1. Rising Junior Parent Career & College Night Searching for Your Next Path Sherwood High School Student Services Ms. Erin Mazer AdministratorMs. Erin Mazer Administrator Ms. Raenell RaffertySchool CounselorMs. Raenell RaffertySchool Counselor Ms. Erin McKenna School CounselorMs. Erin McKenna School Counselor

2. Agenda  Preparing for Life after High School  Post-Secondary Options  What Colleges Look For  Preparing for a Career & College – 11 th Grade  SAT/ACT  College Visits  Family Connections  Events Calendar Questions 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 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

5. 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

6. Recommended College Prep Courses English Four years of English Mathematics Three 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.

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 16

8. 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  Athletes register with the NCAA Clearinghouse  Div. 1 or Div. 2 athletics in college

9. 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

10. Preparing for a Career & College 11 th 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16.  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 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 Connections Use the Family Connections program to: Use the Family Connections program to:

17. Family Connections Family Connections  For your students…  User name: Student’s e-mail  Password: Student ID #  For your use…  User Name: example  Password: sherwood

18. Sherwood HS College Fair – Tuesday, April 16th, 6:30pm-8:30pm Tuesday, April 16th, 6:30pm-8:30pm Montgomery County College Fair at the Montgomery County Fair Grounds Wednesday, April 17 th (evening) Wednesday, April 17 th (evening) Sherwood High School Course selections sent home beginning of May beginning of May AP exams May 6 th to 17 th Final exams June 7 th to 12 th Counselor meetings with juniors to begin College Search in the Fall

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