Class of 2016

Junior Year: Fall Semester

Goals

• At the conclusion of this presentation you will better understand:– the post-secondary options available to your student– the process for visiting a college campus– the differences between the SAT and ACT as well as when to

register for these tests– factors involved in college admission decisions– what is available to you and your students through Naviance– how to conduct a college search through Naviance– how to register for a college visit

Types of Higher Education

• Liberal Arts Colleges• Universities• Service Academies• Technical Institutes and

Professional Schools• Community or Junior Colleges

Collin College

• Associates degrees offered through a wide variety of disciplines

• Benefits of attending Collin College:– Lower costs for transferable coursework– Relationships with local and regional 4-year

institutions for transfer• Transfer scholarship opportunities

– Opportunity for students to explore areas of interests

College Match…Things to Consider

Look at Yourself:

Determine your Interest and Goals

• Academic• Career/Proposed Major• Extracurricular Activities• Social Preference

Look at your Institutional Options

• Size • Location• Cost• Admissions

Requirements• Private vs. Public• Large vs. Small • Special Programs

Standardized Exams

• PSAT – national merit consideration• SAT• SAT Subject Exams• ACT• AP

National Merit

• Based on Junior year PSAT• Commended Students: Notified

September of senior year• Semifinalists: Notified September of senior

year– Top ½ of 1% become semifinalist

• Finalists: February

ACT

Basic Information• 3 hour college entrance exam• Composed of 4 tests

– English usage– Mathematics– Reading– Science Reasoning– 30 minute optional writing

test• Score range 1-36 for each area• Writing test score range 2-12

www.actstudent.org

www.actstudent.org

• Exam Date: December 13• Exam Date: February 07• Exam Date: April 18**• Exam Date: June 13**

** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses

Things to Rememberabout the ACT

• There is no penalty for wrong answers– If you are not positive… guess– If you have no idea… guess– If you run out of time… guess

• Do not leave blank answers!• Science: charts and experiments• English: stresses grammar• Reading: 4 passages (1 of each: social science,

natural science, prose fiction, and humanities)

SAT

Basic Information

• 3 hour and 45 minute college entrance exam

• Composed of 3 tests– Critical Reading– Mathematics– Writing Skills

• Scores range 200-800 for each area

www.collegeboard.com

www.collegeboard.com

• Exam Date: December 06• Exam Date: January 24• Exam Date: March 14**• Exam Date: May 2**• Exam Date: June 06**

** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses

Things to Remember about the SAT

• Questions are arranged in order of difficulty– 1/3 easy– 1/3 medium– 1/3 hard

• Points– Correct = 1 point– Incorrect = Minus ¼ point– Blanks = no effect on your score– 0 points subtracted for incorrect student-produced response

(math section)

• Guess if you can narrow it down to 2 answers (3 answers use your judgment but often times guess)

ACT and SAT ComparisonACT SAT

3 hours, 25 minutes (with writing test) LENGTH 3 hours, 45 minutes

4 sections(English, Math, Reading, Science)

Plus an optional writing test

STRUCTURE 10 sections(3 Critical Reading, 3 Math, 3 Writing)

Plus and experimental section

SCORING

Composite of 1-36 based on average scores from the 4 test sections

SCORE Total score range of 600- 2400 based on adding scores from 3 sections

No penalty for wrong answers WRONG ANSWER PENALTY

¼ point subtracted from your raw score for each wrong answer (except for math grid-ins)

You decide which score is sent SENDING SCORE HISTORY

Depends if you are enrolled in Score Choice(Some colleges require you to send all scores)

CONTENT

Reading comprehension- 4 passages with 10 questions per passage

READING Reading comprehension-Short and long passages with questions. Sentence completion

Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry

MATH Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II

Analysis, interpretation, evaluation, basic content, and problem solving

SCIENCE Science not included

Last thing (optional): 30 minutesTopic of importance to high school student

ESSAY First thing 25: minutes Factored in to overall score; More abstract than

ACT

SAT Subject Test

• 1 hour test that measures knowledge and skills in a particular subject and a student’s ability to apply the knowledge

• Scores range 200-800• Colleges may use these scores in several ways.

– Admissions purposes – check specific schools’ websites

– Award college course credit– Help place students in the appropriate college

courses

Key Parts of College Admissions

• High school courses/ grades (G.P.A.)• Quality of courses, level of difficulty, trends/consistency of grades

• Rigor of courses• Standardized test scores• Extracurricular activities/ Your resume

• Includes academic awards/ honors, extracurricular activities, interest, jobs, community services and hobbies

• Application essays and/or personal statements• Recommendation from teacher• Recommendation from counselor• Personal interviews

– Many schools may not require them but strongly encourage them and/or provide the option for you to interview

The Ultimate Question

What will you contribute to their campus?

Who should register with the clearinghouse?

• A student who plans to attend an NCAA Division I or II institution and who wishes to participate in intercollegiate athletics. – This also applies to walk-on’s

• www.eligibilitycenter.org

Naviance connection.naviance.com/lovejoy

• Update Personal Information• Update Resume• College Search• Assessments

– Learning Style– Interest Inventory– Personality Assessment

• EMAILS!!!!

Junior Home Page

Colleges Tab

Naviance Scattergrams

Reach – Target – Likely Schools

blackout

Target/Likely School

University of Arkansas

Colleges on LHS Campus

Careers Tab

About Me Tab

Updating Your Resume

Fall• College Fair – Sept. 10th 1PM – 3PM• PSAT: October 15th• Register early for SAT Reasoning, ACT, or/

and SAT Subject test for later in the the year• Start planning your college visits

– Official visits through admissions offices

• Review PSAT results• Extra effort on your Junior Grades… they are

the last thing the college will see on your transcript!

Spring

• Spring College Fair - TBD• SAT/ ACT/ SAT Subject (if needed)• AP Exams• Senior Classes, Dual Credit, etc.• Make Summer Plans (Enrichment Programs)• Scholarship Search• Plan College Visits• Start Narrowing College Search