How To Prepare For College

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1 CHRHS School Counseling News December 2013 The holidays are quickly approaching ENJOY! ALL STUDENTS/PARENTS PSAT SCORE REPORTS ATTENTION SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS: A letter along with your PSAT score report will be sent home in December. Look for it in the mail! ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Are you interested in a semester or yearlong travel abroad experience? Do you want to be involved in an experiential learning program outside of CHRHS? Are you interested in graduating in three years by developing an accelerated graduation plan? The beginning stages of planning for these activities usually needs to happen by the beginning of your sophomore year. Students and families are responsible for researching, planning and financing these options. Please schedule a time to see your counselor to discuss these possibilities and how it would impact your graduation from CHRHS. FRESHMEN Are you unsure about your graduation requirements? Do you want to develop a four-year course plan? See your counselor for help with this. SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS DO YOU NEED HELP PLANNING FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? MARK YOUR CALENDARS: JANUARY 22ND, 6:30-8:45 PM (Snow date: January 29 th ) CHRHS School Counselors invite you to join us at our Regional College - Steps in Selecting, Applying to and Paying for College held this year at OCEANSIDE EAST HIGH SCHOOL. Local area high schools and their school counselors are hosting this event. The following workshops will be offered by experts in college admissions: Researching and Applying to Colleges, Maine Community Colleges, Selective College Admissions, Local College Options/High School Aspirations program, Financial Aid and the University of Maine System- Colleges and Universities. ALSO, CHECK OUT THE CHRHS POSTSECONDARY GUIDE AVAILABLE ON OUR NEW WEBSITE UNDER DEPARTMENTS è COUNSELINGè POSTSECONDARY GUIDE (Check out our other links too!)

2 HOT TOPIC: What Should High School Juniors Do to Prepare for College?- By youuniversitytv.com By David Angotti, collegeboard.com As sure as the sun will rise, students will start to get visions of lakes, barbecues, and sleeping in past noon as the weather gets warmer and the school year comes to a close. Seniors have already been through the admissions process and now juniors start their search for the school that's best for them. Andrew S., a junior from Renton, Wash., wants to know the best things to do over the summer to get a leg up in the college admissions race: Q: As a junior looking to stay on top of my college admissions timeline, what are the most important things for me to be doing before senior year starts? A: Good for you: Set your 'game plan' now! Nancy Meislahn, dean of admissions and financial aid, Wesleyan University Being organized in your communications with colleges will put and keep you on the right path. Decide now what address you will use for all your correspondence with colleges. Choose an address that will give colleges a good first impression (nothing cutesy or suggestive). And, commit to reading that regularly, at least weekly now and more frequently once you've made applications. Discuss with your family how to deal with college-related mail, where to put mail before you've sorted it, and how to file things for reference. Start a 'college calendar' with important test dates, deadlines and program invitations/open houses you might want to attend. A: Position yourself for freshman success. Eric Furda, dean of admissions, University of Pennsylvania As a junior, the choices you make on your senior curriculum are important, not because of 'how it looks to colleges', rather, 'how will these courses prepare me for the expectations and realities of the college curriculum'. I have a great deal to say on this subject, but will keep my comments at a fairly high level: 1. In the United States you don't have a major in high school. Taking senior level courses in English, math, natural science, language, and a social science is essential. Of course there are exceptions, but this should be the rule. 2. For engineering students, take a second level of physics, even if you want to enter a field like bioengineering. 3. Taking calculus at the highest level available in line with your math background is the preferable senior year math selection for college level work. A: Get a jump on testing. Dr. Michele Hernandez, president and founder, HernandezCollegeConsulting.com and

3 ApplicationBootCamp.com The most important advice for juniors is to plan out testing early in the year so that you are done with the SAT or ACT by March at the latest and can save May and June for subject tests and AP's. Senior fall testing should only be a fall back, one more chance to push up a score, not the first time you're seeing a score. The reason: it's near impossible to target schools to visit unless you have a good grasp of where your SAT/ACT, subject tests, and AP scores fall. After testing, the main thing is to have a great junior year in terms of academic performance. Colleges want to see an upward grade trend as classes get progressively harder. Finally, be sure to go 'above and beyond' in your classes and develop relationships with your teachers and your guidance counselor so they will know you well enough to write a great teacher evaluation. These are extremely important in the process and can help applicants stand out in a hyper-competitive applicant pool. A: Construct a roadmap for your future. Don Fraser Jr., Director of Education and Training, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Develop a roadmap complete with month-by-month action items and goals related to the college application process (e.g., working on your essay, continuing in-depth research of a variety of postsecondary opportunities, and planning campus visits). Visiting multiple college campuses, for example, requires coordination and careful planning that will be more difficult to do once the school year starts. Admission offices are open in the summer and typically less busy, so pick up the phone and ask about their fall visits as well as any interesting events going on in the fall. That might help you select dates for your visit. A: Plan, don't panic. Enjoy junior year. Ralph Figueroa, director of college guidance, Albuquerque Academy The college timeline seems so rushed today. That is artificial. Plan, but don't panic. Junior year is a great time to explore college options through websites, guidebooks, and most helpful of all college visits. Visit colleges of various sizes and locations, the more, the better. Fill out visit cards even if you are on the mailing list; they keep track. Also, focus on doing the best you can academically, this year is critical to your application. Mostly, though, enjoy being a junior. The future is important, but don't lose sight of your high school years you will miss them later. SENIORS Scholarships for the Class of 2014 are posted on the school website Go to Counseling and then Scholarships New scholarship listings are being added weekly. A packet of nearly 100 local scholarships will be available to seniors sometime before February Vacation. In the meantime, students should continue to check the school website as well as the bulletin board outside of the Counseling Office for other scholarship information.

4 **RED FOLDERS DEADLINES** - YOUR FOLDER NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE COUNSELING OFFICE BY THE STUDENT DEADLINE LISTED BELOW. YOU WILL ALSO NEED TO SCHEDULE YOUR SENIOR INTERVIEW. COLLEGE DEADLINE December 15 January 1 All other deadlines STUDENT DEADLINE December 2 December 9 December 20 POSTSECONDARY PLANNING Check out this site for college searches SAT/ACT TEST SAT I and/or SAT Subject Tests or the ACT are often required for college admissions. Please be aware of these requirements and plan to talk to your school counselor about recommendations specific to your individual postsecondary plan. Since all juniors are required to take the May 2014 SAT, they will be automatically registered for this test through our registrar s office. For students who want to take additional SAT I or Subject Tests or ACT, you need to sign up at or go to School CEEB code: QUESTIONS ABOUT FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS? CONTACT FAME FOR ANY FINANCIAL AID QUESTIONS 5 Community Drive, PO Box 949, Augusta, ME Go to to learn more about the Financial Aid process. Plan to submit your FAFSA early, but not before January 1 st, Wellness/Personal/Social/Emotional SUPPORT RESOURCES School Counseling Department Our department is here to provide comprehensive and preventative support services to students grade We provide overall coordination of student services including individual, small and large group mental health counseling/support, consultation, academic advising, postsecondary planning/college process and referrals to outside agencies as needed. Please contact us if you ever have questions or concerns about a student. Harbor Family Services School-based therapists are available to meet with our students at school (or at their office) for those students who are in need of additional support and/or long-term counseling services. This agency can also provide case management, in-home support and medication management. Please see the School Counseling Department for

5 details and information about the referral process. The Maine s Eating Disorder Learning Collaborative Do you have concerns that you or someone you know has an eating disorder? The Maine s Eating Disorder Learning Collaborative is a unique effort to establish trained teams of professionals in communities across Maine to provide early diagnosis and treatment for those with eating disorders in our state. Contact your School Counselor or Mary Orear at Mainely Girls for more information. ( or megirls@midcoast.com) Academic Tutor Students - Do you just need extra support organizing, learning study and test taking skills, or could benefit from someone helping you monitor your assignments? See your school counselor and they can refer you to our tutor. This is an excellent resource for supporting you so that you can do your very best! Math Directed Studies (MDS) Do you typically have difficulty in math? Do you need a little extra support with specific math topics? Are you failing your math class? Talk to your present math teacher about CHRHS s MDS s a study hall in the library designed to provide extra math support. Tutoring Services The School Counseling Department has a list of tutoring resources available in the community to help with a variety of academic subject areas. Call or stop by for this resource list. New Hope For Women Please contact this organization if you would like more information about dating or domestic abuse. All conversations are confidential. Rockland Location Do You Need Someone Anonymous To Talk To? Do You Know Someone Who Needs Help? Please share with an adult (parent, teacher, school counselor) or Call the Crisis Hotline Number