Sherwood High School Student Services Rising Junior Parent Career & College Night 11th Grade Year: Searching for Your Next Path Sherwood High School Student Services Ms. Sapna Chaudhry Administrator Ms. Raenell Rafferty School Counselor Ms. Erin McKenna School Counselor Joan Kim & Talanna Golden Student Ambassadors

Agenda Preparing for Life after High School Questions Post-Secondary Options What Colleges Look For Preparing for a Career & College – 11th Grade SAT/ACT College Visits Family Connections Events Calendar 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 2 year Colleges & Community Colleges Technical & Professional Schools & Colleges MILITARY WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP & INTERNSHIPS Carefully monitored work experiences with intentional learning goals

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

Recommended College Prep Courses English Four years of English Mathematics Four years of mathematics, including rigorous courses in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II 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.

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 20th

Preparing for a Career & College 11th grade – Fall/ Winter Register and take the PSAT on October 14 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

NCAA Eligibility www.eligibilitycenter.org 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

Preparing for a Career & College 11th grade – Spring 2015 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

Preparing for a Career & College 11th grade Student Perspective

College Entrance Exams SAT Scholastic Aptitude Test www.collegeboard.com ACT American College Test www.act.org

The NEW PSAT/SAT https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/ The College Board is launching new and redesigned exams in fall 2015 and spring 2016. The redesigned PSAT™ 8/9 (for eighth- and ninth-graders) and the new PSAT/NMSQT (for 10th and 11th graders) will launch in October 2015. The redesigned SAT will launch in March 2016. These exams work together as the SAT Suite of Assessments.  Closely aligned to challenging classroom work, the suite will focus on skills, knowledge, and understanding required for college and career readiness. The exams will be clearer and more open than the past SAT More directly aligned with curriculum taught in the classroom Every exam in the SAT Suite of Assessments is scored using the same scale  (200 – 800) Four components: a Reading Test, a Writing and Language Test, a Math Test, and an Essay direct-writing task, which is optional.

2015-2016 Test Dates SAT ACT October 3, 2015 November 7, 2015 December 5, 2015 January 23, 2016 March 5, 2016 May 7, 2016 June 4, 2016 ACT September 12, 2015 October 24, 2015 December 12, 2015 February 6, 2016 April 9, 2016 June 11, 2016

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 Call to schedule appts. At least three weeks in advance. Be sure to get directions and plan to arrive on campus at least 30 minutes prior to your interview. You should look around a little before going to your interview and/or tour. Overnight visits may be part of a formal program or just a matter of asking. Make sure you find out which your college offers so that you don’t miss out on the opportunity. Talk to students you see on campus. The usually are able to answer any questions you may have.

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.

Family Connections Use the Family Connections program to: Do What You Are® - Self Discovery Personality Type assessment. * no longer available, but was completed in October by most of the 10th graders and you can see results Career Interest Profiler - a tool that can help you discover the types of work activities and careers that match your interests. 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 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

Family Connections For your students to access Family Connections… User name: Student’s e-mail Password: Student 6-digit ID #

Dates to remember… Sherwood HS College Fair – Monday, April 20th, 6:30pm-8:30pm Montgomery County College Fair at the Montgomery County Fair Grounds Wednesday, April 22nd (evening) Sherwood High School Course selections sent home beginning of May AP exams May 4th to 15th Final exams June 8th to 12th Counselor meetings with juniors to begin College Search in the Fall

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