1. 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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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. 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

10. 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

11. Preparing for a Career & College 11th grade
Student Perspective

12. College Entrance Exams
SAT
Scholastic Aptitude Test
ACT
American College Test

13. The NEW PSAT/SAT
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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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

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

19. 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

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