Welcome to 10th Grade

College and Career

Readiness
 Preconceived Beliefs About College
1. Belief: Most Students Graduate in Four Years
Truth: More than 58% of college students take 5+ years or more to graduate.
2. Belief: Students should know their intended major by the end of high school
Truth: “80% of college students change their major at least once – on average,
students change it 3 times.” – National Center for Education Statistics
3. Belief: Majors Set Students’ Future
Truth: Most college students are unsure of what they want to do with their lives,
which is very normal because college is the time to explore their interests. Most
likely, they’ll end up with a job that doesn't fall under their designated major. A
student's major is, however, more likely to determine their career path if it’s in a
math or science field.
College Stats Related to IB
• Being in an IB Diploma Program shows colleges you can manage academic challenges.
• In the state of Texas, it is mandatory for all public Texas colleges and universities to
grant a minimum of 24 credit hours for all IB Diploma holders. Students who do
not receive a full IB Diploma are still eligible to receive college credit for
individual IB tests.
• Some schools are very IB friendly, while there are some that are not. It depends upon the
school and the state.
• Some of our graduates have graduated with enough credits to cover much of their freshman
year of college.
• Students may also be able to take College Level Examination Preparation (CLEP) to receive
certain credits.
• Every Westwood student can get into college!
• https://recognition.ibo.org/en-US/?utm_source=ib+public+website&utm_medium=web&
utm_campaign=recognition+statements+referral
 Self Concept
Personality
Style Beliefs/Values
Strengths/ Passions
Weaknesses

Memories/
Experiences
Likes/Dislikes

Gifts/Talents
College Variables
• Location (distance from home, geography climate)
• Academic majors and programs available
• Size of school
• Cost of attendance
• Financial aid/scholarships
• Campus facilities/amenities
• Test score requirements
• Acceptance/retention rate
• School’s culture

* Helpful Suggestion → families may want to start a college research table/chart to record different
variables on each college of interest to assist with efficient planning.
 Safety, Target, & Reach
• On average, most students apply to about 6-8 different schools: 2-3 target schools, 2-3 reach schools,
and 2 safety schools. However, the number of colleges you should apply to is dependent on your
personal situation and your priorities when selecting a college.
• Safety → colleges that you're almost guaranteed to get into. Your GPA should be at or well above the
average student's at that school and your SAT or ACT score should be above the 75th percentile for that
school. Generally, you should have at least an 80% chance of gaining admission, based on the numbers,
to consider a college a safety school.
• Target → schools in which your academic credentials make you competitive for admission. Your GPA &
test scores, fall within the average range for that particular school. You have reasonable chance of
gaining admission but there are no guarantees. Generally, you have about a 30%-80% chance of gaining
admission to a target college based on your academic resume and the school's acceptance rate.
• Reach → a college that is unlikely to offer you admission. A particular college qualifies as a reach school
for you if your high school GPA and standardized test scores are significantly below those of the college's
average student. Also, you should consider a college a reach school if it is one of the most selective
colleges. Schools to which you have less than a 30% chance of gaining admission are reach schools
Understanding Application Types
❖ Early Decision (I &II) : Binding
➢ Can only apply Early Decision to one college
❖ Early Action: Non-Binding
➢ Can apply early to other colleges, can apply regular decision
❖ Single Choice/Restricted Early Action: Non-Binding
➢ Restricts early applications to some colleges; check college website for restrictions
❖ Rolling Admission
➢ Open admission, no specific deadline
❖ Regular Decision
➢ Deadline date established by the institution
❖ Priority Deadline
➢ Often used for scholarship consideration
Standardized Testing
- 9th-11th grade students take a PSAT at Westwood each year
• 11th grade - PSAT/NMSQT - October
• 10th grade - PSAT 10 - April
• 9th grade - PSAT 8/9 - April
- Each university currently has their own individual policy regarding the requirement of
SAT/ACT scores: https://www.fairtest.org/university/optional
• For test optional, submit your scores only if they fall within or above the college’s
average range for accepted students
- Online test prep resources → BlueBook, Khan Academy, The Princeton Review, Kaplan,
Peterson’s
- Recommended that 11th graders take the SAT/ACT as early as the fall semester of their junior
year to allow opportunity for retake in the following spring or summer before senior year
 SAT vs. ACT
SAT ACT
CollegeBoard.org ACTStudent.org
- Digital format starting March 2024 will be 2 hours* - Standard exam = 3 hours approx. Order of 4 testing
sections: English, math, reading, science
- ACT will remain as a paper exam (*accommodations
may permit for digital)

● “Your actual ability, how well you do percentile-wise on these tests, is really hard to determine unless you
sit down and take a full-length official practice test from both the SAT and ACT.” – US News
● How to determine which test to take?
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/act-vs-sat-how-to-decide-which-test-to-take
Applicant Considering Factors
• Grades - high value - junior year/fall senior year are the most important
• Well rounded personality characteristics & abilities (resume, essay, rec letter)
• Diverse mix of genders, ethnicities, & socioeconomic status
• Balance between in & out of state students
• Leadership qualities
• Individual integrity
• Initiative to get involved in an interest/passion outside of class
• The colleges specific needs to fit – ex: female computer scientist
• Demonstrated interest in the school – visit campus, contact counselor, admissions
or faculty in depth about interest
 Financial Aid
FAFSA CSS Profile Scholarships Net Price Calculators
Completing the FAFSA is PROFILE is a tool created Some colleges Available on a college’s
the first step in securing by the College Board that automatically consider all website, net price
federal aid for college,
allows students to applicants for scholarships calculators can help
career school, or graduate
school. Typically Opens on complete one form and (merit based). Other prospective students get a
October 1st. apply online for scholarships from colleges, better handle on what they
non-federal financial aid universities, and private
will be expected to pay.
from almost 400 colleges, sources require special
universities, professional applications and additional Students enter information
schools, and scholarship work and motivation to about their family’s
programs. Opens on make it happen. financial situation to learn
October 1st. what similar students paid
Check with workplace to attend the institution in
opportunities, local and the previous year.
national organizations, and
the college’s direct website.
Resume Components
• Education (IB courses, online/college courses, training)
• Summer Experiences
• Internship/Work Experience
• Volunteer/Community Service
• Athletics
• Extracurricular Activities → consistency and depth in activities
• Leadership Experience → within an activity or attending a leadership training/workshop
• Awards/Honors

“What message does my resume communicate? What kind of student and person does it portray me as?”
 What should I be doing as a sophomore?
• Maintain Good Grades
• Maintain and deepen extracurricular involvement & continue to update your resume
• Continue developing relationships with your teachers and counselor
• Practice for PSAT/SAT/ACT & determine possible future test dates
• Begin brainstorming and researching programs and colleges that may interest you
• Take campus tours & attend college fairs
• Demonstrate interest in colleges that may be the right fit for you – subscribe to mailing lists, email an admissions counselor
at a college that interests you with questions, visit a campus to get a feel for the school’s environment or take virtual tours,
discover summer opportunities at the college for high school students (create a new email specifically for college)
• Make Constructive Plans for the Summer - Summer is a great time to explore interests and learn new skills — colleges look
for students who pursue meaningful summer activities.
• Starting your own personal projects, attending camps/classes/trainings, volunteering, taking a course in a subject of interest & possibly for
college credit (locally or virtually),

• Investigate your financial aid options. Register with Fastweb.com and other scholarship websites to find ways to pay
for college
• College planning checklist for 9th/10th grade → https://www.road2college.com/parent-of-12th-grader/
What To Do During Junior Year
• Determine test preference & register for SAT/ACT
• Take PSAT in October – potential for National Merit and college scholarships
• Continue putting forth your best effort in your classes. Colleges pay close attention to your grades in
the junior year to see how you perform in more difficult, upper-level courses. Many colleges will make
decisions before they have the opportunity to see grades from your senior year, so your junior record
tends to hold quite a bit of weight
• Focus extracurricular involvement around your interests, abilities, and leadership potential
• As you become interested in specific colleges, make contact with admissions counselors or department
chairs to find out how their programs might match your interests
• Continue cultivating powerful and productive relationships with your teachers. You will ask at least one
teacher to write you a college recommendation
• Juniors are always welcomed and encouraged to meet with counselor or teachers to discuss college
preferences
• Individual family conferences Spring of junior year & again Fall of senior year to align & discuss plan
of action
• Checklist: https://www.road2college.com/College-planning-checklist-for-juniors/
Summer before senior year →
• Engage in meaningful and genuine activities over the summer. Take a course, enroll
in a program, work a summer job, engage in community service, and travel
• Continue campus visits
• Narrow down college list
• Begin creating timelines for deadlines (determine which deadline)
• Email each teacher your request for recommendation letters
• Explore scholarship opportunities and deadlines
• Brainstorm essay topics
• Create Common App account (Apply Texas/Coalition) - most applications open
August 1st
• Attend Westwood essay writing camp (First Week of August)
Virtual College Fairs & Seminars
Subscribe to email list & register on these websites for events
• https://pages.collegeboard.org/big-future-days/after-big-future-days (spring)
• https://www.nacacfairs.org/attend/attend-virtual-college-fairs/ (October &
November)
• https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/events
• https://www.tacac.org/college-fairs-events (spring)
• https://www.texasibschools.org/college-fair (April - in Hurst)
Word of Advice to Parents
• “We should remind ourselves again and again that there are lots of incredible opportunities awaiting our teens at the
next stage in their lives,” Heffernan said. “There is no single path, no route they must follow. A year from now, we want
the teenager leaving our homes to feel confident, loved and able to begin to take on the responsibilities of adult life. Our
parenting senior year should be toward these ends.”
• “I think most parents — if they will really talk to their friends and think about their network — will realize pretty quickly
that success is nonlinear, and there are a lot of paths to it,” said Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions at
Georgia Tech. “Very few rely solely on where you go to college.” You have to truly believe that if you have any hope of
your child believing it.
• Be careful not to think of your child’s higher-education choices as a bullet point on your parenting résumé, either. The
bumper sticker on your car will not validate your parenting, and an Ivy League diploma will not guarantee your child’s
success — especially if they show up on that Ivy League campus broken and miserable from the process of getting there.
• “Believe in your student more than you believe in a name brand,” urged test prep expert and college counselor Jennifer
Jessie. “You have to have an unwavering belief that you prepared your student for the challenges ahead.”
• “It’s important not to derive your value from outcomes of admissions decisions from colleges,” she says. “Be proud of the
work you’ve done in high school.”

The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2022/08/18/making-college-admissions-less-stressful/

 Career Exploration Online Resources
• The Occupational Outlook Handbook → publication of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics that includes information
about the nature of work, working conditions, training and education, earnings and job outlook for hundreds of different occupations --
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

• Dictionary of Occupational Titles → produced by the U.S. Department of Labor which helped employers, government officials, and workforce
development professionals to define over 13,000 different types of work, from 1938 to the late 1990s - https://occupationalinfo.org/

• O*Net → O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals,
students, researchers, and more - https://www.onetonline.org/

• U.S. BLS Education & projected job openings 2019-29 →

https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/article/education-level-and-openings.htm

• Articles for Career Decision Making →

• https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/10-things-to-know-about-selecting-a-college-major
• https://www.collegechoice.net/choosing-a-college/choosing-a-major/
• https://thebestschools.org/resources/how-to-choose-your-major/
• https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/choosing-college-majors
• https://www.scholarships.com/resources/college-prep/choosing-a-major/10-things-to-consider-before-choosing-your-major/
Resources for College Search
• Simply College → includes admissions info and statistics, requirements, and individual profiling of colleges
based on one’s GPA, SAT, ACT, desired major, and location preferences
• College Board’s Big Future → Extensive info for each college/university. Also, allows you to create a list of
colleges and will categorize them into safe, match, and reach based on your SAT/ACT scores.
• College Insight → option to start your search with a specific college, a topic that interests you, or with
building your own table of different variables to compare schools across any metric you choose.
• Peterson’s → useful for learning about application timelines and getting yourself organized for college as
well as searching for schools that meet your criteria. There are articles with helpful tips about choosing
colleges, applying to college, and getting financial aid and scholarships. You'll get fast stats about colleges and
suggestions about other schools that you may like based on your searches.
• Unigo → Based on student feedback, schools are rated on a scale of 1-10 for a bunch of different factors
including campus safety, political activity, arts culture, Greek life, intellectual life, and more. Includes tons of
reviews in written and video format from students at the colleges
• Cappex → college search, scholarships, majors, and blog resources
• YouTube, Quora, Unigo → For individualized stories/testimonials/tips about a school
• Tableau Public College Major Finder → https://tabsoft.co/3puvstt
 Additional Resources
• IB friendly schools→
• https://www.houstonisd.org/Page/179853
• Recommended Extracurriculars → https://www.gecollegeprep.com/extracurriculars
• College planning →
• Online courses → https://www.fastweb.com/online-learning/resources/compare-platforms
• https://www.fastweb.com/online-learning/articles/the-top-10-online-learning-courses-for-computer-and-data-science
• https://www.fastweb.com/online-learning/articles/best-free-online-learning-courses-e-learning-tips
https://www.ivywise.com/blog/16-college-prep-resources-for-high-school-sophomores/
• Common App application guide → https://www.commonapp.org/apply/first-time-students
• https://www.commonapp.org/counselors-and-recommenders/common-app-ready

• Parent Specific Reads → https://www.thoughtco.com/best-college-guidebooks-4159856

• https://www.road2college.com/best-college-guidebooks/
• https://prepory.com/blog/ultimate-college-planning-guide-for-parents/
• https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/how-to-survive-the-college-admissions-process/
• How to Help Kids Who Are Too Hard on Themselves
• How to Connect With Your Kids’ Digital Interests and Become a Media Mentor
• How Does Anxiety Affect Kids in School?
• Rachel Simmons- Enough As She Is
 Contact

Maegan McElroy
School and College and Career Counselor
mmcelroy@westwoodschool.org