Junior Year Guidance What You Need to Know To Plan for the Rest of HS and Your Next Steps!

Junior Year Requirements  1.0 English  Regular or AP  1.0 Science  Chemistry, EOU Chem., Anatomy and Physiology, Physics, AP Env. Science, EOU Bio, Earth/Space  1.0 Math:  Geometry, Int. Algebra, Adv. Algebra 2, Pre- Calculus, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, EOU Math 111/112

Junior Year Requirements .5 Health 11 .5 Career and Finance  Pass State Test in: Reading, Writing and Math (SBAC)

 Things To Look At  Standard Diploma  Are You on Track to Graduate?  Do you need OnTrack or Grade Replacement? Your Transcript

5 Post-HS Options  Community College  4-Year university  Trade School  Military  Employment

Community College  2+ years  Modified or Standard Diploma, Undocumented students – all ok!  Placement Tests for Reading, Writing, Math are Required  Remedial Courses

Community College  Transfer degree vs. Associates Degree  Some 3 or 6-month programs offered  Examples: HVAC Program, Corrections Technicians, 911 Dispatcher, Bookkeeper, Pharmacy Technician, Food Service  Common Programs for 2-year schools:  Auto Tech, Mechanics, Nursing, Dental Assisting, Business/Accounting

4-Year University  Transcript:  GPA: most schools require 3.0 or above  Courses of Rigor  Second Language credits  senior year included  Don’t Slack off next year!

 Be aware of early admission, regular admission, & rolling admissions  Early Action: University of Oregon, November 1 st & George Fox, November 15 th  Regular Deadline: University of Oregon, January 15 th, Oregon State University & George Fox, February 1 st  Check in with your college recruiter! Deadlines!

4-Year University  College Visits  Great time over Spring Break or summer!  See/experience the campus, stay in the dorms, meet current students People who earn a 4-year Bachelor’s Degree make an average of $1 million more in their lifetime than those with only a HS diploma!

 Complete required tests.  SAT – collegeboard.com  ACT - act.org  If you are not satisfied with your scores register to retake them. SAT: Dec. 5 th and Jan. 23 rd New SAT March 5 th ACT: Dec. 12 th and Feb. 6 th  Have official test scores sent to the colleges your are applying to.  PCC Placement Test or Military ASVAB SAT, ACT & AP Test Scores

Trade School  Shorter Programs  Enter workforce quickly  Specific job training and career skills  Certificate or Apprenticeship  Common Programs:  Massage, Cosmetology  Bricklaying, Pipe Fitting, Carpentry, Painter, Plumber, Sheet Metal Worker  Electrician, Heavy Equipment Operator

Military  5 Branches:  Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy  Must have Standard Diploma  Modified Diploma and GED are not accepted  ASVAB test – measures your knowledge & ability in 10 different areas – which jobs you’re best suited to perform.

Employment  Work Skills needed:  Timeliness, regular attendance  Able to learn new tasks and perform well  Work well with other people and bosses  Be eager to learn  Willing to accept responsibility  Use of your transcript and/or references

Resources in the Counseling Center  Resources Available  College information and applications  SAT/ACT: test dates, prep books, prep class information, and practice books  Financial Aid information  Scholarship search information and applications

What is A Brag Sheet?  Often a part of the college admission and scholarship application process  A way to highlight unique traits or experiences you have that help you stand out from others  An opportunity to describe barriers or special circumstances you have **Putting your counselor/teachers’ name in an application (such as the Common Application) can automatically send them a request to send a letter or recommendation form. Make sure to follow-up with anyone whose name/contact information you enter!**

Brag Sheet Includes…  Personal Traits and Experiences:  Personal Achievements Inside/Outside the Classroom:  Employment:  Leisure Activities:  Career Interests:  Special Circumstances:

Whoa…. that was a lot of information…. Do you have any questions?

Barriers  Barrier: A limit, boundary or restriction of any kind  An obstacle  How does this relate to your access to your post-HS plans? EXAMPLES  Financial Hardship  Citizenship  Foster Youth  Modified Diploma  Homeless/McKinney-Vento  First Generation High-School Graduate  First Generation College Attendee  Language

Personal Traits and Experiences  “Watching ________ develop over the past three years, I have witnessed growth in her ability to communicate with others in a clear and effective way. At first, she was fairly quiet and almost shy; now she is more comfortable with who she is and is able to advocate for herself, connect with teachers and coaches and get the most out of any situation. ________ is truly a great teammate in that she listens well to others and their needs instead of always putting herself first. As a captain on the team this year, I have seen ________ demonstrate successful management of her teammates’ needs and balance that with the goals of the team.”

Personal Traits and Experiences  “She has no fear talking to her teachers to find out areas in need of improvement or clarifications to work. In fact, most of the time she talks to me about classes or teachers it is after she has also taken many steps herself, which I admire and know will help take her farther than other students. ________ also does a great job of problem-solving and self-management, so she rarely feels overwhelmed by her work load; I feel her ability to gauge her own limits is above that of her peers, and will help her to stay successful and organized moving forward into college.”  “He enlivens the environment he is in and adds greatly to lively discussions. He challenges pedestrian stereotypes and asks his peers to look more deeply at a problem, to not settle, but to really grapple with the subject matter.”

Personal Achievements: Inside the Classroom “I have no doubts that ________ will flourish despite this workload due to his incredible focus and dedication and his willingness to challenge himself…Outside of classes at Glencoe High School, ________ has earned the title of AP Scholar with Honors for his perfect scores of 5 on three AP tests, and a 4 on the last. He is also currently a National Merit Semi-Finalist and the Treasurer of our National Honor Society. ________ has received numerous awards from the school in various subject areas where he has demonstrated his knowledge, leadership and collaboration.”

Personal Achievements: Outside the Classroom  In addition, ________ is one of the most school involved students that I have ever met. Examples of her school involvement are, she is a member of National Honor Society, is co-president of Key Club, was sophomore vice president, former secretary of ASB and is currently our ASB president. ________ is a renaissance woman; she has accomplishments ranging from her independent photography business, former member of our varsity track and field team and winning awards for her vocal abilities. Moreover, ________ is not only academically outstanding and a true leader within our school, she also donates countless hours doing community service. She loves getting involved with organizations that benefit our community.”

Career Interests  ________ is an aspiring broadcast journalist, who hopes to obtain a career in sports casting. To follow through with this goal, he has taken Honors and Advanced Placement English all four years, and has been heavily involved in our journalism program. This year, he became the school newspaper’s first sports writer, and debuted its first online video blog, dedicated to Glencoe High School Sports. ________ ‘s ability to combine creativity, initiative, inventiveness and quality have allowed him to truly make a name for himself here, as well as get valuable experience in the pursuit of his dreams.”  “________’s career goals have developed and transformed much over the past few years as she finds new strengths and new interests. Her current path combines her love of children and her passion and skillfulness in helping others: speech and language pathologist. ________ is great with youth, and between her volunteering and her experience in helping to run six youth clinics for dance team as well as her internship working with a first grade class I know she will be a great match for this path.”

Special Circumstances  ________ has survived difficult living and family circumstances over the past several years which have caused her to struggle in balancing her school work and family commitments. Her parents bounced around in shelters and temporary housing during the majority of ________ ’s high school years…Currently, she has been reunited with her family in a halfway house where they share their living conditions with multiple other tenants…Due to this, ________ has been forced to deal with many mature emotions towards her parents and their choices; she feels she had to grow up much faster than her peers, and in many ways I agree that she stands out in her ability to deal with adversity and challenges. ________’s capacity to advocate for herself has improved greatly over the course of high school….”  In addition, ________ has very strong self-advocacy skills. The reason why he is applying for college a little later than some is he worked very hard over the last few months to obtain his DACA status. He though he has felt “restricted by society” he quickly applied for DACA, has obtained employment and is working on obtaining his driver’s license. He is saving all of his money for education because his career path that he has chosen is to become a doctor one day. He has chosen this profession because not only does he want to be a role model for his younger siblings, but also for other youth going through the similar barriers that he has gone through.

Financial Aid 101  FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid  Required to determine federal student aid  May be more than you expect  Schools use this information to determine the financial aid package they will offer  Involves entering family financial information for the year to give you the EFC (Expected Family Contribution)  File starting January 1  Earlier filing = more money available

Three Basic Forms of Federal Aid  Grant:  Do not have to be repaid  Meet certain requirements such as severe financial need, full or part-time enrollment  Work-Study:  Work on campus and earn money you can use towards tuition and costs  Loans:  Borrowed money that must be paid back with interest

Other Financial Aid  Scholarship:  A form of “gift aid” – money given to you that does not have to be repaid  Not all scholarships are merit-based (academic)  Local, State, School, National Check us out on Facebook and Twitter!

Where Does Financial Aid Come From?

Help in Applying to Financial Aid and Post-HS Plans  Letter of Recommendation:  Think about who knows you well (teachers, counselors, employers, coaches)  Proper Etiquette:  Plan ahead – give the writer plenty of time!  Give them proper information: brag sheet, résumé, etc.  Send them a thank you!