Counselor Corner 2017-2018
October-November 2017 (v.2)
Fall is in full swing...
Many activities are underway at ROHS...
Paul Surdenik, Jennifer Vick, Carrie Laurence & Jim Bowker
Mark your Calendars:
FAFSA Opened: Oct 1st. "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (click link for website). Application through FAFSA is required for most colleges, universities and many scholarships before they issue monetary awards (even merit based). We recommend all families with students attending a 2 or 4-year college in the fall file with FAFSA.
Newly Updated--FAFSA Workshop @ ROHS: Nov 7, 6:00-7:30 pm in the Learning Commons. We will host a Financial Aid Counselor that evening who will be making appointments to answer all of you application questions. Click HERE to sign up for an appointment with Sign Up Genius.
ASVAB Testing: Oct. 31st, The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. Test is free to students and may provide useful career pathway information even for students not interested in the military.
ROHS Parent Teacher Conference: Oct 25th & Oct 26th, 4-7pm in the Gym
Oct 31st: 1/2 day for ROHS students
Election Day: Nov. 7th--no school for ROHS students (staff in PD)
Thanksgiving Recess: Nov 22-26 (classes resume Monday, Nov. 27)
Homework Help:
Testing Dates 2017-2018:
ACT 2017-2018:
- Oct 28,
- Dec 9,
- Feb 10,
- April 14,
- June 9,
- July 14
SAT 2017-2018:
- Nov 4,
- Dec 2,
- March 2018--TBD, will be administered to all Juniors at ROHS, no registration needed,
- May 5,
- June 2
*To register your student for testing, please do so directly on the respective websites below
Should I retake the ACT or SAT?
However, it is good to know WHY you are electing to retake the test. Would scoring 1 or 2 (ACT) or 100 (SAT) points higher help you qualify for $1000 more in Merit Scholarships from your college? Are you close to getting into your "reach" school? If so, then maybe. HOWEVER...these instruments are generally very "reliable" metrics, meaning student scores don't tend to vary much from one test to the next.
Tips if you DO want to retake:
- Focus on ONE test (ACT or SAT) whichever one you felt more confident and comfortable with. All colleges take either test.
- If you want a different score, take a different approach. If you didn't do any prep work the first time, do some actual prep the second time. Online tutorials, test prep books or tutors/prep classes are all options.
- The ROHS Career Counseling Center website has a lot of information that might also prove helpful. Do a little research.
COLLEGE SHOPPING for Seniors (& Juniors!)
1) Go to the school's website, click on the "Admissions" tab, and then click the "Apply" button--at this point the student will either be directed to create an account OR will be directed to apply via the "Common App" (not widely used for colleges/universites in Michigan).
2) After you hit "submit" on the application, your student should send his/her transcripts to that school via Parchment (www.parchment.com). Please note, the SSC does not typically send transcripts unless the student is applying to a school via the Common App. Students will need to do this on their own.
3) Send test scores (ACT/SAT) if asked to do so and your student hasn't already done so. Your student's SAT from last spring at ROHS is published on their transcript, for most schools this is adequate.
Note: some schools (University of Michigan, Michigan State University) require you to send them directly from ACT/SAT. If your student designated a school to receive their test scores at the time they took the test (both tests allow you to send 4 for free per test). If you did not do this, you must log into the testing website, request them to be sent, and pay).
After you have done the above steps, prompt your student to check back in with the online application portal to make sure 1) all facets of the application are complete 2) they receive a response from the school (accept, defer, decline). PAY ATTENTION to important application deadlines on each schools webpage.
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JUNIORS--Now is the time to start looking 1-2-3:
1) Website visits/virtual tours are a great first step. Start browsing different schools online and compare/contrast---see what piques your interest. There are some great websites to help your student to explore different colleges/options your student may or may not already be familiar with. Two such websites:
- My Future: www.myfuture.com
- My Big Future: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
2) Attend College Rep Visits at ROHS--pick 3 or 4 schools that sound interesting and come sit in on an informational meeting. Sign up in the SSC.
3) VISIT! This may be the most critical component of your college search. All colleges and universities schedule campus visits/tours on their websites. This is the best way to get the "feel" of each school. Please note: plan ahead. Some schools (MSU, U of M) book up quickly. You don't want to be left out in the cold (literally and figuratively! brrrr...)
Upcoming College Rep. Visits:
Northern Michigan University, 10/30, 9:30am
Scholarships?
Get Involved at ROHS...there are SO many options...
ROHS has myriad clubs, sports, and activities. Encourage your student to put a couple the below items on their bucket list for the year.
Your Counseling Staff:
Jennifer Vick, alpha C-J, vickj@royaloakschools.org
Carrie Laurence, alpha K- Re, laurencec@royaloakschools.org
Jim Bowker, alpha Ri-Z, bowkerj@royaloakschools.org
Karen Murphy, secretary, murphyk@royaloakschools.org
Phone: 248-435-8500