Rising Junior Parent
Career & College Night
Searching for Your Next Path
Sherwood High School Student Services
•Ms. Erin Mazer
•Ms. Raenell Rafferty
•Ms. Erin McKenna
Administrator
School Counselor
School Counselor
Agenda
 Preparing for Life after High School
 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
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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
Three years of mathematics, including rigorous
courses in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II
* A fourth year is strongly recommended
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
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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 16
Preparing for a Career & College
11th grade – Fall/ Winter
 Register and take the PSAT in October
 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 2013
 Individual Junior Meetings w/Counselor


Registration for Senior Year
Review Graduation Credits
 Prepare and Register for College Admission Tests (SAT/ ACT)

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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
What’s the Difference?
 SAT
 ACT
 Scholastic Aptitude Test
 www.collegeboard.com
 American College Test
 www.act.org
 Designed to measure critical
reading, writing, and
mathematical reasoning skills
 Designed to measure
achievement in the areas of
English, mathematics, reading,
and science
What’s the Difference?
ACT
SAT

No science section

Science reasoning section

Math includes up to Algebra 2

Math includes up to
trigonometry

Vocabulary emphasized

Vocabulary less important

Non multiple-choice questions
asked

Entirely multiple-choice

Guessing penalty

No guessing penalty

No English grammar

English grammar tested

Math accounts for 50% of your
score

Math accounts for 25% of your
score

Questions go from easy to
difficult

Questions are mixed up
2013-2014 Test Dates
 SAT
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October 5, 2013
November 2, 2013
December 7, 2013
January 25, 2014
March 8, 2014
May 3, 2014
June 7, 2014
 ACT
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September 21, 2013
October 26, 2013
December 14, 2013
February 8, 2014
April 12, 2014
June 14, 2014
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
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:

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

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

Do What You Are® - Self Discovery Personality Type
assessment.

Career Interest Profiler - a tool that can help you
discover the types of work activities and careers that match
your interests.
Family Connections
 For your students…
 User name: Student’s e-mail
 Password: Student ID #
 For your use…
 User Name: example
 Password: sherwood
Sherwood HS College Fair –
Tuesday, April 16th, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Montgomery County College Fair at the
Montgomery County Fair Grounds
Wednesday, April 17th (evening)
Sherwood High School Course selections sent home
beginning of May
AP exams May 6th to 17th
Final exams June 7th to 12th
Counselor meetings with juniors to begin College Search in
the Fall
Rising Junior Career Lesson
Searching for Your Next Path
Questions???