Planning for Success

Plan for success – the high school degree plan

There are two 8th grade courses that count as high school credits – foreign language, Algebra I

You and your student should talk with Mrs. Cregor to arrive at the best mix of classes to fulfill the degree plan. Both of our degree plans are college prep.  Students who complete the required number of honors and AP classes may graduate with an Honors Diploma.

Understand what honor and AP classes are, when they can be taken, how they impact their GPA, and what they require from your student.

Understand that 9th grade students tend to over schedule and over commit to extracurricular activities and academic endeavors– help them choose wisely and keep in mind all their other non-school activities (church youth group, Scouts, dance, city league sports …..). 

Each student is different so the mix of academics, athletics and other activities will be different

Additionally, you need to encourage your student to build a good grade base early on so that they have “breathing room” later on in their high school career.

Plan for success – an eye toward college

College is four years away, but what your student does now will have an impact on college admissions and scholarships.  You should keep track of the following for college and scholarship applications – keep track by year and by category. 

• Community service/volunteer hours (travel time counts as part of the volunteer time)  - you need a description of the type of service done and the name and number or e-mail of the  person in charge
• Work experience of any type – description of the work done, the name of the company or person worked for, the phone number, the address or e-mail address.
• Award/certification or recognition received in or out of school –you will need the name of the award, the reason it was given/earned, person or institution giving the award, phone number or e-mail address.
• Classes taken
• GPA (un-weighted and weighted)
• Class rank and percentile/quartile
• Test scores (PSAThttp://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/scores.html, then later SAThttp://sat.collegeboard.com/home and ACT)

Plan for success – Standardized Testing in High School

Most colleges require a standardized test score to be reported.  We work to prepare your student to be familiar with taking these tests and to help you understand and track your student’s academic progress.

PSAThttp://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/scores.html and ReadiStep – The ReadiStep and PSAT are grade-level appropriate versions of the SAT http://sat.collegeboard.com/homeand are given each fall. 

The ReadiStep will be given to the middle school students starting next year. 

The PSAT is given to the 9th-11th graders.

These tests help prepare your student to take the SAThttp://sat.collegeboard.com/home as well as give you indicators of your student’s academic standings based on national standards. 

Please encourage your student to do their best on these tests.

PSAT/NMSQT scores are reported on a scale of 20 to 80

In 2010

The average score for 11th graders was

• 47 in Critical Reading
• 49 in Mathematics
• 45 in Writing Skills

The average score for 10th graders was

• 43 in Critical Reading
• 44 in Mathematics
• 40 in Writing Skills

If you are unsure of what your student’s scores mean, contact Mrs. Cregor.

After you receive your student’s  PSAT scores:

Read the score information and understand what your student’s score means at each grade level.  Score information is available from College Board.  http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/scores.html

Using their PSAT identification number your student  will be able to log into the College Board web site and use the college prep tools

• My College Quick Start/ My Roads
• Interest Inventory
• Personality Profile
• College Search and college comparison
• Scholarship search

After students take the PSAThttp://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/scores.html, they will receive the SAT Question of the Day from College Board if they have supplied College Board with an e-mail address. 

Your student can use these questions to help prepare them for the next PSAT and the SAThttp://sat.collegeboard.com/home.

Have your student take the SAT Prep class as an elective their junior or senior year.

Plan for success –Choosing a College

College Entrance Exams

The two test options are the SAThttp://sat.collegeboard.com/home and the ACT

Information about each are available on their web sites (see  “Useful Web Sites”)

We recommend that students take these tests in the spring of their junior year and  then again as necessary to achieve the desired score (the goal is to have testing completed and scores submitted by December of their senior year)

In 2010 Legacy’s SAT scores were above the state and national averages

• M+V+W               1640       Legacy
• M+V+W               1509       National
• M+V+W               1467       State

Legacy is an official ACT test site

Majors

Your student may not have a clue as to what they want to major in when they get to college – That’s okay; many students go to college undecided or change majors after they are in college.

If your student does have an idea about a college major, help them explore colleges that offer that major using College Boardhttp://myroad.collegeboard.com/myroad/navigator.jsp?t=homepage&i=index and ACThttp://www.actstudent.org/wwm/index.html  web sites.

College Choice

There are several things to do and to consider when helping your student choose a college.   

Know that there are many good colleges, but finding the ones that meet the following criteria is important (see College Finder listings).

Where do they (the student) feel they belong – They will be spending four very important years of their lives at college – do what you can to help them be good years

What can you afford – start planning now.  Many colleges have scholarships and financial aid available as well as coops and internships (see Useful Websites listing).

Where does God want them to go

Consider the natural gifting, talents and interest your student has (academic, athletic, artistic, and other skills) as well as their personality, comfort zone, and outlook.  Then help them find a college that fits their unique combination of attributes.

Consider what your student wants to do and help them explore possibilities.  Ultimately they need to find a college with a major that lead to a degree that opens doors to a job they enjoy and will allow them to be financially self- sufficient.

We suggest that students pick three to five colleges that have their intended major and that they would like to attend.  Then, you and your student can explore these using the college’s web site and making a college visit.

The College Visit

The virtual visit - visit the web site of colleges your student is interested in (Google the name of the college/university to find their web page – if necessary add the state and city along with the name of the school) (City College will get lots of sites)

While on the college’s web site look for the following information:

entrance requirements

special entrance requirements for your student’s major

deadlines for applications and fees

CLEP http://clep.collegeboard.org/

AP www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html

or SAT subject testhttp://sat.collegeboard.com/about-tests/sat-subject-tests credit policy

Cost involved (tuition, fees, books, room and board, travel expenses, and personal expenses)

Look at the campus through: virtual tours, picture galleries or slide shows

The campus visit – Campus visits can be made any time during high school, but are most often done during the junior and senior year. 

Juniors are allowed two college days and seniors are allowed three college days per school year.   (See the hand book for more details).  

During your visit go to the various departments your student is interested in.  This usually requires a scheduled appointment (some schools will schedule these for you; others will require your student (or you) to make an appointment).  Some colleges let you schedule appointments online.  Ask to meet with the department’s student liaison (it may be a department head, faculty member, secretary, or recruiter).

Additionally, visit the:

• dorms – where are they located, what condition are they in, what is the room/bathroom arrangement, do they have computer/internet access, how are the boys and girls housed, what are the visiting hours, are students required to live on campus, if so, for how long
•  cafeteria –
•  recreation center or activity center
• chapel or faith based centers – public colleges usually have faith based “houses” on campus
• restrooms – are they clean, do they have unnecessary extras
• bookstore
• library/resource center -
• laundry facilities

What student extracurricular activities are available.

Ask what is the:

• size of the school
• academic environment
• reputation of the school
• location of the school -
• how easy is it to get them to and from school, what is the cost involved in getting them to and from school
• How large/small is the town the school is located in – does it have easily available grocery stores, shopping centers, food places …
• How cold/warm does it get there
• Is your student mature enough to live away from home
•  If there is there is no church on campus is there one nearby
• Can they have or do they need a car

DO NOT let your student choose a college based solely on where their fiends are going, which one has the “cutest” coeds, because everyone in the family has gone there, you like their school colors …….

Planning for success - Scholarships

Scholarship search - There are college scholarship opportunities available to students at ALL levels of high school and with all types of abilities, interests, and uniqueness (go to Scholarship Websites and Financial Aid).  Search for scholarships using the following criteria:

• By grade level (high school and college)
• By gender
• By family origin
• By unusual/unique characteristics:  height, left-handed, eye color …
• By academic/athletic ability
• By hobbies/interest
• By clubs/organizations/affiliations of student or family
• By religion/faith
• By military affiliation
• By volunteer work
• By college
• By major
• By family status or make up
• By survivors of …..
• By health conditions

Testing:

PSAT:   http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/scores.html
SAT:  http://sat.collegeboard.com/home
SAT Subject Test:  http://sat.collegeboard.com/about-tests/sat-subject-tests
ACT home page:  http://www.act.org/
CLEP:  http://clep.collegeboard.org/
AP:  http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html

College and Career Finder web sites

www.privatecolleges.com
www.careersandcolleges.com
www.bls.gov.oco

College finders

www.insidecollege.com
www.ucan-network.org

College rankings

 http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/colleges        

www.ncaa.org
www.eligibilitycenter.org
www.naia.org

Scholarship Websites and Financial Aid (Scams – If you have to pay for a service, it is probably a scam.)

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/scholarship/index.shtml
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/scholarships-and-aid/408.html

College Board

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/index.html
http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp

ACT

http://actstudent.org/finaid/index.html

FAFSA

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov

Other

www.findtuition.com
www.fastweb.com
http://studentaid.ed.gov
www.govloans.gov

Mixed Information

ACT planning for college:  http://actstudent.org/college/index.html

Majors

College Board:  http://myroad.collegeboard.com/myroad/navigator.jsp?t=homepage&i=index

ACT:  http://www.actstudent.org/wwm/index.html