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College Counseling Update for Junior Parents | December 2017
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Preparing for the College Process:
What Should Juniors Be Doing Now?
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Ms. H has met a few times with the junior class in large groups and we've talked about the following items to think about over winter break.
Discuss college location and money as a family. Find out if parent and student are on the same page about college location. As for money, no need to get in depth yet, but practice having conversations about how finances may play a factor in the college search.
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There's much more to college admissions than grades. We've heard that our juniors are very worried about their grades, but grades are just one component of the whole application. The majority of colleges look at grades from all four years (including senior year), the rigor and challenge of your course selection, and how you've improved over time. Your efforts in class are also noted by faculty whom you'll choose to write your recommendation letters, which can speak to much more than just grades.
Think about summer plans.
Talk as a family about what the student wants to do this summer, whether it’s spending time on an academic program, your health and wellness, volunteer experience, athletics training, working, earning, and saving money, your own independent research, and/or family obligations. There are no standard “ideal” or “correct” summer activities. They should reflect your genuine needs, interests, and values. We also encourage reading some good books, and doing a few college visits! We'll be advertising summer programs through emails and our bulletin boards. Read more from U.S. News "
Summer Do's and Don'ts" by Peter Van Buskirk.
Consider creating a new family college application email account. Students are inundated with marketing emails from all colleges, regardless of their likelihood of being admitted or whether that school may be a good fit. Email is still the number one mode of communication for both MHS College Counseling and College Admission Offices. It's vital to stay organized, especially after submitting applications. Read more detail in the article "
How Did All of These Colleges Get My Name?" on mycollegeoptions.org.
Be aware of Naviance. "Naviance" is online software used by thousands of independent and public high schools and students as a crucial management tool for the college application process. We'll email juniors with access by the end of this week for individual exploration, particularly of the "Super Match" college search tool. Juniors will begin working with Naviance more in-depth when they start meeting with college counselors Ms. Hatch Blauvelt and Ms. Virden after the break.
College Counselor Meeting
Planning will begin in January. Juniors need to pay attention to emails from Ms. Hatch Blauvelt and Ms. Virden, and respond promptly when asked about preferences and scheduling.
Just For Parents:
Start thinking carefully about your financial ability and flexibility. College is a true family investment, and the financial ramifications of a college choice can have a much greater long-term impact than the degree itself.
The idea that saving for college will hurt you is a huge myth. The most selective schools have generous need-based aid, but offer absolutely no merit scholarships. Read Consumer Reports "
Having the College Money Talk" article by Donna Rosato.
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Results are out this week for the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), held for all sophomores and juniors in early October. The PSAT is first and foremost a practice, or "rehearsal" test, and results are never sent to colleges. It serves as a guide for students on what to study in order to improve for the SAT, which will be required by many colleges. Read below for more details on these, as well as the National Merit Scholarship Program.
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- Your scores are compared to past research data, not this year's fellow PSAT test takers. This data is reflected in the percentiles, score ranges, mean (average) scores, and college readiness benchmarks.
- Scores are equivalent to the 1600 scale used by the current SAT.
- Colleges will market to students based on your PSAT scores, using the email you wrote on your PSAT. You may change this email and preferences by logging into The College Board.
- Marketing materials and emails from colleges are not a strong indicator of your actual admission chances. Read more in this article, "Dear Elite Colleges, Please Stop Recruiting Me," by Amanda Graves.
- National Merit Scholarships are based on junior year PSAT scores but aren't awarded until college attendance. 16,000 Semi-finalists are notified in September 2018; 15,000 of those make the next round in February 2019; and 7,500 will be notified in March 2019 if they earned National Merit Scholarships through the organization itself, other corporations, or colleges.
- Awards generally range from $500 to $2,500 per year.
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Miss Hall's School recommends the following options available for our students to further enhance SAT and ACT skills.
- Sign up for the spring SAT/ACT 8-week practice course, held mainly on Sundays between 3:00 - 5:00pm, taught by Method Test Prep. Classes are offered at a subsidized price of $125 per student (original price is about $400 per student). Juniors were emailed sign-up instructions last week, and the sign up sheet is available here.
- Utilize free practice resources in Ms. H's office, and online through Khan Academy, a College Board Partner. Method Test Prep also has free practice resources that I emailed out in October - here is a copy of that email.
- MHS gave optional free practice tests this fall that will be graded by Method Test Prep, and we plan to do so again in the spring.
- The College Board has free practice resources on their website, as well as the ACT organization.
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I'm thrilled to join Miss Hall's School in my dream job after 11 years in college financial aid (most recently at Williams College). I grew up in Great Barrington, have my B.A. in Anthropology/ Sociology from Gettysburg College, and my M.Ed. in School Counseling from UMass Boston. I live in Williamstown with my husband Gerrit, almost 4 year old son Luka, and puppy Pepper. I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know all your talented children at this wonderful school, and grateful to have the former Director Ms. Sarah Virden as my fellow college counselor while she evolves in her new role as Director of Academic Counseling. -
Courtney Hatch Blauvelt
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