Lake Zurich High School
______
College Planning Guide
Class of 2012
iii
LZHS Counseling Department
Lake Zurich High School
300 Church Street
Lake Zurich, IL 60047
847.540.7058 (Phone)
847.438.5198 (Counseling Department Fax Number)
Website: www.lz95.org/lzhs
Ms. Kim Kolze, Principal
Mr. Mitch Berenson, Assistant Principal for Student Services/Counseling Department Chair
Ms. Jennie Bentley, Counselor
847.540.4124
Ms. Jetta Grano, Counselor
847.540.4111
Ms. Mary Jones Counselor
847.540.4122
Dr. Craig Lehigh, Counselor
847.540.4118
Ms. Kaye Polakoff, Counselor
847.540.4120
Mr. Joe Ziemba, Counselor
847.540.4123
Mr. Carl Krause, College/Career Counselor
847.540.5438
Ms. Karin Malachowski, Administrative Assistant
847.540.4117
Ms. Paula Giese, Administrative Assistant
847.540.4470
Ms. Ann Rosenquist, Registrar
847.540.4119
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Self-Assessment 2
High School Curriculum 4
Planning Timeline: Junior Year 5
Planning Timeline: Senior Year 6
College Admission Tests 8
College Admission Categories 11
Factors in the admission Decision 12
Visiting with College Representatives 13
College Comparison Worksheet 14
Public Universities in Illinois 15-16
Community Colleges 17
Visiting Colleges 18
Checklist for Steps in the Application Process 22
Financial Aid 27
Student Athletes 32
Sample Admissions Correspondence 33
Types of Admissions Decisions 37
Terms to Know 38
Helpful Websites 39
Notes 40
iii
College Planning: An Introduction
The purpose of this planning guide is to assist you in your college planning and selection process. Though very challenging, it can be completed successfully with critical thinking, time and organization. In order to make the most of your college search process it is important that you take time to evaluate your strengths, challenges, likes, dislikes, goals and dreams relative to choosing a college or university that meets these needs. Keep in mind that just as individuals have certain personalities, so do institutions. Take the time to assess yourself and select what you feel is the best match.
Self-assessment will be explored in this guide, but in this process it is also important that you meet with your counselor in order to plan effectively. The LZHS Counseling staff is available to help present information and other resources for your use. Choosing a college or university is by far one of the most exciting yet complicated decisions that you will ever make. The key to making the decision is knowing yourself. Assessment is the name of game so prepare yourself by creating a personal checklist in order to evaluate your academic, social and moral factors before you begin to dig deep into your college search. Remember: you want to select a school based on fit. The only to way to know if a particular school is going to be the right “fit” is to evaluate yourself.
Self-Assessment
What do you want to study? Where do you want to go to school?
If you have not heard these questions lately, be sure that you will hear them soon and very often. In order to choose a college or field of study you have to honestly evaluate your strengths, challenges, desires, goals and dreams relative to the colleges and universities you want to explore. One of the best ways to begin is to reflect upon your experience as a high school student.
The following questions published by the College Board in Looking Ahead to Your Future are modified to help you in your self-assessment process.
Goals and Values
1. What aspects of your high school experience have you enjoyed the most (academic and social)? What has been the most disappointing experience for you? What would you change or do differently?
2. What values are important to you?
3. How do you define success? Are you satisfied with your accomplishments to date? What do you want to accomplish in the years ahead?
4. Which of your personal strengths would you most like to develop?
5. What experiences have shaped your growth and your way of thinking?
Education
6. What are your academic interests? What courses have you enjoyed the most? What courses have been the most difficult for you?
7. How do you learn best? What methods of teaching and style of teaching engage your interest and effort the most?
8. Are learning and academic success respected at your high school? How much do you genuinely like to read, discuss issues, and exchange ideas? What has been your most stimulating intellectual experience in recent years?
9. In what area or skill do you feel confident?
10. Have you worked to your potential? Are your standardized test scores and your academic record an accurate measure of your ability and potential? What do you consider the best measures of your potential for college work?
11. Are there outside circumstances that have impacted your academic performance?
Activities and Interests
12. What activities do you enjoy the most? What activities have meant the most to you?
13. Do your activities show any pattern of commitment, competence, contribution or leadership?
14. How would you describe your role at your high school or in the greater community? What would you consider your most significant contribution?
Personality and Relationships
15. How would someone who knows you well describe your best qualities? Your shortcomings? Would you agree with their assessment? Do you feel that you have grown and matured during your high school years?
16. Which relationships are most important to you and why? How are you influenced by others who are important to you? How do you respond to pressure, competition, and challenge? How do you react to failure, disappointment, or criticism?
17. How do you go about making choices or decisions for yourself? What are the best decisions you have made recently? How much do you rely on direction or advice from others? Have you ever chosen anything just because it was new or interesting?
College Preferences
18. What satisfactions and challenges do you expect to encounter in college? To what are you looking forward? What worries you most? What are the overriding considerations in your college search?
19. Why do you want a post-secondary education? Why are you going to college? How do you hope to grow and change throughout college?
20. Which interests do you want to pursue in college? Do your interests require any special facilities, programs, or opportunities? Are you most interested in career preparation, technical training, or general knowledge and skills of inquiry?
21. How well do you respond to pressure and academic competition from others?
22. How much structure do you need? How self-disciplined are you?
23. How would you enjoy living in a different part of the country? What kinds of surroundings are essential to your well being? Are you comfortable around people who grew up differently than you?
24. How free do you feel to make your college decisions? Do you and your parents agree on your plans about college? How important to you are the opinions of your parents and friends? How important is prestige?
Athletic Considerations
25. Do you intend to participate in competitive college athletics and at which level (Division I-A, I-AA, II, III or NAIA)? What impact will your ability to play have on your desire to attend a particular institution?
26. Do you expect to be a recruited athlete? Is a scholarship offer critical to your consideration of a particular college?
27. Are you good enough to compete at an intercollegiate level? How do you know?
High School Curriculum
Your high school curriculum is crucial as you focus on finding the best college fit. It is also the key factor for college admission departments when evaluating prospective students. Though criteria differ from college to college they all focus on the quality and rigor of your high school academic program.
In order to determine the level of rigor and quality, admission officers evaluate the weight of academic subject matter in a course, the grades earned, the level of difficulty and class rank. Post-secondary institutions generally prefer a college preparatory curriculum which includes the following:
◦English (Literature and Composition)
◦Mathematics (Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra)
◦Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
◦Social Studies (World History, U.S. History, American Government)
◦World Languages
It is also recommended that you supplement a strong academic program with enrichment courses. These can include business, performing arts and applied arts courses.
Colleges look for candidates that take the most challenging academic program possible and achieve successfully. Requirements vary from college to college so it is very important that you coordinate your course selection with your goals and interests from information learned during self-assessment and standardized tests.
College Planning Calendar
Junior Year
September—February
· Talk with friends, parents and faculty about colleges and careers.
· Organize a file box of personal and institutional information on college & career opportunities.
· Review and analyze PSAT scores.
· Take ACT/SAT prep course.
· Visit with college representatives in the College Career Center.
· Attend the fall college fair at the College of Lake County.
· Register for senior courses. Take the most demanding program possible and maintain good grades.
· Attend College Night at LZHS.
· Meet with your counselor or college counselor for help choosing colleges to research or visit
March
· Earnestly begin your college search.
· Complete the self-assessment process.
· Attend the spring college fair at the College of Lake County.
· Visit colleges over spring break, if possible.
· Register for ACT and/or SAT I tests if appropriate.
· Register for AP exams if applicable.
April
· Take the ACT.
May
· Take the SAT I if applicable.
· Take AP exams if applicable.
· Start to narrow choices through research, visits, and talks with your counselor and parents.
June—August
· Take the SAT II if needed.
· Write or call colleges for information. Work on college essay ideas.
· Revise and begin to finalize your college list.
College Planning Calendar
Senior Year
September
· Attend Senior Meetings with counselor during assigned time.
· Meet with your counselor or college counselor, if needed.
· Continue your college search. Inquire about applications in the College/Career Center, call/write the colleges or visit college websites.
· Continue working on rough draft essays and applications.
· Watch the PrepHQ scholarship bulletin for opportunities and deadlines.
· Investigate scholarships that may be available at prospective colleges.
· Register to take the SAT I and II/ACT tests if you need to take or retake them.
· Submit CSS Profile registration form for schools requiring the profile.
· Politely ask teachers to write recommendations if required.
October
· Take/re-take the ACT or SAT test, if needed.
· Follow-up on teacher/counselor recommendations to be sure they have been completed.
· Start submitting applications to your counselor. Be sure to check deadlines—especially for early admission programs. Most of your applications should be submitted to the Counseling Office by late October or early November. Check deadlines.
November
· Continue the application process, but watch for deadlines.
December
· Parents and students: Attend Financial Aid Night at LZHS.
· Some college acceptance letters may arrive. Be sure to check for special information in the letter.
· All college applications with a January deadline must be turned in to your counselor by the end of the first week of December in order to allow time for processing and mailing before the winter break.
January-February
· Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which is required for those applying for financial aid. This can be done online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
· Continue to check PrepHQ for local scholarship postings.
March
· Register for AP Exams if appropriate.
· Watch for the Student Aid Report (SAR) to arrive, stating the expected family contribution. Make sure your colleges have received it. Keep the original.
April
· All colleges should respond by the first week of April.
· Decide which college you wish to attend and send a deposit to one school. Inform your counselor and teachers of the selected choice.
May
· Notify the colleges to which you were admitted but do not plan to attend.
· Notify the college or university in which you plan to attend by May 1.
· Take AP exams if appropriate.
June
· Turn in your final transcript request.
· Congratulations! Graduation is finally here!
College Admission Tests
Many colleges require the ACT or SAT I. Some of the more highly selective colleges also require the SAT II. It is your responsibility to know which tests each college requires.
Each time you take an ACT or SAT I, you should take advantage of the prepaid reports and send your scores to colleges in which you are interested. If a college you apply to does not have a copy of your test scores, you will need to pay an additional fee for each college to which you want your ACT scores sent. It may take up to seven weeks for ACT and SAT to process these, so request by mail or on-line in a timely manner.
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT)
This is a practice test of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT I) and the first step in qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship Program. It is given to juniors in October.
ACT
This is one of the two test options which may be used for admission to colleges and universities. All colleges and universities in the United States will accept either the ACT or the SAT I for admission. Juniors are advised to take the ACT in February, April or June of their junior year. This test must be taken in the junior year to qualify for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission’s Honorary Illinois Scholar Award. The ACT is given on six Saturdays annually.
In 2005, the ACT introduced a new component known as the ACT Writing Test. This test is optional during Saturday ACT dates, but we encourage students to take it at least once because many colleges and universities recommend or require it. The 30-minute Writing Test is taken after the multiple choice test is completed and will not affect the composite score. Rather, students will receive two additional scores: a Combined English/Writing score on a scale of 1 – 36 and a Writing subscore on a scale of 2 – 12.
During the spring, all juniors are required to take the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) for graduation. This state exam will measure the achievement of grade 11 students relative to the Illinois Learning Standards for reading, mathematics and science. The PSAE includes three components: (1) an ISBE-developed science assessment; (2) the ACT Assessment, which includes reading, English, mathematics, and science tests; and (3) two WorkKeys assessments (Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics). In 2007, the ACT component of the PSAE will offer the writing portion. The ACT given during PSAE can be sent to colleges/universities, as well as the NCAA, as an official test score.