SANFORD H. CALHOUN HIGH SCHOOL

SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT

JANUARY 10, 2019

Post-Secondary Planning for Juniors

Class of 2020

Welcome!

• Ms. Nicole Hollings – Principal

• Dr. Neil Testa - Assistant Principal

School Counselors: • Ms. Kathryn Alexander • Mrs. Carol Cupo • Mrs. Sharon Devenuto • Mr. Ricky Posner • Mr. Brian Resnick • Mrs. Cynthia Tellekamp • Mrs. Amanda Engel

Goals

• To provide valuable information regarding the

college research/exploration process

• To outline timelines for standardized testing and

preparing college applications

• To share the framework to prepare for individual

junior student/parent/counselor conferences

Important Dates

• Junior Group Guidance – After February Break

• Junior Parent Conferences

– Make an appointment with your child’s Counselor (March – April)

• District Junior College Planning Night

– March 13, 2019 at 7:00 pm @ Mepham H.S.

• Nassau Counselor’s Association Spring College Expo

– April 10, 2019 (5:30 – 8:30 pm) @ Hofstra University

• Bellmore-Merrick College and Career Fair and Financial Aid Night

– Late September 2019 @ Calhoun H.S.

Standardized Tests

Life is a series of tests…

1. Understand the PSAT.

2. Determine whether the ACT

or SAT is best for you.

3. Three steps to a higher score.

Understanding the PSAT

Purpose of the PSAT

• A practice SAT

• National Merit Scholarship

Qualifying Test – for juniors

only

• NOT for college admissions

Choosing the SAT or ACT

Test Scores in College Admissions

95% of college admissions advisors

are confident that the SAT and ACT

are effective tools in measuring

students’ future success at their

schools.

Approximately 80% of college

admissions advisors state that

there is no advantage to

submitting both an ACT and an

SAT score.

Factor SAT ACT

Length 3 hours 15 minutes 3 hours 5 minutes

Score Areas Composite, Evidence-Based

Reading & Writing, Math

Composite, English, Math,

Reading, Science

Score Range 1600 overall, 200-800 per

section 1-36 overall and per section

Superscoring

Most schools take your best

score per section, even from

different tests

Most schools use only your

best overall test, not your best

score per section

Wrong Answers No penalty No penalty

Test Comparison - Logistics

Test Comparison

Section SAT ACT

W&L / English More questions on effective

language use

More questions on sentence

structure

Reading

More Synthesis and Rhetoric

questions,

more time per question

More Global and Detail

questions,

less time per question

Essay

Optional. 50 minutes.

Given a 750 word source text,

you must objectively analyze

the author’s argument.

Optional. 40 minutes.

Given a prompt with 3

perspectives, you must develop

a relevant argument.

Test Comparison - Content

Test Comparison

Section SAT ACT

Math

One non-calculator section,

multiple choice with 4

answers,

grid-in questions, wordier

questions

Calculator allowed

throughout,

all multiple choice but with 5

answers,

more Geometry and

Trigonometry

Science

No science section, but

science-related material

throughout and science

subscore

Science section with

passages, charts and graphs,

science score is ¼ of overall

score

Test Comparison - Content

Test Comparison

Make a Test Prep Plan

3 Steps to Scoring Higher

Get a Higher Score

Score-raising strategies for every section of the test

Time-management and pacing strategies to

reduce anxiety and help you get more points

Focused practice on realistic test questions

so you can study smarter, not harder

Get a Higher Score

Get a Higher Score

Pick a test date Month SAT ACT

January None None

February None 2/9

March 3/9 None

April None 4/13

May 5/4 None

June 6/1 6/8

July None 7/13

August 8/24 None

September None 9/13

October 10/5 10/26

November 11/2 None

December 12/7 12/14

Channel

kaptest.com/college-prep/bellmoremerrick

Resources….

*9 out of 10 claim based on thousands of responses each year to an annual survey about Kaplan

students who were admitted to college as of May 2012, May 2013, May 2014, May 2015, and May

2016. Prior results are not a guarantee of admission outcomes for future students or for any

individual student.

9 of 10 Stat

Get the results you

want. 9 out of 10 Kaplan

students get into one

or more of their top

choice colleges*.

Thank you!

connell.boyle@kaplan.com

Thank You

College Planning Guide

• Download the College Planning Guide on the

Bellmore-Merrick Website

• Visit the Grade 12 tab

College Planning Checklist

• Second page of our handbook

Senior Year

• The courses you challenge yourself with and the

grades you get your first three years in high school

determine where you apply

• Your senior year

courses and the grades

you get in your senior

year often determine

where you get in

Additional Factors Influencing Admissions Decisions

• Special Interests

– Athletics-www.eligibilitycenter.org

– Art

– Music

– Science Research

Junior Conferences

• Will take place after March 1st with

counselors

• The application process will be reviewed

• Other admissions factors will be discussed

The College Essay

Page 5 in the handbook

• Purpose of the Essay – Illustrates a student’s written communication

ability

– Conveys a message about who you are

• Topic – Narrow your scope - be specific and descriptive

– Write about yourself

– Approach unique topics in a creative way

Recommendation Letters

• Teacher Recommendations – Request in writing AND through Naviance by June

– Provide Teacher with Request Form and Brag sheet

– Counselor Recommendations

• Other – Coaches

– Private Art/Music Teacher

– Science Research Mentor

– Employer

Naviance – Family Connection

• A college planning resource for students and parents

– Create activity resume

– College search

• Access through the Counseling website…

Information to Colleges

• A High School Transcript will be sent

electronically (via Naviance) through the

Registrar’s office for each college that a student

fills a Transcript Request Form out for

Information to Colleges

• Students are required to have official SAT and/or ACT

score reports mailed directly from the testing service web

site to the college admissions offices

Financial Aid

• FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid www.fafsa.gov

• HESC-Higher Educational Services Corporation www.hesc.ny.gov

• College Financial Aid Offices

– Each college is equipped with Financial Aid professionals trained to assist you with your individual needs as they relate to scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs

• CSS Profile – Online application (www.collegeboard.com and search ‘CSS

Profile’) used by certain colleges and scholarship programs

– May file as early as 10/1 and deadlines vary by school

– Check each college program’s information to determine if a CSS profile is required

• More information is available under the Grade 12 tab, “Financial Aid”

Scholarships

• Bulletins – Published once or twice

per month

– Posted to the Counseling

website – Grade 12 tab

– Emailed to all parents

Scholarships

•Companies

•Unions

•On-line

– www.fastweb.com

– www.scholarships.com

On-Site Admissions

• Calhoun’s Guidance Department organizes an on-site admissions program for 12th grade students between October and December

• The goals of the program are to provide students an opportunity to experience the college admissions process early

College Visits to Calhoun

• Many schools visit Calhoun

between September and early

November

• Speak to students about their

school and programs

• Students will be notified of such

visits through Naviance and

daily announcements