College & Career Center Newsletter
December 17, 2021 Edition 10
Rene Klaus - College & Career Specialist
Inside This Issue
- Message
- Upcoming Events
- Grade Level Specific Information
- Scholarships
- Klaus's Kernels
- Opportunities / Jobs / Volunteering
- College Spotlight
- Career Spotlight
- Want More?
Message
Some seniors my still be finishing up college applications over the break for those that aren't due until January or February. Don't wait until the last minute for those either. As we know, the websites tend to get slow and bogged down right before the deadlines. Also, for Seniors, don't slack off on finals and take an incomplete thinking you can just finish your final after the break. Midterm transcripts will be sent out mid January so if you don't complete a Fall semester class until late January, your colleges will receive your transcript showing an "Incomplete". Finally, Seniors, make sure to read the Seniors section below about applying for scholarships and some tips for Common App.
Upcoming events
Career Talks & College Life
Here are the scheduled visits for January. Click HERE for the complete up to date list.
There may be a few college visits throughout the winter but we are transitioning to Career Talks and Career Fairs in the winter/spring.
12/20 @1pm - College Life Talks with Westmont Alumni in Library
1/12 @ 10:15am - Summer Enrichment Programs Presentation by CCC Student Ambassadors in the Library
1/25 @ 12:25pm - Military Fair in the Library
SAT/ACT Online Practice Test - January 26th 9am-1pm
This is a great opportunity to take a practice SAT or ACT test. It's online but proctored so you will have the correct timing. The cost is $10, all proceeds are a fundraiser for the CCC Student Ambassador Club. You will get your score soon after finishing, and you can use this to find out what areas you need to work on before taking the official test.
Register here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/partners/413/
Events Around the Bay Area and Virtual Events
University of Chicago virtual Live Information Sessions
12/21 @ 12pm PT Register here
12/28 @ 9am PT Register here
12/30 @ 12pm PT Register here
The College Tour - TV Series
Each episode of The College Tour will focus on a single college or university. From campus life, academics, housing, sports, activities, and much more… each student driven segment will give young people an inside look at what it’s truly like being a student at the featured college or university.
Join us for a truly one-of-a-kind series featuring colleges and universities in a way they have never been seen before! There are 28 episodes ready for you to watch now with more coming soon. Check it out at www.thecollegetour.com.
Grade Level Specific Information
PSAT/NMSQT Scores for Sophomores and Juniors Available Now
If you would like to get your test booklet back you can ask Mrs. Johal for it in the Book Room.
Seniors
Finish up submitting any applications due in January then move on to Phase 5: Clean Up. In this phase, you will do the following:
Create portals
Read emails, check portals
Provide anything requested
Request MidYear transcripts
Apply for Scholarships using Personal statements from college applications
Remember how IMPORTANT it is to read your emails!
SEARCHING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS:
Now is the time to start searching for scholarships. Get those personal statements and PIQ responses out and be ready to reuse them as much as possible for scholarship applications. If you need money for college but don't qualify for Need Based Aid, you will need to get busy applying to scholarships. Researching scholarships can be overwhelming, but if you listen to these few tips, it becomes more doable.
1) Commit to spend 1 hour a week working on scholarships
2) In the first hour, search through the Scholarship Spreadsheet below or search online to locate scholarships you are eligible for and make a list in a document containing:
NAME of SCHOLARSHIP , DUE DATE, LINK TO APPLICATION,
Look for those due in the next month or two.
3) After you have a few on the list, spend the next hour filling out the applications, writing any essays (remember to reuse as much as you can from personal statements you've already written) and asking for any letters of recommendation that are required. If you asked a teacher or counselor for a letter of rec. for college apps you should ask them to reuse those letters.
4) Make sure to submit your application before the deadline, and give any recommenders 2 weeks notice.
5) When you've worked through the list, go back to step 2 and find some more scholarships to apply to in the next month or two.
Once you create your Common App account at commonapp.org, and add colleges to it, you can see what is required for each college by clicking on "Application Requirements" from the Dashboard. This will list the deadlines, application fees, essay and supplement requirements, and any letters of recommendation that are required. If you are still working on essays, did you know that Paper (Tutoring support services) will review college essays and give you feedback? This is a great option so take advantage of it. They are available 24/7 .
Another question I get a lot is in the "Grades" section where they ask about Class size (which is 384 for class of 2022) and "Class rank reporting" which is NONE for Westmont now.
Also, make sure to match your Naviance account with your Common App account so we can send your transcript if needed. To do this you will need to complete your FERPA waiver on the Common app.
Juniors
If you think you want to apply to a UC next year, this is a great tool for helping you prepare. It's prepared by UCLA so they have great tips for each grade level in high school. Check out the tips for 11th grade and even watch some of the videos. You'll get ideas for things you can do now to prepare (including getting the best grades you can.) Check it out at the website below.
http://prepare.admission.ucla.edu/
Also, if you are interested in receiving text messages to help remind you along the way of things you should be doing, you can text the word "TIPS" to 82521 to receive prep tips from UCLA Admission.
COSMOS Summer Enrichment Program is another great experience to help prepare you for a UC. This program is competitive but gives you exposure to life as a UC Student and if you are accepted to this program you are very likely to get accepted to the same UC when applying to college. Applications open January 12, 2022 and are due February 11, 2022. You will need a teacher letter of recommendation to apply so check it out now and get started gathering information for the application.
Sophomores
- U.S. History - on level
- American Experience US History - on level US History paired with American Experience English 3. The history and english teachers work together to align the topics you will learn about in both classes. You'll read and write about topics that you will be studying in history.
- AP US History - Advanced Placement US History that you could receive college credit for if you pass the AP Exam in May of the year you take the class.
Check out these and more classes on Naviance. Login in to your account then from the main menu, select "Courses" and "Explore Course Catalog". You can filter by grade, subject, and course name.
Freshmen
How do you study? When it comes to study strategies, there is no universal approach. You need to experiment and find out what works best for you. (according to Jackson Schroeder from The University Network)
Visual learners, for example, may benefit from making flashcards, while auditory learners may retain information best by listening to recordings of lectures, lessons, or classroom discussions.
And those who feel particularly anxious or weighed down by the thought of studying may benefit from using the Pomodoro study method. The method uses a timer to break down studying into intervals of 25 minutes with short breaks in between. During the breaks, you can get on your phone, take a walk around the block, or make a quick bite to eat.
But, no matter your preferred method of studying, you should always make an effort to actively engage your brain, rather than just going through the motions. The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Learning Center give the following ideas for active studying:
- Create a study guide by topic. Formulate questions and problems and write complete answers. Create your own quiz.
- Become a teacher. Say the information aloud in your own words as if you are the instructor and teaching the concepts to a class.
- Derive examples that relate to your own experiences.
- Create concept maps or diagrams that explain the material.
- Develop symbols that represent concepts.
- For non-technical classes (e.g., English, History, Psychology), figure out the big ideas so you can explain, contrast, and re-evaluate them.
- For technical classes, work the problems and explain the steps and why they work.
- Study in terms of question, evidence, and conclusion: What is the question posed by the instructor/author? What is the evidence that they present? What is the conclusion?
Scholarships
2021-2022 Scholarships Spreadsheet
Free Speech Essay Contest: $500-$10,000 Open to Juniors and Seniors. In a persuasive letter or essay, convince your peers that free speech is a better idea than censorship. Deadline to submit is December 31, 2021 8:59pm PT.
One Earth Young Film Makers Contest: $350-$1000. Grades 9-12. Entrants may submit a film of no shorter than 3 minutes and no longer than 8 minutes. Submissions must share and highlight solutions to the issues discussed in the chosen sustainability topic(s). The film entry’s theme must be solution-based. Deadline to submit is January 5, 2022.
Campbell Chamber Community Foundation Scholarships: $1000 each. They are offering 3 scholarships for seniors going to college in fall and pursuing different areas of study. The applications can be downloaded at the links listed below and all are due February 4, 2022.
Sally Howe Memorial Scholarship - pursuing degree in Journalism related field.
Mike Kotowski Honorary Scholarship - pursuing degree in Public Policy, Art, Science or related field.
Betty Deal Memorial Scholarship - pursuing degree in Business related field.
Juno, a company that can help you get money cheaper
Cost of College: For information about how to lessen the college debt, check out the partnership between our Inventavation Club and Juno, a company started by a group of millennials from Harvard University who realized young people were drowning in student debt and wanted to do something about it.
They realized that if they got a bunch of people together, they could use the power of group buying (similar to a Groupon or Hotels.com) to negotiate a better deal for everyone. They’ve done it successfully for three years now and opened up the negotiation group to anyone who’s interested.Anyone who wants to join can do so on their website. It takes 2 minutes and just needs some basic info. It’s also totally free and there’s no commitment to take any of their deals. It’s just another option on the table for saving money. Just to name a few things you'll find are interest rate discounts for undergrads and grads, 0.25% rate discount for refinance and up to $2,000 signing bonus for people who refinance.
They also have several scholarships including a monthly one for $1,000 that can be applied to current tuition or towards your existing loans if you already have some. On their website, you can explore multiple other scholarships.
If you’re interested, you can sign-up here: https://joinjuno.com/p/Inventavation?grow=inventav
Klaus's Kernels
Binghamton University, New York - This is a FUN FACT I'm sure you don't know: Flow, from the Progressive Insurance commercial, is an alumni of Binghamton University.
Georgetown Professor of International Business Diplomacy, Marc Busch shared some tips about getting prepared for college. Here are his top 3 tips:
1) Math is power (so don't shy away from math)
2) Learn to be comfortable with public speaking (he sends his students to Improv)
3) Learn how to write. (you will always need to be able to write well)
Opportunities / Jobs / Volunteering / Help
Volunteers needed for Westmont Career Fair - April 14th 12-2pm
The College and Career Center is looking for volunteers to help with the Career Fair. There are multiple ways you can help:
- Table at the event and talk about your career and possible job opportunities for High School or College Grads ( requires attendance on April 14th 11:30-2pm)
- Help contact representatives to table at the event ( Do you work at a company that has an outreach program? Do you work at a company looking to hire high school grads? )
- Pick up pizza for the event
- Hand out pizza at the event
- Donate cookies for the event
- Staff the Exit Survey and give out cookies at the event
If you are interested in volunteering for this event please fill out the form below and we will contact you.
Need a tutor?
PAPER - Provides free 24/7 Tutoring for All CUHSD Students
CUHSD has partnered with Paper Tutoring to provide students FREE online tutoring support 24/7. This was made possible by emergency funding provided by the Extended Learning Opportunities Grant.
Tutors are live virtually on Paper 24/7 at https://app.paper.co/login/student and are ready to lend students a helping hand. Paper tutors can help in over 200 subjects and four different languages. More information on Paper can be found by visiting the Paper Website. You can also learn more about Paper tutors by clicking here.
Click this link to watch the Paper Information and Q&A Session for CUHSD families.
COSMOS - California State Summer School for Math and Science
It is held on 4 of the UC Campuses: Davis, Santa Cruz, Irvine and San Diego. Each campus has around 10 different "Clusters" to choose from but you can apply to only one. Check out the clusters at each campus and find the one you like the best. The application requires an essay and 2 teacher letters of recommendation (one from a STEM teacher). This is great practice for the UC application when you are a senior.
January 11, 2022 - Application opens
February 12, 2022 - Deadline to apply
MIT - MITES and MOSTEC Program for current Juniors - FREE!
Our programs empower highly-motivated scholars with the knowledge, confidence, and community necessary to pursue their passions for STEM at the nation’s top colleges and beyond.
Since 2011, the MIT OEOP has provided over 1,500 scholars with a transformative and life-changing experience through our MITES and MOSTEC programs. Our programs provide a meaningful and fun experience for rising high school seniors, where they learn about new and cutting-edge technologies in science and engineering, build a strong community of friends and mentors from across the globe, and receive support and coaching in the college application process, all at no cost.
BloomEnergy is hiring Assembly Technicians
Day and Night Shifts
- starting rate $21 - $25 / hour
- $3000 sign-on bonus
- additional attendance bonus
Click these for details about Assembly Technician or Remote Monitoring Technician.
Apply at: bloomenergy.com/careers
Hiring - Easy Lift Door Company
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs or more
- Must have own set of tools
- Must work well with others
- Must be able to take directions
- Must have excellent communication skills
- Must be able to work safely on construction sites
For more information about the company click HERE.
To apply or download an application click HERE.
Campbell Community Center Hiring Lifeguards
- Must be 15 years of age or older
- For certified or previously certified Lifeguards
- $16 per hour
- Must pass fingerprint clearance
- Candidates must be able to pass all American Red Cross Lifeguard Training requirements.
To apply or get more information click HERE.
Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad - Now Hiring
We are looing to fill part time positions. Perfect for students. Excellent job training. Flexible hours. Work outdoors. Work with kids.
Call: (408) 395-7433 for more information and how to get an application.
Walden West Cabin Leaders - High School Volunteer Opportunity
We look for high school sophomores and older to be cabin leaders during our week-long residential outdoor school program. Many of your students probably attended Walden West when they were in 5th or 6th grade.
Cabin leaders learn and hone a variety of leadership skills including group management, problem solving, critical thinking, and more.
Also on our website, they can look to see if their elementary school is attending and can possibly volunteer for their week. They can actually volunteer for any week they're available, it's a little more special when the high schoolers go with their old school.
For more information go to the volunteer website.
Wirlix Internship
Wirlix Internship https://forms.gle/P9AtUqAfmKkH2EYW8
Wirlix is a social media company that is looking for people to basically test our app. . We are looking for high schoolers to sign up. This is an official internship that you can put on your college application. It is a good experience and is especially good for learning about argumentative speech and debate.
UC Davis Women in Business Seminars
High School Outreach Program - Hosted By UC Davis' Davis Women In Business
Workshop Overview:
Workshop 4: Interview Prep - January 6th, Thursday 7:00-7:45pm
Workshop 5: Resume 101 - January 27th, Thursday 7:00-7:45pm
Workshop 6: Self Care - February 17th, Thursday 7:00-7:45pm
Workshop 7: Investments and Budgeting - March 10th, Thursday 7:00-7:45pm
Workshop 8: Leadership - March 31st, Thursday 7:00-7:45pm
We ask all students who are interested in the program to fill out this registration form: https://bit.ly/dwib-hs-rsvp
STEMpower
Cabin Leader for YMCA Outdoor Science School
Need Academic Help? Check out Grizzly Tutoring
Grizzly Tutors offers bay area students online one-to-one tutoring from UC Berkeley undergrads. Whether your student needs help in a specific class, someone to help them stay on top of their homework, SAT/ACT prep, or guidance to get into a top-tier school like UC Berkeley, our tutors are perfectly placed to assist them.
On average, our tutors raise CUHSD students’ grades by over one full letter grade, or maintain them at a strong A.
Visit the website now for a discount!
College Spotlight
Suffolk Unviersity - Boston MA
Suffolk University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian university located in Boston. Founded in 1906, the University offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in its Law School, College of Arts & Sciences, and Sawyer Business School.
The Suffolk Experience is yours to define. This is not a traditional college experience. It’s not supposed to be. You’ll shape it by how you make your way from class to your internship, from your dorm to your own apartment, from move-in day to graduation, from downtown Boston to the world. Suffolk staff will be there every step of the way to help you bring your potential to life. Your experience will be uniquely you—and uniquely Suffolk.
Quick Stats:
85% acceptance rate
4,398 undergraduate students
14 to 1 student to faculty ratio
77% retention rate
$41,648 Tuition
Top areas of Study:
- Business: Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Management, Entrepreneurship
- Government, International Relations, Law
- Communications & Journalism, Advertising & Public Relations
- Psychology, Sociology- Criminal Justice
- Biology: Health Careers, Biotechnology, Marine Science
Career Spotlight
Social Workers by Maddon Hoh-Choi
Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their lives.
Some social workers diagnose and treat those with mental, behavioral, and emotional issues while some direct individuals to resources they need or services that can assist them. Social workers work in a variety of settings, including mental health clinics, schools, child welfare and human service agencies, hospitals, settlement houses, community development corporations, and private practices. For example, some social workers work in hospitals to make sure that those who are leaving have all the resources they need, while some work with children in the foster care system.
Although some social workers only need a bachelor’s degree in social work, clinical social workers must have a master’s degree and 2 years of post-master’s experience in a supervised clinical setting. Clinical social workers must also be licensed in the state in which they practice. They generally work full time and may need to work evenings, weekends, and holidays. Social work is an extremely broad career, but so necessary in our world full of those who need help. About 78,300 openings for social workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations.
(Check out the latest CCC Podcast episode where I interview a social worker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S8q9pD8sN4)
Quick Facts
Median Pay: $54,262/year $26.09/hour
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelors Degree in Social Work
On-the-job Training: Supervised sessions
Number of Jobs, 2020: 715,600
Job Outlook (2020-2030): 12% (faster than average)