Membership Mobilization and Engagement: School Counselor Webinar Series 10 Things Effective Counselors Do … to Help Students Apply to 4 or More Colleges We will begin at 1:00 pm EST Due to the large number of participants, all attendees’ phones are muted on entry to the webinar. Please do not take your phone off mute. We look forward to answering questions via the “chat” feature that you will find in the menu bar above. To get your call in number for the audio line, please use the menu bar above, go to the drop down box, and select Audio Conference.
Submitting Online Questions – Chat Feature Questions may be submitted at any time during the presentation using the chat feature. To submit a question: Click Chat icon Type your question into the chat dialog box. Select recipient “Fall Counselor Workshop” Click send/enter.
Presenters Debra F. Craig, M.A., Special Projects, Former Executive Director of the Southwestern Regional Office, The College Board, Austin, Texas • Debra is a nationally recognized education leader and school counseling professional and has served in a number of K-16 school counseling, instruction and leadership capacities. These roles have included College/Career Counselor, Interim Director of Professional Development and Chief Educational Manager of K-12 Services at the College Board, Southwestern Regional Office. • Appointed to serve on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Common Application Committee and the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, Debra has been involved providing expert guidance and leadership in student access, college admission and financial aid policy. • Debra was named Counselor of the Year by the Texas Counseling Association in 1994 and was honored with the William Fleming for Counseling Excellence (2001) and the Founders’ Awards (2004) by the Texas Association for College Admissions Counseling. • Debra has led a number of award winning initiatives and programs to serve students and families including content creation for the Texas State University uPhone, Parent College Admission Course, and the Fish Bowl Freshman Orientation Programs. • Debra holds a Master’s of Education in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Texas and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Texas Tech University.
10 Things Effective Counselors Do … to Help Students Apply to 4 or More Colleges December 2013 Confidentiality statement
What We Know 82% of the nation’s high -achieving students from low-income households do not apply to a single school that meets their academic qualifications. Applying to two colleges instead of one makes it 40% more likely that students will enroll in a four-year college. Applying to more than two makes their chances of enrolling even better. Counselors play a critical role in supporting students to Apply to 4 or More
Today’s Objectives To identify 10 Things Effective Counselors Do which support every student through the college admission process. To provide examples, links, and discussion for each of the 10. To know the resources available through the online handout. 10 Things Effective Counselors Do to Help Students Apply to 4 or More Colleges
1. LEARN about the colleges students apply to often. There are 3,984 accredited, degree-granting undergraduate institutions in the United States. There are also important distinctions about institutions. To which of those 3,984 options do your students most often apply? Begin by investigating those institutions as well as other institutions (2-year and 4-year) within a 100 to 200 mile radius of your school.
1. Learn Sit-in on visits by college representatives. Create a “most frequently asked questions” sheet and interview the college representatives who visit your school. Collect this information in a resource notebook. The University of California provides a list of sample questions which you can ask when on a college visit or when a representative visits your school. Create a one-page version for students to use during in- school college representative visits.
1. Learn Teach your students how to differentiate among institutions: What is a liberal arts institution? What is a research institution? What is a college? What is a university? What is a proprietary institution? How does it differ from a public or private college or university? Encourage students’ curiosity by asking them about which colleges/universities they have an interest/knowledge.
Ask students to provide a college/university name for each of these institutional types. Discuss the differences.
1. Learn Use a “Score Card” to detail information and impressions when you or your students visit a campus. Keep a stack of these sheets in your office to give to students and parents when they prepare for college visits. Campus Visit Score Card
1. Learn Consider joining the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Exchange listserve. It provides a single platform where professionals can share information and discussion about the college admission process. You do not need to be a member of NACAC to join the listserve, but you will need a username and password. The NACAC Exchange Listserve
1. Learn Study the home pages of the institutions to which your students most frequently apply. You will most likely find information for your students AND for you!
1. Learn For example, on the Admissions page of Colorado State University:
2. Know Course Work requirements As preparation: • Emphasize the importance of taking college preparatory classes starting in the 9 th grade even if the student is not sure about future plans. Taking Algebra is particularly important to keeping future options open. • Explain the difference between high school graduation requirements and college entrance requirements. • Explain what community colleges require.
2. Know Course Work requirements Stress that you want students not only to be accepted into college, but also to succeed when they get there: That’s why they need to take the most challenging course load they can handle. Provide teachers with relevant and timely information about college preparation and college requirements so they, too, can provide accurate information to students. Help students understand what it means to Create a Solid Academic Profile.
2. Know Course Work requirements Examine … • Individual Course Completion Requirements by state … OR • Individual Course Completion Requirements by flagship institution … OR • Individual Course Completion Requirements by individual institution In Colorado - http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/Admissions/coursecompletion.html In Texas – for UT : http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/admission/hs- courses/minimum In Massachusetts - http://www.mass.edu/forstudents/admissions/admissionsstandards.asp
2. Know Course Work requirements Encourage EVERY student to take the most challenging courses available to him or her. Investigate career options which require either 2-year college experience OR 4-year college experience to help students understand the importance of taking challenging academic coursework regardless of their career or interest goals. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/explore-careers/careers
3. Know Where to find specific test requirements Encourage EVERY student to register for and to take a college- admission test – such as the SAT or other college entrance exam. The end of the junior year or the beginning of the senior year is an optimal time for testing. There is a required fee – but FEE WAIVERS are AVAILABLE! Performance on these tests is NOT just used for admission, but, in many cases, for course placement.
3. Know Where to find specific test requirements Test requirements are readily available on the Admissions pages of college and university websites: • University of Indiana • Auburn University • University of South Dakota • Professional Information for YOU – There are colleges & universities which do not require testing: http://fairtest.org/university/optional
3. Know Where to find specific test requirements Students need to know that performance on these tests is not the only evaluation colleges use to make admission decisions. Therefore … Registering and taking a college admission test is the best way to insure the Apply to 4™ option remains open for every student.
3. Know Where to find specific test requirements Links to fee waiver information: SAT Fee Waivers: • http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-fee-waivers ACT Fee Waivers: • http://media.act.org/documents/feewaiver.pdf
4. Be Familiar with application processes The standard application typically includes the following materials: • The application form • The transcript and school profile • Standardized test scores (sent directly from the testing companies to institutions) • Recommendations (possibly) • Essays (possibly) • Supporting documents (if needed)
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