Presentation by College Counselors: Mr. Frank Gatell, Ms. Rosa Mejia, and Ms. Julie Honda
Link to PowerPoint by College Counselors
Additional Notes:
Think about college application process as another class: it has deadlines, testing, essays due, etc. Keep that in mind when scheduling senior classes.
It's a good idea to take SAT and ACT in the spring of junior year
Start thinking about where you'd like to study and what you'd like to study.
Think about potential "safety," "target," and "reach" schools
Target schools - 60/40 (there's a 60% chance you'd get in)
- UCLA received 61,000 applications for freshmen (it only has 8000 spots available)
- UC Berkeley and UC Merced are on semesters; rest of UCs are on quarter system
- Stanford Early Decision receives 30,000 applications for approximately 1700 spots
- Can only apply early decision to ONE school (it's binding)
- Visit colleges! Contact Freshmen Admission Office or Campus Tours to set up a tour of the campus and find out about overnight stay programs (often you can stay overnight in a dorm room and really get to see the campus more fully by talking to those who go there!)
- Begin work on your college essays! (Shameless self-promotion: Consider taking the Personal Statement workshop I teach at UCLA: Click here for more information
- Study for the SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject Tests!
- Do meaningful internships, community service, camps--anything that will give you something to write about and enjoy!
Q & A:
- How many times to take the SAT or ACT? Three. No more.
- For the subject tests, what do we take? Whatever you are currently preparing for in APs, but make sure you prepare and get materials to know what to expect, because some of them differ (like the SAT Subject Test for English - it corresponds more closely with the AP English Literature course that seniors take. See me for details!)
- How does the application process differ for art programs or music conservatories? There are two application processes in most cases--you'll need to do the regular application plus submit a portfolio, audition, etc. and the deadlines are often BEFORE the regular application deadlines. Each school differs, so talk with your college counselor as soon as possible!
- Can house principals or Ms. Baxter write the letter of recommendation "from a counselor"? Yes! Most private schools that request two letters of recommendation want one from a teacher in a core subject area (English, mathematics, social studies, or science) and will want one from a counselor or principal.
- Can the College Center help with applications for international schools? Yes!
HW: Read The Bluest Eye to page 121 and complete the Polly Character Notes except for the last six boxes. Study for Tuesday's grammar quiz over pronouns. Extra help for pronoun ambiguity (also called "faulty pronoun reference"). Extra help for pronoun case. Extra help for pronoun-antecedent agreement (this also includes pronoun consistency help). We'll do one more pronoun review on Monday and pick up with our satire/humor unit then. Please bring The Bluest Eye tomorrow.
