HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING BULLETIN
January/February 2020
Counselor Days at Colleges
Mr. Bowles and Mrs. Saba attended Counselor Day at Washington and Jefferson College. They had a great time and arrived home in some sweet swag!
It's Scholarship Season!
There are many scholarships available to our 12th grade students to assist in funding their post-secondary education at 2 & 4-yr colleges & universities and technical/trade schools.
Senior students are directed to Naviance Student to search for Local, Pittsburgh Foundation, and national (Other) scholarship applications. Pay special attention to deadlines and requirements for each scholarship and refer to the application or organization’s website for the most up-to-date information. For a searchable pdf document of some scholarships that are either currently being offered or have been offered in the past, please click here.
Through Naviance Student, access to various national scholarship search engines is available that allows students to conduct a scholarship match by selecting specific criteria. Links to the electronic applications, submission requirements, and deadlines for available scholarships can be found through it.
Use the Step by step instructions for applying to Local, Pittsburgh Foundation & Other Scholarships document to make your scholarship application process most efficient.
REMINDER: ALL Scholarship transcripts must be requested through Naviance Student.
Only Local Scholarship applications that are due to the Counseling Office should be turned in with all supporting documents to the Counseling Office secretaries. Envelopes will be available on the Counseling Office counter. Please use a separate envelope for each local scholarship application and be sure to check off the items required on the label provided.
Best of luck to all!
RICHARD J. MADDEN SCHOLARSHIP IS FOR JUNIORS ONLY
The Richard J. Madden Scholarship, established in 2003 by Mr. Madden, a Mt. Lebanon alumni, is awarded annually to one junior student at Mt. Lebanon High School. The recipient may receive up to $12,500 per year, a maximum of $50,000 total, if a 3.0 grade point average is maintained at the student's post secondary selection. This scholarship opportunity is offered each year to juniors who plan to attend a two or four year college or technical school within the United States. Financial need is one of the most important criteria during the review of applications.
All applicants for the Richard J. Madden Scholarship must type their application in the Adobe template provided here. A transcript is required for this scholarship. Students should see their counselor with any questions.
Firm Application deadline: Monday, March 9, 2020
COMMON APP AND SCHOLAR SNAPP
It's never too early - or too late - to start thinking about how to finance one's college education.
A few tips for students preparing their scholarship search:
- You can't earn a scholarship if you don't apply!
- Common App makes it easy for students to apply for scholarship opportunities - students can send already-entered application data to scholarship providers through the Scholar Snapp integration. Students can use Scholar Snapp free of charge!
Applying for Scholarships with Scholar Snapp directions can be found here.
DID YOU MISS THE FINANCIAL AID NIGHT IN OCTOBER?
The information presented is especially helpful for Juniors and Seniors (& their parents) as they move through the college planning process.
Resources that were discussed or referenced during the presentation are available to view/download from our Counseling website under College/Financial Aid here.
Have questions? Reach out to Diana Becker or your School Counselor.
Another very good video resource is: Financial Aid in 15 Minutes - Paying for Post-secondary Education is available from PHEAA which can be viewed here. Kim McCurdy, with Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, takes you through the process, what's available, and things to think about when paying for post-secondary education.
Mid-Year Transcript Requests
Mid-Year transcript requests are a common practice required or suggested by colleges/universities to update a student’s application for admission. In order for these transcripts to be received by the colleges in a timely fashion, requests are due by Thursday, January 16, 2020. More detailed Information and request forms will be distributed in homeroom the second week of January. If you have already been accepted
to the college/university, it is usually not necessary to send a mid-year transcript. If you are in doubt that a mid-year transcript is required, you should contact the college/university directly.
VISIT PARKWAY WEST CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER
Parkway West Career and Technology Center offers high school students the opportunity to gain immediate employment and/or advanced placement within many area colleges and technical schools. The following programs are offered : Auto Body Repair, Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Nail Technician License, Culinary Arts, Digital Multimedia, Health Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician Certificate, Pharmacy Technician Certificate, Informational Technology Essentials, Diesel Technology, Public Safety Technology, Construction Technology Cluster consisting of HVAC/R, Construction, Welding and Electrical Systems Technologies, Veterinary Technology, Sports Medicine Rehabilitation Therapy Technology.
Click here and select Programs of Study to explore the Career Majors they offer in detail.
Click here to see the Academic Course offerings.
Shadow Experience at Parkway
Students interested in possibly attending Parkway may shadow two programs to determine if they are interested in applying. The Exploratory Day is Friday, January 10th from 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM. Students attending the field trip will be bussed to Parkway (permission required). Permission form and Interest Survey are due to Mrs. Schneider in the High School Counseling Office by Tuesday, January 7th @ 3:00 PM. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Schneider in the HS Counseling Office at 412.344.2063.
CUM LAUDE
The Cum Laude rehearsal and ceremony will be held Thursday, March 5, 2020. Rehearsal will be held that morning at 7:15am and the ceremony will be held at 7:00 PM in the High School Auditorium. 2020 inductees will be notified by mailed invitation the second full week of February.
TIPS FOR STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE DEFERRED
Students (and their families) often feel all kinds of emotions after they receive Early Decision/Early Action notifications. The Common Application recently asked our colleagues at the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS) to share some key tips for those students who are deferred. Here's what they had to say.
* Stay positive. Deferral means that you may still be competitive, and that the admissions committee wants to learn more information. You're now a regular decision applicant to that college and are free to apply to other schools. Even though it may be disappointing news to you, remember that you’re still in the applicant pool.
* Know that colleges can't accept every compelling candidate who applies early. At some colleges, they often need to see what the regular decision pool looks like before making
final decisions on many applicants.
* Most colleges send or post instructions about what they encourage – or, more specifically, discourage – in terms of sending additional information such as recommendation letters or supplements. Read that information!
* If this information is not shared, ask: "In past years, how many deferred students were eventually admitted? Should I visit (or re-visit) campus to express my interest? If interviews are offered, should I request one?" This information can help you determine reasonable next steps to take.
* Resist reaching out to anyone at the college right away. Take several days to digest and collect your thoughts. Colleges are not rank-ordering who called or emailed first – and impulsively communicating could send the wrong message.
* Take your upcoming assignments seriously, whether these are projects or end-of-term exams. Most colleges that extend an offer of deferral will want to see an updated set of official grades from first semester or the first marking period of senior year.
* Find out if another round of standardized testing would be accepted or even beneficial
for that particular school.
* Be confident in your original application. If the college encourages submission of new information, then consider doing so. But that doesn’t mean that there was anything "wrong” with your application. Resist the urge to blame your essay and spend hours you don’t have writing a new one for your regular decision colleges. You could spend that time instead on your senior year coursework, other applications, and with family and friends.
This post is shared in collaboration with the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS), an organization of more than 1500 college counselors in nearly 550 independent schools, supporting the essential work of college counselors to serve the students in their care.
Special thanks to Steve Frappier, Director of College Counseling, The Westminster Schools; Deputy Executive Director of ACCIS and Emmi Harward, Director of College Counseling, The Bishop’s School; Executive Director of ACCIS.
College Testing Information
Test Center Number: 39-442
NEXT ACT DATE: February 8, 2020 NOT @ MTLHS
Mt. Lebanon High School Code 393730 (SAT & ACT)
REGISTER FOR SAT TESTS HERE
REGISTER FOR ACT TESTS HERE
For parking and other test-day information, please see High School News on the Mt. Lebanon High School website.
Contact Mr. Rolf Briegel (SAT Center Supervisor) via email with questions or concerns.
For information on College Testing Accommodations process, please see instructions on the School Counseling/ Forms page here.
CHANGES TO THE ACT TEST. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU?
ACT recently announced significant changes that will go into effect September 2020.
The changes include:
- ACT Section retesting
- Online Testing
- ACT Superscoring policy
AP EXAMS
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams will be given at Mt. Lebanon High School the weeks of May 4-8 and May 11-15, 2020. Late registration is still available until February 21, 2020 at a cost of $140 per exam. More details regarding the location and materials will be sent closer to the test date. Students that have paid for an AP exam can cancel by April 7, 2020 to receive a partial refund. If you have any questions please contact your school counselor.
NACAC College Fair February 6th and 7th
The 2020 NACAC Pittsburgh National College Fair will be held Thursday, February 6, 2020, 9am - noon & 6:30pm - 9pm, and Friday, February 7, 2020 from 9am - noon at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
To find out more information about the college fair, and to see a list of what schools will be at the fair and information on the workshops available click here.
IMPORTANT NOTE: No transportation will be provided by MTLSD for this event.
Prior to attending, students should obtain & fill out a pre-approved absence form from the Unit Principal’s office.
10th Grade Career Unit
TEENSCREEN
TeenScreen is a nationally-recognized program developed by Columbia University to identify risk factors associated with depression, anxiety, and alcohol and sub-stance abuse. The program is free and completely voluntary and confidential.
TeenScreen is available to all students in grades 7-12. Look for more information and parental consent forms to follow via U.S. Mail in January.
If you have any questions regarding TeenScreen, please visit Outreach Teen & Family Services, or call their office at 412-561-5405.
SUMMER ENGINEERING WORKSHOP AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
Do you know what you want to study in college, or what career you want to pursue? Have you considered engineering? How much do you know about it? Come join us for a week to learn more about what engineers do and what it would be like to study engineering in college at one of the nation's top engineering schools!
Try out real mechanical engineering practices to create your own products! You will learn how to:
- Design your product using computer-aided design (CAD) software
- Analyze your product using computer-aided engineering (CAE) software
- Fabricate your product using 3-D printers, laser cutters, resin casting, and hand-held tools.
Learn about other engineering disciplines (electrical, biomedical, robotics, etc.) through daily presentations and tours of CMU labs.
Note: This is not a residential program.
This workshop will be held from June 15 -19, 2020 @ ANSYS Hall on the CMU campus. Space is limited to 36 students. Application deadline: March 1st.
For more Information, click here.
Summer Learning Programs
High School Counseling Office
Email: acarini@mtlsd.net
Website: https://hs.mtlsd.org/student-services/school-counseling
Location: Pittsburgh, 155 Cochran Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15228, United States
Phone: 412.344.2053 412.344.2062