Nine Days Left to Register for the SAT!!

Thursday November 1, 2012

As of today, there are only 9 days left to register for December 1^st SAT, the last test that will be accepted for college applications if you are a senior!

If you plan on going to a four-year college or university, this will be your last chance to that the SAT test this year. Make sure you register before November 1 to avoid paying late fees.

If you are in an AVID class or are on the Free/Reduced lunch program, stop by the counseling office to pick up your SAT application fee waiver.

Don’t put this off! Colleges are not flexible on these important deadlines!

The College Recommendation Letter from Your Counselor: Do you really need it?

The answer is Yes!

As you begin to apply to colleges, you will find that most colleges will ask for recommendation letters to go with or upload to their application.

One of the most commonly used application these days is The Common App. It is electronic and everything can be done online. In the past, they asked Counselors to write a recommendation letter for the student, but this  year, counselors can opt out.

So how important is that recommendation letter from your counselor? It turns out it’s very important!  According to an article found in the Huffington Post called “A Hidden Gem: The Counselor Recommendation”:

“The school counselor recommendation is one of the most important and overlooked portions of the college admissions process.

This year, the Common Application has added two options for school counselors to decline sending an evaluation for students:

• "I do not have sufficient personal knowledge of this student."

• "The demands of my counseling load do not afford me sufficient time."

With these new options, it is critical that you give school counselors a reason to write you evaluations by developing a personal connection and showing sincere effort in your academics and extracurricular activities.”

This article goes over all the reasons why this is so important and gives great tips and a step-by-step approach to getting the best letter of recommendation you can.
Link:  A Hidden Gem: The Counselor Recommendation

Another article “5 Ways You Can Help Your Counselor Write a Better Recommendation Letter” has great tips for helping YOU help your counselor to write a great letter of recommendation.

“Most colleges will tell you that the school-based counselor recommendation is one of the most important elements of your application. And they will also tell you that “generic” or “cut and paste” narratives don’t do much to further an applicant’s candidacy for admission.”

This article goes into detail regarding the steps you need to take to get the best letter of recommendation you can. It helps you streamline the process to work to your advantage.

Link: 5 Ways You Can Help Your Counselor Write a Better Recommendation

We already have a great tool right here in the Counseling office to help you in getting a more personalized letter of recommendation: the letter of recommendation worksheet. 

You just fill this out as completely as you can, turn it in and that will give your counselor something to go on.

You can also come in and fill out a request to see your counselor and they will call you in so you can talk to them about the process. They will be classrooms and  have workshops in the Navi Lab throughout the school year to help you.

The counselors are here to give you the tools to help you get a head start on your future. Utilize your resources! EHS wants our students to succeed!

SAT Registration Deadline: Sept. 7, 2012

This Friday, September 7, 2012 is the registration deadline for the October 6, 2012 test!!! If you are planning to take this test, you need to be registered by Friday, September 7, 2012 to avoid paying late fees.

If you are an AVID student or on free/reduced lunch program, stop by the counseling office during lunch or after school and see if you are eligible for a fee waiver. This will save you the $50 registration fee for taking the test. You will need to have your fee waiver BEFORE you register, they will not waive the fee retroactively. Just come into the office and ask the secretary for a fee waiver. 

Remember, you can find practice tests and other excellent tools on the website to help you prepare for this test. You will also find information about financial aid and other topics related to getting into college.

For more information and to register, please click on the link below:

SAT CollegeBoard

Here is a link to the schedule of SAT and ACT tests for the 2012-2013 school year:

SAT ACT Schedule 

AP Exam Scores for College or University Equivalencies

Seniors, if you have taken an AP test and need your exam scores sent to the university or college you are planning to attend for equivalencies, please see Tina in the Registrars Office (M103) to put in your request.

The end is in sight! Keep up the good work!

Request Your Final Transcripts Now!

Please be sure to come into the Registrar's Office as soon as possible to request your final transcripts to be mailed to the school you plan on attending. Get your requests in now to give the registrar plenty of time to get this done.

Transcript request forms are available in the Registrar's office and the Counseling office. Pick one up today!!!

We Want Your Acceptance Letters and Emails!!!

The Counseling Office is creating a bulletin board to celebrate all our seniors who have received acceptance  letters or emails from colleges. If you've gotten a letter,  or letters or an email we'd like to have a copy to post on our board. (Some colleges are now notifying by email)

We already have a few but we know there are a lot more out there! We don't want to miss anyone! You can bring in the original and we will make copies or just bring us copies and we will put them on the board. Drop them off in the Counseling office so we can add them to the board.

This is a big accomplishment and we want to acknowledge all of your dedication and hard work.

This is the first step toward your future, let us celebrate with you...

A to Z Eye Care Health Career Scholarship Applications Available

Deadline: Postmarked by April 20, 2012

A to Z Eye Care in Arcata is offering two $500 scholarships for graduating seniors from Humboldt County High Schools who are planning to further their education in a health care related field. Students must be entering college, vocational school as a full time student in the Fall of 2012 with a major in the health care related field.

Eligibility for these scholarships will be based on financial need and minimum GPA of 3.0

Applicants will be judged in an essay contest by answering the following questions:

1. What health care field will you be studying?
2. Why did you choose this field?
3. What goals do you hope to achieve?
4. How will this scholarship help you to achieve your goals?

 Applications are available in the Counseling Office.

Mail your essay and a copy of your high school transcripts postmarked by April 20, 2012 to this address:

A to Z Eye Care

Attention:Jessica

851 Bayside Road

Arcata, CA 95521

Your Facebook Page. Colleges Do Look at Them

Yes, colleges and universities admissions people do look at your Facebook page. (So will employers!) Do you have some embarrassing photos on your page? Here are some articles that will help you to clean up your Facebook so that it doesn't hurt you during the time you are applying for college (or a job for that matter!)

• These are the most important types of photos to NOT have on  your Facebook:

12 Photos to Delete From Your Facebook:

• Here are some photos that you SHOULD have on your Facebook. You want to show your accomplishments and achievements!

15 Good Photos for Your Facebook

• Here are some ways to make Facebook work FOR you in your search:

Make Facebook work in your favor

The most important thing to remember is be careful about what you post. You shouldn't have anything on your Facebook that you wouldn't want your Grandparents to see! Just use common sense and your good judgement.

And remember, once it's on the Internet, it never really disappears.

College Admissions: 6 Things Seniors Need to Do NOW

An excellent article with tips and ideas for getting started on your college search and admissions process.

Tips for seniors

How to Tackle College Application Questions

Here is a link to an excellent article that deals with those sometimes daunting application questions. Just click here for some tips and answers to common questions.