Improving your chance Improving your chance of gaining admission to of gaining admission to

CollegeCollegeMrs. BertolottiMrs. Bertolotti

All hail Florida!• All hail the Gators from Florida

We pledge our allegiance to thee!All other schools wish they could sayWe are the best in his-tory!Objective rankings show in academics and sportsThat there is no comparison with other teamsIts apparent in everyway We are in our own exceptional leagueAll haters who will disagreeWish they could attend but don’t have good enough SAT

Oh Florida! Oh Florida!You make our state so proudBecause your achievements are so well renowned,We don’t have to rely on other Florida colleges Because they are all second classThey will attack so be aware because they will be very crass!

Statistics you should be aware of…

• According to the US Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 12.9 million children.

• Most Americans (58.5%) will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75

• Income is directly related to educational levels. In 2007, the median earnings of individuals with less than a 9th grade education was $16,615 while high school graduates earned $31,337, holders of bachelor’s degree earned $56,826, and individuals with professional degrees earned $100,000

• In 1991, 8.3% of children in two-parent families were likely to live in poverty; 19.6% of children lived with father in single parent family; and 47.1% in single parent family headed by mother

• Simple comparisons between children in poor families and children in non-poor families using national datasets indicate that poor children are more likely to do worse on indices of school achievement than non-poor children are. Poor children are twice as likely as non-poor children to have repeated a grade, to have been expelled or suspended from school, or to have dropped out of high school. They are also 1.4 times as likely to be identified as having a learning disability in elementary or high school than their non-poor counterparts.

• What makes these statistics even more disheartening is that education is one of the main drivers for ending extreme poverty. Girls who are educated are able to better protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, marry later in life, have healthier children, and can have work opportunities beyond the home. Boys who are educated may be able to break a family cycle of hard labor and typically earn more than their non-educated counterparts.

• Of all those sixteen years of age and older in the labor force during 2002, those with less than a high school diploma had a much higher poverty rate (14.6%) than high school graduates (6.1%), according to the BLS in A Profile of the Working Poor, 2002 (September 2004). The lowest poverty rates were reported by workers with an associate degree (2.8%) or college degree (1.6%).

• Most children in low-income families have parents without any college education.

• 26% of children in low-income families—over 7.2 million—have parents with less than a high school diploma.

• 36%—almost 10.2 million—have parents with a high school diploma, but no college education.

• 39%—over 10.9 million—have parents who have at least some college education or more.

• Higher education leads to higher earnings.• 82% of children whose parents have less than a high school

diploma live in low-income families. • 56% of children whose parents have a high school diploma, but no

college education, live in low-income families. • Only 24% of children whose parents have some college education

or more live in low-income families.• Over the past two decades, children with parents employed full-time

are increasingly likely to be low income if their parents do not have at least a college education. Among children whose parents work full-time and year-round:

• FLORIDA’S MINIMUM WAGE- 7.25/hr• In 2005, 1.9 million Americans reported earning

$5.15 or less per hour. This amounted to 2.5 percent of all workers earning hourly wages and 1.5 percent of all workers in the United States.

• Most workers who earn the minimum wage or less fall into two categories: young workers, usually in school, and older workers who have left school. The majority of minimum wage-earners fall into the first category: 53 percent of those earning $5.15 or less per hour are between the ages of 16 and 24. The remainder are 25 years of age or older.

Your life on minimum wage

• Income @ $7.25/hour @ 40 hours per week

• $290/ week= $1,160/ month= $13,920/ year

• Taxes= 15%= $2,088/ year or $174/month• Social security- 12.4% = $1726.08/year or

$143.84/month• Left= $842.16/month or $10,105.92• Rent, food, gas, insurance, etc.

Whoever said grades didn’t matter…

• College admissions look at:– 1. GPA– 2. Courses taken and success in them

• The more challenging the course, the better• Try to take Physics, Calculus, science courses, AP

courses

– 3. SAT scores• Actual score and percentile

DID NOT GO TO COLLEGE!!!!!

Couple of things to remember• 1. If you are not a “good test taker”- learn some

test taking skills over the summer and work on reading comprehension.– Tests do not end at high school. Most companies require

a test before you can even work there and you will be tested frequently at college and graduate levels! You MUST learn that skill if you want to succeed. Don’t adapt- you get left behind!

• 2. If you failed any portion of the FCAT, you don’t know enough! – Again, you need to work on improving yourself. FCAT

tests what you should know, so no use complaining because becoming bitter won’t change a thing!

What to do to improve your chances…

• 1. Read as many books over the summer and throughout the school year as possible– Improves your “reading stamina”– Improves reading comprehension– Improves reading speed– Improves vocabulary– You learn more!

What to do to improve your chances…part 2

• 2. Develop your vocabulary– Sign up for a vocabulary word to be sent to

your email daily (ex. Dictionary.com)– Read many books!– Learn a word a day!– Vocabulary development reduces your time

reading

What to do to improve your chances… part 3

• 3. Practice taking the SAT– Purchase a SAT preparation book and take

one of the pre-tests provided to find out where you stand

– Study for at least 8 months before taking a test

– Take a test in your 11th grade year so if you do poorly you have time to study so you can retake it in the Fall of your senior year

What to do to improve your chances… part 4

• 4. Develop your math skills– You need it in life and to get a degree. You can’t leave home

without it!• 5. In 11th grade, research and select 10 schools that you

want to apply to– Consider the costs, reputation, your possible major– Write down admission deadlines and plan appropriately. Submit

your application at least 1 month before the deadline and double check that you have submitted all required documentation.

– The latest you should do your SAT’s is October of your senior year. Any later and you are pushing it! Ideally you should have taken it either the end of your junior year or over the summer.

– When asking for letters of recommendation, it is proper etiquette to give the person 2 months worth of notice. Any less and your recommendation may be sub-par. A good recommendation letter takes time! NEVER EVER open it!!!

– Work on your personal statement 2 months before and ask people to look over it, and especially an English teacher. Edit and review it at least 3 times before soliciting feedback- nobody likes having to read garbage!

Learn basic study skills

• 1. Read for understanding– When reading new information, read to understand

the material– While reading, try to connect the important

information to something you already know• You remember things better when you make connections

– While reading, stop periodically and try to recall all the information you read and check for understanding.

– When reviewing for a test, read the material over again. Try to memorize the meaning of words for comprehension, not recall.

– Test new strategies and find out what works for you. This will make your life easier in college if you have perfected it in high school.

Research states…• Connecting new information with something you already know helps

you remember• Taking notes aids in recall as long as you don’t miss the information

being presented• Highlight using different colors, ex. Pink for definitions, yellow for

main points, etc. helps to recall information and organizes information better for review

• Try mnemonics when studying- use your imagination or make up a song to remember details- the crazier the better!

• After studying, IMMEDIATELY go to sleep. You are more likely to remember because there is no interference from other information.

• Study information in chunks- spread studying over days not hours. “Cramming” is counterproductive.

• Studying in silence produces better scores than with music in the background which interferes with recall. Silence simulates test conditions.

• Before the test, relax. A little nerves is beneficial but too much nervousness has a negative impact. Spend a few minutes going over information that you had difficulty remembering to refresh your memory but don’t stress!!!

Interesting fact• GATORADE is a product engineered at The University

of Florida… – (remember that while your UM or FSU sports players drink up in

competition. So every time your players drink, you are ingesting GATOR NATION TECHNOLOGY- TAKE THAT LEECHES!!!)

• University of Florida assistant coach sat down with a team of university physicians and asked them to determine why so many of his players were being affected by heat and heat related illnesses. After careful research, they scientifically formulated a new, precisely balanced carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage that would adequately replace the key components lost by Gator players through sweating and exercise.

Now you know!

• This presentation is courtesy of THE JAMAICAN teacher who rocks! Thank you!