Freshman Year Freak Out!
11th Grade Advisory
Unit 3
Lesson #5 – Safety, Target, Reach
10 Minutes
Journal Response
Give each student the ‘Journal Entry’ handout (or post the quote on the board and have them respond in journals). Students will respond to the quote and explain how it relates to the college selection/application process.
Have students share out their responses when they are finished.
10-15 Minutes
Handout A
Students will complete the top part of Handout A for the next 5 minutes. State the following definitions and have them fill them in on the chart:
Safety School: a college that you will almost certainly get into because your test scores, class rank and / or high school grades are well above average when you look at the school's profile.
Match/Target School: a college that you are pretty likely to get into based on test scores, class rank, and grades.
Reach School: a college that you have a chance of getting into, but your test scores, class rank and / or high school grades are a bit on the low side when you look at the school's profile.
Students will come up with an example for each category to fill in on the chart.
For the next 5 minutes, students will respond to the discussion questions in writing and then you will discuss as an advisory.
10 Minutes
Handout B
Read through the articles on Handout B and have students highlight, circle, or underline pertinent information. They will then answer the question at the end of the articles.
Journal Entry Name: ______
Prompt: Respond to the following quote and explain how it relates to the college selection/application process:
“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation.” John F. Kennedy
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Handout A Name: ______
Directions: As a follow-up to the previous lesson’s exit slip, define the following, and come up with an example for each level. The example should fit your current learning profile. If you’re unsure of a specific school, fill in the type of school. (2-year program, CUNY school, SUNY school, school for engineering, etc…)
Safety School: / Example:Target/Match School: / Example:
Reach School: / Example:
Directions: Respond to the following discussion questions in writing before discussing with your advisory.
1. How many schools should I apply to in each category?
2. Is it okay if I only apply to one category of schools? Why or why not?
3. What if I avoid applying to reach schools? It doesn’t matter, right?
4. I already have my mind made up – I don’t want to leave New York and won’t get in anywhere besides a community college. I shouldn’t bother applying anywhere else, right?
5. I have my mind set on competitive schools. Should I avoid applying to safety schools?
Handout B Name: ______
Directions: Read the following articles and highlight, underline, or circle pertinent information. Answer the discussion question at the end of the articles.
What Selectivity Means for You
Admission officers evaluate applications in different ways, depending on how selective, or competitive, their college is. The percentage of applicants that a college accepts is based on the number of applications received and the number of seats the college has available.
The Levels of Selectivity
At one end of the spectrum are open admission colleges. These colleges require only a high school diploma and accept students on a first-come, first-served basis as long as they have room. Many community colleges and some state universities have this policy.
In the middle is the largest group of colleges. These are more selective than open admission colleges, and they look at applicants’ course work, grades, test scores, recommendations and essays.
At the other end of the spectrum are a small number of very selective colleges. They receive as many as 10 or 15 applications for each spot. Admission officers look carefully at every aspect of a student's high school experience. Since many applicants are strong academically, other factors — such as the student’s essay and activities — are critical.
Remember, though, there are approximately 3,800 colleges in the United States and the majority of them accept more than half of the students who apply.
How Many College Applications?
Finalizing Your College List
With so many colleges to choose from, you need to explore your options, narrow them down and decide which colleges are a good fit. To create your final list, you shouldidentify collegesthat have the educational programs you need, including ones where the campus life offers you the opportunities you want.
Keep in mind that there isn’t just one perfect college out there — you will probably find many that are a good fit for you. The goal is to apply only to colleges that meet your criteria; that way, you can reach your academic and personal goals at whichever one you choose to enroll in.
Apply to a Range of Colleges
College counselors generally recommend that your college list include five to eight colleges. Some students submit fewer applications, others submit more.
To ensure you have options later, apply to a diverse range of colleges and be realistic about the strength of your applications. Here’s the breakdown:
• One or two colleges you feel very confident about — you think you can get in (you have a 90 to 100 percent chance) and you can afford to go there. These colleges are usually called "safeties."
• Two to four colleges that are “probables" (you have at least a 75 percent chance of getting in). These are colleges that are both likely to accept you and close to what you are looking for.
• One or two "reach" colleges (you have a 50 percent or less chance of getting in). These are colleges that present an admission challenge, but applying is well worth the try.
Don't Waste Time and Effort
While there is no ideal number of applications you should send, remember that all applications take your time, energy and money. Try toavoid sending too many applications.
Instead, focus on the colleges you are the most interested in.There are several reasons to apply to only those colleges that you're sure you want to attend:
• Applying to a large number of colleges can be expensive; each one has an application fee.
• Quality is better than quantity when it comes to college applications; there are many steps and each one must be done carefully.
If you apply and you‘re really not that interested in attending, you may be taking a spot away from another applicant who really wants to go to that college.
Avoid Sending Too Many Applications
Focus Your College List
Colleges and universities across the country have reported record-breaking numbers of applicants over the last few years. One of the reasons for the application increase is that a small percentage of high school seniors are applying to many more colleges than the rest of their peers.
As a general rule, school counselors recommend that studentsapply to five to eight colleges. That number allows for a range of colleges, giving you the likelihood of being accepted by at least one of your top choices.
And in fact, almost 79 percent of students are accepted by their first-choice college, according to a recent study, The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2010, published by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California: Los Angeles.
Still, 10 to 15 percent of students apply to more than eight colleges; some send applications to as many as 20. Before you join that statistic, sit down and figure out if that is best for you.
Why Students Apply to Lots of Colleges
There are several reasons why a small percentage of students is applying to a larger number of colleges than is recommended.
One reason is that most colleges are offering online applications, which make applying faster and easier. Another reason is that manyinstitutions — more than 450 — are accepting the Common Application; this makes it easy to send an application to multiple colleges for almost the same effort that it takes to send a single application.
An additional reason is that more colleges are using aggressive strategies to attract desirable applicants. Students who have high PSAT/NMSQT® scores may receive ”fast track” or “snap” applications that they didn’t request from certain colleges. There are roughly 100 colleges that send these easy-to-complete applications to students considered highly qualified. These colleges hope that simplifying their application process will encourage strong students to consider attending — students who otherwise would not be interested.
The current economic climate is also contributing to the increase. Students are sending out a larger number of applications to be sure they have more options when it comes to finding a college that’s a good fit and that they can afford. Many students that were considering only private colleges are increasingly sending applications to more affordable state colleges as well.
Why You Shouldn’t Overapply
The college search process can be challenging: researching colleges, creating alist of suitable choicesand then narrowing it down. For the best chance of success in college, it’s important that you find a good fit academically, geographically and socially.
If you are applying to 10 or more schools, you probably don’t have a deep-rooted interest in all of them. Admission officers want students who really want to attend their college, not those who are unlikely to attend if they are accepted. Some colleges try to make their applications challenging enough to weed out insincere applicants. If you’re not interested enough in a particular college to spend the necessary time on the application, that will be clear.
Applying to many colleges may also be costly. Most colleges charge an application fee. If you aren’t serious about a college, think about whether you want to spend the extra funds. Making thoughtful choices about the colleges you are considering is more cost-effective.
If you’re unsure about how many applications to fill out, talk to your counselor.
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Discussion Question:
What are two of the most important facts that you learned in these articles?
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