 North Hills Preparatory

Debbi Hargrove Director of Counseling M-Z Stephanie Wilson Academic Counselor A-L Jakkia Hollingsworth Road to College Counselor Tony Walker Inspire Counselor

 Students will select 8 Courses for their 12 th grade schedule

 12 th Grade o English IV o IB English IV

 12 th Grade o 20 th Century World Topics o IB History HL o IB 20 th Century World Topics SL o Economics (0.5) o AP Economics (0.5) o IB TOK (0.5) o Psychology/AP Psychology o IB Psychology

 12 th Grade o Anatomy & Physiology* o Forensic Science* o AP Biology o IB Biology o AP Chemistry o IB Chemistry o IB Physics o IB Environmental Systems *These new science courses can be taken for elective credit or for your 4 th science credit

 12 th Grade o Pre-Calculus o Pre-Calculus Honors o AP Calculus AB o AP Calculus BC o AP Statistics o Advanced Quantitative Reasoning (AQR) o IB Math Studies o IB Math SL o IB Math HL

 Foreign Language Spanish IV IB Spanish I IB Spanish II IB Spanish III French IV IB French I IB French II IB French III

 Journalism  Adv. Journalism: Yearbook I (0 Hour)  Audio/Video Production I  Technology o Computer Programming o Advanced Computer Programming (H) o AP Computer Science o Graphic Design students MUST have a background in Art to take this course o Advanced Graphic Design (H) o Video Game Design

 IB Visual Arts II  IB Theater II  Band IV  Choir IV  Orchestra IV  IB Music o (Concurrent enrollment in Choir, Band, or Orchestra for group performance)

 Graduation Requirement: o Exit Level: ELA Math Social Studies Science o Passing score of 2100

 Tuesday, February 5 th : o 11 th Grade Parent Night  Thursday, February 14 th & Friday, February 15 th : o Academic Counselors will be in Mr. Ivy’s classroom giving an informational presentation.  Thursday, February 28 rth & Friday, March 1 st: o Academic Counselors will conduct credit checks and class scheduling in Mr. Ivy’s classes.  Monday, March 4 th – Friday, March 8 th : o Course selection make up dates  May: o Course selection receipt will be mailed home, and at this point change can be made easily. o Once the course selections have been entered online, parents can log on to PowerSchool to view them.

o Junior Meeting with Mrs. Hollingsworth ( Parents are Welcome to Attend) o Submitting College Essay to Mrs. Hollingsworth o Completing an educational resume (to be used for college applications, summer opportunities, and internships) o Liberal Arts vs. Traditional Colleges and Universities: Which is For You? o Visiting various college campuses to see diverse campus settings (great local colleges that will provide opportunities for major comparisons include: Austin College, SMU, TCU, UT-Arlington, University of Dallas, Texas A&M-Commerce). Also prepare to attend college open houses set to take place this spring. Examples include: (Aggieland Saturday, TWU Preview Day, Explore UT, Bobcat Days, UT Arlington Preview Days) o College list creation will start in the summer!

 A liberal arts college is a four-year undergraduate institution that emphasizes a well-rounded education versus a career- focused one. Students develop core skills through a broad curriculum that includes the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences and the arts. Most liberal arts colleges are private and independent.  Liberal arts colleges are undergraduate-focused, with small class sizes in the 12- to 30-student range. The student body tends to be small, 700 to 2500 students. There is a greater presence of liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, going North and East.

 Learning Style (Smaller Classes vs Larger Classes, Nurturing environment versus more Independent Learning)  Ideal College Experience (Assessing ideal college environment)  Career Goals  Affordability (Liberal Arts Colleges: Higher Cost of Attendance+ Lucrative Scholarship offers= Greater affordability in many cases)  Interesting Reading: 5 Reasons to Attend a Liberal Arts College reasons-to-attend-a-liberal-arts-college/

Just so that you know what to expect during the school year in regards to applying for college financial aid… Financial Aid Process: the act of applying for, receiving and accepting ‘money’ (loans, scholarships, grants) to finance the next year of college. 1.Be Warned: Financial Aid deadlines creep up quickly and are not always advertised effectively. No one will track you down to let you know that you’re missing something. 2.Internal scholarship applications often have early due dates. Many come due in December of next year, but some (especially at early decision/early action) schools require them as early as November. 3.Let’s be sure that we know which financial aid applications will be required for each college on your child’s list.

 FAFSA comes live on January 1, You cannot complete it before then. This ‘officially’ kicks off financial aid season for many colleges/universities. o We will host a presentation next year all about financial aid that I hope you will attend. o Your child will be asking you questions about your finances. It’s also a good idea to give them a general idea of the household income, as this is relevant to many different scholarships out there.  Be prepared to have your W2’s and tax forms easily accessible, as soon as possible. If you want to file the FAFSA based on estimates from THIS YEAR’s data; be sure to keep those records handy.

 The Inspire Program provides academic, emotional and financial support for your child as they transition to college and beyond  A counselor is available to assist with all aspects of college life including college housing questions, college transfers, scholarship applications, home sickness and social struggles, helping your child to locate on-campus resources to meet their needs, etc.  We will collect data on how your child is doing in college so that we know how well we prepared them for post-secondary education  Fun, alumni events will be hosted by North Hills to constantly welcome your child back and remind them how important they are to us

 Academic Counseling StudentsStudent Resources Counselors’ Corner