sample in your
  packet)
• Research the student profiles for each college.
  (see sample in your packet)
• Follow the Senior Calendar in your packet as a
  guide for staying on track with important dates,
  deadlines and to-do lists.

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Items To Consider ?

• Location of school? Urban, suburban, rural? How
  far from home?
• Size? Check out student population and class
  size.
• Diversity? Is the school coed?
• Extracurricular/Sports?
• Facilities
• Retention and Graduation Rates?
• Visit the college! Talk to students who attend.

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Choosing a college without visiting the campus is
like marrying a blind date!
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How About The College Major?

• If your son/daughter is undecided about a major,
  an interest inventory may help?
• Resource Bridges/Choices
• This website calls its interest
  inventory an interest profiler. Have your son or
  daughter take this test. Its free!!! The results
  will link him/her to a major and a college. This
  is also a great website for college searches!!!!
• www.access.bridges.com
• Username 0091249
• Password heritage

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10 Most Popular Majors

• According to Job Outlooks 2005 Survey
• 1. Accounting
• 2. Electrical Engineering
• 3. Mechanical Engineering
• 4. Bus. Admin/Management
• 5. Economics/Finance
• 6. Computer Science
• 7. Computer Engineering
• 8. Marketing/Marketing Management
• 9. Chemical Engineering
• 10. Information Sciences and Systems

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Applying To College

• The Application
• paper
• vs.
• online

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Building the Perfect ApplicationFrom Careers and
Colleges Magazine.

• Install your personal data-dont makes mistakes
  or omit anything.
• Be honest about grades and test scores!
• Hammer down your activities.
• Nail the essay!
• Reinforce w/ recommendations!
• Neatness counts!
• Send the application in on time.
• Make copies of everything.

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Two Important Organizations Impacting The
College Application Process

• National Association for College Admission
  Counseling
• -Students Rights and
• Responsibilities in the
• College Application
• Process.
• www.nacac.com

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
• -Division 1 2 Colleges
• -NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse for athletes.
• www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

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Other Items To Consider?

• Application Fees
• Application Deadlines
• Release of High School Transcript from
  Heritage-white release form/green tracking
  sheet
• Admission Tests

• Letters of Recommendations
• The ESSAY!
• Interviews
• Auditions/Portfolios

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Resources for Students with Learning Disabilities?

• Purple Pamphlet-
• Heritage High Schools Guide for College
  Bound Students with Learning Disabilities
• Review Sample from Ball State University
• In Researching Programs-Contact the College!
• Helpful websites www.ld.org
• www.ldonline.org

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About the essay.

• Remember your audience.
• Watch the humor???
• Keep to the specified length.
• Detailsdetailsdetails! Use precise words
  rather than general ones. They will help your
  essay stand out!
• Have someone objective read/proof read your
  essay. Dont rely on the computer to find
  everything.

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Avoid these mistakes.

• Applying beyond your research.
• Missing deadlines
• Being sloppy!
• Leaving out information!
• Having your parents complete the application.
• Writing essays that dont address the issue.

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College Acceptances

• -Early Decision
• binding
• -Early Action
• not binding
• -Regular Decision
• -Rolling Admission
• -Wait List
  
• -Denied

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Decision Making Time

• Before you decide
• -Visit the College
• -Review the Colleges Characteristics such as
  size, location, diversity, facilities, distance
  from home.
• -Compare Financial Aid
• Awards!
• -Note the DEADLINE for making a final
  decision.

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Paying For College

• Financial Aid Calendar-
• month by month.
• Financial Aid Glossary
• How to compare Financial Aid Awards-see article
  from College Board!
• Websites in your packet! ?

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Financial Aid Glossary

• FAFSA
• -SAR
• -EFC
• CSS Profile
• Financial Aid Award from the College
• Scholarship
• Grant
• Loan

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FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid

• Use this form to apply free for federal and state
  student grants, work-study and loans.
• Submit your application beginning January 1,
  2006and dont delay. Many colleges require that
  you file this by the end of January.
• Go to ww.fafsa.ed.gov to apply online.
• SAR-Student Aid Roster-you will receive this 4
  weeks after you send in your complete FAFSA form.
  The SAR will show the information you reported
  on the FAFSA. Check it for accuracy.
• EFC-Expected Family Contribution-The SAR will
  show your Expected Family Contributionthe amount
  that the student and family are expected to pay
  for the next years college costs.

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CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE

• Colleges use the information collected on the
  PROFILE to help them award nonfederal student aid
  funds.
• This is a service of College Board
• Only select schools use the PROFILE. Go to
  www.collegeboard.com to see the list of schools
  requiring this form.
• Registration accepted beginning Oct 1, 05

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College Based Financial Aid Award

• When the college financial aid office has all
  of your financial information, it will calculator
  your financial aid award. FAFSA/CSS
  Profile/Others??? Check w/ the college to make
  sure that you have filled out all required forms
  for a that college. Colleges try to meet 100 of
  your financial needbut sometimes they cannot.
• Total Cost of Education
• - Expected Family Contribution
• Financial Need

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ScholarshipsAwards that do not have to be repaid.
-All Loudoun 12th graders will receive the
county Scholarship and Financial Aid Handbook in
February 2006. This booklet provides valuable
scholarship and financial aid information. It
offers county-wide as well as school based
scholarships. -Seniors should read their
monthly Senior Newsletter for information about
scholarships available through the career
center. -Once students are accepted by a
college, they should inquire about scholarships
available through the college. -Scholarships
are based on academic achievement, financial
need, particular talents or skills or a
combination of these factors.
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Military Academy Scholarship Amounts (4/04)

• USNA-Naval Academy
• 280,000
• USAFA-Air Force Academy
• 322,750
• USMA-West Point
• 300,000
• USMMA-Merchant Marine
• 170,000
• USCGA-Coast Guard
• 265,000

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Grants

• Grants are awards that do not have to be repaid.
• Grants are usually based on need alone.
• Two Grants administered by the Federal Government
  are
• Pell Grant
  
• Supplemental Educational
  Opportunity Grant
• Commonwealth of Virginia
• College Scholarship Assistance
  Program (CSAP)
• Tuition Assistance grant Program
  (TAG)
• Virginia Transfer Grant Program
  (VTGP)

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Loans

• Education Loans are financial aid funds that must
  be paid back, usually with interest.
• EDVANTAGE-a Virginia Loan Program for families
  who need extra funds, but do not qualify for
  federal financial aid.
• There are four Federally-regulated loan programs
  
• Perkins Loan (formerly NDSL)
• Stafford Loan (formerly GSL)
• PLUS Loan (Parent Loans for
  Undergraduate
• 
  Students)
• Supplemental Loan for Students (SLS)

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ADVICE

• If you need aid to meet the cost of college, you
  must be realistic, hopeful and organized. A
  college is not obligate to offer financial aid to
  all accepted students, so be sure you apply to a
  least one college whose cost is within your
  resources without substantial aid.

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Parting Thoughts

• Encourage your son/daughter to maintain high
  academic standards throughout the senior year.
• Dont hesitate to call a college if you have a
  question. The Admissions Office is there to
  help.
• Watch deadlines to avoid disappointments.
• Anything is possible.try not to stress during
  this very important transition time for you and
  your son/daughter.
• Good Luck!!!