Patriot Post
Counseling Corner: March Edition
Community College Night
Beckman High School will be hosting Community College Night on Tuesday April 2nd from 6 to 8 pm in the Performing Arts Center. College reps from Irvine Valley College, Orange Coast College, Santa Ana College, and Santiago Canyon College will be presenting on financial aid, priority registration, special programs, career certification, and university transfer. Mark your calendars for this important event and plan to attend! We hope to see you there.
Rethinking College Options
In Frank Bruni's book, Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania, Bruni offers an alternative approach to selecting a college and lessening the anxiety associated with determining one's worth by their college.
Here his thoughts below:
Wellness Corner
We are approaching our final workshops of the year.
Wellness Wednesday:
March 27 Stress Management (presented by our Psychology teacher Mr. Bohn)
April 10 Healthy Coping
Location: Commons 8:15-9 AM
Lunch & Learn:
April 11 Gifts of Imperfection (self-reflection and self-love)
Location: Library
E-Parent Education: The Power of Sleep- A teenager needs approximate 9.25 hours of sleep!
Parents Guide to Teenagers and Sleep
Adolescents are notoriously sleep-deprived, because of a combination of biology, technology and the demands of school and extra-curricular activities. This guide outlines how lack of sleep can affect teenagers, and how parents can help them build more sleep into their lives.
https://childmind.org/guide/parents-guide-to-teenagers-and-sleep/
Senior Scene
With some exceptions you should begin hearing from the schools you applied to with their admission decisions. If accepted to many schools, weigh all your options before committing. Talk with your family, counselors, teachers and friends and review your financial aid packages before deciding. If possible, visit the schools during spring break or on the upcoming weekends.
Notify other schools of your final decisions. They will have plenty of students on their waitlist anxiously waiting for seats to open up.
If you were rejected from a school, you may be able to appeal the decision. It is very rare that they may reconsider but if you feel you have a valid reason, research the school’s admission policy and adhere to their guidelines.
In early May, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) releases its College Openings Update — a list of colleges that still have openings for the coming academic year.
How to Accept a UC Admission Offer
Students can accept an admission offer by agreeing to the provisions/conditions outlined in the offer and submitting their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) with the SIR deposit to reserve their space at a campus. The SIR deposit is $250. Some important things to keep in mind about accepting a UC admission offer:
1. Students can accept only one admission offer from one UC campus.
2. The SIR deposit is applied to the student's first enrollment term tuition.
3. Students that qualified for the UC application fee waiver will have the SIR deposit deferred until financial aid is disbursed.
4. The SIR deposit is nonrefundable and non-transferable.
5. Orientation may be required at some UC campuses. Orientation is valuable to your student for familiarizing themselves with the campus and can be a great opportunity for them to meet new friends! Students should review orientation options early to secure a date that best meets their schedule.
6. A Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) for tuition determination purposes only may be required.
UC Admission to Enrollment: Next Steps
Junior Junction
Counselors will be going into history classes on March 29th to guide students on post-secondary planning. Students will engage in an activity to review each of the college systems: public, private, and community college to better understand the requirements for each as they make decisions on where to apply.
College Testing: Decide if you will take the SAT or ACT and what test and type of preparation is right for you. For the SAT, go to collegeboard.org and for the ACT, look at ACT.org.
Colleges: This would be a great time to look at your college matches on Naviance and maybe plan a tour of the schools you are interested in. The best way to know if a school is right for you is to visit the school.
The UC application Personal Insight Questions will remain the same for fall 2020 applicants.
The questions, FAQ's, instructions, and worksheets for freshman applicants can be found on the University of California admissions site under the How to Apply tab. Even though you can't start your actual application, it's a great time to begin formulating your thoughts.
NACAC Report Sheds Light on the College Admission Process
Sophomore Stop
As the school end quickly approaches, it is a great time for sophomores to think about their summer plans. There are many ways student can enrich themselves from getting their first job, volunteering, or attending a summer camp based on their Career Cluster. Check out the counseling Haiku page for ideas! Colleges do not value one enrichment over another, rather they want to see students have learned and grown from their experiences. After engaging in activities, students should reflect on what they learned about themselves, what they learned about others, and how they grew from their experiences.
Freshman Forum
During registration for 10th grade classes, freshmen completed the Naviance Cluster Finder survey. This survey helps equip our students with information about themselves to make informed decisions. In other words, the more students understand their interests, the more they can make informed decisions about courses, activities, and eventually career interests they might want to explore. Instead of basing career pathway choices on opinion, students can begin to see their strengths in their Cluster Finder outcomes. When students can see that a career pathway has many options, including levels of education, pay, and opportunity for growth, they can expand their horizons beyond just the most typical careers.
This activity addresses the following American School Counselor Association Mindsets and Behavior Standards: (1) Understanding that post-secondary education and lifelong learning are necessary for long-term career success (2) Believe in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high quality results and outcomes.