Dublin High School
Guide to Internet Resources
Dublin High School Counseling Department
8151 Village Parkway
Dublin, California 94568
(925) 833-3300
Caroline H. Rubio, Counselor
This guide to internet resources is designed as a year-to-year guide to
help students and parents consider all postsecondary options. This guide is
not an exhaustive list of all websites, but has mentioned websites that do not
mislead, are easy to use and use valid business and ethical practices. If you
have any questions about any of the sites, please see your high school
counselor for further information.
Counseling Department Personnel:
Mrs. Kim Halket, Head Counselor
Last names A – H
(925) 833-3300, x7278
halketkim@dublin.k12.ca.us
Mrs. Caroline H. Rubio, Counselor
Last names I – N and AVID Students
Advanced Placement Coordinator
(925) 833-3300, x7022
rubiocaroline@dublin.k12.ca.us
Mr. Talvinder Sodhi, Counselor
Last names O – Z and ELD Students
NCAA Advisor, PSAT and ASVAB Test Coordinator
(925) 833-3300, x7021
sodhitalvinder@dublin.k12.ca.us
Mrs. Gloria DaSilva, At-Risk Counselor and Small Learning Community Students
(SLC)
(925) 833-3300, x7004
dasilvagloria@dublin.k12.ca.us
Mrs. Denise Watts, Registrar
Transcripts, enrollment, counselor appointments
(925) 833-3300, x7016
wattsdenise@dublin.k12.ca.us
Mrs. Judi Fall, Counseling Secretary
Counselor appointments, Academic Block D
(925) 833-3300, x7050
falljudi@dublin.k12.ca.us
Mrs. Monica Dowden, Data Processor
(925) 833-3300, x7014
dowdenmonica@dublin.k12.ca.us
Ms. Amanda Carlson, Career Center Technician
Careers and vocational programs, ROP
(925) 833-3300, x7220
Carlsonamanda@dublin.k12.ca.us
Dublin High School Websites:
Dublin High School website: http://dhs.dublin.k12.ca.us/
Counseling Department website:
http://dhs.dublin.k12.ca.us/vnews/display.v/SEC/Counseling
Dublin High School Student Handbook website (contains all course listings,
requirements for graduation and college):
http://dhs.dublin.k12.ca.us/vnews/display.v/SEC/Counseling%7CCourse%20
Handbook
Freshman Year
Freshman year is the perfect time to start considering post-high school
options. There are many paths after high school, including community college,
four-year college and university, work, and the military.
It is important for freshman students to gain as much information as possible
about these different paths so that they can be as successful as possible in high
school and also take advantage of the many classes at Dublin High School that will
help prepare them for whatever they choose to do.
In our four-year plan meetings that are held in February of freshman year,
students and parents have a chance to meet with counselors and learn about
graduation and college requirements. At that time, we develop a four-year
individualized plan for each student.
It is also suggested that students create student internet accounts. Some
valuable resources to students include the following:
 http://www.csumentor.edu – this is the California State University website.
Students may create an account with them and may use the high school
planner to keep track of how they are progressing towards CSU eligibility.
The page that gets students started in creating an account is:
https://secure.csumentor.edu/logon.asp?nextpage=%2FFreshman%5FPlanner%
2Fplanner%5Fintro%2Easp%3F%26
On the California State University website, students may explore campuses, get
directly onto the campus websites, find out which majors are impacted and can
eventually apply to CSU. They can also compare campuses within the CSU
system.
 http://www.californiacolleges.edu – This website deals with California
colleges and universities only. Students may take a survey about what they
want in a college (distance, size, location, major) and can explore campuses
from this website. The schools include four-year, two-year and vocational
institutions as well.
 http://www.collegeboard.com – CollegeBoard.com is a terrific website for
students who want a nationwide college search, wish to register for SAT or
SAT Subject tests and who want to learn about the PSAT and AP tests,
which some students will take later in high school. Students may create an
account and may search for any post-secondary accredited institution in the
nation.
 http://www.VolunteerOnline.org – The Alameda County Volunteer Center
website lists a variety of volunteer positions that are available. Since many
college scholarships are based upon community service, volunteering
throughout high school will augment a student’s college/university
applications and eligibility for scholarships.
 http://www.academyadmissions.com – Very useful website for students
interested in military academies and should be viewed in freshman year, as
the application process begins at this time.
 http://www.ucop.edu – University of California website. Students may view
campus information, including links to school websites and valuable
information about the 10 UC campuses.
 http://www.cccco.edu/ - website for the Chancellor’s office for the
California community college system. Links to all California community
colleges. A map of all California community colleges and information on
their programs is included. Some California community colleges have
residential dorm facilities (rural areas).
Other useful websites appropriate for freshmen and older students:
http://usnews.com – U.S. News and World Report college rankings
http://princetonreview.com – Princeton Review’s college search engine
http://petersons.com – Peterson’s college search engine
http://cnsearch.collegenet.com – College Net search engine
http://www.unigo.com – Unigo college search – also has student’s opinions about
their schools
http://www.embark.com – Embark college search website
http://www.gotocollege.com – basic college information, tips (including
consideration factors, financial aid, applications)
http://www.careersandcollges.com – college searches, financial aid information,
careers and majors area
http://atdp.berkeley.edu/ - U.C. Berkeley’s Academic Talent Development
Program (summer program for gifted and high-performing students). In order to
earn high school credit for a course taken at ATDP, your counselor must sign off
on the form provided by ATDP.
http://www.cpec.ca.gov – overview of post-secondary education in California,
links.
Four-Year College Requirements:
Name: ________________________________
In order to be eligible for college admissions, you are required to complete the A – G requirements and
take certain tests. Below is a checklist for you to use to keep track of your classes and tests. Check off
each box as you go to ensure you are satisfying the college admission requirements. (Grades must be Cor higher.)
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
ENGLISH
4 years required
(recommended)
MATH
3 years required
(4 years recommended)
HISTORY
2 years required
SCIENCE
2 years required
(3 years recommended)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
2 years of same required
(3 years required)
VISUAL/PREFORMING
ARTS
1 year required
ACADEMIC COLLEGE
PREP ELECTIVE
1 year required
(recommended)
(recommended)
Depending on the type of college you’d like to apply to, you will be required to take tests and
submit the scores to the college(s) of your choice. Use the checklist below to track the tests you
need to take.
University of California (UC) System
 SAT Reasoning Test (critical reading, writing and math sections must be from the same
sitting)
OR


ACT Assessment plus Writing (submit scores from each section AND your composite
score)
Two SAT Subject Tests (English, history, social studies, math (Level 2), science or
language) – UC has said that they may consider the subject tests for some majors
for the class of 2012 and beyond, but will not use this for admissions.
California State University (CSU) System
 SAT Reasoning Test (critical reading and math sections ONLY; no writing required)
OR
 ACT Assessment (writing section NOT required)
Out-of-State and Private Universities – check with each individual college; varies depending
on college
PLAN AHEAD – use the following websites to look for test dates, registration deadlines and
more.
Information regarding the tests:
www.collegeboard.com and www.actstudent.org
Sophomore Year:
PLAN Assessment:
It is strongly suggested that all students who are considering any college
option take the PLAN test, which we offer in winter of spring. This test is open to
10th graders only. Students will take an academic assessment and also a career
assessment as part of the PLAN. This assessment will help students understand
what the ACT may be like as a junior and will also help with determining where
they fall in terms of career interests. There is a fee for this test. Information about
the PLAN may be found at:
http://www.actstudent.org/plan/index.html
All students will receive a personalized score report.
PSAT Assessment:
We also encourage four-year college-bound students to take the PSAT, the
Preliminary SAT, which is an academic assessment as well. The PSAT is always
offered the third week in October. The PSAT is an academic assessment which
measures Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing. Students will repeat this test
as juniors, particularly if they want to potentially qualify for the National Merit
Scholarship. There is a fee for this assessment. Information about the PSAT may
be found at:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html
All students who take the PSAT will have access to a personalized score
report, like the PLAN, and will also have access for all four years of high school to
MyRoad, a program that can assess student’s personality profile, has information
about careers that people with this profile typically enjoy and has a college search
engine. To learn more about MyRoad, please visit this website:
https://myroad.collegeboard.com/myroad/navigator.jsp?t=homepage&i=index
ASVAB Assessment:
For students interested in more specific career information or who are
interested in the military, we do offer the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational
Aptitude Battery) in Fall. This assessment takes three hours and is free of charge.
Information about the ASVAB may be obtained at:
http://www.military.com/ASVAB
Specialized programs:
Some students wish to take community college courses during high school.
Las Positas College allows students to enroll in classes which are not filled by
college students if they have completed their freshman year with at least a 2.0
GPA. Diablo Valley College allow freshmen to take elective courses, pending
space availability.
Elective classes not offered at Dublin High School which are not graduation
requirements may be taken by high school students for no tuition, provided that
the student’s counselor approves of the course prior to the student enrolling in
the class. Concurrent enrollment forms are available in the Counseling Office.
Listed below are two links to local community colleges so that students may learn
about offerings:
http://www.laspositascollege.edu – Las Positas College
http://www.dvc.edu – Diablo Valley College
Books and student fees are still required for high school students
participating in the concurrent enrollment program.
Junior Year:
Students intending to go directly to a community college do not need to take
any SAT or ACT tests. These are not required or considered for community
college admission. They are also not required for high school graduation.
Students planning on attending a four-year college directly after high school
(both in and out-of-state) should take a variety of tests in junior year. Below is a
calendar that summarizes when testing should be done:
October – PSAT
March – SAT Reasoning Test
April – ACT with Writing Test (Writing section may be omitted for students
applying to certain schools, such as the California State University system; check
with the colleges you plan to apply to)
May – Advanced Placement tests are given during this time for students enrolled
in AP courses
May – SAT Reasoning Test
June – SAT Reasoning Test OR SAT Subject Tests (required by some colleges –
check with them) and ACT with/without Writing
Some colleges or universities allow you to mix and match scores between
different test times (such as the California State University system) and some
schools take the single best score. Each school has its own policy. We encourage
all students to take both the ACT and SAT tests, as some students do substantially
better on one measure than the other.
The SAT grading system will deduct a quarter of a point for any incorrect
answer. The ACT gives credit for every correct answer – so students should guess
on the ACT if they are uncertain of the answer. Guessing on the SAT is up to the
student’s discretion: educated guessing (i.e., believing one of the two answers that
you have narrowed down) is an option.
Now is also the time to start your college/career search in earnest. In
addition to the websites listed earlier, here are some sites that are useful:
http://www.campustours.com – this website allows students to take virtual tours
of many colleges and universities
http://www.mappingyourfuture.org/ – career, college and financial aid website
http://www.zinch.com – hooks students up with more than 700 colleges
nationwide as well as scholarships
http://www.ctcl.org/ - Colleges That Change Lives website
http://www.embark.com – Embark website – has high school timeline for college
searches, search engine, financial aid
http://www.bls.gov/oco - Occupational Outlook Handbook – students can look up
job prospects and how much their earning potential is
http://www.collegeispossible.org – Student/parent college planning guide
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ - National Center for Education Statistics/
college search, interactive map, automatically puts into a spreadsheet
Special Interest websites:
http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com – bookmark often-used resources
http://military.com – military website
Christian/Catholic Colleges and University websites:
http://www.christianconnector.com – Christian schools website
http://www.catholiccolleges.com – Catholic colleges website
http://christiancollegementor.com – Christian schools website
Websites for Students with disabilities:
http://www.landmarkcollege.com – Landmark College specializes in working
with students with learning disabilities
http://www.college-scholarships.com – information for students with learning
disabilities and scholarships for these students
http://www.ldonline.org/ - website for learning disabled student resources
http://www.disabilitywork.com/ - jobs targeted for people with disabilities
International students:
http://www.internationalstudent.com
Returning students:
http://www.back2college.com
Websites for Hispanic/Spanish Speaking Students:
http://www.yosipuedo.gov – Bilingual site to help find tools to make college
possible
http://www.hsf.net – Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Historically Black Colleges and Universities website:
http://hbcuconnect.com – website for students interested in HBCU schools. Has
personal connector, jobs, scholarships and links to all HBCU school websites.
Financial Aid:
Junior year is also a very important time to investigate financial aid
information so that students and parents will be aware of the ins and outs of
financial aid. It is also an important time to research scholarships.
Unfortunately, there are sometimes people who wish to take advantage of
students and families with regarding to financial their college education. A few
important articles to read about scholarships, financial aid and scams have links
below:
“Can You Spot a Scholarship Scam?” – College Board article
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/scholarships-and-aid/408.html
Federal Trade Commission article on scholarship scams:
http://www.ftc/gov/bcp/edu/microsites/scholarship/psa.htm
Article about identifying scholarship scams from FinAid: A Smart Student Guide
to Financial Aid:
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml
Senior Year:
The single most important thing that all students (two-year college, four-year
college and vocational/trade school-bound students) should do is to file the FAFSA
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid). There is NO cost to filing the FAFSA.
Students and parents file the FAFSA between 1/1 and 3/2 of their senior year. This
is the priority filing period, and it is very important that all students meet this
deadline. The official FAFSA website is http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. On the
website there are worksheets that can be downloaded to help before you fill out the
online FAFSA. In addition, all students and parents need a PIN number to file the
FAFSA. PIN numbers may be requested by doing so on the FAFSA website.
Dublin High School sends home a senior packet, which contains financial
aid and other important information. In this packet is our Authorization to Release
Cal Grant GPA form. We will only send off your Cal Grant GPA if you and your
parent sign off on the form. This is done in March of senior year and will be done
automatically once your form is received by Mrs. Dowden.
Dublin High School counselors offer three lunchtime workshops: the
University of California application, the California State University application
and private/independent school application. Please be sure to attend these
important lunchtime meetings.
In addition, Dublin High School counselors are happy to help with student’s
college applications. We provide the following services:
 Review of all college applications. Students should submit all college
applications online. Prior to final submission, please make an
appointment with your counselor for him/her to review.
 Reading of college essays. Please make an appointment with the
Counseling Secretary.
 Review of financial aid award letters in spring.
 Completion of the counselor forms for any school requiring this, in
addition to letters of recommendation. Please note that letters of
recommendation MUST be requested no later than two weeks
before the deadline. In addition, students must supply the following:
Brag Sheet information, student resume, list of colleges you are
applying to and the deadlines for each, stamped and addressed
envelopes for each college (for Secondary School Reports, Mid-Year
School Reports and Final Reports) which uses the counselor’s name
and Dublin High School address in the sender section.
Many private and independent colleges use the Common Application. The
website for this is http://www.commonapp.org. The application window for each
private school varies, so check with each school you are applying to.
The University of California window for applications is November 1 –
November 30 of each year. The website for the University of California
applications:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply/apply_onl
ine.html
For the California State University system, please apply via the CSUMentor
website at http://www.csumentor.edu.
For colleges and universities outside of California, please check each
school’s individual website for the application window.
Dublin High School invites counselors from Las Positas College to come out
in February of each year to our Civics and Economics classes to discuss the
registration process for our local community college. Students who want to have
the best chance of getting the classes they want should take advantage of
registering early and taking the English and Math placement exams at Dublin High
School during our STAR testing window. Only students who have registered with
Las Positas may test at Dublin High School. Other students will need to call Las
Positas to make an appointment.
Scholarship websites:
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov – FAFSA website
https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp - PROFILE website (some
schools use this instead of the FAFSA)
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.html - Fin Aid - assists
families with the financial aid process (no fee)
http://www.nacacnet.org – National Association of College Admissions
Counselors website – has student/online resources
http://www.fastweb.com – scholarship search
http://tuitionfundingsources.com – Dublin High School’s website for local
scholarships
http://fastweb.com – fill out a questionnaire and they e-mail you with potential
scholarships