Career and college planning for underclassmen

1. Looking Beyond: Career and College
Planning for Underclassmen
Objectives:
Students will acquire knowledge regarding
the proper preparation that is essential
in choosing from a wide range of
substantial post-secondary options,
including college.
Students will be provided with information
and materials that will enable them to
employ strategies to achieve future
career success and satisfaction.
PA Career Education and Work Standards 13.1.11.B, C, F
ASCA National Standards I.B, II.A

2. What Are You Going To Do?
• 56% of 2015 NH graduates went on to a traditional
four year college program last year.
• 44% of 2016 NH graduates chose other post-
secondary plans.
– 30% - Community College, Trade, Business, Nursing
Schools, etc.
– 14% - Military, Union Apprenticeships, Training
programs, Workforce
What Are You Going To Do?

3. When choosing and preparing for different
career and college paths after high school,
your junior year becomes an important time!
• Consider your own personal goals for life.
• What do you want out of life?
• What do you need to make these happen?
• Conduct career & college research
• School resources (counselors, teachers, etc)
• Internet resources
• Institution resources (college fairs, college
visits, job shadowing)
• Register for and take standardized tests (SAT, ACT)
• Prepare documents (essays, resume and/or list of
activities and accomplishments, letters of
recommendation, references, etc.)
Getting Ready is a Process

4. Post Secondary Choices:
The Options
After graduation, you will have
many options to consider.
Think about your goals and
what you need to reach them.
• College/University
• Community College
• Vocational, Technical, or
Career Training
• Armed Services
• Apprenticeships/Internships
• Entering the Work Force
Hint: Waiting until graduation to
plan for this may not get you the
results you want!

5. Education Pays

6. Conducting Career and College
Research
• Use your personal network. Speak with your family
and family members about your interests and skills.
• Speak with your counselor!
• Embrace your school gmail account and Google
Classroom! It is your friend! (+ Dr. Barkovich’s too!)
• Attend admission representative visits in the
Counseling Resource Center (CRC)
• Utilize resources on the internet – for example, use
your College Board account to its fullest!

7. Check Out
www.nhsd.net

8. PA Career Zone

9. Department of Labor

10. O*Net’s My Next Move

11. America’s Career Resource
Network

12. BigFuture – Collegeboard

13. My Road – Collegeboard

14. The Post-Secondary Option
Selection Process
Determine what factors are important
for the type of program/school you
want to attend to have. Do these
matter to you?
• Size
• Location
• Academic Program Offerings
• Reputation
• Cost
• Other?

15. Pittsburgh National College Fair
• Community “field trip” February 9, 2017
• 6 pm – How to Make the Most of a College Fair
• 6:15 pm – Buses depart to the David L. Lawrence
Convention Center for the evening session
• 8:20 pm – return to NH
• Counselors will be available to assist on site
Field Trip forms as due by February 2!

16. Pittsburgh National College Fair
At the college fair, don’t waste time completing multiple
information forms for each school!
www.gotomyncf.com
Enter your information and print out a barcode specifically
for you. At the fair, schools will “scan” your information,
which will get you on their radar and mailing lists.

17. College/Military
Representative Visits
• Over 100 different schools and branches of the military visit the CRC
in the Fall and Sring. It’s a great time for you to learn more about a
particular school. Sometimes the representative you meet is a
member of the school’s admission committee!
• Listen to the announcements and check out the postings in the CRC,
in your classrooms, and online to find out when the college/military
representatives are visiting North Hills.
• You will need your teacher’s approval to miss class for a college/
military representative visit. Passes can be obtained in the CRC.
Please do so BEFORE the time of the visit.

18. Standardized Testing

19. PSAT Score Reports
• Online Score Reports made available 1/7/16
– If you did not receive an email link to this you may not
have indicated a valid email address when testing. You
can sign up for an account at www.collegeboard.com.
• Paper Reports are scheduled to arrive at NH by the
end of the month.
• Students will receive their score report and test
booklet early – mid February.

20. About Those Numbers
Think of the PSAT reports as roadmaps. They show
where you’re doing well and what you should work on.
• Get summaries of your performance on each test
and content area
• Filter results to see how you performed on specific
questions
• Percentiles help show you how you did compared to
your peers and how you might align with admissions
criteria at post-secondary schools

21. Other Perks of Scores

22. SAT or ACT?
• The SAT and ACT are globally recognized college admission tests that let
you show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that
knowledge.
• Most students take the SAT or ACT during the spring of their junior or fall
of their senior year of high school
• Almost all colleges and universities accept either the SAT or ACT to make
admission decisions.
• The SAT and ACT scores are one of the most important factors that
colleges consider when making their admission decisions. Data indicates
that combination of high school grades and SAT/ACT scores is the best
predictor of your academic success in college.

23. “New” SAT showcases in
March
• The redesigned SAT will feature 2 required sections –
Evidence-Based Reading & Writing AND Math and will be
scored on a 400 to 1600 point scale.
– Scores for each section will be reported separately and will each be
scored on a 200 to 800 point scale.
• Another important change is the move to rights-only scoring:
There will no longer be a penalty for wrong answers.
• They will also introduce an enriched score report that provides
more insight into students’ strengths and areas for
improvement, helping teachers and students focus.
• Register online at www.collegeboard.com.

24. New Optional Essay
• The Essay section will no longer be required by the College
Board. However, many colleges may still require students
to complete the Essay.
• The editing work students do in the multiple-choice
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section is deeply
predictive of college success.
• Feedback from college admission officers was split; some
of them found the essay useful while many did not.
When in doubt, give it a shot! Don’t close any doors.

25. Summary of the Changes

26. SAT Subject Tests
SAT Subject Tests (SAT II)
• Subject tests fall into 5 general subject areas: English, History/Social
Studies, Mathematics, Science and Languages.
• Measure your knowledge and skills as well as your ability to apply
that knowledge.
• Some colleges specify the subject tests they require for admissions
or placement; others allow applicants to choose which to take.
• All subject tests are one hour-multiple choice formats, however, some
tests have unique formats.
• Students should find out if the school to which he/she is applying
requires subject tests for admissions, how many tests, and what
subject areas are required.

27. SAT I & II Registration Fees
• SAT I (no essay) $43
• SAT I (w/ essay) $54.50
• Late registration add $28
• Change test/date/center fee add $28
• Waitlist fee add $46
• SAT II Subject Tests:
– Basic Subject Test fee $26
– Language Test with Listening add $26
– All other Subject Tests add $18 each

28. New SAT Prep
• What’s the best way for students to prepare for the
redesigned SAT?
– Rigorous course work will be, more than ever, the best
preparation for the SAT.
– As test day approaches, students can use free College
Board resources to get to know the exam and to build
on their preparation with targeted review and authentic
practice.

29. Using Scores With
Khan Academy
• How to Video

30. Standardized Testing: ACT
The ACT (American College Test) is another standardized
test that institutions also use for admissions purposes.
ACT is a test of knowledge, similar to your chapter tests.
Students register at www.actstudent.org.
Many schools accept the ACT in place of the SAT. It differs
from the SAT in the following ways:
• 4 sections on the ACT (Science is #4)
• Scores range from 1-36. (A 36 is equal to a 2400 SAT.)
• The way to “study” for the ACTs is to do your best in your
classes at NH. The ACT is similar to mid-term or final
exams that you would take at school here.

31. ACT Format

32. ACT Prep

33. ACT Registration Fees
• ACT (no writing) $39.50
• ACT (w/ writing) $56.50
• Late registration add $25
• Standby add $49
• Test date change $24
• Test center change $24
• Score reports for colleges 5 and 6 $12.50

34. Test Dates
Test Month Registration Deadline
ACT September Mid-August
SAT-I and II October Early September
ACT October Mid September
SAT-I and II November Early October
ACT December Early November
SAT-I and II December Early November
SAT-I and II January Late December
ACT February Late December
SAT-I March Early February
ACT April Early March
SAT-I and II May Early April
ACT June Early May
SAT-I and II June Early May
Offered at
North
Hills

35. NCAA: Becoming a College Athlete
Student athletes who are
hoping to continue athletic
participation at the Division I
or II collegiate level must be
declared eligible through the
NCAA Eligibility Center.
Please alert your
counselor and coach if
this is your intent.

36. Representing Yourself Online
• It is not unusual for colleges to do a search for
your name on Google, Facebook, and other
public sites to learn more about who you are.
• Please be aware of how you are portrayed online
and make sure to represent yourself in a manner
that will not affect the possibility of your
acceptance.

37. Professional Presence
• Be sure that your email address will not hurt your
chances for admission. Many schools ask you to
provide this and you don’t want a joke to cost you
admission. (Example: Indicating an email like
“sk8ergirlzrawesome@yahoo.com” may not send
the message that you are a mature young adult who
is serious about your studies.)
• Consider establishing an additional email address
for such correspondence. Ex. JDoe@gmail.com

38. Prepare Documents
• Activity List, Bio, Resume, “Curriculum Vitae”
– A short overview/summary of experiences
and qualifications
• Recommendation Information Form
• References/Letters of Recommendation
• Portfolios (some majors, honors programs,
etc.)

39. Wrap Up/Questions?