As students progress through each grade level they have additional tasks and items to focus on to be prepared for the next grade level and for life beyond high school. The lists below provide guidance for what to focus on and when.
CVPA and 9th Grade Counselor - Last Names A -R
Participate in extracurricular activities. Get involved. This is an opportunity to take advantage of everything that Laurel has to offer inside and outside the classroom. YOU could be just what that sports team or organization needs to take it to the next level. Just remember to keep at least a 2.0 GPA.
Meet with your counselor. Get to know your counselor by meeting with her at least once a quarter. Use this opportunity to discuss life after high school. Each March your counselor will meet with you to discuss your course selections for the next school year. Remember your counselor is your advocate. She is here to support you and help you reach your fullest potential.
Start exploring colleges and career options. Go to Naviance to complete a career interest inventory. You don't have to know what you want to do after high school, but it's important to begin to think about your interests.
Volunteer at a non-profit organization. Get started on your student service hours if you haven't already started. Colleges prefer to see more than the minimum amount that is required for graduation (24). The more hours you have, the more well-rounded you are and the more opportunities for possible scholarships exist.
Read more. Read more than what is expected in English class. The more you read, the stronger your verbal, writing, and critical thinking skills will be. Reading increases your vocabulary allowing you to do well in school, and on the SAT and ACT, and in college.
CVPA and 9th Grade Counselor - Last Names S -Z
Attendance is crucial to high school success. You must be in school and in class every day to learn and try to pass your classes. If you choose not to attend school, then you choose to fail.
Complete and turn in your independent and classwork assignments. One missed assignment can be detrimental to your grade. If you're absent, make sure to ask the teacher for any missed work. Be sure to turn in your work on time.
Take challenging courses. Your academic record is the most important part of your college application. Colleges want to see more than good grades; they want to see that you have pushed yourself and taken the most challenging courses offered at school.
Focus on grades. Grades matter in high school. Your college transcript begins in 9th grade. No part of your college application carries more weight than the courses you take and the grades you earn. College may seem like a long way off, but bad freshman-year grades can hurt your chances of getting in the college of your choice.
Get help if you need it! If you're struggling in a class, don't just sit there, fall asleep, act out, or ignore it; ask your teacher for assistance. Seek out extra assistance and tutoring to get your skills up.
ALL 10th Graders
Continue to keep your grades up. Grades, grades, grades. Consider your grades as your salary in a job. Your job is to go to school and your salary is your grades. The higher your grades, the higher the reward. An occasional "C" is okay, but you want to aim for something higher. If you're doing the best you can and you receive a "C", then that's okay. Students with an occasional "C" still have plenty of options. Work on self-discipline and time management.
Put effort into extracurricular activities. By the time you apply to college, you should be able to demonstrate depth and leadership in an extracurricular area. Think about what you can bring, not only to a college community, but what you can bring to Laurel. How can you make things better?
Early Fall
- Keep your grades up. Junior year is probably the most important year for earning high grades in challenging courses, especially if you have a few minor bumps in 9th and 10th grade. Improvement in 11th grade shows a college that you've learned how to be a good student. Your senior year grades usually come to late to play a major role on your college application.
Continue gathering college information. Go to college fairs, attend college nights, and speak with college representatives who visit your high school; use an online college finder and search top college lists. You may be able to narrow your choices or add a school to your list.
Make a college list. Your list of colleges should include schools that meet your most important criteria (for example, size, location, cost, academic majors, or special programs). Weigh each of the factors according to their importance to you and develop a preliminary ranking of the schools on your list. Include "reach", "safe", "target" schools in this list.
Evaluate your education options. Now is the time to follow a more specific path. Decide whether you want to pursue full-time employment, further education or training (such as a vocational-technical school, career college, or two-year or four-year college), or a military career. If interested in attending a military academy, talk to your counselor about starting the application process now.
Update your resume' to include leadership roles in extracurricular activities. Get involved and make a difference. Colleges are looking for future leaders, not passive bystanders.
Talk to your parents about your future goals. Now is the time to have that sit down and discuss with them about what your post-secondary goals are. After all, they do have to participate in the financial aid process!
- Get help if you need it! If you're struggling in a class, don't just sit there, fall asleep, act out, or ignore it; ask your teacher for assistance. Seek out extra assistance and tutoring to get your skills up.
September - October
Take (or re-take) the SAT and/or ACT College Entrance Exams. The SAT is required by most colleges and most students take this extremely important exam as juniors. Many re-take it as seniors to try to improve their scores. Register online at www.collegeboard.org. If one or more of the colleges you are applying to require the ACT exam, register online at www.actstudent.org.
Senior Conference. Each senior meets individually with his or her counselor to review graduation and course requirements and post-graduation plans. A college application time line, if applicable, is formalized at this meeting. Additionally, counselors will visit each senior English class during September and October to discuss senior year plans, post-secondary plans, and financial aid.
Start checking for scholarships. Remember to read your email at least weekly to get updates from the counseling staff. Be sure to check out the monthly College and Career Newsletter from the LHS School Counseling Office. New scholarships come in at different times during the year and they aren't just for the "straight A" students.
Visit some college campuses. Sign up for the LHS Counseling Center-sponsored Fall College Trip. If you haven't done this already, try to schedule some college visits this fall. Interview some students, faculty and staff if possible.
Gather all application materials. Get an application packet from every college you are thinking about applying to. If you're applying to an out-of-state or private college, you'll probably need to call or e-mail the admissions office to request the materials. Once you have all the application packets, read through them to get a feel for what's required and what's involved in applying. You will be able to apply to most colleges online through Naviance, the Common Application or the Black College Common Application.
November
Continue checking for scholarships every week in your PGCPS email and the newsletter.
Finish up your college applications. Some early action deadlines are November 1st.
December
Try to finish your college applications by December 1. Even if the college's official deadline is March 1, it's better to get your application in to your counselor by December 1. You'll be ahead of the game and able to shift your focus to financial aid applications, scholarships and simply enjoying your senior year. Unless you thrive on stress, there is no good reason to wait until the last minute to begin working on college applications.
If you're still applying to colleges, get those applications filled out and submitted as soon as possible, allowing at least three weeks for processing. Keep in mind counselors are often on vacation over the December break; not reviewing college applications. January 1st deadlines should be turned in to your counselor by December 1st at the latest.
April
Watch the mail for college acceptance letters. They typically start arriving in April.
Compare financial aid packages from each college. If a financial aid offer is not what you expected, do not hesitate to contact the college's financial aid office to discuss your concerns. They may have the ability to adjust the offer.
Make a decision on which college you will attend and send them your formal acceptance.
May
May 1st - National Decision Day (and beyond):
Submit your deposit and corresponding forms to the college you will be attending. Be sure to call the admissions and financial aid office of the colleges that you will not be attending.
Watch for important deadlines at your college of choice. These may include housing deposits, financial aid and more.
Complete the three required graduate surveys. Each student must complete a graduate survey before he or she receives their cap and gown.
Request your final transcript to be sent to your college.
11th Grade Jones -Z
Continue studying a foreign language. Colleges will be more impressed with a student who can read and write in a foreign language than one who can only say "hola" or "bonjour." Depth in a single language is better than an introductory class to two or three languages.
Get your hands on some cash...for college. Research funding for college, including scholarships, grants, loans, etc. Take a look at the LHS College and Career Newsletter for ideas.
March & April: Register for the May or June SAT or ACT. Students can also register for the SAT II, if required by the colleges. Registration information is available here.
Attend the NACAC College Fair. Each year LHS takes a bus or two to the NACAC college fair for students to interact with college admissions representatives from all over the country. This is a great opportunity to find out what each school has to offer.
Sign up to go on a college tour. Each spring, the counseling center hosts a trip to a local college for a nominal fee. Be sure to listen to the announcements and check your email and website for more information.
Attend the College Information Night held at LHS. Each student is encouraged to attend with their parent or guardian the College Information Night held in June. Students will learn all about the admissions process to get them prepared for applying to college in the Fall of senior year.
Student-Athletes: If you want to play sports in college, you need to register for the NCAA Clearinghouse before the end of your junior year.
Take AP exams as appropriate. Don't just sit for the exam, make an effort to do well on the exam. The score you receive could make a difference in being in college for three years vs. four or five years. Try to get the credit for the class
June-August: The summer before your senior year is a great time to visit colleges. Call ahead to schedule a time to visit so that admissions reps can accommodate you for a tour.
Gather applications and materials for college. This is the perfect opportunity to "get your ducks in a row." Gather everything you need in the summer so that in the Fall you can concentrate on finishing school and completing college applications.
Last name: A - Jimason
Take (or re-take) the SAT and/or ACT College Entrance Exams. The SAT is required by most colleges and most students take this extremely important exam as juniors. Many re-take it as seniors to try to improve their scores. Register online at www.collegeboard.org. If one or more of the colleges you are applying to require the ACT exam, register online at www.actstudent.org.
Senior Conference. Each senior meets individually with his or her counselor to review graduation and course requirements and post-graduation plans. A college application timeline, if applicable, is formalized at this meeting. Additionally, counselors will visit each senior English class during September and October to discuss senior year plans, post-secondary plans, and financial aid.
Start checking for scholarships. Remember to read your email at least weekly to get updates from the counseling staff. Be sure to check out the monthly College and Career Newsletter from the LHS School Counseling Office. New scholarships come in at different times during the year and they aren't just for the "straight A" students.
Visit some college campuses. Sign up for the LHS Counseling Center-sponsored Fall College Trip. If you haven't done this already, try to schedule some college visits this fall. Interview some students, faculty and staff if possible.
Gather all application materials. Get an application packet from every college you are thinking about applying to. If you're applying to an out-of-state or private college, you'll probably need to call or e-mail the admissions office to request the materials. Once you have all the application packets, read through them to get a feel for what's required and what's involved in applying. You will be able to apply to most colleges online through Naviance, the Common Application or the Black College Common Application.
Continue checking for scholarships every week in your PGCPS email and the newsletter.
Finish up your college applications. Some early action deadlines are November 1st.
Try to finish your college applications by December 1. Even if the college's official deadline is March 1, it's better to get your application in to your counselor by December 1. You'll be ahead of the game and able to shift your focus to financial aid applications, scholarships and simply enjoying your senior year. Unless you thrive on stress, there is no good reason to wait until the last minute to begin working on college applications.
If you're still applying to colleges, get those applications filled out and submitted as soon as possible, allowing at least three weeks for processing. Keep in mind counselors are often on vacation over the December break; not reviewing college applications. January 1st deadlines should be turned in to your counselor by December 1st at the latest.
Watch the mail for college acceptance letters. They typically start arriving in April.
Compare financial aid packages from each college. If a financial aid offer is not what you expected, do not hesitate to contact the college's financial aid office to discuss your concerns. They may have the ability to adjust the offer.
Make a decision on which college you will attend and send them your formal acceptance.
May 1st - National Decision Day (and beyond):
Submit your deposit and corresponding forms to the college you will be attending. Be sure to call the admissions and financial aid office of the colleges that you will not be attending.
Watch for important deadlines at your college of choice. These may include housing deposits, financial aid and more.
Complete the three required graduate surveys. Each student must complete a graduate survey before he or she receives their cap and gown.
Request your final transcript to be sent to your college.
Last name: Johnson - Z
Continue to keep your grades up. Grades, grades, grades. Consider your grades as your salary in a job. Your job is to go to school and your salary is your grades. The higher your grades, the higher the reward. An occasional "C" is okay, but you want to aim for something higher. If you're doing the best you can and you receive a "C", then that's okay. Students with an occasional "C" still have plenty of options. Work on self-discipline and time management.
Put effort into extracurricular activities. By the time you apply to college, you should be able to demonstrate depth and leadership in an extracurricular area. Think about what you can bring, not only to a college community, but what you can bring to Laurel. How can you make things better?
September & October: register in the counseling office to take the PSAT. Colleges won't see your PSAT scores, but a good score on the exam could turn into scholarship money through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Although you have to pay a few bucks for the exam, it will prepare you for the SAT in the Spring. All juniors will take the SAT during the school day on March 4, 2020.
Keep your grades up. Junior year is probably the most important year for earning high grades in challenging courses, especially if you have a few minor bumps in 9th and 10th grade. Improvement in 11th grade shows a college that you've learned how to be a good student. Your senior year grades usually come to late to play a major role on your college application.
Continue gathering college information. Go to college fairs, attend college nights, and speak with college representatives who visit your high school; use an online college finder and search top college lists. You may be able to narrow your choices or add a school to your list.
Make a college list. Your list of colleges should include schools that meet your most important criteria (for example, size, location, cost, academic majors, or special programs). Weigh each of the factors according to their importance to you and develop a preliminary ranking of the schools on your list. Include "reach", "safe", "target" schools in this list.
Evaluate your education options. Now is the time to follow a more specific path. Decide whether you want to pursue full-time employment, further education or training (such as a vocational-technical school, career college, or two-year or four-year college), or a military career. If interested in attending a military academy, talk to your counselor about starting the application process now.
Update your resume' to include leadership roles in extracurricular activities. Get involved and make a difference. Colleges are looking for future leaders, not passive bystanders.
Talk to your parents about your future goals. Now is the time to have that sit down and discuss with them about what your post-secondary goals are. After all, they do have to participate in the financial aid process!
