Central Catholic College Counseling
Class of 2022 - March 15, 2021 -- Spring Break!
Request a College Counseling Meeting with Mrs. Martin
Hello Class of 2022!
To request a meeting please complete the College Counseling Meeting Request Form - Here.
I'm looking forward to working with you all!
Mrs. Martin, College Counselor
REMIND 101 Text Messages
Keep up to date on:
- College Visits
- Test Deadlines
- College Application Deadlines
- Letter of Recommendation Request Deadlines
Catholic Colleges Virtual Fair
The National Catholic College Admissions Association is sponsoring a virtual college fair.
- Choose which colleges you want to explore by registering for their sessions.
- Ask questions of the college representatives!
- Attend a presentation entitled, "Why Catholic Colleges?", which will cover the value and benefits of Catholic higher education and will feature current Catholic college students sharing their experiences.
Thursday, Mar 25, 2021, 04:00 PM
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Explore 6 of the Top Liberal Arts Colleges - Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, & Williams
- Junior Jumpstart - April 20 at 8 pm EDT or April 22 at 8 pm EDT
- Navigating and Belonging: A Special Session for First-Generation and Low-Income Students - May 24 at 8 pm EDT or May 26 at 8 pm EDT
- Register - HERE
(Links to the recorded sessions are available to those who register)
Student To Do List - April 2021
College Planning Night - If you missed it -- Don't worry! The presentation can be found on our website - HERE. You'll also find new College Planning Resources addressing some of the following topics!
- The College Essay, Presented by Sue Corner, Willamette University
- How Colleges Evaluate Applications, Presented by Martin Williams, University of Portland
- What does it take to get into an Oregon Public University, Presented by Melea Tejadas, University of Oregon
- NetPrice Calculators - How to use them to determine the cost of a college, Presented by Nanette Martin, Central Catholic
- College Financial Planning, Presented by the Springwater Group at Morgan Stanley
- College Athletics - NCAA Guidelines, Courtesy of the NCAA Eligibility Center
- And -- College Specific Presentations (Oregon State, Univ of Oregon, Santa Clara)
Check out the Virtual College Visits happening this semester (see google sheet link below). Parents will need to request permission to view.
Keep your grades up! Junior year grades are usually the last set of grades that colleges will consider for college admissions.
What about the SAT or ACT? - At this point colleges are still considering and evaluating their testing requirement for the Class of 2022. See below for current test information. Once you've reviewed testing requirements to date, make a decision on whether you should take the SAT at Central Catholic on April 27. But remember, if needed, you could take the SAT Test in the fall on Aug 28 and/or Oct 2.
Test Optional - See below for a list of colleges that did not require test scores for the Class of 2021 -- some have already made the call to go test optional for the Class of 2022.
Practice for SAT or ACT --Testing requirements are still to be determined. So it's always a good idea to prepare! Many of you took the practice PSAT through Compass earlier this month. Compass should have emailed your scores and information about test prep. Khan Academy is another test prep tool and it's free. See below for more information about both options.
Explore Naviance Student! Naviance Student is a comprehensive website that students and parents can use to research colleges and careers. Naviance Student is linked with Naviance, a service that we use to track and analyze college and career plans, so it provides up to date information that’s specific to Central Catholic. Naviance Student allows you to:
Get involved in the planning and advising process -- build a resume, complete online surveys, and manage college application timelines and deadlines.
Research colleges – compare GPA and standardized test scores of Central Catholic students who have applied and been admitted in the past.
Research careers – research hundreds of careers and career clusters, and take career assessments.
Email nmartin@centralcatholichigh.org for a Naviance Student password. Both parents and students can have a login that is synced to the student's Naviance profile.
SAT TEST (without essay) at Central Catholic - Register Below
After much consideration, Central Catholic will offer an opportunity for Juniors to take the SAT (without essay) on Tuesday, April 27. (please note this is a Gold day and students will miss 5th period and Student Life).
- SAT without essay
- DATE: April 27
- TIME: 8:00AM - Noon
- COST: $52.00 (billed via Central Catholic billing office)
- REGISTER: HERE
- Deadline to Register: March 17
If your student qualifies for testing accommodations please contact Audrey Hart, ahart@centralcatholichigh.org before March 12.
Students will be required to wear masks and social distance while on campus. This includes during testing. Questions about the administration of the test should be directed to Patrick Mordhorst, pmordhorst@centralcatholichigh.org.
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Many colleges have extended their test optional or test blind policies for the Class of 2022 meaning that the SAT or ACT is not required to be considered for admission. See HERE for a current list of over 1350 colleges that are not requiring scores (as of Feb 21, 2021). Many schools are currently evaluating testing requirements so check this list often as it is continually updated. Some notable schools that are test optional for the Class of 2022 include: All Oregon Public Universities - University of Oregon, Oregon State, Portland State, etc; All University of California and Cal State schools - UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD; Santa Clara University, Harvard University, Stanford University.
- It may NOT benefit all students to send test scores to test optional schools. Please check with Mrs. Martin, nmartin@centralcatholichigh.org if you have a question about sending your scores.
- WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange) Scholarships - Schools are evaluating how they will award scholarships however, test scores will not be required. HERE
- University of Oregon will NOT require test scores for scholarships. HERE
- We are offering this as a service to families who have determined, based on their student’s individual situation, that the SAT would be beneficial.
PREPARE FOR TESTING
- Khan Academy is a great resource for test preparation and provides you with individualized practice.
SAT and National Merit Entry for Class of 2022
In normal circumstances (non-Covid19), students would qualify for National Merit consideration by taking the PSAT-NMSQT in October of their Junior year. Of course, this year the test was cancelled due to the pandemic. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is offering an alternate entry using SAT scores. See below for details.
All three of the following must be completed in order to enter:
- Take the SAT by June 2021. (The April 27th test at Central Catholic qualifies!)
- Request that CollegeBoard send an official report of your SAT scores to NMSC (code 0085) -- add it like you add a college.
- Complete this Alternate Entry Form no later than Thursday, April 1, 2021.
In addition, the standard entry requirements still apply:
To enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program, a student must meet all of the following requirements.
- Be enrolled as a high school student, progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school by 2022, and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall of 2022.
- Attend high school in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. commonwealths and territories; or meet the citizenship requirements for students attending high school outside the United States.
Should you take the SAT or ACT?
At this time, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about testing requirements for the Class of 2022. Some colleges have already made the decision about testing requirements for admission. Here are a few of the colleges that will not require a test score for the Class of 2022:
University of Oregon
Oregon State University
Portland State University
All University of California schools (UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, etc)
University of Chicago
I'm sure that there will be more going this route -- so stay tuned for updates!
Consider the following:
Is the SAT/ACT optional for the schools you're applying to? Here's how to find out...
Check out the FairTest- List of Test Optional Colleges link below. If the school you're looking for does not have information for the Class of 2022 then...
Do a Google search [name of college] application requirements. Don't Google search [name of college] SAT because you'll get a lot of non-official search results - you're looking for the official page from the college you're applying to. Click on the link that has your college's name in it, and look for the First Year Applicant and make sure you're looking at the Class of 2022 requirements. Some schools will not have this information until the spring -- so check again if it's not updated.
If the SAT/ACT is optional for your colleges, should you take it?
If you know the SAT is optional for your colleges, then you now need to think about your application packet as a whole. Basically, colleges are assessing two things:
Your academic achievements which includes GPA, course load (how many honors or AP courses you've taken), academic extra curricular such as ConTeam or Robotics Club and possibly an ACT or SAT score.
Who you are as a whole. You will have the opportunity to tell colleges who you are via your personal statement or essay and your list of extra curricular activities including hobbies, service work, work, etc.
How do you know if your GPA is strong enough for admission?
Naviance Student! The compare me tool and/or scattergram tool will give you GPA data for Central Catholic students who have applied and the admission decision.
You can also Google search for [name of college] class profile, then click on the result from the college site. On this page, search for info about the high-school rank of students or their incoming GPA. If you're higher than average, then you're in good shape. If you're a lot higher than average, you're in great shape. You can also find the range of SAT scores for each section here. If you are academically strong, the SAT is optional for your college, and you don't think you can easily get in range or above the range based on taking a practice test, then don't take the test.
If the college has merit-based scholarships, then look into the requirements for those scholarships. It might be that the SAT/ACT plays a role in those awards.
If after all these questions, you don't need to take the SAT/ACT, then start thinking about the other aspects of your application. Do you need to beef up on volunteering? Maybe you want to get in a couple AP classes while you still can. Or, maybe you want to start brainstorming personal statement ideas.
ACT Updates
- See test dates below. The June and July test dates may be more conducive to Covid restrictions and not subject to cancellation.
- Previously announced plans to debut section re-testing have been postponed indefinitely.
- Previously announced plans to offer the computer-based ACT in the United States in September 2020 were postponed. ACT, however, hopes to launch a remote (at-home) online test soon. See ACT’s COVID-19 updates here.
- CollegeBoard (the sponsor of the SAT) has eliminated the optional essay portion of the SAT test. I anticipate that the ACT will do the same. My recommendation is to skip the optional essay portion.
- ACT recommends test takers wear masks -- but the state guidelines require masks.
REGISTER - HERE
SAT Updates
- CollegeBoard has discontinued the optional Essay portion of the SAT test. It will, however, be available through the June 2021 test date. Those students who have registered for an SAT test with writing between now and June can contact the CollegeBoard and ask that their reservation be switched to the SAT w/o Essay and the difference in fees refunded.
- CollegeBoard has discontinued SAT Subject Tests.
- Most, if not all juniors should already have a CollegeBoard account. DO NOT create a new one -- use the one you have!
- Test Center closures can be found HERE. You should also be notified via email of test center closures and given instructions on how to reschedule.
- College Board requires test takers to wear masks.
Khan Academy as a Test Prep Option
- Create a Khan Academy account -- unless you already have one!
- Add SAT prep to your list of courses.
- You will need to take some diagnostic quizzes to establish a baseline. The goal is to give you deliberate practice in the areas where you need the most help.
- Choose which subject you'd like to focus on first: Math or Reading and Writing. If you choose Math, you will be sent to a series of diagnostic quizzes in math. These quizzes help figure out what you already know and what you need to work on. With this information, the system can craft an ideal practice plan for you.
- After you complete the four diagnostic quizzes, the summary page will lay out your starting skill levels in a variety of math categories. Skill levels change to reflect your mastery.
Students can access using a Central Catholic email. Parents must request access.
Sign up is not necessary -- just join the zoom meeting!
CollegeBoard Student Search Service
CollegeBoard offers this free service to students as they explore college options. The benefit is twofold:
- Opt in to hear directly from colleges and scholarships. After joining Search, check your email and mailbox regularly for updates about degree programs, campus life, financial aid, or invitations to apply for scholarships.
- Share your interests to find your college match. Keeping your information up to date helps colleges and scholarship programs send you more relevant communications so you can find the school that’s right for you.
When you join the Student Search Service, you agree to share information with participating organizations. Colleges pay for this service, but there is no cost to you. These organizations rely on this information to discover students who may be a good fit for their programs. You can update your information at any time.
Register - HERE