College Counseling information for juniors and parents

​Dear Juniors and Parents,

We are glad that so many of our students have been attending the college presentations at Santa Clara over the last two months and had the opportunity to learn about a variety of schools.  Mr. Ramirez and I now look forward to working with you in class and in individual meetings.  We have several events coming up in the next month and want you to know what is planned.

November 20th – Mr. Ramirez and Mrs. Huber will be working with all juniors during your religion classes this day.  We will be handing out the College Handbook to each student and going through some of the information in it.  As a group we will be re-introducing you to Naviance, add one or two schools to your list of colleges that you might be interested in and then research one of these schools.  What are some of the majors that the school offers?  What are the admissions requirements?  We will talk about the importance of your high school academics, standardized testing, extracurricular activities and more. 

November 28th – Junior and Parent College Information Night  6:00pm  School Library This is the night to learn what happens through the end of junior year, the summer, and into senior year.  We will discuss the steps students should be taking now to be well prepared for making decisions about college plans.  We will go through the College Handbook in more detail this evening, so we encourage students to bring this with them to the meeting.  (They will have received it in class the previous week.)  Topics will include:  What are students looking for in a college? What are colleges looking for in applicants?  How do I find colleges that are a good fit for me?  When should I take the ACT and/or SAT and do I have to write essays?  Join us as we discuss these topics and more.

PSAT score reports – Students took the PSAT in October and will be able to access their score reports online at CollegeBoard in the second week of December.  Paper copies of the scores will be distributed to students by mid-January. 

Individual Meetings with College Counselors – Mr. Ramirez and Mrs. Huber will meet individually with each junior.  These meetings typically last about 45 mins and are scheduled around the student’s class schedule – APEX classes, elective classes, religion classes.  Mr. Ramirez works with students last names A-G and Mrs. Huber works with students last names H-Z.  We invite parents to join us for these meetings and can schedule them before school or after school as needed.  Contact your student’s counselor if you would like to join us for these meetings. 

Trips planned to local colleges:  We are delighted that we are going to take students out to visit local colleges.  We have received confirmation from two schools for guided tours in the next month.  As space is limited, we are offering seniors planning to apply to these schools the opportunity to sign up first and then other seniors and juniors will be able to sign up as space permits.  Fees will cover cost of transportation and parking.

#1. November 27th –California Lutheran University Cost $6.00 Departing Santa Clara at 8:00 am and returning by 12:00 noon

#2. December 4th - California State University, Channel Islands Cost $3.00  Departing Santa Clara at 8:30 am and returning by 12:00 noon

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If you have any questions about these events or any college related questions, contact your counselor.  We are here to help you.

Mrs. Huber and Mr. Ramirez