October 19, 2009

Applying to college can be a confusing process, what with application requirements varying from college to college.  However, some college applications are pretty straight forward and it will feel sooooo good to get one in the mail!  So, the rule of thumb is to apply first to the colleges that have rolling admissions (definition found in your Senior Bulletins!!! Hint..think public colleges) and then complete your research to identify other possible college matches.  Most colleges that  use "regular admissions" have application deadlines of January 1; January 15 and February 1st so you still have time to take another look around.  Many seniors are interested in finding scholarship funds and the very best place to be looking for money are the colleges you're applying to...do they award merit scholarships?  What do you have to do to access them?  Is it an automatic process that occurs during admission consideration?  Are there deadlines by which you need to be admitted to the college to be considered for scholarships?  Are there freshman scholarships?  Departmental scholarships?  Private scholarship funds come in every size and shape and it will take some serious hunting to find those that are best suited for you.  We list all the scholarships that have historically been received on Naviance and students can use the "scholarship match" function, in addition to reviewing scholarships by categories on the scholarship list, within their account on Naviance.  As we receive scholarships, I do a search of the senior class by using Naviance to match the scholarship criteria with the information in each senior's account which I can then use to generate an email to each identified student.  So, it's very important that the information we have in your personal account is accurate, along with an email address that you check regularly!
 A couple of upcoming dates to note:  ROTC Day  Nov. 3    9:30 am   Available to all Juniors and Seniors.....come find out what you need to know about ROTC programs and the application process.  Navy, Air Force and Army reps will be present
                                                                             UNC Application Day  Nov. 5   Bring a completed application (or submit it online); your application fee; sign up for a 10 minute appointment and be admitted on the spot!     More application days to come featuring CSU-Pueblo and the University of Wyoming.
Sophomores---- I strongly recommend that you sign up to take the PLAN test on Nov. 7.  Your results will help you identify areas of strengths & the "not so much" pieces that you need to work on so you can nail the ACT in your Junior year.  If you have dreams of attending one of our military academies, it's not too early to have a conversation with your counselor about how to be a competitive applicant! 

September 8, 2009
This past week the Senior counselors gave presentations to all Senior English classes about getting started on planning for post-graduation.  This year can be an exciting and tumultuous time for students and our hope is that all students begin to formulate the options that will best meet their needs as they move on.  I welcome the opportunity to meet with both students and parents who may have questions about this personal journey and encourage families to take advantage of the upcoming Senior events that were listed on a postcard you should have received.  I hope to see parents at the upcoming Senior Parent Breakfast on Sept. 12, 8:30 a.m. where the Senior counseling team will give an overview of how parents can help (and weather!) their student's senior year.  Please don't hesitate to contact me with your questions or concerns...although I have an assigned caseload of H-O I am available to help all seniors.