Books – Prepare for College

What Colleges Don’t Tell You (And Other Parents Don’t Want You to Know): 272 Secrets for Getting Your Kid into the Top Schools

What High Schools Don’t Tell You: 300+ Secrets to Make Your Kid Irresistible to Colleges by Senior Year

From Here to Freshman Year: Tips, Timetables, and To Dos that Get You into College

The Ultimate College Acceptance System: Everything You Need to Know to Get into the Right College for You

Last Updated: September 19, 2008

Checklist for Seniors – Preparing for College

• Work with your school counselor to reviewyour senior transcripts to make sure that you are on track and/or has a plan for high school graduation.
• Check the college catalogues and /or the computers in the Career Center for information about the colleges that interest you. Ask to do a college search if you are undecided. Decide on 5-7 colleges as your goals. One should be a “sure shot,” one a “maybe” and one a “long shot”.
• Mark your calendar to attend any college night in your area.
• Invest in a calendar and mark the deadlines for college applications, tests, financial aid, housing, and recommendations.
• Complete a UC or CSU eligibility worksheet to see what you must do to be eligible for admission if you wish to attend a campus in either system.
• By December, preferably October, finish taking the necessary entrance exams for colleges. Register for SAT I and SAT II (subject tests) at www.collegeboard.com and for ACT at www.act.org.
• Seniors who plan to play Division I or Division II athletics must register with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at www.ncaa.org
• Begin planning for college expenses involving tuition, room, board, books, and travel.
• Begin looking into financial aid and scholarship opportunities by checking with the Career Center.
• For Seniors applying to private colleges and universities: Completely fill out the ‘Parent Brag Sheet’ and ‘Senior Resume.’ (Copies are available in the Career Center.) Secure your letters of recommendation. Ask individuals who know you well and give them at least 3 weeks notice to complete this for you.
• Begin your college application essay(s). College application tips are available at www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills and tips for writing the UC Personal Statement can be found at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions. There are also several books available on this subject in the career center at SRV and your counselor is a great resource in this area too.
• Explore the COIN career guidance system and/or take the Major Interest Inventory Test for help in choosing a college major in the Career Center.
• Think seriously about college criteria (for example, do you want to attend a large or small school? Do you want a sports program or other special interest activities on the campus? How far away from home do you wish to be?)
• Attend college representative meetings in the Career Center to hear more about colleges you are considering.

Last Updated: September 10, 2008

Is test score important?

No test score? No problem!

Currently, about 750 colleges and universities across the country are test optional, but Wake Forest is the most well known of the group.

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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Why go to college?

May be a better question is, “What do you want to do for the rest of your life?“

In 1997, President Clinton referred to education as “the fault line between those who will prosper in the new economy and those who will not“.

A college education will offer you:

• Gain information and skills that you’ll use for the rest of your life
  • Expand your knowledge and skills.
  • Express your thoughts clearly in speech and in writing
  • Grasp abstract concepts and theories
  • Increase your understanding of the world and your community
• More Money/Future earnings
  Though money isn’t the only reason to consider a particular career, remember that a job that pays well offers more personal choices.
  • Statistics from U.S. Department of Education (2004):
    • A high school dropout earned $22,100/year.
    • A high school graduate earned $30,056.
    • A college graduate earned $54,704.
  • In 1998, male college graduate, aged 25 to 34, earned 63% more than his counterpart who did not attend college.
  • According to the 2001 U.S. Census:
    • college graduates earned $1 million more during their lifetimes than high school graduates
  • U.S. Census Bureau, 2004:
    • lifetime earnings for a person with a college degree is about 3 times that of a person without this education
    • $1.5 million versus $500,000
• More Job Opportunities or career choices
  
• More Freedom
  • living on a college campus with other students,
  • meeting people from all over the country and world,
  • studying abroad (see, it pays to learn a foreign language), and
  • choosing your own cool courses

Keep Your Options Open!

Thinking ahead doesn’t mean you have to know right now what you want to do “when you grow up.” It’s okay not to know yet.

*Note: The income is based on year round full-time workers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplement

Source:

• WHAT CAN A COLLEGE EDUCATION DO FOR ME?
• Why Get a College Degree?
• Why go to College?
• Why go to College?
• 10 Reasons to Go to College
• Sure You Should Go to College?
• College Planning for Gifted Students: Choosing And Getting into the Right College

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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