To help you follow along with our presentation you can follow this program outline

Choosing a School Questions to Ask

What kinds of academic programs interest me?
How challenging do I want college to be?
Big School vs. Small School?
Will I fit in?
How safe will I be?
How much will it cost?
Where might I get the best deal?
What do I want to get out of college?
How do I learn?
How competitive am I?
What do I want to do with my time outside of class?
How important is diversity?
How independent am I?

Types of Schools

• UCs 10 campuses
• CSUs 23 campuses
• Community colleges 109 campuses

• Out of state public colleges and universities
• Private liberal arts colleges and universities
• Private research colleges and universities
• Private technical colleges and universities
• Private fine arts colleges
• Private trade and technical colleges

High School Preparation

• Challenging courses
• ACT/SAT prep
• Extracurricular activities both in and out of school
• Community service
• Internships
• Work experience
• Out of the ordinary experiences, challenges, hobbies, interests

Admissions Factors

• High school grades and academic challenge
• SAT/ACT scores
• SAT Subject Exam scores
• AP courses and scores
• College essays
• Extracurricular activities
• Recommendations
• Portfolio
• Interviews
• Answers to application questions
• Personal factors such as race, gender, background

Reasons for Choosing a School

• Size
• Location
• Major offerings
• Graduation rate
• Student retention
• Diversity
• Class size
• Who teaches undergraduate classes?

How many schools should I choose?

• Stretch
• Pretty good
• Really good

The College Essay

A good essay is:

• Entertaining
• Tells the reader something not found elsewhere in your application
• Opportunity to share what you think, how you are unique
• Don’t leave it until the last minute
• Use the essay writing process, prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, checking, editing

Financial Aid

• Merit-based aid
• Need-based aid

What is the FAFSA?

Evaluates:

• Estimated Family Contribution
• Financial need

EFC based on:

• Parent’s gross adjusted income and liquid assets
• Student’s gross adjusted income and liquid assets

Liquid assets:

• Bank accounts
• Investments
• Equity in secondary or income property,
• Some businesses and farms

Not included:

• Retirement accounts
• Personal property
• Primary residence,
• Value of life insurance

Financial Aid terms

• FAFSA
• SAR
• EFC
• FN
• Need-Based Aid
• Merit-Based Aid
• Grants
• Work Study
• Loans