This page contains general information for college planning and links to resources that will assist your family in researching colleges and universities.

California Department of Education High School Graduation Requirements
Basic Questions about College
Starting the Process of College Admissions
College Application Timeline
Scholarship Information
RCHS University of California Approved Course List
College Transfer Information
SAT & ACT Information
PSAT/NMSQT
Financial Aid
College & University Postings

Select the link below to access frequently asked questions about the California Department of Education high school graduation requirements.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrfaq.asp

STARING THE PROCESS OF COLLEGE ADMISSION

“I don’t know what I want to do”
It is now rare to find a graduating high school student who is totally focused on a specific career path and who understands the implications of this choice. Among college freshman, the most popular major is “undecided." All colleges are quite well prepared to deal with this and students nearly always find fields of interest during their matriculation.

A key element of college selection is an intimate knowledge of yourself. It may be helpful to take a survey of interests to try and pinpoint what careers you might best pursue. A free survey that can be taken online is at www.careerkey.org. Two other surveys that may be taken free at the Shasta College counseling office are called "Eureka" and "Choices." You are highly encouraged that you take these.

Choosing a college
There are a myriad of colleges in this country and it is helpful to focus on where you might best fit in. Here are some important considerations:

In addition to these, it is important to choose colleges where you have a good chance of getting in. Schools vary widely in selectivity. To account for this, students should apply to at least three, and preferably five or six colleges: a “reach” school, one to three “probable” schools and one or two “safe” schools.

Where should you start? There are a number of places to at least get some ideas. Check out a web site called www.collegeplanning.org out of Iowa. A college search engine is available at the Peterson’s web site: http://iiswinprd03.petersons.com/ugchannel/.

College guides, such as “Peterson’s Choose a Christian College” and the US News “America’s Best Colleges” have helpful articles and interesting school rankings.

Once you choose a few colleges, go to the web site, send for information, and if you are still interested, make a point to visit the schools. This may not be possible until later in the process, perhaps even after you have been accepted, but it is essential to visit a school before committing to it.

“What do I need to do to get accepted?”
The most important thing to begin the admissions process is to set goals. The sooner you set goals, the more relevant your high school work will seem.

First, as noted above, pick a half dozen or so schools you might like to attend. How competitive are they? You can find that out by looking at the average GPA and test scores for incoming freshmen.

Colleges vary considerably on application requirements but these are the areas that most top colleges look at:

In planning, it is important to assess where you are and what you might need to do to improve your chances of getting into the schools of your choice. The student should handle the process. The best person to handle the college application process is the student. Other than knowing yourself, the most important elements in this process are to learn as much as you can about the schools you are interested in
and devote adequate time and energy to the painstaking details of requirements and deadlines.

While parents may offer objective guidance and help keep you organized, they should not contact the schools, arrange for tests and transcripts or harass the counselors. If parents are too involved, colleges may pick up on it and that’s not a good thing.

On the other hand, students, please listen seriously to your parents. They know a lot about you and may even know you better than you know yourself! No one is more interested in your well-being and success in college than your parents. They should not control the application process or tell you what college to go to, but they can be invaluable in helping you assess your various options.

"Students who are planning to transfer from a community college to a University of California or a California State University have a tremendous amount of information to consider. In the past, this information was only available from the individual colleges and universities. ASSIST (Articulation System Stimulating Interinstitutional Student Transfer) is the statewide repository of articulation information, offering easy access to a single computerized database of student transfer information. This database includes UC TCAs, IGETC lists, CSU GE-Breadth lists and articulation agreements for all California public postsecondary institutions."

"In 1985, the University of California began to explore using computers to store, maintain, and display transfer-related data. With funding from the California State Legislature, ASSIST was created under the guidance and counsel of the three California postsecondary educational segments: the University of California, the California State Universities, and the California Community Colleges. The goal was to use the computer to provide students and counselors with an easy way to access accurate and complete information about transferring from one California college or university to another. The initial project, with a small number of colleges and universities participating, was evaluated and approved. Since that time, ASSIST has grown to include information about all of the public postsecondary educational institutions in California. In addition, it is the official repository of articulation information for California’s public colleges and universities."

"ASSIST is a computerized student-transfer information system that can be accessed over the World Wide Web. It displays reports of how course credits earned at one California college or university can be applied when transferred to another. ASSIST is the official repository of articulation for California’s colleges and universities and therefore provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available about student transfer in California."

ASSIST is available at www.assist.org.

The University of California (UC) certifies high school courses as fulfilling the "a-g" subject requirements for admission to the University of California as a freshman. The California State University (CSU) also acknowledges UC approved courses. An advantage of having RCHS courses UC approved is that when our students apply to an UC or CSU institution the RCHS course work is already certified for freshman entry. For a list of approved RCHS UC approved courses go to: https://pathways.ucop.edu/doorways/list/.

It is important to keep in mind that high school course work is only one aspect of student achievement evaluated for admission to UC schools. Like all colleges and universities, the UC also evaluates students' SAT/ACT scores, grade point averages, involvement in school activities such as clubs, athletics, community service, cross-cultural experiences such as mission trips, and students' application essays.

It is also important to keep in mind that each UC campus has flexibility in how much weight is given to UC approved courses in the application process. When evaluating recent high school graduates an enrollment evaluator may:

A possible result of this variation is that a student could apply to more than one UC campuses, have a course (or more) not on an approved list and be denied admission to one campus, yet admitted to one of the others.

A helpful website called "Introducing the University" includes important information about UC admission and selection policies. An interesting link on the web page is "Freshman Selection," which states that "Freshmen will be selected on the basis of academic and personal achievement, as assessed through a comprehensive review of all information provided on the application." You will also find freshman admission rates and selection criteria for each UC campus.

One of the best online resources to begin gathering information about SAT is the College Board website at: http://www.collegeboard.com/. The site has excellent information for the major recommended and required college entrance tests.

You register for SAT online at the SAT Registration section of College Board site. Select the "Students" link. The nearest testing center is usually at Central Valley High School in Shasta Lake. The test center code number and name are: 05728 Redding-Central Valley HS (Shasta Lake, CA). To verify a specific test date and center location, select the "Test Center/Code Search" link, then select the "Test Centers" link. After that, select the date, type "Shasta Lake" in the city field, select "California" from the State drop-down menu, and select "Search."

The SAT I test or the ACT test is usually required for admission to most colleges or universities. Research specific college and university websites to determine the entry test requirement(s) for the colleges and universities in which are interested. You may register online for either the SAT or ACT, and we also have the SAT registration bulletins in the RCHS office. The current SAT I test will be replaced with the new SAT I for students graduating spring 2006 (see: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/newsat/about.html).

Then there are twenty-two SAT II specific subject area sub tests. Some colleges and universities may require you to take one or more SAT II sub tests for admission. Again, you will want to research specific college and university websites or contact Dr. Forbes to determine the entry test requirement(s) for the colleges and universities in which are interested. The table below is an example of various requirements and may help guide your planning for the SAT II.

The next table is a guide for when to take certain SAT II specific subject area sub tests, i.e., after completing the RCHS course listed on the left, take the corresponding subtlest listed to its right.

CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is "the financial aid application service of the College Board -- a national, 100-year-old, not-for-profit membership association. Many of the member colleges, universities, graduate and professional schools, and scholarship programs use the information collected on PROFILE to help them award nonfederal student aid funds." For more information go to: http://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp

Common Application "is the recommended form of 255 selective colleges and universities for admission to their undergraduate programs. Many of these institutions use the form exclusively. All give equal consideration to the Common Application and the college's own form."
http://www.commonapp.org/

The items above are fee-based services. Be sure to review the colleges that use this service. They may not be the best resource for your college goals.

Resources:
Educaid
FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
CAL Grant