Welcome to Junior Year

Counselors Ms. Brennan works with students A – K – – 281 – 351 – 2547 ext. 209 Mrs. Escott works with students L – Z – – 281 – 351 – 2547 ext. 227 We are here to help you!

Top Websites to Use Guidance: – – Academics/Guidance Family Connection: – College Board: – ACT: – Requirements for Athletes – NCAA (Div. 1 & 2) Prospective Student-Athletes New Eligibility Rules What Do I Need To Do? (How to prepare each year for NCAA) Register by the end of Junior Year – NAIA – NJCAA

Junior Year Opportunities College Fair – September 29 Leadership High School High School Aerospace Program – Boys State/Girls State Use school days (3) to visit colleges – Must get forms from Mrs. Weibust at Attendance – Minimum two days in advance of going College Rep. Informational Sessions Attend college programs – Ex. UT Austin Longhorn Saturdays Rise & Shine (Juniors Only) – Ex. Texas A&M Aggieland Saturday Spend the Day with the Corps SLOT Leadership Conference

Acclimation to Junior Year Stress Class Load Grades GPA/Weighting of Classes Importance of Junior year for official GPA AP and Dual Credit courses Tough decisions Thinking ahead to college

AP & DUAL CREDIT Advanced Placement (AP) Courses – An opportunity to take college-level courses and exams. Requires students to take an exam at the completion of the course. Accepted throughout the nation. Typically students must receive a 3 or higher on the exam to obtain credit. Dual Credit Courses – Credit is awarded when the student passes the course. Students earn both high school and college credit. Accepted at public colleges and universities in Texas. Requires a C or better in the course. To determine more information about transferability of dual credit courses seek guidance from the institution where the student is applying.

Preparing for the College Process

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PSAT TESTING Date: October 14, 2015 (Half-day) Testing Time: 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM Check-in Time: 7:15 AM – 7:45 AM What to Bring? (Review Guidance Website) How to Prepare? Use PSAT Bulletin

SAT & ACT TESTING ACT 4 sections: English, Reading, Math, Science Scored 1-36 Given composite of all 4 sections No penalty for guessing SAT Reasoning Each section (there are 2) is 800 points Total points 1600 No penalty for wrong answers There is a ‘no-calculator’ section on the math test The essay is optional but highly recommended SAT Subject Tests 1 hour individual exams Foreign language, math, social studies, etc. Can take up to 3 at one sitting Need to complete these tests by end of junior year If applying to selective schools—should start testing by October for ACT and November for SAT. Both tests are important – Students might do better on one over the other Kahn Academy  Personalized study plan that focuses on practicing the skills your student needs the most.  Identifies weak areas and develops practice problems.  Completed online  Free service

Choosing College Priorities What is important to your student? Some examples include: Location Size of school Safety Majors offered Weather And much more….

DISCOVERING THEMSELVES Assessments Juniors will complete this fall Personality Test – Do What You Are Spirituality Assessment Career Interest Profiler Strengths Explorer Cluster Finder

Family Connection (Naviance) Register using the code given to you Students will complete their assessments in Family Connection Family Connection is the method used to walk students through the college application process What can Naviance do? – Four year plans – Complete school surveys (questionnaires) – Personality test & Career profiler (for career exploration) – In-depth college search tool – Compare colleges & save College Searches – Links to selected third-party resources (ex: College Board) – Track progress on college applications (transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc) – Produce Scattergrams shows realistic assessments of your student’s chances of admission to colleges where prior graduates have applied – Show schedule of college rep visits to CLHS – Assists counselors in communicating with parents/students – Goal setting – And so much more……..

IMPORTANT DUE DATES September 15 Do What You Are Spirituality Assessment October 1 Parent Questionnaire College Questionnaire October 6 College Fair Assignment October 15 Strengths Explorer Career Profiler Cluster Finder All assessments are completed in Family Connection

College Fair Date: September 29 th, 2015 from 1:00-3:00 PM Parents are HIGHLY encouraged to be with their student. Makes the time much more meaningful. More information about the fair will be available through school website Volunteer opportunities are available through Signup Genius. Please check Concordia Weekly.

Junior Conferences What is a Junior Conference? One-on-one time with each junior/parents Discussion: – Review of credits for graduation – Review College Questionnaire/Personality Test/Career Profiler – Find colleges that match student’s needs – Take steps to continue the preparation for the college process Parents will need to personally contact Ms. Brennan or Mrs. Escott to set up an appointment that is convenient for them and their student Please check student’s schedule as to which period of the day would be least inconvenient to miss Students are required to communicate with teachers and make up homework in timely manner – All conferences will still be held during the school day (7:30 AM – 4:00 PM) – Look for counselor availability on the Concordia Website to set up your conference To prepare for each conference: 1. Students MUST complete College Questionnaire (Survey) 2. Parents MUST complete Parent Questionnaire (Survey) ***These tasks will be assigned to students soon and will be counted as a grade. Parent questionnaire is part of the grade.

Scholarship Resources Fafsa.ed.gov - Free Application for Federal Student Aid – Prior-Prior-Year (PPY) allows families to apply for financial aid earlier using the PPY tax return. Fastweb.com - Private scholarships Studentaid.ed.gov - The federal government’s website about paying for college MeritAid.com - $11 billion in merit scholarships Cappex.com - Scholarship matching finaid.org - Free student resource for learning about all types of financial aid ***Financial Aid Night at CLHS on November 2 nd !

Tips for Parents 1.Help your student understand the college search process, but… 2.Be in the “back seat” – and not the driver – of the college search process 3.Attend college fairs with your student 4.Be realistic and non-judgmental 5.Be open to dialogue and responsive to questions 6.Know that things have changed since your college days 7.Don’t over-emphasize your own alma maters 8.Don’t compare your student with others

Steps for Juniors (overview) In School Stay focused on academics (this is the last chance to bring up GPA) Do not lighten your academic load for senior year Meet with your school counselor Stay involved in school activities Standardized Testing Prepare for the PSAT test Prepare for and register for ACT / SAT tests Prepare for Dual Credit testing, if necessary Register for AP tests as appropriate College Exploration Explore colleges on the Web Visit colleges if you can Meet with college representatives Attend college fairs Tasks Given by Ms. Brennan and Mrs. Escott in Family Connection Personality Test Career Profiler College Questionnaire Parent Questionnaire College Fair Assignment Adding Colleges to “Colleges I’m Thinking About” list