How to get to College! 101 Presented by South County Cal-SOAP Live Oak Advisors Sobrato Advisors Arron Thomas Dulce Cintora Jackson Daley Ted Thomas Commonly Asked Questions  My parents say I have to go but I don’t know why?!?  Am I even eligible?  My parents didn’t go to college and they don’t know how to help me!  Should I just go to the Community College?  I heard that college is crowded, and students can’t get classes! That can’t be true…right? Earning Power (Average salaries based on Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008) • High School Graduate: $32,136 • Associate’s Degree (AA): $38,348 • Bachelor’s Degree (BA/BS): $60,472 • Advanced Degree (MA, MD, JD): $81,172 1/11/2017 3 Success is all about your MINDSET! What kind of student do you want to be? I want A’s and B’s! I’m happy with my C’s! … yea, I’m just gonna do what I can to graduate… It’s also about the requirements! 5 Areas that you NEED to pay attention too! ► A-G requirements ► Course Rigor ► Grade Point Average ► Test Scores ► Personal Statement (IF YOU DO ALLTHIS WELL, YOU WILL GET IN!) Types of Colleges 4-year university  California public universities ► UC system – 10 campuses – top 10% of students ► CSU system – 23 campuses – top 50% of students  Out-of-state public universities ► Out-of-state tuition is higher than in-state (Oregon University, Arizona State, etc.)  Private universities in all states ► tuition is the same for all students whether in or out-of-state ► Santa Clara, Stanford, USC, Harvard, Columbia, etc. Community College – 2 year degree  Gavilan, DeAnza, San Jose City, etc. – 108 campuses – all students are eligible  Students can complete 2 years at community college, then transfer to a 4-year university (must fulfill transfer requirements) 6 1/11/2017 Private School Applications (commonapp.org) University of California (universityofcalifornia.edu) California State Universities (csumentor.edu) California Community College (cccapply.org) A-G Requirements A: History (2 years) B: English (4 years) C: Math (3 years req./4 recomm.) D: Science (2 yrs. req. 3-4 recomm) E: Foreign Language (2 req. 3-4 recomm.) F: Visual/Performing Arts (1 year) G: College Prep Elective (1 year) GPA/Test Scores GPA What is a “good” GPA? Will the University consider all my High School Courses? AP vs CP??? Community College/CSU/UC /Private School? Test Scores What is a “good” score? Do I need to take SAT prep classes to do well? What’s on the test? Which test should I take? How many times should I take the test/s? Course Rigor   What is Course Rigor? How do I add rigor to my courses? -Keep in mind, the Universities want to accept students that have challenged themselves throughout High School! ‘They’ would rather you take an AP and get a ‘B’ than take a CP and get an ‘A!’ Community Service/Volunteer Work  Seriously…. Why do I need to do this?  The purpose of Community Service is to provide the student an opportunity to gain experiences Personal Statement ► What is it for? ► How do I write a “good” personal statement? ► What are “they” looking for? -It’s all about rainbows! GPA HS LOCATION ABILITY TO OVERCOME TEST SCORES A-G REQUIRMENTS SPECIAL PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN # AND PERFORMANCIE IN AP COURSES IDEAL STUDENT TALENTS, ACOMPLISHMENTS OR TALENTS ELC (TOP 9%) RECENT ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT RIGOR OF 12 GRADE COURSES OUTSTANDING WORK IN FIELD RELATED PROJECT OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE RELATIVE TO SCHOOL OPPERTUNITES Additional Criteria ► Extracurricular activities -Sports, community service, and clubs ► Recommendations from teachers -Ask for a letter from two or three teachers that know you well ► Essays -A chance for the student to paint a more detailed picture -Write, revise, and get friends/family/teachers to edit them 1/11/2017 17 ► Questions…???