College Process for Juniors

COLLEGE PROCESS FOR JUNIORS

Criteria for college admission

· Rigor of high school curriculum.

· Cumulative grade point average.

· College admission test scores.

· Personal essays.

· Extracurricular activities.

· Recommendations.

Take appropriate curriculum

· Requirements vs. recommendations.

· Take courses that fulfill college admission requirements.

· Take additional core courses to strengthen your college admission profile.

· Take as rigorous a course program as you can handle.

Improve and/or maintain cumulative g.p.a.

· Show improvement. Even if your grades are not as good as they could be, colleges still look for an upward trend in grades.

Improve and/or maintain personal profile

· Review personal information on social media.

· Cultivate good character.

Arrange to take college admission test(s)

· Take at least one test (ACT + Writing or SAT) spring of junior year. See counselor for recommendation on which college admission test(s) to take.

· Register online by the following deadlines:

o SAT: February 7 for test March 8; April 4 for test May 3; May 9 for test June 7;

o ACT: March 7 for test April 12; May 9 for test June 14.

· SAT Subject Tests: Take, if needed, as an admission and/or placement requirement for certain select schools or to enhance applications to select schools.

· Register for SAT online at www.collegeboard.org and/or ACT online at www.act.org. When registering, request your scores be sent to your colleges.

· Utilize “Prep Me” on Naviance Family Connection for ACT/SAT preparation; begin now.

· Consider attending Gonzaga Prep’s SAT prep course in February and/or ACT prep course in March.

· Remember: You are responsible to know the score-reporting policy of each college/university to which you will apply. Also, you are required to submit your official test scores directly from the testing agencies in advance of college application deadlines.

Develop a resume (Family Connection: About Me)

· Complete Surveys (e.g., Game Plan and Personality Type.)

Begin a list of prospective colleges (Family Connection: College; Supermatch)

· Consider personal factors regarding colleges: size and location; public or private; majors; sports; special programs; student life; cost and financial aid.

· Seek college information online from the colleges (Admission; Financial Aid; Scholarships).

· Visit colleges whenever possible.

Narrow list of prospective colleges by September of the senior year

· Include one or two colleges that would definitely offer admission and one or two that would possibly offer admission. Keep in mind at least one choice should be more affordable.

· Counselors will meet again with seniors and parents in early September to provide updated information and begin the college application process.

· Observe all deadlines. Earlier is better. Review Early Action/Decision policies.

Gather financial aid information

· Utilize Family Connection: Colleges: Scholarships and money.

· Access financial aid department on individual college’s website.

· Check Gonzaga Prep’s daily bulletin for scholarship information.

· Attend Gonzaga Prep's Financial Aid Workshop for parents in late fall. (see calendar)

· Check financial aid on web sites www.fastweb.com, www.collegeboard.org, www.thewashboard.org.

· Check web site at www.wiche.edu for information on Western Undergraduate Exchange if applying to out of state public school(s).

· Beware of scams. Financial aid searches/services should not cost anything.

Communicate with your counselor regarding any questions about college (e.g. early action/early decision, athletic recruitment, ROTC, military academies.)

January 2014