Junior Workshop Parkway South High 2020- 2021 - Parkway School District

Junior Workshop
Parkway South High 2020-
2021

Class of 2022
Admission Requirements - What you Need to Know

Admission Requirements
Colleges vary in what they require, depending on how selective they are.

All Colleges will consider

Your Transcript

    It’s the story of what you have chosen to take & how well you have done

    Shows your passions, where you have challenged yourself

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) - the average of your grades for your
entire high school career

ACT/SAT, unless test-optional

Admission Requirements
More competitive, or selective, colleges may also require:

         Personal statement/Essay

         Secondary School Report and/or Counselor Recommendation

         Teacher Recommendations

         Resume or List of Activities, Honors, Awards

         Short Answer Questions or Additional Essay

         Interview by Alumni or Admissions Staff

Transcript
Provides information about your high school academic career and decisions

    Classes taken

                 Where you have challenges yourself

                 Where your passions are

    Grades

    Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)

ACT or SAT
If a college requires a standardized college admission exam:

       No preference between SAT and ACT; both supply the same information

       Colleges look for and take the highest score

           Typically, colleges want the ACT or SAT taken by December of senior
year

                    There are some exceptions for colleges who may take a later
exam

ACT or SAT
If a college requires a standardized college admission exam:

        Some college will superscore.

        There was a downward trend in superscoring recently.

        However, more colleges were using for the class of 2021.

        Unknown if this practice will stay in place for the class of 2022.

ACT or SAT
If a college requires a standardized college admission exam:

         Colleges require the ACT or SAT report directly from the testing agency

                  There were exceptions for the Class of 2021 with more college
allowing self-reporting or a download of a score report sent by the student

         Colleges, typically, do not accept ACT or SAT scores from the high
school

                 Exceptions are community colleges

How to Register
to take the ACT
    Go to: myact.org
Cost: $55 without writing   Create an ACT account if you do
    $70 with writing                 not have one.
Additional Score Reports
$13 per score per college     Sign in, choose a test date,
                                    register & pay.

How to Register
  for the SAT
                            Create a College Board account if
      Go to: sat.org        you do not have one. - If you have
Cost: $52 without writing   an account for AP exams, use your
    $68 with writing         same account information, but at
Additional Score Reports            the sat.org page.
$12 per score per college
                               Sign in, choose a test date,
                                     register & pay.

What are SAT Subject Tests?
SAT Subject Tests were exams in 5 general subject areas: English, history, world
languages, mathematics and science.

As of January 21, 2021, the SAT Subject Tests are no longer offered. Colleges did
not use them for the 2020-2021 school year due to the limited availability of
testing during the pandemic.

Colleges and the College Board determined that the information is not needed
and can be gained in other ways: AP Exam scores and student transcripts.

ACT/SAT Test Prep
ACT                                             SAT

           To find the resources, go to:              To find the resources, go to:
https://mo01931486.schoolwires.net/Page/6976    https://mo01931486.schoolwires.net/Page/6976

                OR                                              OR

      PSH website -> Counseling -> Testing ->         PSH website -> Counseling -> Testing ->
      ACT/SAT Preparation Resources                   ACT/SAT Preparation Resources

                      Testive (free full ACT               Khan Academy (free full SAT prep
prep course)                                               course)

           ACT Academy (practice questions
           from ACT)

Personal Statement/Essay and Short Answer
Questions
Some applications require a essay which is technically called a personal
statement

    The purpose of the personal statement is to for the admissions readers to
    get to know you better in your own words, and see you beyond your GPA,
    ACT/SAT scores, etc.

Some college applications may also require short answer questions

    The questions are used for more information; factual or to learn more about
    you

Recommendations
Some college applications require recommendations

Colleges are specific about the type of recommendations required and/or
allowed

Recommendations
Counselor recommendation:

   You won’t have to ask for the counselor recommendation, but you will need
   to complete a counselor brag sheet for the strongest recommendation

   Two Types

       School Report -short evaluation type of recommendation form

       Counselor Recommendation that includes a letter

   Purpose is to give a holistic view of you. It address any obstacles, challenges,
   unique experiences from your life, and characteristics you possess

Recommendations
Teacher recommendations:

      Do your research and determine IF you need a teacher
recommendation

        Only ask teachers if it a recommendation is required

        Typically 2 teacher recommendations are all that would be needed, if
        required. Do not ask more than 3, if you can use 3.

Recommendations
Teacher recommendations:

       It is good to use a mix of teachers, if you need two.

       One from Math/Science and one from English/Social Studies/World
       Languages

   The goal of the teacher recommendation is to give insight of you as a
   student in the classroom and to address your academic promise

Recommendations
Other/Outside recommendation:

        Some colleges allow an outside/other recommendation

         These can be a coach, former teacher, employee, leader from a program
you are involved in outside of school

         The purpose would be to give more information about you, but from
outsdie of the classroom

Recommendations- Brag Sheets
Brag sheet is questionnaire that allows the recommender to have more
information about you. South High Counseling provides three types

1- Brag sheets for teacher use should be completed to give to any teachers. If
you have a resume, you can use that instead of the teacher brag sheet

2- For the counselor recommendation, completing the student counseling brag
sheet is required.

3- A parent brag sheet for the counseling recommendation is optional, but
helpful

Resume or Activities List
Some colleges require a resume as part of the application

Often in the application there is a section to input your activities while you have
been in high school. Having a resume or activities list is a great organizational
tool.

    College may limit the number of activities you can use for your application.
    The resume helps you look at all your activities and make a decision on
    which are the most important to make part of your application

A resume is helpful to give to teacher and outside recommenders.

Interview
Some universities use an optional interview as part of the application process.

This is used to get to know you better and to see how the ‘real you” matches up
to your application.

The interview is used to gauge your interest in that particular university, and
how much you know about the university and why you want to attend that
university

Often these interviews are conducted by local alumne from the university.

    It is a way to be able to offer interviews and keep the alumnae involved.

● Juniors should access the
                            other post-high school
Post-High School           planning topic resources
                          available from South High
 Planning Topics              College Counseling
                       ● Juniors are encouraged to
                        make an appointment with Ms
   It’s Your Future.
                            Seuc to begin working
       Start Now.
                         together to meet your goals

Junior Workshop
Parkway South High 2020-
2021