Rising Junior Parent Career & College Night
Searching for Your Next Path
Sherwood High School Student Services
•Ms. Erin Mazer Administrator•Ms. Raenell Rafferty School Counselor•Ms. Erin McKenna School Counselor
Agenda
Preparing for Life after High School
Post-Secondary Options What Colleges Look For Preparing for a Career & College – 11th Grade SAT/ACT College Visits Family Connections Events Calendar
Questions
Preparing for Life after High School…
Educational options after high school - should be based on career goals, abilities, interests, and the amount of schooling desired.
Post-Secondary Options
POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION• 4-year Colleges & Universities• 2 year Colleges & Community Colleges• Technical & Professional Schools & Colleges
MILITARY
WORKFORCE
APPRENTICESHIP & INTERNSHIPS• Carefully monitored work experiences with intentional
learning goals
What Colleges Look for in Prospective Students
Academic Record: Grades, GPA , WGPA
Strength of Schedule: Honors and AP level Courses
Admission Test Scores (SAT/ ACT)
Essay or Writing Sample
Counselor Recommendation
Teacher Recommendations
Extra Curricular Activities/ Community Service
* Listed by level of importance, based on 2008 admission data from www.ACT.org
Recommended College Prep Courses
English Four years of English
MathematicsThree years of mathematics, including rigorous courses in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II* A fourth year is strongly recommended
Natural Sciences Three years of science, including rigorous courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
Social Studies Three years of social studies
Additional Courses
Some colleges and universities require other classes as prerequisites for admission, such as two or more years of the same foreign language in high school or courses in the visual arts, music, theater, drama, dance, computer science, etc.*Specific high school course requirements vary from institution to
institution. Be sure to check with the schools you're interested in to see what they recommend or require.
Preparing for a Career & College
What can I do now? Keep up Grades
Plan your high school courses wisely Do your courses match your post-secondary goals? Are you signing up for advanced classes, honors sections, or
accelerated sequences? Are you choosing electives that really stretch your mind and promote
your interests? Adjust course selections from now until June
Review PSAT scores and look into My College QuickStart
Continue Extra-Curricular Activities
Use Family Connections
Become familiar with general college entrance requirements
Attend Sherwood College Fair: April 16
Preparing for a Career & College
11th grade – Fall/ Winter Register and take the PSAT in October
Research Potential Colleges/ Career Pathways October Counseling Lesson – Family
Connections College Search Make a list of colleges that meet your most
important criteria Speak to college representatives who visit the
Career Center
Continue Extra-Curricular Activities work toward leadership positions
Athletes register with the NCAA Clearinghouse Div. 1 or Div. 2 athletics in college
NCAA Eligibility
Sophomore Year Familiarize self with the NCAA Eligibility Standards
Junior Year - Fall With your coach: Write an introductory letter about you. E-mail to
colleges of your choice Follow Up phone call to colleges of your choice Take PSAT Visit Career Center during College Visits Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse’s Eligibility Center: Sherwood
Website; Career Center/ Code: 9999 Junior Year - Winter/Spring
Take SAT - request scores be sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse Eligibility Center
Meet with your counselor-send copy of your transcript to the eligibility center
www.eligibilitycenter.org
Preparing for a Career & College
11th grade – Spring 2013 Individual Junior Meetings w/Counselor
Registration for Senior Year Review Graduation Credits
Prepare and Register for College Admission Tests (SAT/ ACT)
Register for AP Exams Classroom Junior Meetings w/ Counselors
Preparing for Post-secondary Plans Review College Entrance Requirements
Visit Colleges – Take College Tours – Attend College Fairs
Begin writing college essays – work on writing skills
What’s the Difference?
SAT Scholastic Aptitude Test www.collegeboard.com
Designed to measure critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills
ACT American College Test www.act.org
Designed to measure achievement in the areas of English, mathematics, reading, and science
What’s the Difference?SAT
No science section
Math includes up to Algebra 2 Vocabulary emphasized
Non multiple-choice questions asked
Guessing penalty
No English grammar
Math accounts for 50% of your score
Questions go from easy to difficult
ACT Science reasoning section
Math includes up to trigonometry
Vocabulary less important
Entirely multiple-choice
No guessing penalty
English grammar tested
Math accounts for 25% of your score
Questions are mixed up
2013-2014 Test Dates
SAT October 5, 2013 November 2, 2013 December 7, 2013 January 25, 2014 March 8, 2014 May 3, 2014 June 7, 2014
ACT September 21,
2013 October 26, 2013 December 14,
2013 February 8, 2014 April 12, 2014 June 14, 2014
Tips for College Visits 3 Pre-Approved Excused Absences for College Visits/ year
Always call to schedule a visit. Don’t just show up on campus!
Schedule college visits during weekdays while classes are in session so you can see what the campus and classes are like.
Consider an overnight visit if the college allows it.
Schedule a meeting with an Admissions Officer if possible!
Have a prepared list of questions to ask both the admissions officer as well as the tour guide/students you meet on campus.
Eat in the Dining Hall.
Send a thank you note to the admissions office no more than 48 hours after your visit
Start thinking today…
Important to begin thinking about next steps in life…
Think about pathway NOW…don’t wait until your senior year to begin the process.
Keep track of the process – Build a resume, manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers Request eDocuments (transcript, letters of
recommendation) during your senior year
Research colleges – Compare GPA, SAT scores, and other statistics to actual historical data from Sherwood for students who have applied and been admitted in the past
Sign up for college visits – Find out which colleges are visiting Sherwood and sign up to attend those sessions
Do What You Are® - Self Discovery Personality Type assessment.
Career Interest Profiler - a tool that can help you discover the types of work activities and careers that match your interests.
Family ConnectionsUse the Family Connections program to:
Family Connections
For your students… User name: Student’s e-mail Password: Student ID #
For your use… User Name: example Password: sherwood
Dates to remember…Sherwood HS College Fair – Tuesday, April 16th, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Montgomery County College Fair at the Montgomery County Fair Grounds Wednesday, April 17th (evening)
Sherwood High School Course selections sent home beginning of May
AP exams May 6th to 17th Final exams June 7th to 12th
Counselor meetings with juniors to begin College Search in the Fall
Rising Junior Career Lesson Searching for Your
Next Path
Questions???