Rising Junior Parent Career & College Night Searching for Your Next Path Sherwood High School Student Services Dr. Kathlyn CarrollAdministratorDr. Kathlyn CarrollAdministrator Ms. Elizabeth Al-Atrash School CounselorMs. Elizabeth Al-Atrash School Counselor Ms. Erin McKenna School CounselorMs. Erin McKenna School Counselor

Agenda  Preparing for Life after High School………  Post-Secondary Options  College Look For’s  College Tips  SAT/ACT  Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)  Family Connections  Events Calendar Questions 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 4-year Colleges & Universities 2 year Colleges & Community Colleges 2 year Colleges & Community Colleges Technical & Professional schools & colleges Technical & Professional schools & colleges  MILITARY  WORKFORCE  APPRENTICESHIP & INTERNSHIPS Carefully monitored work experiences with intentional learning goals Carefully monitored work experiences with intentional learning goals

What Colleges Look for in Prospective Students  ACADEMIC RECORD which includes Grades/GPA  Strength of Schedule  Admission Test Scores (SAT/ ACT)  Essay or Writing Sample  Counselor Recommendation  Teacher Recommendations  Extra Curricular Activities which includes Community Service * Listed by level of importance, based on 2008 admission data from

Preparing for a Career & College What can I do now?  Keep up Grades so you can have the highest GPA possible  Talk to your Counselor about current educational plan and post-secondary plans post-secondary plans –Consider impact on classes for next year – AP courses? –Adjust schedule from now until June  Continue Extra-Curricular Activities – work toward leadership positions positions  Work on your writing skills – work with a teacher or another adult adult  Continue to explore career interests using Family Connections  Become familiar with general college entrance requirements

Preparing for a Career & College 11 th grade – Fall/ Winter Register and take the PSAT in October  Register and take the PSAT in October Research Potential Colleges/ Career Pathways  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 toward leadership positions  If you want to participate in Div. 1 or Div. 2 athletics in college, register with the NCAA Clearinghouse

Preparing for a Career & College 11 th grade – Spring 2011  Junior Meetings w/Counselor –Registration for Senior Year –Review Graduation Credits  Prepare and Register for College Admission Tests (SAT/ ACT)  Register for AP Exams in May  Sign up for ASVAB usually March –ASVAB: Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery –Points out skills and interests and indicates what type of jobs would be good for you  Visit Colleges – Take College Tours – Attend College Fairs  Begin writing college essays over the summer

What’s the Difference?  SAT  Scholastic Aptitude Test   Designed to measure critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills  ACT  American College Test   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  Guessing penalty  No English grammar  Math accounts for 50% of your score  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

Test Dates  SAT  October 1, 2011  November 5, 2011  December 3, 2011  January 28, 2012  March 10, 2012  May 5, 2012  June 2, 2012  ACT  September 10, 2011  October 22, 2011  December 10, 2011  February 11, 2012  April 14, 2012  June 9, 2012

Tips for College Visits  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, complete on-line surveys, and manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers  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 Connections Use the Family Connection program to: Use the Family Connection program to:Family Connection Family Connection Click on link above for Family Connections!

Family Connections  For your students…  User name: Student’s  Password: Student ID #  Today if we have time…  User Name: example  Password: sherwood

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