Important People Principal – Dr. Chris Jackson Assistant Principals Counselors Jeri Hall (A – Fa) Phyllis Bauer (A – Fa) Mark McClure (Fe - Le) Tina Barnes (Fe – Le) Rina Ramos (Li – Ri) Glenna Pollock (Li – Ri) Chad Van Winkle (Ro – Z) Jennifer Cox (Ro – Z) Registrar – Donna Rollins (transcripts)
PSAT —11th graders take PSAT on campus. — —Your access code is at the bottom of your PSAT printout. —Login to My College QuickStart to get into your personalized test results, see missed questions with answers and explanations, and much more! 11 th grade PSAT scores determine National Merit Scholars
What Are Colleges Looking for? High School GPA/Class Rank SAT/ACT scores Insights from written essays Community Service involvement Well Rounded Student
What Colleges Find Important FactorImportance Grades in college prep courses75% Strength of curriculum62% Admission test scores54% Grades in all courses52% Essay or writing sample27%
Tips for Junior Year Get involved! Seek leadership roles in extracurricular activities Take the PSAT, NMSQT qualifying year Use My College Quickstart to plan, study, and explore Attend College Fair Senior Year Take SAT and/or ACT second semester Visit colleges and/or research colleges online Narrow college list Seek more summer opportunities (volunteer, job shadow, etc.)
More tips for Junior Year Make good grades Keep track of your credits and graduation requirements Take interest surveys to find career matches Pick appropriate classes for Senior Year Pass all sections of EOC Make a resume
Taking a “College Day” Schedule appointment with college Obtain college visit form from counseling office Return signed college visit form to attendance office State allows 2 college visits per school year
Scholarships Apply every year Sign up at FastWeb.com, findtuition.com, scholarships.com, scholarshipexperts.com, and others Check out the counseling corner on CHS website for more links to scholarship opportunities Legitimate organizations don't promise or guarantee anything
ACT vs. SAT ACT $38.00 ($54.50 with optional writing section) 3 hours, 25 minutes, timed Reading, Math, Science, English, optional Writing All multiple choice Fee waivers available for Free/Reduced lunch, 2 Jr. yr, 2 Sr. yr Average score is 21.1 SAT $52.50, writing required 3 hours, 45 minutes, timed Reading, Math, Writing Multiple choice and a few open-ended (Math) Fee waivers available for Free/Reduced lunch, 2 total Average score around 500 per section
FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid Based on family income in the year prior to college entrance Tax information is required Complete FAFSA in January of Senior Year
Types of Financial Aid Federal loans: offered based on FAFSA – repayment begins after college Grants: offered based on FAFSA and financial need Scholarships: awarded according to need and/or achievement
DATES TO REMEMBER Course Fair, February 2 rd, 6:00-8:00 (tentative date, more info to come) ACT offered at CHS on April 13 th, registration due by March 7 th SAT prep course - TBA
Resources Counselor’s Corner on the CHS website (user name: cleburne, password: cleburne) College websites How to contact us: