Rising Junior Parent
Career & College Night
Searching for Your Next Path
Sherwood High School Student Services
•Dr. Kathlyn Carroll
Administrator
•Ms. Elizabeth Al-Atrash School Counselor
•Ms. Erin McKenna
School Counselor
Agenda
 Preparing for Life after High School………
Post-Secondary Options
College Look For’s
College Tips
SAT/ACT
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
(ASVAB)
 Family Connections
 Events Calendar
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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
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MILITARY
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WORKFORCE
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APPRENTICESHIP & INTERNSHIPS
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Carefully monitored work experiences with intentional
learning goals
What Colleges Look for in
Prospective Students
 ACADEMIC RECORD which includes
Grades/GPA
 Strength of Schedule
 Admission Test Scores (SAT/ ACT)
 Essay or Writing Sample
 Counselor Recommendation
 Teacher Recommendations
 Extra Curricular Activities which includes
Community Service
* Listed by level of importance, based on 2008 admission data from www.ACT.org
Preparing for a Career & College
What can I do now?
Keep up Grades so you can have the highest GPA possible
Talk to your Counselor about current educational plan and
post-secondary plans
–Consider impact on classes for next year – AP courses?
–Adjust schedule from now until June
Continue Extra-Curricular Activities – work toward leadership
positions
Work on your writing skills – work with a teacher or another
adult
Continue to explore career interests using Family Connections
Become familiar with general college entrance requirements
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
If you want to participate in Div. 1 or Div. 2
athletics in college, register with the NCAA
Clearinghouse
Preparing for a Career & College
11th grade – Spring 2011
 Junior Meetings w/Counselor
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Registration for Senior Year
Review Graduation Credits
 Prepare and Register for College Admission Tests (SAT/ ACT)
 Register for AP Exams in May
 Sign up for ASVAB usually March
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ASVAB: Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
Points out skills and interests and indicates what type of jobs
would be good for you
Visit Colleges – Take College Tours – Attend College Fairs
 Begin writing college essays over the summer
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
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No science section
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Science reasoning section
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Math includes up to Algebra 2
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Math includes up to
trigonometry
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Vocabulary emphasized
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Vocabulary less important
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Non multiple-choice questions
asked
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Entirely multiple-choice
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Guessing penalty
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No guessing penalty
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No English grammar
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English grammar tested
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Math accounts for 50% of your
score
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Math accounts for 25% of your
score
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Questions go from easy to
difficult
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Questions are mixed up
2011-2012 Test Dates
 SAT
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October 1, 2011
November 5, 2011
December 3, 2011
January 28, 2012
March 10, 2012
May 5, 2012
June 2, 2012
 ACT
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September 10, 2011
October 22, 2011
December 10, 2011
February 11, 2012
April 14, 2012
June 9, 2012
Tips for College Visits
 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 Connection program to:
Click on link above for Family Connections!
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Keep track of the process – Build a resume,
complete on-line surveys, and manage timelines and
deadlines for making decisions about colleges and
careers
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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
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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.
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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 #
 Today if we have time…
 User Name: example
 Password: sherwood
Rising Junior Career Lesson
Searching for Your Next Path
Questions???