JUNIOR GUIDANCE
AGENDA
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GRIT
College Planning
PSAT Results
Naviance
NAVIANCE
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Naviance is a web-based program designed to
help students and parents make decisions about
courses, colleges, careers and financial aid.
Counselors can update students and parents
about up-coming meetings, news, events, and
other web resources for college and career
information.
It is the program you will use next year to apply
to colleges, invite your teachers to write letters of
recommendation, send your transcripts, etc.
LOGGING ON TO NAVIANCE
 Go
to the Interlake High School
Website
 http://www.bsd405.org/interlake
 Click
on Resources
 Click
on the Naviance
LOGGING ON TO NAVIANCE
 Enter
your email address and
password you created last year
 If you don’t know use “forgot
your password”
 If you still can’t get it, raise your
hand and we’ll help you
 If new to Bellevue School
District raise your hand
GRIT- THE KEY TO SUCCESS
HOW MUCH GRIT DO YOU HAVE?
TAKE A SURVEY
Search in Google:
UPENN Grit Survey
5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR GRIT
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Celebrate Success
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Fail
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We often don't take time to celebrate the
challenging work we've completed.
Failure is key in building grit and grit is often
the key to success – you have to fall down to
get back up.
Pursue your Passion

Our passions are generally things we have not
yet mastered, but things that challenge,
inspire us and drive us to improve.
5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR
 Build

in practice time
Practice builds perseverance and resilience
which build grit
 Sometimes,

GRIT
it’s okay to quit
Know when to use grit and know when to
move on
TABLE TALK
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1) Talk with a partner about a time you
demonstrated GRIT?
Talk with a partner about a time when you
wished you had more GRIT?
Think of a time coming up in the future when you
will need GRIT to be successful?
SPEAKING OF GRIT…
…..The
college admission process
may require some
WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR IN A COLLEGE?
College Search Factors to consider
 When you’re on campus, it feels good.
 Admission requirements- will I be
accepted?
 Programs/degrees offered- do they offer




the major I am interested
Public vs. Private
Cost
Size
Location
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
What does a shoe search and college search have in
common?
•
You would never buy them without trying them on…visit,
do your research!
•
Think about your own style, not what all of your friends are
doing…this is a big personal decision and should be a
thoughtful one, made by YOU.
•
You may not feel your best in the hottest trends…find the
school that will bring out your best self.
WHAT ARE COLLEGES LOOKING FOR IN
STUDENTS?

Quality and rigor of academic courses
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Academic performance and grades
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Test scores (SAT, ACT, Subject Tests)
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Admission Essay / Writing Sample
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Counselor/Teacher Recommendations
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Community Service/Work/Extracurricular
Experience/School & Community
Involvement
UNDERSTAND COLLEGE ADMISSION
FACTORS
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Creativity or Special Talent (music, art, athletes…)
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Ability to Overcome setbacks/hardship
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Grit- perseverance and resilience
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Other factors: geographic area, socioeconomic &
multi-cultural awareness (i.e. first generation)
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Initiative/Motivation/Demonstrated Interest

Personal Interview
Your high school academic record is one of the most
important factors in college admissions.
How Many Schools Will You
Apply To?
 Don’t make it a contest!! Stay true to yourself
and focus on your own accomplishments and
personal progress.
 One REACH School–
“I hope/dream to get in”
 Three FIT—
“I should get in-”
 One SAFETY—
“I will very likely get in here”
WHAT IS A FIT SCHOOL?
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According to The Princeton Review, “A fit school
is one where your academic credentials fall well
within (or even exceed) the school’s range for the
average freshman. There are no guarantees, but
it’s not unreasonable to be accepted to several of
your match schools.”
Many students apply to around three fit schools,
according to The Princeton Review.
WHAT IS A SAFETY SCHOOL?
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According to The Princeton Review,
“A safety school is one where your academic
credentials fall above the school’s range for the
average freshman. You can be reasonably certain
that you will be admitted to your safety schools.”
Sure, safety schools aren’t always the desired
choice for some students. Although- many of
them are the perfect fit as students come to find
out after enrolling!
SAFETY SCHOOLS
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It’s not unheard of for a few students each year to get into
none of the colleges they applied to. Is this because they’re
not fit for college? Of course not. A list by U.S. News &
World Report of the American colleges with the highest
acceptance rates clearly points out that there are a number
of colleges that will either accept everybody who applies or
nearly everybody. Students who get denied from every
school they apply to most likely didn’t apply for safety
schools. Don’t be that student.
According to The Princeton Review, many students apply
to two safety schools.
Reach schools are, well, quite a reach.
According to The Princeton Review,
“A reach school is one where your academic
credentials fall below the school’s range for the
average freshman. Reach schools are long-shots,
but they should still be possible. But remember,
If you have a 3.0 GPA, Harvard is not a reach
school — it’s a dream.”
 Be careful to make sure you’re not reaching too
high. If you don’t meet the school’s basic
requirements and don’t have a spectacular
reputation or list of extracurricular activities to
make up for it, it’s probably a waste of time and
money to apply to that school. Like The Princeton
Review hinted at, that’s not a reach school, it’s
wishful thinking that in almost all cases will not
come true.

REACH SCHOOLS
 That
being said, don’t live with regret. If
you really want to go to a college and have
even remotely a shot, go for it. Just be
realistic and apply to match and safety
schools as well, just in case.
 Many students apply to two reach
schools, according to The Princeton
Review.
College Admission Options
JUNIOR YEAR COLLEGE PLANNING
TIMELINE
BSD College Conference:
Thursday, 2/11/15, 5:45-8:30 pm at IHS
20+ different breakout sessions
 Finding the right fit
 Paying for college
 Highly selective colleges
 Starting off at a community college
 Colleges in WA state
 NCAA
 The college essay
JUNIOR YEAR COLLEGE PLANNING
TIMELINE
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Plan now to visit colleges during
midwinter, spring and summer breaks
Midwinter (week of Feb. 15-19, 2016)
 Spring (week of April 4-8, 2016)
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Attend
the Spring College Fair
Saturday,
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April 23rd at Seattle University
Register online for: UW Daily visits, WSU
Junior Preview Weekend, Western’s
Discovery Days, etc … (ALL colleges allow
you to register for campus visits)
COLLEGE APPLICATION TIMELINE
SUMMER
 Study
 Start
 Visit
for SAT/ACT retakes
on college essays
colleges
 Finalize
list of safe, probable and
reach colleges
COLLEGE
APPLICATION TIMELINE
FALL
 Retake
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SAT or ACT if needed
Letter of Rec- teacher and counselor
 Apply
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to colleges!!!
Nov 1 deadline: Early Decision and Early
Action applications
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Nov – Jan: Most applications are due
TIPS FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
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Ask early - at least three week earlier than your
1st deadline
Ask in-person, and be ready to provide your
resume and other relevant information that they
may request
Follow-up with a sincere thank you note
COLLEGE APPLICATION TIMELINE
 Jan
1: Fill out FAFSA/WASFA for
financial aid
 April
1: Colleges notify students of
admittance
 May
1: Students pay tuition and
housing deposit
COLLEGE APPLICATION TIMELINE
 July:
final transcript sent to one
college
 Summer
2016: orientation &
registration for college classes
WHY DID YOU TAKE THE PSAT?
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PSAT shows you your strengths and
weaknesses in Critical Reading,
Mathematics, and Writing
PSAT lets you know how you compare to
other juniors across the country
PSAT helps you prepare for the SAT
PSAT may have qualified some of you to
compete for the National Merit Scholarship
WE WILL NOW PASS BACK YOUR PSAT:
 You
will receive a copy of your actual
test booklet and score results
 How
to use this information to study for
the SAT exam
 Your
score is your personal information
– please do not feel compelled to share
with anyone
 Please
share the test booklet and scores
with parents
UNDERSTANDING YOUR PSAT SCORE
REPORT
REGISTER FOR THE SAT/ACT
Take out your laptop/phone and
set a reminder in your outlook or
phone…
 This
weekend: register to take the
ACT/SAT/Subject tests in the spring
(March through June)
www.actstudent.org
www.collegeboard.org

See your counselor for fee waivers.
NAVIANCE
LAST YEAR, YOU COMPLETED THE
FOLLOWING ON NAVIANCE:
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Resume

Do What You Are – Personality Profile
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Cluster Finder
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Course Plan
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Game Plan
TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:
 1.
Click on the About Me tab. Click on Test
Scores under Official Things. Add your
PSAT Scores.
 2.
Click on the Colleges tab. Do the
SuperMatch College Search. Pin colleges
to your list, adding 6 colleges/programs to
Colleges I’m Thinking About.
FINISH THESE TASKS AT HOME
 1.
Update Game Plan
 2. Update your Resume.
 3. Complete the Career Interest Profiler
and research jobs that interest you.
 4. Look at majors most relevant to
careers picked last year (or are currently
interested in). Do your colleges of
interest offer these majors?
QUIZ TIME

Give an example of how to build GRIT.
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When should you take the SAT/ACT?
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When do you apply to college?
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What are two things colleges are looking
for?
What are three qualities that are as/more
important than test scores in admission?
DO YOU KNOW YOUR COUNSELOR?
Alicia Williams
A-C
Carri McDermott
D-J
Maya Vergien
K–M
Chelsea Kearns
N - Sn
Scott Marcum
So – Z
Sara Bickerstaff
Counseling Secretary