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February
2008
Save the
Date!
BECAHI
COLLEGE FAIR
April 22, 2008
6:30-8:30 PM
ALL students
and parents are invited to attend.
Information for Seniors
Parents of
seniors will be mailed a form in May, asking for a list of all the
colleges that their child applied to, admission status, scholarships
accepted, and name of the college that should receive the final
transcript. This information is used in compiling year-end reports
for the Diocese as well as for putting together the Graduation
Program.
Applicants
offered admission to a college are not required to notify the school of
their decision to attend before the universal reply date of May
1st. This allows an applicant to hear from all colleges
before having to make a commitment. If a school requests your
decision sooner, you may tell them that you will inform them of your
decision by May 1.
Applications
for financial aid should be filed as soon as possible.
FAFSA's and CSS Profiles must be filed online. For the FAFSA (federal and
state aid) apply at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
The Profile can be filed via www.collegeboard.com.
SAT's:
Dates and Quick Start
SAT's will
be administered at Bethlehem Catholic High School on Saturday, March 1,
2008. The regular registration deadline is January 29th and the late
deadline is February 7th. All juniors were given a flyer with this
information in early January. Registration is done online at www.collegeboard.com.
SAT's are also given on May 3rd and June 7th at other test centers - not
at Bethlehem Catholic.
It is
recommended that students take SAT's at least twice: once as a junior and
once as a senior as a minimum. Many students take SAT's three times
- twice as a junior and once as a senior. Colleges take the
highest individual scores from all of the tests. They generally
do not take an average of the scores.
All students
who took PSAT's this year received an access code on their score report
for a new tool on the College Board website, called College Quick Start, a
free personalized college planning kit, that includes these features:
-
My
Online Score Report - An enhanced score report that allows a review of
each test question and answer, and the correct answer with answer
explanations.
-
My SAT
Study Plan - a customized SAT study plan based upon PSAT/NMSQT
test performance, highlighting skills for review and practice.
-
My
College Matches - A starter list of colleges based upon home state and
indicated choice of major.
-
My Major
& Career Matches - Personalized list of majors and careers plus
access to a personality assessment that suggests other compatible
possibilities.
Freshman
Career Exploration
Freshman
have been introduced to the CHOICES Career Exploration Software in our
computer lab. They can research any career, university, college, and
trade school in order to find future learning institutions. They
have also learned how to compare their Grade Point Average and SAT scores
to a college to determine if their favorite schools are academically
appropriate for them.
The freshmen
were given information about interesting websites to enable them to
explore post secondary schools in a comfortable family setting. We
cannot understate the importance of parental involvement in the post
secondary school planning process.
A
"Career Interest Survey" was administered to each student in
order to determine personal areas of career strength and weakness.
The results of the survey were interpreted for each student and a copy of
the interpretation was sent home for parental review.
Parents and
guardian of our freshman are reminded to encourage their children to see
Fr. Pete in the Guidance Office, in order to acquire additional career
development computer skills.
Sophomore
Career Development
Sophomores
receive career development education during the second semester.
Sophomores learn the refined process of choosing post secondary
schools. They learn how to read the profiles of academic
institutions as well as learn to identify the many personal factors to
consider when choosing a post secondary school.
Sophomores
also receive a review of career development software for use in school and
at home. The byproduct of using these readily available materials
will ultimately lead them toward choosing realistic careers and schools
where they will flourish.
The COPS
Interest Survey will be administered to all sophomores following
Easter. This is a helpful instrument that will provide insight in
choosing appropriate and realistic careers.
Making
the Most of the Summer
Summer break
is a great opportunity for your child to pursue his or her interests and
gain greater experience in paid or volunteer jobs, internships, college
programs, and travel opportunities. In addition to giving teenagers
life experience and a sense of fulfillment, meaningful summer activities
are also seen by college admission officers as a demonstration of the
ability to act responsibly and make a commitment.
Your child
will be most successful in a position where his or her interests are being
stimulated and challenged. If they like the outdoors they may find a
position at a national park or at a summer camp. One of the best
ways to find a great opportunity locally is simply by asking family and
friends.
During their
job search your child may come across a potential employer that just can't
afford to hire him or her. If they're really interested in working
there, they should consider offering their services for free, possibly
part time if they have other commitments. The job skills they gain
may be worth their weight in gold.
Keep in
mind, your child doesn't necessarily have to have a traditional job.
Colleges like to see that students have done something constructive with
their summers. Many colleges and other organizations offer programs
geared to high school students, and, in addition to those, most colleges
will allow your child to try out a real college class. The Guidance
Office has information on many of these programs.
If combining
community service and travel is of interest, the Peterson's Guide has a
great list of programs: www.petersons.com/summerop/code/ssector.asp.
One example, The Experiment in International Living, www.usexperiment.org,
offers dynamic summer programs for high school students in over 25
countries around the world. For over 75 years, their groundbreaking
summer abroad programs have helped students develop a profound
understanding of a different culture, language, and world view.
Participating in one of these programs really makes an applicant stand out
in the college admission process.
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