Senior Counseling Corner
Brighton High School Counseling Office
November 20, 2020
Seniors,
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! We are so grateful to see each of you, either in person or via zoom. With the short week for the holiday, we will not be sending out a newsletter until after the holiday.
Since our college & registrar deadlines are fast approaching, Mrs. Stern will be hosting Office Hours MONDAY & TUESDAY next week before Thanksgiving. Please stop into the Career Center from 11:30-2 either day to get any support you may need before the break. Remember- your January 1st applications are due to the registrar December 7!
Did you know November is National Scholarship Month? Once you get those applications behind you, take the time to start RESEARCHING HOW TO GET FREE MONEY! Check out our BHS Counseling Website's Scholarship page for resources and scholarship search engines: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2087
New this week:
- Canisius College Instant Decision Day NEXT WEEK! SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE- SIGN UP VIA CALENDLY. If you are signed up, info will be coming from Mrs. Stern soon so check your email!
- Your Senior Pictures etc. are due to the yearbook ASAP!
- Planning to study engineering in college? Check out this week's scholarship- Monroe Professional Engineers Society. See below for details.
Stay in touch and we'll see you soon!
Best,
BHS Counseling Office
(585) 242-5000 x4526
Complete your Senior Diploma Survey in Naviance
Please log into your Naviance account and complete the "BHS Senior Diploma Survey".
This is your FULL name as you would like it to appear on your diploma and in the graduate program.
- Please consult with your parent/guardian to ensure everything is correct.
- Remember, this is an OFFICIAL document that should match other legal documents such as birth certificates, license, etc.
Note:
- For students without a middle name, you need to enter “none" so we know we aren't missing it.
- Use your full, legal names.
Yearbook Submissions Due December 4th!
Attention Class of 2021 Students and Families!
YEARBOOK is looking forward to receiving your submissions.
Please visit the Crossroads Website listed below for information on the submission process for
Senior: Portraits, Quotes, Now and Then's, and Recognition Ads!
Visit https://www.bcsd.org/Page/6478 or Contact Crossroads_Yearbook@bcsd.org
with questions.
Have you completed the FAFSA yet?
- Review our Senior Parent Night #2 video- there is some great information in there about the financial aid process in general.
- If you have specific questions, call your college's financial aid office.
- Want help filling out the FAFSA? MCC (regardless if you are applying there or not) is available to help! They have great information on their website on how to apply and open computer lab times so you can complete the application with in-person support.
- https://www.monroecc.edu/tuition-aid/i-am/first-time-college-student/
SEMINAR & Application Reminders
- Make sure you have reviewed your transcript and are on track to graduate. If you need a copy, see your counselor.
- Officially request letters of recommendation in Naviance.
- If using Common App, complete the Education piece, sign the FERPA waiver, WAIVE YOUR RIGHTS, and connect to Naviance.
- Make sure your admission plans and deadlines are correct in Naviance (EA, ED, etc.)
- If not using Common App, the Registrars or your Counselor can add Colleges to your list for you.
- After your application is SUBMITTED, hand in the Blue Sheets to the Registrar's office by REGISTRAR DEADLINE (10 school days prior to application deadline). You can do this in person or via email.
- If submitting your Blue Sheet via email, please include the number of Blue Sheets you are including in your email in the subject line (ex- Courtney Stern 2 Blue Sheets). It's also helpful to list the colleges/Blue Sheets you are applying to in the text of the email. This is to ensure we are not missing anything.
Attend College & Career Office Hours or schedule an appointment with your counselor if you have any questions. We are here to help!
Instant Decision Days
This fall we will be offering VIRTUAL Instant Decision days with NINE phenomenal institutions!
Students will have the chance to meet with an admissions representative via Zoom and receive instant feedback on their application- most students will be informed of their admissions decision that day!
If interested, please follow the instructions below:
- Sign up on Calendly for your 15 min admissions appointment with any of the institutions you are interested in.
- Turn in the Blue Sheet to the Registrar’s office at least 1 week prior to the instant decision date. **it is not required to apply prior to the decision day, but encouraged.
- Please label blue sheet: "College Name-INSTANT DECISION DAY" to ensure we have your transcript & other required documents ready for your appointment.
- Please encourage teacher(s) to upload letter(s) of recommendation to Naviance at least one week prior to instant decision date.
- A Zoom Link will be sent to you at 11:45 the day of the meeting. We will let you in from the waiting room at your scheduled time.
- An admissions counselor will review your materials and could provide an admissions decision and estimate of your scholarship package that night! (some colleges may require a few additional days to process materials)
- Please note- Geneseo is an ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW ONLY. This will be used as part of your application to be reviewed later. No decision will be made that this time. If interested in Geneseo, we highly recommend taking advantage of this.
Calendly Link: https://calendly.com/courtney_stern
A few recommendations:
- Show up a few minutes early- you don’t want to be late!
- Wear appropriate attire- no need to dress up, but please look presentable. This is YOUR opportunity to show them who you are other than a name on a piece of paper!
- Come prepared with questions about the school- we are happy to help you with this.
If you have any questions about these opportunities, please contact Mrs. Stern!
College & Career Office Hours
Mrs. Stern will be available for office hours starting September 15- December 17th to support you in your post-secondary planning!
No need to sign up for these dates, just drop in to 262!!
- Please come to the Career Center prepared with questions if you can. I want to be sure I can best support you! I hope that you will leave with questions answered and a plan for next steps (which could include another meeting with myself or your School Counselor).
- Don't forget your lap top!
REMOTE STUDENTS- please email your counselor or Mrs. Stern to set up a Zoom appointment!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. I hope to see you all soon!
"It’s time to stop thinking about getting into college, and start thinking about going to college."
Registrar Deadlines
Check out the Registrar deadlines- based on the college/job/scholarship deadlines, the dates below are when your application is DUE TO THE REGISTRARS OFFICE.
Please note- the Registrars Office will not be ready to process application materials until October 1st.
NCAA
Webinar for Student-Athletes & Family
As a companion to the NCAA Eligibility Center’s recent COVID-19 response, we will be hosting a webinar for your student-athletes and their families. Your students can register to join us on Saturday, November 7 at 2 p.m. Eastern for a discussion on these important initial-eligibility adjustments: https://pub.s1.exacttarget.com/twsfoikazja
Eligibility Center Office Closures
Due to operational changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA Eligibility Center will be closed during the following weeks:
Week 1 – October 19-23.
Week 2 – November 16-20.
Week 3 – December 7-11.
During these weeks, no business processes—including core-course reviews, school or program reviews, school or district account updates (grading scales, designations, etc.) and student certifications—will be completed.
Please note that our Customer Service team will be unavailable to address questions during these weeks.
When we re-open, we anticipate impact to our typical timelines for responses to inquiries and processing of reviews in the weeks immediately following the closures. Thank you for planning accordingly and for your patience as we work through these challenging times.
Monroe Professional Engineers Society Scholarships!
This is a one-time scholarship of approximately $2,000- multiple scholarships given!
Please check out their website for a copy of the application and more details: http://monroepes.org/scholarship/
Rochester Area Scholarship Opportunity at Wittenberg!!
On behalf of the Admission Office and Rochester Alumni Scholarship Committee, I am pleased to invite your students to apply for Wittenberg University's Rochester Area Scholarship!
Awarded to incoming freshmen, the Rochester Area Scholarship is for $14,000, or $3,500 per year for 4 years. To be considered for the award, the student must:
- Reside in the Rochester area (specifically, zip code areas beginning with 144-, 145-, and 146-)
- Submit Wittenberg's Application for Admission by the Early Action Deadline of December 1
- Submit the Rochester Area Scholarship Application by January 15
- Be in the top 15% of their class
Established in 1983, the scholarship was initially funded by a grant from the Davenport-Hatch Foundation of Rochester, New York, to enable Rochester area students with strong academic credentials to attend Wittenberg University. Recipients are selected by a cooperative effort with the Rochester Alumni Scholarship Committee and Wittenberg’s Office of Admission. The selection committee reviews academic transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, the admission essay, recommendation letters, extracurricular activities, and leadership experiences.
Should you, or your students, have any additional questions regarding the scholarship, please feel free to contact me by phone at 937-327-6367, or by email at ritterr@wittenberg.edu.
Sincerely,
Rachel Ritter
Assistant Director of Admission
Rochester Scholarship Coordinator
Ithaca College STEM Scholarship- $40,000
This scholarship program (called the Ithaca College S-STEM program) is intended for high achieving students who are interested in computer science, math, or physics and who may have financial barriers to affording Ithaca College.
Students can receive up to $10,000 per year (for four years, depending on their financial need) and will be supported by a program of professional development, STEM career counseling, research opportunities, mentoring, and community-building among the cohort of scholarship recipients. In addition, we are partnering with science and technology companies in the region to provide seminar presentations by industry experts, job shadowing, and internships.
To be eligible for the S-STEM Program, students must
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;
- Be accepted for enrollment in computer science, mathematics, or physics at Ithaca College; and,
- Have a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4-point scale);
Eligible students will be invited to apply for the scholarship. We are happy to talk with students and their families about the program and welcome their inquiries.
More information is available at www.ithaca.edu/academics/s-stem
Thanks for your time and consideration. If you have any questions, I can be reached via email at s-stem@ithaca.edu and/or phone at (607)274-7375.
Dave Brown
IC S-STEM Program
Professor and Chair
Department of Mathematics
Williams Hall 212C
Ithaca College
953 Danby Rd. | Ithaca, NY 14850
607-274-7375 | 607-244-1952 mobile
dabrown@ithaca.edu | faculty.ithaca.edu/dabrown/
Alfred University Scholar Award
Alfred University is excited to announce the Alfred University Scholar Award!
One current student from EVERY high school in New York State (regardless if NYS resident or not) will be eligible for a scholarship to Alfred University. A guidance/college counselor, principal or nominating committee will submit the name of a current student to Alfred University.
The selected recipient will receive $30,000 per year if enrolling in our Liberal Arts & Sciences, Business, Performing Arts, Mechanical, or Renewable Energy Engineering programs or $18,000 per year if enrolling in our School of Art & Design, Biomaterials Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Glass Engineering Science or Materials Science and Engineering programs. *The Alfred University Scholar Award overrides all other scholarships, however the recipient would still be eligible for need based financial aid if they qualify.
Scholarship Qualifications:
- Student nominees must be taking a course of study that is college preparatory in scope
- Student must have achieved an overall 3.0 GPA by the end of their junior year
- Student must complete and submit their Alfred University application by February 1, 2021 (we will notify student of their nomination)
Alfred University has always been considered “Outside of Ordinary.” Not only were we one of the first higher education institutions in the US to admit women to programs whereby they could take courses alongside men, we were the first to admit Native Americans and African Americans.
Are you “Outside of Ordinary?” Have you lent a helping hand to those that need it most; had to work in order to help support their family; made a difficult decision to give up something so they could complete their coursework or add something to their resume; been the star athlete and part of theatre and/or chorus; demonstrated who they are as an individual and how they can bring that same inspiration to the Alfred University community?
IF INTERESTED, PLEASE EMAIL MRS.STERN by November 20th at courtney_stern@bcsd.org
Scholarships
Here are a few links to some great advice regarding scholarships:
SAT & ACT- IMPORTANT Updates
BHS Standardized Exams being offered this fall:
ACT- December 12
If you have questions specific to BHS testing procedures, please reach out to Kristin Haughey: kristin_haughey@bcsd.org. As things are changing so often, please refer to the testing sites for updated information:
ACT- www.actstudent.org
SAT- www.collegeboard.org
_________________________________________________________________
FREE Online Proctored SAT & ACT Exams
Our friends at Chariot Learning will be running free online practice tests every Saturday until we can go back to in-person testing. All the details will be on their calendar: https://chariotlearning.com/events/
Brighton High School Counseling Department
Email: courtney_stern@bcsd.org
Website: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2063
Location: 1150 South Winton Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: (585) 242-5000