Career
Personal/Social
Academic
Junior Newsletter
2016
January
Discovery
Honeoye Central School Counseling Center
www.honeoye.org
Sharon K. Greenwood, HS Counselor
[email protected]
Margaret Strong, Secretary
[email protected]
LIFE AFTER HCS
There are many and different roads that can be traveled to the future. Think about what
road you are on or wish to travel. After graduation, will you begin your career, enter a
branch of the military, or continue your education in college? Now is the time to explore
and learn about these options:
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How much do you know about job opportunities with a high school diploma?
Do you know what personal and financial benefits you can get through service in
the military?
How much do you really know about college and what a college education can do
for you?
11th GRADE REVIEWS
In January, I will start meeting with all juniors. In addition to getting to know each other
a little better, we will review:
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Your academic records (All courses taken, GPA, class rank and diploma type)
Your remaining requirements for graduation
Your plans for after graduation.
Your course selections for your senior year.
Please let Mrs. Strong or myself know if you are unable to make your scheduled
appointment so we can reschedule an appropriate time.
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FINDING A COLLEGE FOR YOU
The right college for you depends on what you decide is important to you. There are so
many variables to consider. To help you begin searching for colleges, consider the
criteria below. Add your own variable and create your list of things you most want to
find in the college of your dreams. Variables to Consider:
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Admission criteria (selective, traditional, minimally difficult, open)
Academic rigor (rigorous, demanding, average, relatively easy, easy)
Location (geographic region/states/distance from home)
Size of student body (small up to 2,000, medium up to 5,000, large up to 20,000,
very large over 20,000)
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Campus Setting (urban, small town, suburban, rural)
Academic Programs/Majors
Co-Ops, Internships, Study Abroad Programs
Course Offerings & Core Requirements
Special Programs (learning disabilities, counseling, tutorial services)
Housing Options (on campus requirements)
Athletics, Extra-Curriculars, Social Life, Diversity, Gender Composition
Cost, Financial Aid, Scholarships
Class Sizes, Teaching Assistants, Freshmen attrition
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USE THE INTERNET TO SEARCH FOR COLLEGES
Using on-line directories can help narrow your search with a few clicks of the mouse.
Check out some of the web sites listed further on. Many will ask you to enter your
criteria for what you are looking for in a college. For example:
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2-year or 4-year school
location
degrees and majors
activities
Some give you a complete listing of information about the schools. Some provide links
to each school's official Web site. Some do both. Once at a college’s web site it is likely
that you will be able to take a “virtual tour” of the campus. You can also submit your
name and address to request more information. Check out some of these sites to begin
your search and help you create your "Initial College List".
PLAYING SPORTS IN COLLEGE
If you are interested in continuing to play a sport in college, you will likely need to
manage and negotiate an additional system for being noticed and recruited by college
coaches. It’s important that this process begin during your junior year.
If you have not already discussed playing a sport in college with your coach,
DO IT NOW!.
Also, let Ms. Greenwood know about this interest to get assistance with:
1. Academic eligibility for college athletics and registering with the NCAA
Clearinghouse.
2. Finding colleges that match your academic needs with your athletic desires.
3. Also request a copy of “The Playbook” from Ms. Greenwood. It contains lots of
information on getting recruited.
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THIS MONTH'S TASK: Initial College List
Now that you have identified your
important college criteria you can use
the INTERNET and the college guides
(Peterson's, Lovejoy's, College Board,
Barron's) to create your "Initial College
List". You might want to have between
10 and 30 colleges that meet your
criteria. It is also important to have a
range of colleges in terms of admission
standards (some "REACH" colleges,
some "BALL PARK" some SAFETY"
- see descriptions attached), and private
and public colleges (remember, often
private colleges become less expensive
due to their own financial aid).
If you are unsure about which college
goes in which category, ask me for
assistance and I will help you determine
how you match up with a college's
admission requirements.
NEXT MONTH'S TASK: Register for Scholarships
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COVERING A RANGE OF COLLEGES
Using the college's admission requirements and your academic performance to date
(Courses, GPA, SAT/ACT) you will be able to tell whether the odds of your being
offered admission are good, average, or a long shot. Once you have determined which
colleges fall into which group, choose some of each kind of school for your list.
A REACH - "REACHES" are colleges where you have a less than 50/50 chance of
being admitted. You could be accepted, but it would be a REACH.
These colleges are often referred to as the dream colleges. Although that may or may not
be accurate in your case, based on data about you, colleges in this category are going to
be difficult to get into. Maybe you fall a bit short on your standardized test scores, your
grade point average, class rank, or course selection.
If that is the case, the real question is "How short is short?" If you are off by only a few
points or places in class rank, your acceptance to that particular college might not be a
long REACH. On the other hand, if you fall considerable short, especially in more than
one area, it may be a very long REACH.
BALL PARK - The chance of admission to "BALL PARK" colleges is about 5050. You are in the ball park based on your current test results, GPA, class rank, and
course selection. You have an even chance of admission. If you apply to four schools in
the category, you may be admitted to two. Most (but not all) of your list should/will fall
into this category.
SAFETY - Your chance of being admitted to "SAFETY" schools is better than
50/50. There is no guarantee that you will gain admission to these schools, but based on
your academic records only, you have got a pretty good shot. These are perhaps the most
difficult schools to select from because there will be so many of them, but your chances
are good. Although some students say, "I don't want to go to one of those schools!" I
have worked with students who have selected safety schools over a BALLPARK or even
a REACH where they were also accepted. The important idea here is to select a few
colleges where you would be happy to enroll.
WHICH COLLEGE GOES IN WHICH CATEGORY?
Use your counselor's information heavily in determining how difficult or easy a college
would be to get into. You should be able to get a rough idea of how you match up with a
college's admissions requirements.
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IMPORTANT DATES
January
February
Financial aid application month for seniors
College exploration month for juniors
Friday, February 5 (snow date 2/12)
Tuesday, March 1 (10:15 – 11:15)
Thursday. March 10 (7:10 p)
Thursday. March 10 (4 - 6 p)
Technical & Career Center Visit (sophomore field trip)
FLCC Gemini Registrations FOYER
College Information Night for Junior parents Rm 1016
FLTCC Registration Night Counseling Center
April
College visitation month for juniors
Wednesday, May 4
Friday, May 6
AP English Literature exam (am)
AP US History exam (am)
COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS
($35/$50.50)
ACT
Test
Date
Registration
deadline
Apr 9
Mar 4
ACT
Jun 11
May 6
ACT Test
($51/$37.50)
Test
Date
Registration
deadline
SAT
SAT & Subject Tests
SAT & Subject Tests
Mar 5
May 7
Jun 4
Feb 5
Apr 8
May 5
SAT Tests
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