Rising Junior Parent Career & College Night Searching for Your Next Path

1. Rising Junior Parent Career & College NightSearching for Your Next Path Sherwood High School Student Services Ms. Sandi Williams Administrator Ms. Raenell Rafferty School Counselor Ms. Erin McKenna School Counselor Ms. Kelly Saah Student Ambassador

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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 What Colleges Look for in Prospective Students * Listed by level of importance, based on 2008 admission data from www.ACT.org

6. Recommended College Prep Courses *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.

7. 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 8

8. Preparing for a Career & College11th grade – Fall/ Winter • Register and take the PSATon October 16 • 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

9. NCAA Eligibility www.eligibilitycenter.org • 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

10. Preparing for a Career & College11th grade – Spring 2015 • 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

11. Preparing for a Career & College11th grade Student Perspective

12. What’s the Difference? • SAT • Scholastic Aptitude Test • www.collegeboard.com • Designed to measure critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoningskills • ACT • American College Test • www.act.org • Designed to measure achievementin the areas of English, mathematics, reading, and science

13. 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 What’s the Difference?

14. 2014-2015 Test Dates • SAT • October 11, 2014 • November 8, 2014 • December 6, 2014 • January 24, 2015 • March 14, 2015 • May 2, 2015 • June 6, 2015 • ACT • September 13, 2014 • October 25, 2014 • December 13, 2014 • February 7, 2015 • April 18, 2015 • June 13, 2015

15. 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 Tips for College Visits

16. 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.

17. Family Connections • Use the Family Connections program to: • 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.

18. Family Connections • For your students to access Family Connections… • User name: Student’s e-mail • Password: Student 6-digit ID #

19. Dates to remember… Sherwood HS College Fair – Tuesday, April 8th, 6:30pm-8:30pm Montgomery County College Fair at the Montgomery County Fair Grounds Wednesday, April 9th(evening) Sherwood High School Course selections sent home beginning of May AP exams May 5thto 16th Final exams June 5thto 12th Counselor meetings with juniors to begin College Search in the Fall

20. Rising Junior Career Lesson Searching for Your Next Path Questions???