San Mateo High School

	Community College Cañada, College of San Mateo, Skyline, Foothill, DeAnza; 107 in CA	California State University (CSU) San Jose State, San Francisco State, Hayward State, plus 23 others from Humboldt to San Diego	University of California Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Diego	Private Colleges More than 70 in CA More than 2,000 in US
Program/ Curriculum	Two-year schools • Career/job entry majors • Preparation for transfer to four-year schools • AA degrees • Vocational certificates	Four-year schools • Variety of majors towards BA/BS degrees • Pre-professional training • Graduate degrees	Four-year schools • Variety of majors towards BA/BS degrees • Pre-professional training • Graduate degrees	Varies
Selectivity	Open enrollment (any student may enroll, regardless of GPA)	Basic eligibility based on courses taken, GPA, and SAT I scores (see Guidance Alert) Impacted (selective) campuses: Many for 2010-11—check www.csumentor.edu or campus web sites	Basic eligibility based on courses taken, GPA, SAT and Subject Test scores (no Subject Test scores required for Class of 2012 on) Admission based on holistic review of 14 selection factors Most selective campuses: Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego	Range from highly selective to not very selective, based on transcript (courses chosen and grades in those courses), test scores, teacher and counselor recommendations, essays, extracurricular activities, and other criteria; requirements vary
Testing Required	No testing required for admission; placement testing required before registration	SAT (or ACT) for admission; placement testing required before registration	SAT (or ACT) SAT Subject Tests: two required for class of 2011; none required for class of 2012 on, but some majors may request Subject Tests All testing must be completed by December of senior year	Depends on campus
Letters of Recom-mendation	None required	None required	None required	Depends on campus many schools require one or two teacher recommendations plus a school counselor recommendation
Application Essays	None required	None required	1,000 words (personal statement, two prompts) required	Depends on campus
Application Deadlines	Usually several weeks before beginning of each new quarter or semester	October 1-November 30 priority filing period; Early Decision Program at Cal Poly, October 31	November 1-30	Depends on campus
Financial Aid	File FAFSA between January 1 and March 2 Federal, state, and institutional aid available	File FAFSA between January 1 and March 2 Federal, state, and institutional aid available	File FAFSA between January 1 and March 2 Federal, state, and institutional aid available	File FAFSA between January 1 and March 2 Federal, state, and institutional aid available File CSS PROFILE if college requires it

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