Voice of the Experts

We helped coordinate this amazing panel discussion for Olentangy Local Schools rising 9th-grade students and families. A synopsis of the discussion as well as the slides for the presentation are included below.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1X59UKZdPf8c2nb6Tp7h1fHjIPrDOKa3skrFPPdoSJO0/edit?usp=sharing

January 12, 2021 –Voice of the Experts

Panelists

Justin See – Toledo: Justin.see@utoledo.edu, www.toledo.edu 

Collin Palmer – OACAC: Collin.Palmer@utoledo.edu, https://oacac.org/virtual-college-exploration/ 

Austin Martin – OSU: martin.4047@osu.edu, www.osu.edu 

Haley Wolfe – Xavier: wolfeh@xavier.edu, www.xavier.edu 

Ellen Turner -- Kenyon: turnere@kenyon.edu, www.kenyon.edu 

Moderator

Bethany Schweitzer

Bethany Schweitzer--College Ready, LLC: bschweitzer@collegereadyUS.com, www.collegereadyUS.com 

 When should students start preparing for college?

Ellen – depends on student

Going into HS, look at courses and interests

Pay attention to kinds of classes students are taking

College process is the child’s journey of self-discovery – parents need to remember it is the child’s process.

Process doesn’t just happen during school. It also happens during summers, breaks. Maturity happens over time and differently for each student.

Use the counselor to get feedback.

What are some things looking for when looking at the HS transcript?

Toledo -Looking holistically at student. Looking at interests. Engineering – will look at grades in math and science, but are more liberal when looking at outside courses.

Are you taking the courses you will need for your college courses.

OSU – Not magic number to get in. Holistic review – Can they provide diversity on campus. What will the student bring to the University? What other things other than grades…first gen, activities

AP vs. CCP

Xavier – not a preference – looking for students who challenge themselves – database on website to look at to see what transfers in and you get credit for.

Kenyon – They are a college and want students do to 4-year experience – limit how many credits you can bring in. Not a limit on using those credits for introductory courses. That then allows student to take more advanced classes. Take math all four years of high school – it teaches problem solving.

Collin – CCP is an Ohio program (we are a transfer friendly state, but it is Ohio specific) – If you are thinking of out of state AP/IB are better options. Some professional schools (dental/medical) will not accept CCP credit earned.

ASL for foreign language credit

OSU – thinks so

Toledo – yes

Xavier – yes

Ellen – Yes as a language coming in – one of the grad requirements is 1 credit foreign language, but does not have ASL as a course

STEM program in Olentangy and the Career Center – How do you look at non-traditional?

Collin – universities prepare for demand of the workforce – Ohio doing great in career tech – for some students they want a BS/BA degree or degree in business – will look at demonstrated area of interest – Not every university feels that way

ACT/SAT – what is happening?

OSU – 50/50 split on whether or not to have scores looked at – scores are one part of application which as 11 pieces

Will still look at schedule, job, activities

Still deciding

Toledo – already in discussions pre-covid about test optional

Piloted test optional in March and are continuing it moving forward

Offered scholarships for TO 

Xavier – Had already gone TO

Seeing trends that high performing students was continuing in college no matter the test score

Nursing and scholarships still required test scores. Will see if they remain TO for those as well post-covid.

Kenyon – TO this year, but not sure where it will be next year

Tests are just one piece of the mosaic

Some merit-based programs may still utilize the tests

SAT vs ACT depends on the student

Extra-curricular activities – what kind of activities? In light of COVID, what are you looking at?

Haley - Community involvement in some capacity

Recognize the pressure they are under

Be involved in things you are passionate about

Austin – longevity in an activity

Leadership is many different things – maybe it is watching younger siblings after school.

Ellen – Don’t forget about work and community service activities

Religious activities 

Honors Classes

Collin – Should I take the CP class and get an A or the AP class and get a B (take the AP and get an A)

Can provide advantage for competitive scholarships or the early entry programs

Final Thoughts

Do not have to know what they want to be when entering HS or College!

Book -  Where you go is not who you will be – Frank Bruni

QUESTIONS FROM THE CHAT 

Can you explain the STEM academy program please?

The Olentangy STEM academy is an opportunity for students to focus on areas include critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.  These thinking capacities are cultivated through learning activities that are hands-on, relevant to local and global issues, and presented in an integrated transdisciplinary approach.  Students learn how to be innovative and think like an engineer, solve real-world problems, conduct relevant research and work with professionals in a variety of STEM fields.

https://view.genial.ly/5be04f386fb42d463ec155f8/interactive-content-8th-grade-student-presentation

When do we need to apply for college credit plus?

Generally end of March beginning of April.  The deadline varies from year to year.  Contact your school counselor to make sure you don’t miss any deadlines.

What about scholarships?

Each college sets a different set of criteria for scholarships.  These can change from year to year.  For automatic scholarships generally there is a set GPA and SAT/ACT requirement to receive scholarships.  Other scholarships that are competitively awarded look at other things including letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities as well GPA and test scores.

Is it a requirement for OSU to have student appeared in ACT or SAT? From where we can get information like which college accept ACT score and SAT score?

Per the conversation the OSU rep stated that they aren’t sure if they are going to remain test optional.  Their admissions website is the best place to see the latest news on whether or not they will remain test optional.  FairTest.org is a great resource to see a comprehensive list of test optional colleges and universities.

Does it make sense to take an AP class after an honors class of the same subject? For example- AP Biology after Honors Biology?

Yes.  The honors class will give the student a great foundation for the AP level class.  Discuss with your counselor to see if this is a good pathway for your student.

What is IB?

IB=International Baccalaureate.  Olentangy does not offer this as an option. 

So there's no weight to the honors courses but what about the honors diploma?

The honors diploma is based upon the coursework taken.  Here is a great resource for more information on the honors diploma in Ohio http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Ohio-s-Graduation-Requirements/Honors-Diplomas