College and Career Newsletter
October 2022
From Mrs. Myrick
SENIORS: This section is very long, but all of it is important and timely information for this month!
SENIOR PARENTS: Please be reminding your kids to meet these deadlines. Letters and transcripts cannot be guaranteed to be uploaded by deadlines if they are requested late. FAFSA opens October 1, so please make sure you are filling that out with your students ASAP!
With November 1 Early Action and Early Decision deadlines coming up, this is the busiest month of the year for me. If you turn things in or request things after the deadlines I have listed below, I cannot guarantee that all items will be uploaded before the November 1 deadline.
1. Keep working hard on your college essays and applications! If you need a counselor letter of recommendation make sure you email me directly. If you have not requested a counselor letter of recommendation by October 7 (for a November 1 deadline), I cannot guarantee you will have a completed letter of recommendation for your deadline. PLAN ACCORDINGLY! If you have not submitted your After Grad Packet you must submit that before I can write any letters of recommendation.
2. Current Teacher letters of recommendation: You need to have requested a letter of recommendation on Naviance (after you have confirmed in person that they are willing to write you a letter) by October 7 (for a November 1 deadline). If you do not have the request in by October 7, it is not a guarantee that the letter will be completed and uploaded by November 1. Make sure you are following the instructions below "Instructions: Requesting transcripts and letters of rec" when you are requesting letters of recommendation.
3. If you have requested a former teacher to write a letter of recommendation, you need to follow the instructions below "Instructions: Requesting transcripts and letters of rec". If you have multiple former STEM teachers that you would like for letters of recommendation, please schedule time with me so we can walk through that process and how it differs. If a former STEM teacher is writing you a letter, they need to have it emailed to me by October 28. It is your responsibility to make sure the letters are emailed to me - I will not be reaching out to former teachers on behalf of the student. In addition, if you have not followed the instructions for STEM former teacher letters on Naviance, I will not be alerted that a letter needs to be uploaded. Make sure you are following the "Instructions: Requesting transcripts and letters of rec" document below when you are requesting letters of recommendation.
4. If you have a letter of recommendation you are asking for that is NOT a teacher or counselor (think principal, boss, coach, mentor, etc.) you will request that letter in Common App under "Recommenders and FERPA" as an "other recommender". You will just need to add in the email address of the recommender and an email will be sent directly to them to upload their letter. If the schools you are applying to are not on Common App, come see me and I can tell you your next steps depending on the portal you are using!
5. Colorado Free Application Days are coming up this month! They are October 18-20, which is of course fall break for us :) Happens every year. These are the dates you need to SUBMIT your applications to not pay the application fee. That does not mean that your transcripts and letters of recommendation must be completed by this date unless otherwise stated in their instructions.
6. Please make sure you are completing the below form when you start receiving college acceptances!!!!
Juniors: Now is the time to start thinking about where you want to go to college! Go to as many college fairs as possible, speak with all different types of schools, and sign up to get on the mailing lists for those colleges.
I will be hosting as many colleges as possible throughout each week. Naviance will have all of the college visits that are currently scheduled. If there is a college coming that you are interested in, come to my office at the bottom of the stairs by the HS Commons to meet with the college admissions representative. Make sure you bring any questions you may have!
As always, feel free to come by my office and chat, email, or schedule an appointment if you have any questions!
- Myrick
Common App and Naviance Account Matching
College Visits at STEM
The schedule is as follows:
For Monday - Thursday visits (11:15am-1:10pm):
Come down to my office (124) during your lunch times. Representatives will be leaving by 1pm if no students come to visit, so C lunch please make sure you come down as soon as the lunch period begins!
For Friday visits (11:00am-12:30pm):
Come down to my office (124) during your lunch times. Representatives will be leaving at 12:30pm, so C lunch please make sure you come down as soon as the lunch period begins!
October
- Monday, October 3: University of Colorado Colorado Springs Leaving STEM at 1pm
- Tuesday, October 4: California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
- Tuesday, October 11: Fort Lewis College
- Monday, October 24: Colorado Mesa University
- Wednesday, October 26: Creighton University
- Friday, October 28: Colorado State University
November
- Tuesday, November 1: Colorado School of Mines
- Wednesday, November 2: San Diego State University
- Thursday, November 3: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- Tuesday, November 8: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Wednesday, November 9: Oklahoma State University
Letters of Recommendation
Teacher Letters of Recommendation: Once your Common App and Naviance account are linked (video is above!), you can request letters of recommendation from the teacher drop down menu. If the school you are applying to is not in the Common App, please email me and I can work with you directly on how best to receive letters of recommendation for your school. Read information in the "From Mrs. Myrick" section about letters!
As a reminder, not all schools allow or require letters of recommendation. Please make sure you are reading the requirements for each school you are applying to!
College Fairs
NACAC is offering both virtual and in person fairs this year. Registration information can be found here.
Virtual Fairs:
- Sunday, October 9 from 11am-4pm MT
- Sunday, November 6 from 11am-4pm MT
Concurrent Enrollment Corner
As we get ready for Fall semester, here is some important information:
- If your student plans to take any online courses, the cost per credit cost for online courses is higher than what STEM is funded to pay per course credit. Families are expected to pay the difference and will get a letter from me with the charge that will be billed to them in their student's MySchoolBucks account.
- If your student is going off-campus, please be aware there will be additional fees that families are responsible for. Some of these fees include registration fee, health and wellness fee, student activity fee, etc. Check the college's website for specifics. We do not want families surprised by these fees!!!!
- If your student is full-time off-campus, please remind them to still check STEM email for information about concurrent enrollment and any other important information. I send out communication to STEM email addresses.
- If your student is in an off-campus class and is struggling, please have them contact me or their counselor. We can step in to support even though the class is off-campus.
Pre-College Opportunities
Temple University Japan: TUJ invites high school students to a summer of language and cultural experiences in Tokyo. The 8-night program includes a unique mix of Japanese language classes and one of four exciting electives. Applications open October 1, 2022!
https://www.tuj.ac.jp/hs-summer-program
The Coding School: Future AI Leaders Program - Offered virtually with live instruction by a Harvard researcher, this is a two-semester course that is open to any high school students in the United States. Each week, students will participate in a lecture, code in lab with a Teaching Assistant, and complete a homework or project, culminating with a capstone project that will be reviewed by a panel of leading AI experts in academia and industry. September 18, 2022 - April 16, 2023. https://the-cs.org/train
STAR: Rensselaer Admissions, in coordination with members of the Black and Latinx communities at Rensselaer, invites academically talented under-represented students to participate in the STAR Program. The STAR Program allows high school seniors to learn about the student experience at Rensselaer. The virtual sessions will be held on November 6. https://admissions.rpi.edu/STAR
Volunteer and Employment Opportunities
- In shop employees and drivers (drivers must be 18 or older)
- 9567 S. University Blvd, Highlands Ranch
Lone Creek Farms
- Open September 23rd to October 30th this year and volunteers are accepted Thursdays through Sundays during that time. Students interested in this opportunity can register HERE
- Also, currently hiring for seasonal positions. Lone Creek Farms offers flexible hours that work around their school schedule! Click HERE to apply.
STEM Center for Strength
- The center is allowing student to volunteer Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm. Contact the center to find out more information!
Doc Popcorn & Dippin ́Dots:
- We are looking for accountable people capable of performing all the inherent activities of a retail popcorn and ice cream store. Part time or Full time, morning, afternoon and night available.
- Please call Juju at (206)979-6618 or email: parkmeadows@docpopcorn.com