Phils College Planning Guide

Table of Contents
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT ...................................... 3
COLLEGE CREDIT ......................................................................................................................................................3
FINANCIAL .................................................................................................................................................................3
STANDARDIZED TESTING ..................................................................................................................... 4
SAT.............................................................................................................................................................................4
SAT SUBJECT TESTS ................................................................................................................................................4
ACT ............................................................................................................................................................................5
SUPERSCORING .........................................................................................................................................................5
STUDY MATERIALS ..................................................................................................................................................5
FINANCIAL .................................................................................................................................................................6
APPLYING TO COLLEGES ....................................................................................................................... 6
COMMON APPLICATION ..........................................................................................................................................6
PRIORITY APPLICATIONS ........................................................................................................................................7
EARLY ACTION AND EARLY DECISION ..................................................................................................................7
REGULAR DECISION .................................................................................................................................................8
FINANCIALS ...............................................................................................................................................................8
SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID ................................................................................................ 8
TUITION .....................................................................................................................................................................8
FINANCIAL AID .........................................................................................................................................................9
FAFSA ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Pell Grant.................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Other Types of Aid .................................................................................................................................................. 9
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................................... 11

International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement

IB is an international organization that offers college level classes. HL IB
classes are treated similar to AP classes in terms of college credit. Most universities
will accept IB credits as college credits depending on the score that the student
achieves in each class. Typically college credits are not awarded for SL courses. IB
DP juniors and seniors may also take AP classes simultaneously.
AP is primarily an American organization that, similarly, offers college level
courses in high school. These credits can be accrued and used at some universities
for credit in order to graduate earlier and/or advance faster. Note that AP students
cannot decide to enroll in IB classes unless they commit to the IB DP program at the
beginning of junior year. Honors classes are the equivalent to IB SL classes. All IB,
AP, and honors courses are weighted.

College Credit
Many universities may or may not award credits for IB and AP test scores. It
is up to each individual college whether or not they decide to give students these
credits, and should be researched for individual colleges. Note: Ivy League
universities rarely award credits for a students IB or AP classes, however, taking
IB/AP classes is important for admission into these colleges. Nonetheless, both
programs involve rigorous curriculums and learning.

Financial
Tests for both programs cost about a $100 per test, not including a
registration fee. If the testing cost proves to be a burden for an individuals income
status, then there are financial aid alternatives. IB offers ESCAPE paperwork, which

drastically reduces the cost of IB tests. AP testers can apply for AP fee waivers,
which also bring down the testing costs. Waiving fees is much easier if a student has
already applied for free/reduced lunch. If you feel that you are eligible, free/reduced
lunch will be beneficial for other financial aid opportunities whether or not you
decide to actually use it.

Standardized Testing
SAT
The SAT is administered by Collegeboard, and is one standard test that
millions of students take. Many colleges require either the SAT or the ACT. The SAT
can be taken with or without the writing component, which includes an essay (a
subscore out of 12). Some institutions require writing and some do not. The entire
SAT is scored out of 2400; 800 total in mathematics, 800 in writing & grammar, and
800 in reading comprehension & vocabulary. The national SAT average is 1500 for
all sections included.

SAT Subject Tests

SAT Subject Tests or SAT IIs are also given by Collegeboard. These tests are
each out of 800, and involve various subjects such as: mathematics (level 1 and 2),
English, French, Physics, Biology (ecological and molecular), etc. This tests students
in individual areas of knowledge and are required by some colleges. A chart of
percentile scores is here:
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Subject-TestsPercentile-Ranks-2012.pdf

ACT
The ACT is another organization; ACTstudent.org. This is another
standardized test that many students take. The Colorado state provides one free
ACT (without writing) for the students to take. The ACT is scored out of 36, which is
an averaged score of four individual sections: 36 mathematics, 36 English, 36
reading comprehension, and 36 science. The writing component also includes an
essay with a subscore of 12. The national average ACT score is a 21 composite score.

Superscoring
Both the SAT and ACT contain individual smaller sections that are averaged
or accumulated to produce the final score. If a student takes an SAT twice, most
colleges will superscore or take the highest score achieved in each category and
add them together. This also applies to the ACT. This provides an incentive for
students to test multiple times, as they will likely improve in at least one area after
the first test date. Note: some colleges look mainly at tests taken during one sitting.
Many universities also choose not to superscore the ACT. We suggest you check
available resources to better understand which colleges choose to:
http://www.freetestprep.com/blog/resources/list-of-colleges-and-universitiesthat-superscore-the-act-test/.

Study Materials
It is recommended that students prepare in advance for these tests by using
free online tests and purchasing textbook study materials. Collegeboard sells SAT
study guides including practice tests, ACT services sell guides as well. Other
organizations sell guides such as Kaplan and Barron, however it should be noted

that the actual test makers will provide the most relevant test questions and
practice.

Financial
There are multiple payments involved: registration fees, textbook fees, and
score report fees. Foremost, both SAT and ACT have registration fee waivers that
can be obtained from the school counselor. Eligibility will be made easier by prior
free/reduced lunch access. Again, if eligible, please apply. Textbooks can be
expensive, and if the cost provides a burden, ask around the senior classes to see if
students still have textbooks that they are no longer using, or free practice tests that
they are willing to give. Both the SAT and ACT allow four free scores to be sent to
the colleges of your choice. However, registering for the SAT using a fee waiver will
grant you an extra four free scores to be sent. These reports are typically sent online
by the test administers to your colleges, and cost around $10 each. Take advantage
of the free score reports; they can only be redeemed by a week after the testing date.

Applying to Colleges
Common Application
The Commonapp (Common Application) is a website that provides one,
universal application that most colleges use. Students fill out personal, family,
educational, and testing information for their Commonapp page and then list
colleges that they want to apply to. The Commonapp has an essay that all students
must write, with various prompts each year (650 word limit). This essay is sent to
all colleges. Also, students can add universities that they would like to apply to. Each
individual university will have a few brief questions, and some schools will have
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their own set of essay questions. Some schools, such as MIT, have their own system
for applying to their school and will not be listed on the Commonapp. Other schools
may use other systems such as the Universal College Application.

Priority Applications
Some universities have priority apps. For example, Denver University uses
the Commonapp, however, they also use the Pioneer Application which is reviewed
and responded to faster.

Early Action and Early Decision

Students can apply early to some schools, typically by November 1st. The
acceptance rates for all colleges are higher for students who apply early. There are
two types of early applications: early action and early decision. Early action is nonbinding and students can usually early apply to multiple schools, unless the schools
have a single choice early action policy (SCEA). A university with SCEA means that
students can only apply early to that school in particular, but is still non-binding.
Non-binding means that, if accepted, a student can choose to attend or not to attend.
However, students who wish to apply to an early decision university can only apply
to that university, and the decision is binding. This means that if admitted, the
student must attend unless he/she cannot afford the college. However, this also
prevents the student from seeing how much financial aid other colleges would
provide them. Early decision should be used if a student is very certain that he
wants to attend that particular college.

Regular Decision
Normal college applications are filed before January 1st, during regular
decision applications. These are non-binding applications to as many schools as a
student would like. The response time can be much slower, as the acceptance/denial
into schools will be revealed before April. Nonetheless, this is the most common
form of college applications submitted by high school students.

Financials
Specifically for the Commonapp, there is a fee waiver for low-income
students that must be approved by your school counselor. Again, it is beneficial in
this situation to already have free/reduced lunch. Sending applications costs around
$50 per institution, and a fee waiver will completely waive this cost. Moreover, some
schools may email students and waive the fees or waive the essay requirements.
Keep watch on your email for these types of waivers.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Tuition
College tuition is increasing each year; already being on average $30,000
annually. It is in our best interest to provide you with scholarship opportunities in
order to reduce the cost of attending universities. In-state universities are often
cheaper than going out-of-state. However, universities may offer you scholarships to
attend their college. The extent of these scholarships range from full-ride
scholarships to paying for room and board. Athletic scholarships are provided to
attract athletes onto a colleges sports team. Naviance is a good, yet limited,
resource for scholarship opportunities. Conduct a search and see what is available.

Financial Aid
FAFSA
To gain financial aid, it is helpful to have free/reduced lunch approved
already. This information is filled out on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal
Student Aid). FAFSA is a government website that takes into account your family
income, expenditure, assets, etc. to determine your need for financial assistance.
These are available January 1st after college applications are completed. The FAFSA
will allow colleges to determine the amount of financial aid that they will provide
you with, and also helps other organizations and grants to give you financial aid as
well.
Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant requires that the FAFSA be already filled out, and will
provide low-income students with money in the form of federal grants up to $5,645
(as of the 2014-15 Award Year). These are beneficial, since unlike loans, they do not
need to be paid back. Other educational grant organizations exist for the same
purpose.
Other Types of Aid
Stafford Loan As of July 1, 2014, any Federal Direct subsidized loan will have a
fixed interest rate of 4.66% and the interest is paid by the government while the student
is enrolled at least half time. The Federal Direct unsubsidized loan also has a fixed
interest rate of 4.66% and accumulates onto the outstanding balance.
Federal Perkins Loan A loan that is like the Stafford but is lent directly by
schools that are Title IV-eligible. Interest rate is fixed at 5%.

The Federal Work-Study Program A program where students can get part-time
work, up to a certain amount. In most cases, the federal government pays half of a
student's wage and the school pays the other half.

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Appendices
Subject Test Average Scores

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2014-15 Common Application Essay Prompts

The Common Application will retain the current set of first-year essay prompts for 2014-15, without
any edits or additions. The essay length will continue to be capped at 650 words. The feedback
received from member colleges and school counselors has been positive. The essay prompts will be
reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that they continue to serve students and member colleges well.
The essay prompts are as follows:

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their
application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons
did you learn?

Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make
the same decision again?

Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience
there, and why is it meaningful to you?

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood
to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

More on Early Decision:

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