Early College Planning RHS College and Career Counseling

School Counseling Office The mission of the RHS School Counseling Department is to empower students to reach their true academic potential and realize their full personal promise. Social Emotional Academic

Student Anxiety Anxiety is the most common mental-health disorder in the U.S. Affecting nearly 1/3 of adolescents & adults How does admissions and the college process play into this? "I think our students are just doing too much. They feel like they have to do too much, and they really don't.” -Stu Schmill, the dean of admissions at MIT Reducing Stress… Breathe! Understand the college admissions process for what it is… a step towards their independence Watch the Pronouns! Rembember whose process and application it is Use your resource There is no one perfect school

High School Timeline 9th Grade 10th Grade Academics: Study hard, challenge yourself Start exploring get to know your teachers Join New Activities/Clubs/Sports 10th Grade Academics: Study hard, challenge yourself, get to know your teachers Take the PSATs Career Exploration Start Window-shopping Colleges NCAA- for student athletes

High School Timeline (cont.) 11th Grade Academics: Study hard, challenge yourself, get to know your teachers Advance involvement in clubs/activities Standardized Testing PSATs in Fall SATs/ACTs in March Start formulating college list Naviance College Research Mini College Fairs, Private College Visits On Campus College Visits College meeting with Counselors Asking 2 teachers for Recommendation letters NCAA- for student athletes

High School Timeline (cont.) 12th Grade Academics: Study hard, challenge yourself, get to know your teachers Advance involvement in clubs/activities Standardized Testing Finalize College List College Visits Mini College Fair Private College Visits College Applications Financial Aid Forms College Interviews Updating Naviance Scholarship Applications Follow up with teachers about recommendation letters NCAA- for student athletes

Starting High School- 9th grade Focus on starting high school Get Involved Try new things Challenge yourself academically Ask for help Make new friends Meet your counselor Talk to your teachers Find your happy!

Dream Big What are your Dreams? Why College? What are you working towards… College should be a pathway not the goal Start setting goals Long and Short Term Goal setting is a feature in Naviance “Find two new clubs to be part of Freshman year” “Work towards getting an A in Geometry” “Get to school early everyday” Decide how college can help you achieve your goals

Self-Discovery Naviance: A comprehensive website that can be used to help in making decisions about colleges and careers Http://connection.naviance.com/rhs Self Discovery Personality Assessment, Multiple Intelligence, Career Interest Profiler Career Research Linked to education needed for career and the schools that offer areas of study

Whose job is it anyway? The Student’s Job The Parent’s Job Career Research College Research Talk to your counselor Set your goals (personal, academic, emotional) Be happy! The Parent’s Job Encourage Guide Help Organize Set financial expectations

Window Shopping College Research Find what fits the student Large/Small Urban/Suburban/Rural Liberal Arts/Professional Degree Program Naviance College Research Attending mini college fairs Start touring local campuses

Building A Resume Get Involved Naviance Resume Builder Activities that you enjoy Increase your involvement Take on leadership roles Naviance Resume Builder Track your involvement starting freshman year

Standardized Testing PSAT- October of Sophomore year ACT vs SAT

Failure is OKAY Failure is inevitable You learn substantially more from failure than success Failure makes you stronger You take more chances when you’re unafraid to fail Failure allows you to discover new paths Failure makes success that much sweeter