College and Career Planning

Welcome to Junior Year!

Who is your guidance counselor? Do you know? Quiz Who is your guidance counselor? Do you know?

Penncrest Counselors Mrs. Sarah Graham—9th grade Mr. David Harple: Letters A-B Mrs. Lori Rice-Spring: Letters D-K Ms. Karen Kerr: Letters Ca-CK AND L-Q Mrs. Helen Douglass-Garrett: Letters Cl-Cz AND R-Z

Can You Name Three types of College Admission Deadlines? College Applications Can You Name Three types of College Admission Deadlines?

Admission Deadlines Rolling Admission Early Action Early Decision Early Decision II Regular Decision

What is the NCAA?

National Collegiate Athletic Association Students must register on the NCAA Eligibility Center website as early as the junior year in order to be reviewed for eligibility in order to compete in Division I or Division II college athletics. Division III Colleges and Universities do not require NCAA clearance.

True or False? The Penncrest Guidance Department will send your official SAT or ACT scores to the colleges on your application list.

False Students are responsible for requesting official score reports to be sent DIRECTLY from the College Board (for SAT scores) or from ACT. Students must log on to their account to request that their scores are sent to schools. It may take up to THREE WEEKS for score reports to be received by the college so plan accordingly.

Guidance Resources Counselors Career Center Coordinator: Mrs. Naismith Support Staff: Mrs. Espinosa-receptionist and Ms. Stokes-secretary College Representatives

Additional Resources Naviance Guidance Webpage This is the most important tool the guidance department has to assist you and your family throughout the remainder of your high school career, in career exploration, and in your transition to college, trade school, work, or the military. Guidance Webpage Updated regularly with information, links, and forms

Academics Rigor of senior year classes—it’s important to enroll in the most rigorous courses that you can be successful in. No, it’s not better to get a C in an AP course versus an A in a level 1 course. Choose your senior year classes carefully—“coasting” through senior year with easy courses is not going to prepare you for college. At the end of this year, your official GPA is set. This is the number that you’ll use when you apply to colleges. You can’t “raise” your GPA in your senior year before you send your applications to colleges so this is it! Make it count!

Post-Secondary Planning: https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/CollegePlanning/media/pdf/BigFuture-College-Planning-Calendar-Juniors.pdf http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/articles/Pages/Preparing-for-College-Junior-Checklist.aspx

College Admission Testing: SAT and ACT Which one? Review your PSAT scores; take practice tests. Try taking both the SAT and ACT early in your junior year to figure out which is a better fit for you. Create your personal testing schedule—work with your parents/guardians and make these test dates a priority.

Test Prep Private Tutors PREP!!!!!!! No one should sit for either test without preparing. There are many ways to do this including: (all resources found on PHS guidance webpage) Khan Academy Kaplan Free On Demand Kaplan SAT prep courses Private Tutors SAT Subject Tests: Do you need to take these? Check college admissions requirements to confirm. You can take the ACT (September) and/or SAT (October) in your senior year and still have scores in time for Early Action/Early Decision.

College Research Naviance (https://connection.naviance.com/family-connection/auth/login/?hsid=penncrest College Look Up: Review Profile of college How You Compare Understand the GPA and SAT/ACT statistics of the school, admission deadlines, application type, and graphs to gauge possible admission outcomes

College Research Link to college admission page and research entire Admissions Page including admission requirements and instructions for scheduling an information session and college tour. Research departments and majors Complete a College Search on your Naviance account and save for future research

College Representatives Visit Penncrest Check the list of colleges who will visit Penncrest and sign up for an information session. Go to Naviance; Go to Colleges Tab In the “My Colleges” section, you’ll see a comprehensive list of Upcoming College Visits. Sign up and PLAN TO ATTEND!

Teacher Letters of Recommendation Many colleges and universities require one or two letters of recommendation. Some schools do not require them. Students are responsible for confirming with each school (via the admissions requirement page) if letters are required. Colleges prefer Junior-year teachers to write letters. However, if you had a teacher in 9th or 10th grade and have him/her again as a senior, that would also be an appropriate person to ask. It is a good idea to ask your teacher for a letter before the end of your junior year, prior to the summer break. Always speak to your teacher directly, face to face, and follow it up with an email thanking them. Follow all instructions for requesting the letters on Naviance and per the teacher’s instructions.

Resume or Student Activity List Student should use their Naviance Resume builder to create a document that highlights their activities throughout high school. (Do not include activities from middle school) This information is not included in documents that your counselor will send to colleges. You must include it within the application. The resume is an organizational tool that will help you when you complete your applications.

Student Athletes If you plan to continue your athletic career in college at the Division I or II level, you are required to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. (http://web3.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp) This should be completed during your junior year. See your counselor if you have any questions. Division III athletes are not required to register with NCAA.

Before you return to Penncrest as a senior you should… Have a complete list of colleges to which you are applying and list all schools in your Naviance “Colleges I’m Applying To” list. Average number of schools is between 6 and 10 Students should include a variety of potential outcomes including Reach, Target, Confident schools as well as financially affordable options Have the majority of your testing completed—or registered for your final exams. Have completed your college visits and/or scheduled them for early fall. Have requested letters of recommendation (or have teacher’s names in mind and request in early September—DON’T WAIT) Have completed your resume.

Conclusion Strive for Balance: Junior year is incredibly busy. Challenging classes Learning to drive Increased social involvement SAT/ACT Prep College Research

Take care of yourself and each other Sleep!!! Reach out for support if you need it. Your mental and physical health is important. Guidance/School Counselors STAR Coordinator Teachers Administrators

Social Media Colleges and Universities AND coaches are researching you on your social media pages. Email addresses should be professional and appropriate.