+
Building Your College List
+Introduction
" Your Role
Students Parents
+Principles to Remember
! This should be a Student-Directed Process
! This process is about CHOICE. You’re in charge.
! Shift your mindset from “The Best College” to “The Best-FIT College for Me”
+Terms to Know
Application Plans
# Early Decision I
# Early Decision II
# Early Action [Single Choice]
# Early Action [Non-Restricted]
# Rolling
+Terms to Know
Standardized Testing
! SAT vs. ACT [Updated SAT in March 2016]
! SAT Subject Tests
! Score Choice
! Super-Scoring
! Test-Optional (Test-Flexible)
+Terms to Know
Financial Aid
" FAFSA
" CSS Profile
" Merit Aid
" Need-Blind vs. Need-Aware
+Timeline
For Freshman and Sophomores
$ Freshman Year: Keep it Simple! $ Good Grades
$ Get Involved
$ Consider taking a science SAT Subject Test
$ Sophomore Year $ Good Grades
$ Stay Involved
$ Keep your eye on SAT Subject Tests
$ Athletes: Start your search
$ Dancers, Actors, Musicians: Start collecting footage
$ SUMMERTIME…start planning early!
+Timeline
For Juniors
$ Summer Before Junior Year $ Stay busy! Get a job, volunteer, sign up for an acting workshop $ If you’re close to a college, check it out
$ Junior Fall
% Take the PSAT
% Prepare for SAT or ACT
% SUNY College Fair
$ Junior Spring
% College Research
% Take SAT/ACT
% Campus Visits
% Ask current teachers for recommendations
+Timeline
For Seniors
$ Summer Before Senior Year:
% Personal Essay
% Common Application
% Arts Supplement
$ Senior Fall:
% Overnight Visits
% Supplemental Essays
% Apply!
+THE SEARCH
Before you begin…
$ How do I stay organized? % E-mail Address
% Calendar
% Folder & Notebook
$ How do I find the time? % Treat your College Search as a class
% Weekly, consistent time to work on college-related tasks
% Outside of this time, limit the college conversation
# Parents, this means you!
+THE SEARCH
I. The Thinking Process Qualities to Consider….
! Location ! Size ! Setting ! Price ! Academic Strengths ! Social Life ! Athletics ! Teacher-Student Interactions ! Class Size ! Diversity of Student Body ! Current Campus Issues ! Academic Support ! Internship & Career Support
+THE SEARCH
I. The Thinking Process Qualities to Consider….
! Location ! Size ! Setting ! Price ! Academic Strengths ! Social Life ! Athletics ! Teacher-Student Interactions ! Class Size ! Diversity of Student Body ! Current Campus Issues ! Academic Support ! Internship & Career Support
+THE SEARCH
II. Research
& Make a Preliminary List
# College Board’s Big Board
# CollegeResults.org
# Peterson’s Online College Search
& Already know what you want to study?
# The Fiske Guide
& Nervous about submitting test scores?
# Fairtest.org
& Have a specific characteristic you’re looking for?
# CollegeExpress.com/lists
+THE SEARCH
II. Research
# Preliminary List: 20-25 schools
# Subjective Guidebooks
# The Fiske Guide to Colleges
# The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, Yale Daily News
# Colleges That Change Lives, Loren Pope
# Social Media
# Facebook Page
# YouTube
# Admissions Blogs
# Reach out!
+THE SEARCH
II. Research
# Another important component of your research: Cost
# Need Blind vs. Need Aware
# But also: Meets Full Financial Need?
# Examples of need-blind: # Carnegie Mellon # Brown University # University of New Hampshire
# Examples of need-aware: # Furman University # Colby College # George Washington University # Union College # Tufts University
+THE SEARCH
II. Research
# “Best Value” Public Colleges (Princeton Review)
# UNC
# University of Michigan
# UCLA
# University of Florida
# College of William & Mary
# Strong Merit-Aid (US News & World Report)
# Hillsdale College (Michigan)
# Denison University (Ohio)
# DePauw University (Indiana)
# Rhodes College (Tennessee)
# Trinity University (Texas)
No Merit Aid Ivy League Schools
Amherst Bowdoin Hamilton
MIT Middlebury
Vassar Williams Trinity
Haverford
+THE SEARCH
II. Research
# With regards to cost, think BALANCE
# Need-aware vs. need-blind
# Public vs. private
# Include SUNYs, CUNYs
# Schools where you are academically overqualified
# Check Net-Price Calculator
# MeritAid.com
# Searchable database of college-specific merit scholarships
# Cappex.com/scholarships
# Find scholarships based on ethnicity, gender, state, major
+THE SEARCH
SUNY
& Visit the SUNY Information Center at 33 West 42nd Street
& Attend a SUNY College Fair & May 17th at the Armory
& Strengths within the System & Purchase (Arts) & Binghamton (Liberal Arts) & Stony Brook (Engineering) & SUNY College of Environmental
Science and Forestry (ENVS)
+THE SEARCH
CUNY
& Options at CUNY
& Eleven “Senior Colleges” (Four-year programs)
& Seven Community College (Two-year programs)
& The Macaulay Honors College
& One Application for the CUNY system
& Rolling Admissions
+THE SEARCH
III. Campus Visits
& Make it count
& If you know someone on campus, connect with them beforehand
& Find out whether you can sit in on a class
& Try to see the campus during “down time”
& Organize your Road Trip
# RESOURCE: GoSeeCampus.com/college-trip-planner
# Check interview policies before you visit
+Maximizing Campus Visits
$ Questions to ask students… $ What did you learn about this college that you didn’t know
before you arrived?
$ When did you last meet individually with a professor?
$ What events draw a crowd?
$ What was happening on campus last weekend? What did you do last Thursday and Friday night?
$ Questions to ask admissions officers…. $ What sort of students seem happiest here?
$ What is new at the school in the past year or two?
$ If you only had 2 minutes to describe your college, what would you say?
$ What is freshman year like in terms of requirements, orientation programs and traditions?
'
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Did You Know?
Demonstrated Interest
Over 20% of colleges rank “demonstrated interest” as more important than class rank or the interview.
What is Demonstrated Interest?
It’s pretty much what it sounds like: showing a college that you’d seriously like to go there. You can show your interest by visiting campus, attending a local information session or writing a thank-you note to the admissions officer after you’ve met.
+THE SEARCH
IV. Campus Visit Alternatives
( New York City Performing and Visual Arts Fair ( October 27th, 2015
( National Portfolio Day ( November 16th, 2015
( For Visual Artists and Designers
( Portfolio Feedback, Learn about specific art programs
( Meet with representatives from 50+ art schools
( Admission Reps ( LaGuardia Arts Admissions-Visit Schedule
( Locate Admissions Counselor for the NYC area
+THE SEARCH
IV. Campus Visit Alternatives
( All accessible without a car
( Urban Universities ( NYU ( Drexel University
( Residential College in an Urban Environment ( Manhattan College (small) ( Fordham University (medium)
( Suburban College in a Town ( SUNY Stonybrook ( SUNY Purchase ( Fairleigh Dickinson University
( Small Liberal Arts College ( Sarah Lawrence College ( Vassar College
+The Final List
) 4-5 Target Schools
) 3 Likely Schools (“Safeties”)
) 2 Reach Schools
Based on average SATs, GPA & Naviance comparisons
+Additional Resources
For the Arts
$ Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers, Elaina Loveland
$ College Guide for Performing Arts Major: The Real-World Admission Guide for Dane, Music, and Theater Majors, Carole Everett
$ Lists in The Fiske Guide
+Arts Supplement
$ Common App Arts Supplement
$ Other Schools: $ Create a website
$ http://www.aidanstack.com/ $ http://malcolmhoyt.wordpress.com/
$ Video or Images $ Artistic Statement $ Resume
$ Doesn't’t have to be fancy!
$ Deadlines may vary for arts supplement submissions
+Final Thoughts
$ Handouts at the front $ Resources
$ Timeline
$ College Fairs in NYC
$ Other Questions? $ [email protected]