Cal-SOAP has helped encourage thousands of students to realize the opportunities that a post-secondary education provides. For many students who may think they are not academically eligible for college or do not have the money to attend, Cal SOAP opens the door, encouraging them to change their attitudes about learning and providing them with the tools and services needed to improve their achievement levels, learn about different colleges, and secure financial aid so they can attend the college of their choice. Meet the people who are encouraging students in the South County area!

South County Cal-SOAP currently offers part time and full time advising at 7 area high schools. (Sobrato, Live Oak, Mt. Madonna, Gilroy, El Portal, Anzar, and San Benito.) The phone numbers and email addresses of the advisors may be found on the home page of this website, and we encourage all families with questions about college preparation and or financial aid to contact the advisor nearest your home, any time or day of the week!

Our priority is to have staff accessible to all South County Cal-SOAP schools, students, and parents. There are times though, when you want to do some research on your own, which is easy, because it's all on the web!! Use these helpful resources!

FAQs:

1. What are the A-G requirements? Are they the same for every university?
A-G courses are college preparatory classes in specific subject areas, approved by the University of California, that students need to complete in order to meet the minimum requirements for admission as a first-time freshman to any California State University or University of California. A grade of C or higher is required for each course you use to meet the subject requirement. While the courses are the same for both the UC and CSU schools, the number of courses required and/or recommended varies by system.

2. What if my family will not qualify for financial aid. Should we still fill out the FAFSA during my son/daughter’s senior year?
YES! There is no such thing as not qualifying. The FAFSA is a collection of information that colleges and universities use to determine who is requesting aid at their particular campus. The Federal Government collects the information, organizes it, and sends it out to the colleges and universities of your choice. Then, the college or university that you have chosen to attend takes your information and plugs it into their own formula in order to determine aid specific to their own campus. The amount of aid that any one student qualifies for will change from campus to campus.
Example, if a university had enough money to give every student on their campus a thousand dollar grant, only those students who requested funds, which would be only those students who filled out a FAFSA, then only those students would receive the grant.
Example, if same student applied to two different universities the financial aid package that student could hope to receive from each university would be different.

3. If my son/daughter took the SAT last year, as a sophomore, does he she need to take it again?
The SAT assesses student reasoning based on knowledge and skills developed by the student in school coursework. Students generally perform highest on the SAT either their junior or senior year of high school after having completed coursework that is aligned to the various subsections of the test. The test consists of three sections:

1. Writing

Multiple-choice questions (grammar and usage)
Student-written essay

2. Critical Reading

Analogies eliminated
Short reading passages added to existing long reading passages

3. Mathematics

Math content expanded to include topics from third-year college preparatory math
Quantitative comparisons eliminated

Core SAT requirements for the University of California

Effective for students entering UC as freshmen in fall 2010, each applicant must submit scores on an approved core test of mathematics, language arts and writing. This requirement can be satisfied by taking either of the following:
• the ACT Assessment plus the new ACT Writing Test, or
• the new SAT I (critical reading, mathematics and writing).

In addition, all applicants must complete two SAT II Subject Tests in two different subject areas: history/ social science, English literature, mathematics, laboratory science or language other than English. Visit the University of California website for more information.

Visit the College Board website for more information.

4. How important is it to take Advanced Placement classes in high school?

Advanced Placement Courses are designed to offer students a greater academic challenge than standard high school courses. Colleges and universities regard students' enrollment and success in Advanced Placement courses as evidence of both rigorous academic preparation and personal readiness for college work. Moreover, as part of the application evaluation process many universities will look favorably on applicants whose transcripts show successful completion, a letter grade of C or better, of AP courses. In addition, colleges may give students credit for completing college requirements based on scores earned on the AP exams, resulting in possible benefits such as tuition savings and advanced standing.

5. Is it possible to take college courses while still in high school?

Yes. Gavilan College accepts high school student whose cumulative grade point average is at lest 2.0 for advanced (transfer level courses numbered 1 – 99), vocational, or physical education courses for the Fall and Spring semesters. High School students may enroll for pre-collegiate courses (courses numbered 100 – 400) during the summer session. A Gavilan application, placement assessment scores and current transcripts from the student’s high school are required before the Gavilan College/ High School Contract form can be reviewed by a Gavilan counselor. All credit earned at Gavilan is “college” credit. Please check with your high school counselor to learn about your school’s procedure for completing the necessary steps.