[music] [music] >> All right, we're going to get started. Um, hi everyone. Welcome to our college planning night. Uh, this is specifically geared to juniors, but anyone will benefit from it if you're thinking about the college application process. Uh, my name is Dr. Fisher. I am uh, the
director of counseling and student supports here in the district. This is my 14th year as an administrator here in Lawrence. I was the principal at LIS for a while and before that I was here as an assistant principal for years. Um, so it's really nice to be back working with
an amazing team of counselors. Uh, I will gently use this. Um, I'm I'm loud so we don't really don't need it. Um, so it's exciting to be here. You have an amazing group of counselors that are going to really walk you through what you need to be thinking about starting
now all the way into next school year in the process of getting ready for either the college application process or a career prep program. So, we're going to have a bunch of counselors going through the slides. We do have a handout here that
really just gives you a overview and we will be sending out the slides as well. So, don't feel like you have to necessarily take notes. Um, between the handout and sending this out you'll have access to all of the links and all of the resources as part of the presentation today. Um, and then
afterwards we will have time for questions as well and you can also talk to the counselors on your way out as well or call them cuz they're very accessible. Um, so what we're going to be talking about tonight is really gearing up for the application process.
I have a senior here at the high school so I just I'm I just lived this. Um I can tell you that our counselor the counselors here really do an amazing job of setting our students up for success. Um my daughter was accepted to multiple schools quite easily and I was, you
know, I really know that it's because of the work and the dedication that counselors do, so you're in good hands um and leading through this process. Um so, we're going to start with just the overview of the college planning timeline. We're going to talk about SATs
and ACTs, um talk about what that means, um and and when to take those tests if you um choose to. Then Naviance overview, um students we have a lot of students here today. Raise your hand if you've logged into Naviance in the last year.
All right, so by tomorrow the goal will be that every hand is up and families here will learn about why that's so important. Um we're going to talk about letters of recommendation that are an important part of the college application process and when students should start to ask their teachers for those letters. Um talking about
demonstrated interest, um talking about what, you know, they're going to be doing, where they're going to be going, and also what they're majoring in. The Common App, a lot of our schools will be using Common App, so talking through what that means for you. Um understanding the different types of admissions there are, there's all
different options and you'll learn about that tonight. Mercer County Community College, we're really lucky to have that local school really close um and we'll talk about the partnership that we have to make the acceptance process pretty seamless. Um we offer in August, it'll
be August 4th this year, the college application boot camp giving a stu- students a really a chance to jump-start the application process and work on their brag sheets and the resumes and the Common App, so you'll learn more about that. And then we will
have a panel of a few current seniors that have just like, you know, they just went through this process and they'll be able to talk about their experience and also answer questions. All right, so that's what we're going to be going over. Again, you'll have plenty of time to ask ask some questions at the end and you can always just reach out to your
counselors afterwards or you know, throughout the next 6 weeks of school just to get get the able to ask more personalized questions. All right, and I'm handing it off to Mr. Perjunas. >> Uh good evening everybody. So, I do want to just talk to you about some of the
things that we should be doing at this point in our junior year and then also kind of looking towards the start of senior year as well. One thing that we do suggest to students, especially if they are they took the PSAT, they feel like they have a pretty good
handle for those standardized tests, is the SAT or the ACT. We are going to talk about that a little bit later on, so I'm not going to spend a ton of time on that, but I do suggest that students do that. Usually want to register about a month in advance. So, if you know you want to take it in June,
then I would say we should have registered already or register as soon as we can. That way we avoid fees and we also avoid we get the best choice of where we want to take it so we're not having to go somewhere far away. The one place where the students have probably the most control right now is
is doing well in school. Colleges like to see the students grow. So, even if it was maybe not a great freshman year or even a not a great freshman or sophomore year, colleges want to see that there's development, student is growing, getting better and better and better. And so, they're kind of college wants to be
like, "Oh great, I'm catching the student almost at their peak." That is very much in our students' control and there's about marking period or so left where the students can start to make an impact on, you know, those grades. Think about what different classes they're taking for next year. If they if there's anything
that they want to tweak or adjust um, and kind of move from there. They can, maybe, start to more formalize some of their career interests. We have a lot of students, and we'll talk about Naviance later, but we have a lot of students who say like, "Well, I'm really interested in medicine, but I do not
want to deal with blood." It's like a very common conversation we have in the counseling office. Um, one of our ways that we kind of run through Naviance, we try to talk to our students about that, is is getting an idea of, "Okay, well, what are some ways that I could happily explore the medicine, but then not deal with blood?" "What are some ways
that I could work with kids, but not be a teacher?" That's like another, um, common thing that we see students ask about. Another thing that students can be doing at this point is beginning that college search. I really, really encourage students to visit as much as they can,
even if it's a school that they maybe don't have a ton of interest in, but they haven't really visited a ton of schools yet. Go to TCNJ. And I I know for our students, it's like, "Oh, it's 10 minutes away. Don't want to go there." It's a very classic like small-to-middle-size school. Go and see
if like, do they like that feel? Because if you know that you like a small school feel, that's a valuable piece of a valuable piece of information to have. So, go to TCNJ. Walk around campus. Do I like that I can go from campus to campus, one side to the other? Do I like
that it's, you know, a little bit smaller? I get a good feel for the other students who are in my little bubble? Do I like something like a Rutgers where, you know, there's always something happening? I might never, you know, see every inch of that campus. And if so, then I can use that to inform the
decision. If I like a big school, but I don't want to stay in New Jersey, fine, but at least now we know we like a big school. And then having that well-rounded college list, you know, these two things kind of go hand in hand, but it all starts to think by visiting schools and and getting a good sense for where they want to go. I always like joke with my
students, I have the most hated phone case. I spent like hours pouring over like which phone case do I want and it's like a $9 case. Like you just get a new one if you don't like it. Oh, it's just an extremely expensive decision to make. And so, I I always
encourage them like do as much fact-finding as you can, visit as much as you can, and then and make the most informed decision at the end of the day. Another thing that students can do really I'd say like before June 15th or so, before they leave, is ask their teachers about letters of
recommendation. Even if they're not going to college, I think just the act of asking somebody for that recommendation is important and it's something that even in like as an adult I need it. But ask a teacher, "Hey, I'm interested in applying to college. Do you think that you'd be able to provide me a good
letter of recommendation?" Just informally, there's nothing We can talk with the students about how we do that on Naviance uh when they come back in September. But it is helpful to at least start that conversation with the teacher. I had used to be a teacher and when students would ask me in June or even in May, I
would say like, "Oh, I'll use my name." Like, "Oh, great. I remember Alex had that demonstration in January and nobody wanted to participate and Alex is the first to go up and that's incredible." Like I I want to make sure you talk about that. And if they ask me in September,
I would still happily provide the letter of recommendation, but I might forget some of those like small moments that really could inform the letter and make it a little bit more individualized. So, I do stress that students reach out as soon as they can. Completing their brag sheet, which is on Naviance, we'll talk about that again later, but it's just basically like a
resume. And demonstrating interest for schools, which we will also talk about later. Over the summer, they can work on that Common App essay. Refine that list, start to narrow it down to the really core schools that they definitely want to go to or definitely want to at least visit or
apply to. Create the Common App account. Make sure that everything in that left column is all completed and then attend a college boot camp which we will also talk to you all about that. Do you have any questions? I know it's quite a bit. Yes. >> How many letters of recommendation
>> So the counselor will provide one by default. We do encourage them to at least have two. Most schools would ask for uh two at the most. Um and so at least if we have two then we have kind of a plan and a backup plan. Yes.
>> How many college tours do you think you're at least attending? >> At least three are at least that many? >> Is that current year or is that >> Three junior and three senior. >> Three junior and three senior. Any questions before I hand off? Yes.
>> Sure. Hi everybody. Good to see so many faces. Nice turnout tonight. We're happy to have that. So I'm I'm Mr. DeAngelo. I'm going to talk a little bit about SATs and ACTs and the value of taking one of those exams
and how that's changed over the last few years. Um pretty much you can see that statistic three quarters of the way down that list where last year we were 80% of all college four-year colleges in the country
were test optional or test free. This year we're slightly down closer to between 75 and 78% but still the overwhelming majority of all four-year schools are still test
optional. Which means basically they're giving you the option uh submitting test scores if you've taken one of those exams and you were pleased with your score. Uh and that's part of the research that you're going to be doing in your
colleges and about your colleges to have a good idea of what an average accepted score is to colleges that you're considering. And then we're just going to talk about using a common sense approach to whether or not to submit those scores.
So basically, if you're seeing an average, for example, of 1,200 and you're scoring around a thousand, then I would advise not sending your score. Okay, so the other value of having scores,
uh and by the way, it was mentioned a little bit earlier about the PSAT. PSAT is a real good barometer of how you should expect to do, at least in the ballpark, on the SAT. So at this stage, as juniors, most
juniors have already taken the PSAT twice. So they should have a good idea of what range they're in and whether or not the SAT is a good test for them. And in in some cases, we'll see a PSAT score and advise
not bothering with the SAT and instead taking an ACT. The ACT is a is a different format of test, much more like the test that they take in school. So it's a little bit more straightforward.
Um so if the SAT is not a great format, try the ACT. And colleges accept either or. Pretty much one is Coke and one is Pepsi. They don't really have a preference. Um and that's again, if they're requiring scores.
The other advantage to having scores, if you're doing reasonably well on an SAT or an ACT, is if it opens you for opportunities for scholarships. At many colleges, they have tiered scholarships
based on your SAT or ACT score. So, you'll get so much money per a certain score now. So, that's the other advantage. Uh there's free ACT and SAT prep within
both of those websites. So, when you when you set up an account and you register for either of those tests, you're going to see free practice exam resources within each of those websites. Uh and to me, free is always better to
start. Uh so, keep in mind that utilizing those free resources first uh is a good idea before you choose to, you know, jump into an SAT or an ACT prep course.
Uh fair the website on there, fairtest.org, is the website that we pulled the data from. And that that site updates their optional um colleges.
They have a a massive database, and they really do a good job of updating that frequently. So, if you have a list of schools that you know you're going to be considering, and you're curious about whether or not it's going to be required or optional,
that's a great tool to use to go on and basically search the schools that you're considering, and that will give you a good idea of whether or not they're optional or required. We recommend um all things being equal,
uh you know, there there is a fee attached to taking both of those tests, and there's a pretty significant time obligation. So, if you want to subject yourself to a four four-hour exam, we suggest having scores is a pretty
good idea versus not having them. Naviance are college search engine and the platform that we use to send out electronic documents to the schools that our students apply to.
So most schools now accept e-documents and this is the vehicle that we use to send out our materials. Every student at Lawrence and every student at our middle school
has a Naviance account. Um sometimes when we talk to students we'll get a little bit of a blank look even into 11th grade at times. Um so clearly you know, there are still
some students that don't use their accounts, but rest assured they have an account. And we're going to go into into that program a little bit and I'm going to show you what we do with your students when we meet with them for college
planning. Um there's a search tool which will help students build a list of schools. Uh there are a lot of students that don't need that or or necessarily want that tool, but it's there available to
them if they're um kind of a little bit aimless at this point and they don't really have an idea of what schools they're considering, that can help. Um within that list there are a couple of different ways,
really good visuals to get a good idea of how you stack up with the schools that you're considering applying to. So there's one, you know, there's a graph and then there's another one that that kind of
builds your list and put you at the top of the list and I'll show you that in a couple minutes. Students are going to do their brag sheet as Miss Mr. Perdue has mentioned earlier. Um I advise taking no more than 20-30 minutes on this document. There's about
12 questions all about the student's high school experience. So, they're not difficult questions, but they're kind of thought-provoking and the more thought that they give to it, um you know, the the more substance we can put into their recommendation.
Uh they're going to request their letters of recommendation directly to their teachers through Naviance. Uh there's a monthly scholarship bulletin loaded every month of the school of their senior year uh by Mr. Donnelly. He works hard on that
bulletin every month. So, we encourage students to use that and scroll through the scholarships that are posted there. And then there's some career and personality inventories that um I always suggest playing with the
program. You can't do any damage by using the program and you might as well take as much advantage of it as possible. Uh Larissa was kind enough to loan us her
account. Um or Larissa's parents >> Here Larissa Lawrence. >> Okay. So, I can talk about her in a minute. Speaking of taking Larissa a really long time to graduate, she's been here almost as long as we have.
But, don't tell her I said that. So, this is what you'll see when you log into your Naviance account. Um this is the home page, obviously, and in the top right corner is the scholarship bulletin that I just mentioned. So,
every month of senior year, it's a good idea to browse through that because there are so many scholarships loaded into that bulletin that it's it's just it there's a very good chance that many
students are going to meet the criteria for some of those scholarships. The problem becomes when you're applying to those scholarships, it requires some work. And that's where most students are out. They bail out.
Cuz uh many of them involve writing an essay. Some of them involve submitting recommendation letters, submitting a transcript. So, there will be some work involved. We stay mostly in a couple of these tabs where we're going to actually ask
students to do something in their program. So, in this tab, the colleges tab, is where the college search feature is. So, there's a bunch of criteria across the top there.
And the more criteria that you select when you're doing your search, the more restrictive your list becomes. Right? So, we we advise keeping it as general as possible initially when you're building your list.
So, if you look across there, if there are some of those things that really aren't important, don't feel obligated to check off something on that screen. Okay? Just advance it and keep your search as general as possible.
When you build a list, you're going to add the schools. As you scroll through your colleges that come up on your on your search, you're going to select schools that you're interested in and they will show up in colleges that I'm
thinking about. And within this screen you're going to see a couple tools that I mentioned earlier. So, Rowan, for example. If you look at their scattergram at the very bottom of their page.
The bottom of the the scattergram is a legend, so you're going to see accepted students, denied students. And then on that scattergram right here is Larissa. So, you're going to see where you are and if you see a bunch of accepted
students right around your value then obviously you know you have a good chance of being accepted in that school. And then the the other real good visual is that compare me and and that puts you at the top of your list of schools with your GPA
and your standard test scores. And then down below you'll see the average accepted GPA and SAT or ACT scores for each school that you add to your list. So, it's it's a gives you a real good idea of
whether or not your list is realistic with a bunch of misfits on it. So, we recommend using that tool. In about me this is the student survey. So, we we call that the brag sheet. And again,
12 questions all about your high school experience. Put a couple of sentences in each box. At the very end, very important, remind your students to save it. It does not automatically save. So, we
have many students that log out, spend 45 minutes on it, and it it's not there when they go back. So, remember to save your document when you're doing your brag sheet. Requesting recommendation letters
is also in the colleges tab. And when your students log in your accounts, you're going to they're going to see a drop-down menu of all of our teachers. So, we just ask to select two teachers that they built a built a good rapport
with over their time in Lawrence, and send your request. And do that in the spring, in the summer, leading up to the fall, um because it's pretty much first come, first serve. And many of our teachers get multiple
requests for recommendation letters. So, basically, the later you come in with your requests, the further down on the list they're going to be down. So, um start thinking about teachers that you want to ask recommendations from now, and go into Naviance and send your
request. And that's pretty much it for just a snapshot of what we do in Naviance with your students. Any questions about what I've talked Yes, sir.
>> Two questions. What is the average GPA >> Ask Genesis. Yes, great question. So, we actually take the GPAs that are current in Genesis and we upload them to Naviance.
So, it's I would say the most current is Genesis, but we do spend time every year updating Naviance. So, there might be certain points earlier in the in the school year, maybe
that it's it might not be updated yet, but we do get around to that and we're we're pretty intentional about updating the GPAs in Naviance. Good question. Yes, sir. Yes. Another great question. Most schools
will publicize their scholarship tiers. So, there various scholarships that each school that you would be applying to, uh, they will let you know in some form what
their scholarships look like. Right at the application stage. Right, so you're going to know what basically what scholarship money you qualify for when you're applying to your school. And many of them, as I said,
many of them reward students that do exceptionally well on standardized tests. Yeah. >> So, with that, you often don't have to apply separately for those scholarships When a student is accepted, it often
comes with their financial aid letter. They automatically get considered for those scholarships. There might be some at each college where you have to do a separate application if it's a special one that wants to highlight like service, community service, or something like that. You might have to go ahead
and apply for that separately to demonstrate the service that makes you qualify for that scholarship, but most of the academic ones you're automatically considered when you apply. But in some separate scholarship application process like the NCAA that they are applying for >> Yes.
>> My question is most colleges say that the ones that are test optional that will not penalize your last name and say I mean an essay and an essay score My question is the ones that do submit it high school, how how full is it
side of scholarships Cuz like when you have to think of two students that one comes up with a very high score one doesn't behind the scenes >> Yes. >> impossible >> So just to just to be clear you're speaking about test optional schools. >> Correct.
>> So the the question is basically test optional schools if you have two students submitting scores that are are pretty different in terms of how well they they've done >> Or one not submitting at all.
>> Or one not submitting at all, right. So basically schools will say if you're if we're test optional you will not be penalized if you do not submit your score, but those students who do submit scores how much does it help them to submit scores? And that's that's always
going to be based on what your score is. So again, when you do your research you are going to get a pretty good idea of what the average accepted SAT or ACT score is for the college you're considering.
And and you know again, that's an average. So, you know, really statistically they're taking 50% above that and 50% below. So, we say, you know, if you're in close to that neighborhood,
um all things being equal because there that is not the only factor. Because if obviously if you're writing an excellent essay, you have great recommendation letters, grades for me are always the most important factor.
They are now and they always have been. So, there are a lot of points of data that they're considering. What I will say is, and what I tell my students, is if you're not submitting a score to a test optional school, you may not be
penalized, but every other point of data that you're submitting has to be stronger. Because you're leaving out that one point. So, >> And it speaks about it, too. I having just gone through the process, my daughter was test optional optional, did not take SATs, uh which was no issue
getting into state, the five of four New Jersey schools based on all the other pieces, got into them, and was still offered some money depending. So, again, like I think it really depends on the whole package of what you're offering, your grades and extracurriculars,
leadership opportunities. Um you know, that was something that she did get into all four, she got money into all four, and she was test optional. >> And to the contrary, my own son submitted scores to a school that he liked, and he was not accepted. He was
wait-listed. And I believe that if he did not submit his scores, he would have been accepted. Yeah. Yes, sir. >> Yeah, you you sound like a pretty good uh rather college rather college, your score didn't
And we have a certain where you put your students uh try the school, and then went to college, and are the good colleges. >> I'm not quite understanding. >> Are you asking if we need to make suggestions? >> What? I mean
>> Or the program will make suggestions? I got the answer for you. >> The recommended I'm asking the recommended list for >> Well, I I actually I take it back. There's that one section in the advanced search. >> Which here? Which is a key here? >> No, the advanced search. I think what you're asking is a little
bit too advanced for what I'm doing. >> I like I I know my son got a 3.5 GPA and he wants to go to business school and SAT score are which are the recommended with more possibility >> Yeah.
>> school and I should not waste my time >> [laughter] >> or MIT or Harvard. >> So, related to that in the college in the college tab, there's there's a few different types of searches. I just tend to use the
advanced search cuz it it's the most simple to use, but there are other like super match college search, college match and and different searches that will give you a little bit closer information to what you're referring to,
I think. Yes, won't be they won't be actually making recommendations, but it will show you a little bit of a different result to your search. So, you know, again, I advise using all of the tools.
I mean, it's a free account, so use it while you have it. Yes. >> What's the difference between >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> So, one of the features of the advanced search is you can put in how what the admission rate is that you're looking at. So, if you're looking at
schools that have like a 50% admission rate, you can select that and then it'll find you schools not that necessarily fit with your child's profile, but that have a more a less selective or more selective admission rate to kind of help
figure out what would what would be a >> This is the best >> That's so helpful. >> It's the admissions tab in the search. And then, you know, again, always having a good idea of who you are as a student, what your GPA is, and using a tool like this is helpful because it's going to
give you more realistic results. >> Yeah. So, my question is and I know someone answered it, do we select the schools ourselves, like our preferred schools, and then it would out of the preferred schools it would take our
child's academic performance and say, "Okay, out of your preferred schools, maybe these three out of the five are best fit and these two are not." >> Kind of. >> Okay. >> So, you're going to you're going to plug in your criteria and then it's going to
produce search results >> Okay. >> that meet the criteria that you selected. >> Okay, so it's not we we don't select the school. It's like >> You are. Once you get that those results >> Oh, okay. I got it. >> Right? And then you can scroll through
and choose certain schools based on whatever, you know, you're interested in. Yes, and then it adds it to the colleges I'm thinking about and then that's where you're going to see >> I see. >> scatter grams and college comparison. >> Is it Is it asking >> Yeah.
>> Just because I feel like this this one piece of Naviance it leaves this out and I think that it's important to to know when you're looking at schools. With the admission rates, okay? You have your child's GPA, let's say they have a 3.5, okay? A 3.5 in a regular college
prep curriculum is different than a we if your child has a curriculum that is very very rigorous like full of honors AP level courses. And that's not something that Naviance keys is out in the search. So when you're looking for
schools and you put in the GPA your SAT scores keep in mind that they're not weighing in on the rigor of the child's curriculum and how that relates to the GPA. So that's where you have to do a little more digging in your research to make sure that um you know your your child has the coursework that would be
appropriate for that school and what they're looking for. Does that make sense? And your counselor can help you know uh figure that out cuz I know it's a little complicated. >> And that's also part of the big picture that we talked about a little bit earlier. So when you're sending pieces of you know when you're sending a transcript that's where they're going to
be able to really get an idea of how much you challenged yourself uh in terms of you know what level of classes you've been taking throughout your high school career. Other questions? Yes.
No Naviance choose your GPA that you have in Genesis and we use a weighted GPA. Um so what you see in Naviance reflects the GPA that is in Genesis. Weighted. Yep.
Do colleges look for weighted or unweighted? >> Colleges what we've come to learn over a long period of time they have their own formula. So there are wildly different GPA scales even in Mercer County.
Right? So we have schools in this county that you can get a 7.0 GPA, right? And then you have schools that you can max out at a 4.0. And they're coming from the same county in the same state. Going to the same
colleges. So, the colleges have a very trained eye, these admissions counselors, to be able to glean how rigorous each one is. I have a 7.0, you have a 4.0, and somehow you took a more
rigorous course of study than I did. Colleges are able to to kind of tease that out. >> Yes. Any notes on on their transcripts that show anywhere transcripts could be misleading?
>> No, this >> Or like on the bottom of the I've read and I don't know how to state that certain schools, depending on the software they use, might have notes on the bottom of the transcript that would indicate where the >> When you say here, where are we?
>> Which college >> Oh. No. >> No. >> No. Yes. >> Um what about universities that classify 100% time? So, for example, to say a J is getting away with three months, you have to be in the top 10%
will this also give you that number where you are as far as your GPA or >> No, the unweighted >> No, the unweighted or Jackson's or could be no weighted one. >> Yeah, so we as a school, we don't rank any longer. Um so, we we don't produce that. We we
have We do something late in each school year to be able to determine who our valedictorian and salutatorian is. And that's the only run to be able to get any kind of rank.
And that's late in the school year. Each each year only for the purposes of determining our two speakers at graduation. Um but we don't we don't put it on the transcript. >> And that's fine with colleges. Most schools these days are no longer ranking
students, so that's pretty common amongst high schools. >> All right. Thank you guys. Great questions. >> Hi everyone. My name is Tonalli. So, I'm going to talk to you about your senior entrance. So, when we have conversations with our juniors and seniors regarding
college applications, colleges, universities, So, when we have these conversations with our students, sometimes we have kids that come in and say, "I know I want to go to Rutgers. I know I want to go to Rowan." And so, my next question is, "So, what have you done to show that school that you're interested in
applying there?" So, we encourage students to apply early. So, whether that's early action, early decision, Ms. Ty will touch on what the difference is on a few slides. Personally, I So, I'm going to walk my year. Um, and when I applied, I knew my
number one was University of Tampa. So, I actually applied early action. And what's really great is that one, I knew that that was the school for me, right? So, that was showing that University of Tampa that this is where I want to be and this is where I want to go. And then two, I knew very quickly before a lot of
other kids in my graduating class where I was going once I got accepted. So, we encourage students to always apply early if they're really passionate about a certain school. And to also visit the school. Um, you may have an idea of, you know, a school that really seems
interesting, it seems great, they have your major, but once you go there, you're like, "Actually, maybe this isn't the best fit for me." I had this idea of what it was in my head, but then when I actually got there, totally different vibe. It's not for me. Maybe I go visit a small school and I realize I actually want to be part of a bigger school. Um,
so, we encourage all students to visit, especially if they're in the surrounding area. Like we said before, a lot of the college visits will be excused as long as you bring in documentation that you're at a visit. And we also, what's really cool is we have college representatives actually come and meet
with the kids. So, throughout like the whole first half of the year, through Naviance, we have a huge list that is done by our counseling secretary, Ms. Swlin. She coordinates a ton of college visits. We have Rutgers come in, we have
Rowan, um schools out of state. And depending on like the interest of that school, we'll cap it at a certain number. But, um it's a great way to meet a representative because nine times out of 10 that person, that representative, is actually the one looking at that
school's college application. So, I sat in, I think it was a William Paterson, and we had about like five or six kids there. And one of the students was like, I know I want to go to William Paterson, I actually just applied the other day. And that representative was like, that's great. When I get back to my office, I'm going to personally take a look at your
application and push it through. So, it's a great way to introduce yourself, get to know the school, ask questions because again, that shows that that's what you're interested in, that's where you want to be. So, we also encourage students to follow
up with a thank you email, always come to these visits or go to the school and ask questions. Show that you've done your research. Don't walk in there, you know, hi, this is who I am, your school is great, bye. Right? Show that you are really interested in pursuing the
school, you like what they have to offer, do your research, check the website, check their Instagram page. I always tell kids just log on and like poke around on their website. What majors do they offer? Activities, Greek life, clubs, ways that you can get involved. So, that when you go to these
visits, you kind of have an idea of like what you're talking about and like you've done your research. Also, attend webinars and right interact with their website. Sometimes they will do like virtual open houses if you can't make it on campus, so definitely register for those.
And obviously open the emails. We also as counselors start receiving college emails, so sometimes I'll like forward them to some of my kids if I know there's particular schools that they're interested in. Sign up for the emails, follow their social media, follow their Twitter pages. It's a great
way to get information if you're unable to take a visit to the actual physical school. And then use college essays. So, if again if you know there's a school that you really would like to go to, um you know, you kind of have to sell yourself in those essays if you can because if
you know you want to go there you got to make yourself stand out. They're receiving hundreds of applications, especially like Rutgers. So many kids apply there. Um stand out in your personal essay if you can. Why that school is so important to you, why you want to be there, what's so
great about it. You know, also hype yourself up. I think I would be a good fit for this school because I think I would, you know, offer this and bring this to this campus. It's really about letting them know why you think you would be a good fit there and why they should accept you. Um
so it's really important, right, that you do your research, you follow up, you schedule those college visits, check their social media, and then also use college essays as a way to show that you're interested because you know it is is competitive, especially with those bigger like state schools. I think we
have like a large amount of our kids even going to Rutgers, right? And like we tell them all like Rutgers is competitive. Um show them that you want to be there and why. I'm going to pass it off to I'm going to add a something to the smelly stuff.
Demonstrated interest. I worked for a school at their admissions office that was highly selective and did not track demonstrated interest. If you go visit some of these schools that have a very small admission rate, they'll often say that, you know, they don't track
demonstrated interest, and that's true. They don't in a traditional way, the way some other schools might. Um but it still makes a big difference. I I know examples from my personal experience where a student really made an effort to connect with me in different ways as
their admissions counselor. And I knew them in ways that I didn't know other students who didn't bother to do that, right? So, when I was presenting that student to the committee, to the admissions committee, I was much, you know, I was I was better able to present that that student in a
very personal in a very personal way, plus I had more of a more vested, right, in trying to get that student to get through the committee. So, even if a school doesn't track demonstrated interest, it's still important to, you know, if you do visit with a college counselor to send them a thank you email
afterwards, follow up with a phone call. Just personalize that experience in whatever way you can. Sometimes it's hard. There's a lot of students who are trying to to do the same thing, so it's it's hard to get your foot in the door, but if the opportunity is there, definitely take it. All right, so um I'm here to talk a little bit about
financial aid, which I know can be a stressful topic for families, so I'm not going to get too in-depth about this because we do have a financial aid night in the fall when it comes time for you all to um use or start applying through the FAFSA and the different applications
for financial aid that are out there. So, this is just going to be a general overview of um some of the language surrounding financial aid that can be a bit confusing. Okay? So, one thing that's important to know is that a college's tuition is
very different for each family depending on your personal circumstances. It depends on your financial need, depending on your student's grades, how competitive they are for the school. Right? So, when you see that, you kind of think of it almost like when you're shopping for a car. Right? There's a sticker prices on the car, and
then there's the actual price that you pay for the car when you walk off the lot of them, right? That can vary. So, it's very similar in that regard. You have the tuition that's posted for everyone to see. There's your student applies, if they get accepted, a financial aid offer will
come, and then the uh expected family contribution, that was the old term for it. I just got what they're using now. Do you know as a >> It's similar to that. >> Okay. They used to call it the expected family contribution, so that's what I have in my head. They changed it last year to something different. But that's what you're expected to come up with,
the money that you need to come up with for that year's tuition. Okay? And that can even vary year to year, depending on on your family situation. So, a really great tool that is required by law for every college to have on their website is the net price calculator.
Okay? So, if you go to a school's website, and you go to their financial aid section, you'll be to find the net price calculator. It'll walk you through a bunch of steps, a bunch of questions that asks about your your finances, but also what your
child is bringing to the table in terms of their application, and how competitive they are, so they can give you an estimate, a roundabout number, of what you would expect to get in a financial aid award letter. And that's a really great tool to see, you know, how realistic is that school for your family
in terms of being able to pay for it, cuz we all know the price of schools have just gone through the roof in the last 15 years or so. Um definitely find that tool, use it, and make it part of the conversation that you're having with your with your child about, you know, the realistic expectations they should
have for like your dream schools and things like that because um you know, you want to make sure that that it's affordable for your payment as well. So, uh one uh well, some vocabulary that can be confusing is when schools talk about the
kind of financial aid they offer, they use the words need-based and merit-based. Okay? [clears throat] Not all schools offer merit aid, which is additional money for your child due to their grades, athletic ability,
some sort of talent that they're bringing to their application to the table, right? That is money that's offered to your family based off of your child's talents that they're awarding with this financial award. Okay? Most schools in the United States do offer something like that. But there are a lot
of schools that are need-based only schools. Okay? They do not offer merit aid when it comes to their um their financial aid financial aid award letter, they only offer aid aid based off of your family's ability to pay for
the tuition. Okay? So, that's a big distinction. So, when you're looking for schools, you know, if your family's going to need need-based aid, fantastic. If you, you know, fall into a category where you don't think you're going to be offered much need-based aid, you may want to
consider adding schools to that list that also will offer your child merit aid just so that when those those letters start coming in, you have a lot of options in front of you um so that you can make a smart decision for your child and and your family in
terms of, you know, what you can afford. >> [clears throat] >> So, when they do offer um aid, okay? Often times it will come in different categories. So, if your child is offered a grant, if they're offered a scholarship, that is free
money. They do not have to pay that back." It's not necessarily guaranteed for 4 years. Okay? So, when you when you do receive an award letter and you have um a grant or a scholarship on there, that's one thing that you're going to want to look at. Is this a Is this for 4
years? Usually, there's a requirement for you to qualify for to be 4 years. You have to keep your GPA at a certain level or whatever it might be. Um or is it just a one-time thing? If it's a one-time thing, you have to think about, you know, is your ability to pay going to change depending on um you know, the
following year if he doesn't receive that grant or that scholarship. Loans you do have to pay back. Okay? So, again, you want to keep in mind that um that's that's money that usually is uh accruing interest depending on the type
of loan. Some of them do accrue interest while they're in school. Some of them are subsidized so that they don't start accruing interest until after they graduate. So, that's all stuff that you want to make sure that you're keeping account of when you're uh going through your decisions. There are a lot of forms, unfortunately,
that your family's going to have to complete next year. A lot of them become available in October. Uh October 1st is usually the date that the FAFSA, that's the main financial aid form, um becomes available for families for families.
And they've updated the website. It was a bit of a disaster the first year, but it's really it's it's gotten a lot better um where you can link your tax information with the IRS straight on the on the form, really making it easy. You
will use your prior prior years' tax information next year. Okay? So, next year, you're going to be using the tax information for 2025? 2024? Help me out. >> 2024-2025.
>> 2024-2025. Thank you. Okay. So, you can link up your um your FAFSA form with your uh with the IRS the stuff that you submitted for the IRS this year. If you haven't you know if you if your tax information is not current, you might want to look at that before your it's time to fill out those
applications because there is you know issues can come up if things are not current. Um in addition to the FAFSA, okay, once you submit your FAFSA in the state of New Jersey, there's a a different not a form necessarily but an account that you
have to open so that you can also be looked at for New Jersey state money. Okay? So, the FAFSA is going to see if you're eligible for federal funds that might help your family pay for school and then FAFSA takes a look as well as well to see if you qualify for New
Jersey state money. Now, if your child stays in the state of New Jersey, you also get that money to use for school. Unfortunately, if your child goes out of state, that money stays in New Jersey. Okay? So, that's something to consider also. And then a lot of private schools will require you to do another form
called the CSS profile which is much more in-depth in terms of what they're asking. They take a much deeper dive into your finances. A lot of schools that offer need-based aid only and they're private and especially your your highly selective schools will
require this of you. Okay? So, and there's um the FAFSA is a little simpler if you if you are not in if you're in a home a divorced home or if there's not not two parents in the home, it's kind of an easier process. If your
situation if your your family is that you are separated or divorced, CSS profile can be a bit of a beast. Okay? So, just kind of keep that in mind that a lot of schools will require that as well. So, I mentioned our financial aid night
that happens in October. We usually we try to line it up so that it is very close to when the FAFSA opens. There's a representative from FAFSA that comes or not comes it's virtual now, so we do it virtually. Hopefully you're all going to attend. We go through step-by-step what the FAFSA
is going to involve and they talk about the programs that they have in FAFSA that's going to help families. Any questions? >> They have every year they function >> You fill it out every year. That's what we found. >> And it's significantly faster now at
that it ties directly to to IRS. It is once you make that link it really is like hours. >> Yeah. So when when it comes when it comes time to do that so you know your your child will have their own PIN and they have to
submit their personal information and then you as a parent or contributor, you're called a contributor on that form, you also have to create your own PIN and fill out your your part. They do look at both the child's financial situation as well as the parents.
In that price calculator, um both. Yeah, so you you can put it's going to ask you to a lot of questions and if the the school gives merit aid, they will also factor that in when they give you your your estimate.
So I have on the next There's a bunch of websites on here, okay, that are additional resources for financial aid. So when we send this out to you feel free to click through. Anything that's underlined obviously is a link. And I also linked the scholarship bulletin. So um
I believe you as juniors, the students that are here, you can go into Naviance and the ball attendance. Not just there for seniors, juniors can do it as well. It's too early for you to apply for a lot of the scholarships. Most of them most if not all of the deadlines are are meant for the seniors the senior
class. But what you can do is start clicking through each of the It's a It's a form where the months are tapped at the bottom. You can click through each month and see what scholarships were offered this year because typically it's a lot of the a lot of scholarships are
the same one the following year. They just change the deadline, the criteria is exactly the same or almost exactly the same. So you can start making a list now of what scholarships you think you are eligible for. Put them on, you know, a chart somewhere and then when it comes time next year
you'll already know, you know, what what scholarships to apply to. Mhm. >> I did try to find it to see what like, you know, same questions they ask. >> Yeah, that's all on there. Yeah, most of the scholarships are online. So it'll have a link to the scholarship itself and you'll be able to see what the
criteria is and if there's an essay question. I'll be honest, a lot of the essay questions are the same. So it's not as daunting of a task to apply to these scholarships cuz you can have one kind of standard essay, what makes you, you know, a good candidate for this essay for this for this scholarship and then you can kind of tweak it depending
on, you know, what what they're actually asking for. And the two websites at the bottom, those are just super comprehensive scholarship uh websites where they just you can create a profile for your for for yourselves. The students going to go
create a profile and then um they will help to filter through the, you know, the dealing the dealings of scholarships that are out there and they'll send you ones that you're that you're eligible for. So I just want to have a quick word about Mercer County Community College because again the rising cost of school,
We have a great community college right in our backyard and it does a wonderful job of helping students, you know, start their college journey, but also do it at a very, very affordable price. So, admission to Mercer is it's kind of an
open enrollment as long as you graduate and meet your graduation requirement, you will be admitted to the school. You may need to take remedial courses if you don't um if you don't have standardized test scores or you don't place high enough on their entrance exam, but you can have a
place to start your college journey, okay? And it is super affordable and it's right around the corner. So, this is a great option for a lot of our students. We have We have students who are, you know, high, high achieving students who choose this path for different reasons. So, this is always a
great option. We partner with another community college as well called RCBC, Rowan College of Burlington County. They're also fabulous. A lot of our dual enrollment courses are through RCBC. I have personal experience there with my nieces and nephews. They're having, you
know, a great experience there as first and second year students. So, both of these options, Mercer's right here, RCBC's a little bit further away, maybe 30 minutes max, are great places for students to start their their college journey if you feel
like that would be, you know, kind of kind of a not a slower start, but you know, less daunting than going through the four-year your college path. And I think somebody mentioned boot camp already. Okay, so we do have registration open. If you guys want to
take a flight and do it right now, that'd be fantastic. If not, you know, this is going to be shared with you many, many, many times over the next few months. Oh, thank you. So, yeah, so students have to register, not the parents. I guess you're through me Copy to your Google, um, account.
Okay, so that day, it's a morning in August, uh, we have kids come. They would be It's actually a working session. We go through a lot of the nuts and bolts of applying to college, and we make sure everybody gets started on their common app. So, we time it so that the, um,
the session is aligned with when the common app opens, which is, uh, August 1st. Almost every year it opens on August 1st. So, it's usually that first week of August when we have it. It's August 4th this year. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay? And I'm going to give it off to Diana. >> Hi, everybody. My name is Ms. Komornicka, but, um, if your student says Ms. K, that's me. Just making it short and sweet. So, I'm going to just dive into the common app a little bit. I know Ms. Gonzalez just mentioned it. Um,
please, please encourage your students to sign up for the boot camp because we really we dive into the common app. We actually have them create an account to start that process since they can't start it until August 1st. Something that they can actually do right now is look up the essay prompts. So, they can
start thinking about what to write about because, um, I can lost track of how many students come to see me and they get stumped. They don't know what to write about. And you know, an essay can make a huge difference about the admissions process. So, we really
encourage our, um, rising seniors to attempt the I'm not going to attempt to attend the college boot camp. And then, you can't start your profile until August 1st. And then, just a quick kind of summary of what the common app is. So, it's basically one website where you
apply to multiple colleges. So, you fill out your demographic information one time, and then when you go under my colleges, all the colleges you're applying to will be different tabs. So, let's say you're applying to TCNJ, Rutgers, and Rowan, Kean,
Rider. So, all those colleges are going to be listed and that's where you can keep track of your application process. So, let's say Rowan is where you want to apply first. You can submit just Rowan's application on the Common App and still work on TCNJ's application, but you don't have
to log into five different websites. It's just a lot easier to keep track of everything because logging into all these different websites to keep track of applications can get very overwhelming in a process that already is unfamiliar and overwhelming for
everybody and very stressful. Um also I'm also going to talk a little about the different application deadlines. And that's also something your child should be thinking about now because for example, like Ms. Tenaglia said she knew she wanted to go to the University of Tampa and she applied early action. If
you apply early action, you're going to have an earlier deadline. Early action is usually due around November 15th for most schools. What early action basically is, you apply early, you find out early. Um early decision is the one that is
binding. So, what that means is like let's say again, TCNJ is a dream school and you apply early decision, you're basically signing a contract. We also have to sign a contract on Naviance saying that we talked to you that you know that this is binding. Meaning
you're basically telling them, no matter what, if they accept you, that you're going to go to that school. So, that's also something to think about when it comes to finances. If you know this is your dream school, you wanted to go there since you were five years old and you don't care
what it takes, what it costs, anything, do early decision. If other factors could play a role role other factors could play a role in your decision, we recommend early action. You still find out early, you know if you're going or not, but then as other
acceptance letters come in, you can make a more like a maybe a better decision I will say about you know what if you're getting better financial packages and things like that. When you get accepted to a school you did early decision in, you have to withdraw your other applications.
So that is just something to really think about. Um there's also early action restrictive. So it's very similar to to early action. I'm not going to dive too much into that. Another one that is rolling admission. For example, I know University of Pittsburgh is
rolling. What rolling basically means is they review applications as they come in. When you have a set application deadline, they don't review those applications until after that deadline. A rolling admissions is as you complete your application and you submit it, they review it as they come. So the earlier
you apply, the more spots they have that have not been filled. Um if you apply late, some rolling admissions don't close until July. They would not have any spots, right? So again, if you know University of Pittsburgh is your dream school, jump on it right away and apply earlier because
they have it's you're more likely to get in basically what I'm saying. Any questions? And our seniors, could you guys come up for the panel? Woohoo! Seniors! Maybe they're nervous. >> I think they're nervous.
>> Hello. >> You have to introduce Oh, you can sit in the stool if you want to. >> Oh yeah, for you guys. Oh, thank you. Wow. >> Would you just introduce yourselves? >> Excuse me, miss. >> Introduce yourselves and where you're going to school. >> Uh I'm Makai Edwards. I'm going to Drew
University next year, which is in New Jersey. >> All right, hello everybody. My name is Juan and I'm going to Princeton next year. >> I'm Rena and I'm going to the University of Maryland next year. >> Hi, I'm Hope and I'm going to Montclair
State University. >> [applause] >> So, because there's only 20 minutes left, we wanted to open it up to questions from you guys first. We have our own questions, but we also want to make sure that you have time for your questions for our seniors before we or
we can jump in, but if there's anyone that has a question, feel free to ask first. >> What subject What major are you going in? >> Oh, um I'm majoring in psychology and minoring in education. >> I'm majoring in psychology and minoring
in disability studies. >> I'm majoring in politics and I have a minor in statistics and machine learning. >> As of right now, I'm going for communications media, minor in theology. >> My question was basically,
how long did it take you to apply? Like, the whole application process. >> How long does it take you to apply? I'll start to finish. Um like like like from until like the end of the process when we finally make a decision?
Oh, after like >> Like, on the you know, the big day. >> Like, including essays? >> Oh, okay. Um that's That's a part. Oh, oh, including essays? >> Yes. >> Oh, wow. Essays may take some time, parents. I'm not going to lie. Your kids are probably not going to write them in
the summer. Some may have, some some will. Uh but, they usually might take that to the school year or just at least start typing it and revising it. As for the common app, it varies between the schools. You'll have some school where they'll have their own personal thing that page and they take you to and you
have to fill it out all there. Maybe add extra information or you have the common app. You know, some colleges will do it very quickly and it's just the information you already filled out, but a lot of times you don't have to fill out everything in its fullness because if you did do the common app and you put in
all your information, it'll automatically put it in the system or like through the computer for you so you won't have to keep retyping everything. Um but yeah. >> I would say realistically like a timeline in general, I would say probably like most people
start from August and then like towards the end when I start start applying I was I start applying in April. I start applying like in January 15th. Um Common app, it's free as long as you put
in all your information. Just filling out the common app probably takes you about like 3 hours maybe max. The essay essay would take you about I would say suggesting like I you at least spend like at least 2 weeks on it and I would say that you start revising and just be sure that it's good and that
you're confident about it. Um regarding like there's some other things that they make you like do like getting your recommendation letters, making sure that you're sending out emails, um doing things like your fast which can all all take like a couple hours for each one. But you have a structured plan, it
really shouldn't be that bad and obviously the earlier that you start, the less stress that you have. >> Any of you apply early decision? >> No. >> You didn't apply >> Oh yeah, I did early decision. Yeah. So I actually am committed to play
D3 softball at Montclair. So I did early decide to my school because I knew that I was going there after I had talked to the coach and got recruited and I I the school enough and I was like, okay yes, this is where I want to go. So, I did actually only apply to one school.
However, I still had to apply for the entire common app thing in order to apply to that school. >> Um just going off of what Mona was saying a little bit, I think the general section of the common app, so like all the information about your parents and their past history with education stuff, that
stuff should probably only take, if you sit down and focus on it, should only take really like an hour to do. But, I think the more stuff, the activity section, I think that probably took the longest cuz I wanted to get like a detailed description of every activity to like give myself the credit I was doing for. So, that took
a bit of time, but I just like worked on it a little bit for like a week, and then the actual essay itself did take me a while because I got a few teachers to revise it, but there is going to be a chunk, I think, regardless of what class you're in in your senior year where your English teacher is going to give you time to work on it. I know they work on
it a lot in just like general English four, they give some time in comp, which is like the RCDC class, to review it, and then your teacher is going to give you like a time to submit your essay by, at least for my class. I think yeah, almost everyone did. Um where by certain
time, they will revise your college essay and like look over it for you. So, that probably the essay and then the activity section took the longest, everything else is pretty smooth sailing as long as you know like your parents' information. >> Um the entire application process,
what's one thing that you wish you did differently or what's one thing you wish you did more of or less of? >> I would say, so >> [sighs and gasps] >> don't don't like definitely don't do this. Um Uh I applied regular decision to all my
schools. Um I ended up applying to a good chunk of them. And during the my winter break it was it was not fun. It was not fun. But I would suggest starting early. Like
that is my biggest thing because like once you start early and I would suggest I'm a part part of a program that is part of the school is called help which is the Princeton University Preparatory Program and what I'm thankful for regarding them is that they
help me with advice and stuff and regarding college and in providing resources. Um And one of the biggest things that we do is start writing our stuff in I would say June like late June July start kind of
like thinking about ideas and in July we're kind of like starting our essay. It's having things it it just alleviates like a lot of the pressure and stuff like you're doing senior year you're trying to like push yourself or like you're trying to enjoy your free time too in class and stuff. And and if
you start like pushing your essay and all the things early the common app comes out August 1st like you can start filling that out like at least the basic things so you don't have to worry about it especially when you have less time during like fall and you want to enjoy and go out and maybe
go to a game or just I don't know do the things that you're involved in. So I would say that is like probably the biggest thing. I would suggest applying if if you're capable applying to your school like early like if you want to if you know a school that you want to go to and
you're capable of going and it's like you can pay for it as well then like I would suggest applying to that school early and having also a wide list of list of schools that you can get into like your safeties your like target schools and then you also
have like reach schools that are really hard to get but that would be the case. >> So you're you're like in between schools. So other than schools that are very very selective school. So, what do you recommend and how do you What is the number one thing or two things that you got into it? Probably you should
Probably you have to write something that you want to do. You suggest? Probably >> I would say I would say like if you're asking what I think is like the biggest part of my application, I would suggest uh I think probably is definitely a big thing. Um it's a program that I have to
do for 3 month I mean for 3 years. Um we do it over the summer and it's basically like full classes that I have to do over the summer. Um it's like research that we have to do. So, it it's it's a lot but also um so I'm very grateful for the opportunity and it's for
um low income high achieving kids which is um that's [clears throat] why I'm so grateful for it. But I think the biggest thing in school that made me probably stand out is probably being a student body president. Um I think I I've been in student government for the past 3
years and that's something that the schools like to see a lot. They like to see consistency and they like to see that you are not are going from like maybe like uh some leadership at like at your younger years and then like going up the ranks. Um because it shows consistency and it shows that you care about something.
Um um I think one of our biggest things that we're doing this year is our initiatives that we're doing. Um we kind of reformed um our student government here. We're doing a lot of work with regards to like um we put a lot of work into our uh HOCO. We put a lot of work into um
our class system our class war system. Um we do a lot of events and stuff. We did a fundraiser for uh breast cancer awareness. I ended up getting uh like $5,000 for our first fundraiser. So, it's just things like that that show like initiative. I think that is one of the biggest things that schools like
that you are if you're passionate about something that you put it into action, that you want to make a change and you want to make a difference. >> Yeah. >> It's not that. >> I think >> I think sorry. No, no, no, no, no. Cuz I just think he asked a really good question and I had just thought
something on my mind too. Like I'd say like what he was saying with that safeties and it was like options cuz like I love though I love my school one thing that like I would say I kind of regret it through the process was by the time I did apply for a good amount
like 10 11. But once I got through the process that whole process I realized that you know a lot of these colleges that I wanted you know even the private ones were expensive like they were like a good amount a year it's hard to walk away from that. So I would say I
would have went up on scholarships early if I had known I was going somewhere that expensive or I would have for sure had like and looked at like kind of better safeties that I really like liked you know colleges around the area and during that I really could see myself
fit into better. Now the college I got into is perfect for me in the engineering department they give me a lot of money and they're good but definitely wish I would have probably did more research on that you know so I could really see my fall back options. Yeah no keep up with the college and
programs. >> What was the main factor of college that you guys chose? Location cost >> Of like why we chose to go for me so University of Maryland was like
I guess it was never really on my radar because first I thought it was too hard of a school to get into and then getting in surprised me and then when I actually went to go visit for one of like the I think it was like an accepted student open house I got way more information on like my major and I found out that we're
like an R1 R1 research school and the amount of opportunities that they would give me for my major and also the um like being at they were talking about being able to skip your masters and go right into PhD. Like I realized that was the better thing for me long run and
even though it was more money than other schools like some other schools for me, I thought that it would set me up best for my future. And that like I had the school spirit I wanted, replay, like I had all those other components that I was looking for in a little bit of a larger school. >> Um so earlier to Arena, um my school
also offers the 4 + 1 program, so I can get my masters in 5 years instead of 6. So I like that, so I can, you know, start earlier in the process of like earning money and stuff like that. As well as my school is partnered with a lot of interns from New York City
because, you know, my school is very close to New York. Um so they can set me up uh for success in like full-time job life after right after college and I can get an internship during school um as well as athletically, I love my team. Um
I like their morals, I like how they ran things, I love my coach. Um and yeah, that's kind of why I picked Montclair. >> Yeah. >> You want to go? >> Really quick, I only have one thing to say about that. What made me choose my college versus was definitely uh the big financial package that they gave me. But
the most important thing I think, especially when your child goes to the campus, is that like they they actually, you know, appreciated me. They wanted to see me grow. A lot of colleges you'll visit will probably like have you as like a number or just like kind of another thing. When you actually
get into that environment that can feel a lot harder adapting to. So just like especially since I seen that they cared enough about me and that they wanted to like check up and like just be there, I realized that I could like utilize what
I wanted, like my resources and all. >> When did you guys take your SATs and if you did, did Would that helped if get into the college that you wanted to get into? >> So, let's say ACT scores. >> Test optional or >> I I almost did test optional. I knew I was not going to get a good SAT, but when I
did, you might want to ask these guys. I'm not sure. Their SAT scores are better than >> Um I took ACT, um which I thought is just something that my program pushes out to us. Um Uh I did take it, but I actually did first instance specifically, I did not
submit my ACT. So. >> Um I took the SAT like too many times to count, and I recommend not doing that. I think people say like three is like the lucky number. It's twice three, yeah. Um because it's like if you I put a decent
amount of time into it, but like I didn't do any courses or anything, and I only ended up I got like a weird overscore. I only ended up submitting to one of my colleges. So, everywhere else I I got into like a decent amount of my choices, and I went test optional, but >> submit to the college >> No, I did not submit to the college I
wanted to go to. Um but yeah, I only submitted to one of my schools. >> Cool. >> Um I took both the SAT and the ACT. Um I would recommend taking the ACT for me personally. I don't know, it was just
an easier test for me. I don't know. I also did better on the ACT than my SAT, but I did not submit any of my scores because I my one school that I applied to didn't have me to, so it was >> If it's not like a crazy good score, they really advise you not really to
submit it just because >> like other stuff to back it up, if you have good extracurriculars and stuff. And I would say just like out of everyone I was hearing, my friends and stuff, like no one really submitted theirs unless you got like a crazy high score. I feel like test optional is
pretty much the normal now. >> Any advice on essay writing? >> Recommendation on essay writing or >> Um for me personally, I used something that was very personal to me and I feel like that also makes the writing process a lot easier cuz it's very like and it can only happen to you. If it's
like something that happened in your past or you know, something that you went through, a situation that made you better. That's what I used and I kind of tied it into how I want to study psychology and how I want to help people feel better and like what's that word? I guess get through
tough times and know that they're not alone. So that's kind of what I used. I think a lot of people went that route in essays and I also it just makes the writing process easier and also more sentimental. It's like this is my essay. Like nobody else is going to have an
essay that looks like this. Yeah. >> Yeah, I was just going to say like pretty much the same thing. I feel like when I So I went on a lot of college visits and I like spoke to the admissions director like one-on-one every time I went there just like get my name and face out there.
But everyone like said like your essay should be something that only you can write about. Like they should not be able to like see it from anyone else. And then I do think that tying it back to your major if you're really focused on something really helps a lot. And then I started like brainstorming and just
casually over the summer like in my notes app on my phone and then just like adding stuff and then the topic that had the most like stuff that I was putting in I just stuck with that one. What I write about came the most like casually and it wasn't super like time consuming for me. It was something I was
passionate about. >> Um essay. So I actually had an essay planned out in the summer but then I ended up kind of like scrapping it and then ended up doing one in like October which like I said again, please wait and try to do things earlier.
But yeah, like like they were talking about like they they want you sh- not It doesn't have to be personal. It just has to be something that reflects what you value. It doesn't have to be like the deepest personal thing that you have in your life. It just has to be something that
makes you you, that shares something about you, that's unique to you, and is in your voice. Obviously, try to like have some professional things in there, but if you have a good joke and it reflects who you are in there, then they're not going to care because they know like as a person that's going to come onto their campus. I'm being
realistic. >> Yeah, no, college admissions really does pay for service. It's good to kind of like I try to keep that in mind while I was doing it. Um, I wrote about uh this significant moment that impacted me during my high school experience, which was starting my club,
Fellowship with Christ, which is, you know, a club that I had within um the school. I had made it starting in junior year, but I just made sure I'd say the biggest thing, like advice I'd give on it was I wanted to show my personality through
what I was writing. So, like kind of who I was, like who Paul was saying, like who I was as a person, and like the growth that I had through it. And I really tried like that's the biggest thing is like they're going to see like a lot of, you know, I'm sure not similar stories, but
different ones, and it's really good in a sense that they get to know who you are, especially through the writing. That's why I wanted it to be like kind of my main grabber of attention. That was very important to me. >> And and what I'm >> hearing is it needs to come from
the hip, right? So, I know it's tempting to want to take over. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. >> You know, and give it and give a lot of advice, but I think the message I'm hearing is that you want it to make it as personal as possible. >> Yeah. >> Which I think is a great message, so
thank you guys. >> We have very helpful teachers here that helps like shape, you know, and and you know, talk to you about what the you know, process is and what she really really like about. But, um if if your kid just utilizes that, you know, maybe thinks it's something or has a moment like that to them, they can,
you know, work on it and I think it will help a lot. >> Like for reference, my mom did not read mine. I I didn't have to read mine. I wanted it to be something just mine and I didn't want to critique it or like, "Add this." No, I just wanted it to be something of like of my words and
like of what come from me. >> Can I just say one last thing? Um I think the essay and the essay really matters. Like it matters a lot. You know, there's like I don't want to say everybody, but there's a a lot of kids out there who may be like
top of their class. There's a lot of kids out there who are doing like great things, but what makes you different, you know? Like what what personal experiences will you bring onto campus that make you like shine? >> And then I was going to say a lot of last things is really like take
time with the college high supplemental essays, take time to do those. And what I did with those um is honestly like people say, "Oh, you can reuse something from college to college." I couldn't reuse a single one of them. Um but what I did is I like looked up the college through the college I was writing to. I looked up University of
Maryland, what they value, what they want to see in their students, and then I tried to implement that into my supplementals. And like take the time to write them. Make sure they're not being rushed. Like that's your time to go off like outside of test scores, GPA, and stuff. But that's actually the time
to show like the person you are. I think that's probably the most important part and why I got into the schools I did. >> Um so, I'm going to I Can we give a big ROUND OF APPLAUSE? >> [applause] >> OUR STUDENTS ARE REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE AN amazing um group of counselors
supporting them as well as the teachers and I hope that resonated. It just their message and you know, some of the lessons that they learned along the way as you can see, you know, their experiences, their backgrounds and even the schools they applied to and why are very different and it's really going to be individualized for each kid and that's
where the counselors come into play because they will help guide your child through all of that and answer any questions that you have. So we are going to as you can see it was recorded so it'll be on our LTPS Rewind station. So it's if one of those like, oh I know they said this, what was it? You're
going to be able to have access on YouTube at any time. They'll put it up on the district website. So you will be able to have access and we will be emailing out the slides as well as another copy of the handout in the fall. Again, we'll so starting in order, right? August 4th will be the boot camp.
We'll be sending out the link directly for registration to the students as well. They'll just have to log in with their email which is why we have the students register and then in the fall we will be hosting financial aid evening right around when the FAFSA opens
October 1st. So those are like the next big events that we'll be hosting but in the meantime we're all here to help so just reach out with any questions. We really appreciate all of you coming and sounds like it's downpouring outside so please be safe getting home and thank you very much for being here. We appreciate it.
>> [music] [music]