MEET GEAR UP PARMA
Students: Want to work on your plan for your future? Connect with your GEAR UP Parma Advisor! You can schedule an appointment here.
Normandy: Mrs. Walsh
Parma High: Ms. Pollard
Valley Forge: Mr. Lengel
UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS
Click the links below to register for the events that interest you!

VIRTUAL COLLEGE TOUR BUS
Get a feel for campus without ever leaving your house. Register below for as many virtual college tours and info sessions as you would like to start learning about various college campuses across Ohio. See which one you could see calling home for the next four years!

Click the image above to open the flyer for College Now and PwC's Fall Financial Literacy Series.

Click here to register for the workshop(s) you would like to attend.
Click the image above to open the flyer for November's Effective Leadership Academy Sessions.

Click here to register for the session that works with your schedule.
Register for Winter Session of impact! Online
To register for the winter session of impact! online, College Now's free test prep programming, click one of the flyers below.
Please contact Emily Pietrasz with any questions for Cuyahoga County impact! programming at epietrasz@collegenowgc.org.
Please contact Deadra Carlgren with any questions for Lorain County impact! programming at dcarlgren@collegenowgc.org.
HBCU VIRTUAL COLLEGE FAIR
We know that you are all learning in a different environment, some virtual, some in-person with masks and socially distanced. 
Thankfully, even through uncertainty, one thing is constant and holds true:
Education and college is the key to a better future and serves as preparation for what the future holds.
 
We look forward to you joining us virtually this year as we are focused on the:
HBCU Difference: Purpose & Perseverance Towards the Future
 
The goals of the fair are to:
  • ·Educate students and the community about the value of Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
  • Allow students to become familiar with a variety of financial aid programs and educational resources;
  • Connect post-secondary options to a student's career, internship, and vocational interest and opportunities; and
  • Provide relevant workshops that showcases student achievement, talents, philanthropy and transition into college life.
 
Click on the images below for more information about GEAR UP Parma opportunities
GEAR UP REWARDS
DID YOU KNOW that not only can you learn about yourself and plan your future using the tools GEAR UP is sharing, but you can now be REWARDED with GEAR UP swag?! It's true!

Students in grades 8 through 12 can earn incentives and shop in the Virtual GEAR UP Parma Store. What do you need to do to earn incentives? There are a wide variety of options - you can complete tasks in Naviance, do a lesson in Naviance (found on the home page), participate in a workshop or seminar, complete college or scholarship applications, earn a digital badge, meet with your advisor, and more...

Items you can earn include mugs, tumblers, highlighters, wireless earbuds, backpacks, and more! We have over 20 items to choose from. The more you do, the more you can earn!

Once you complete an activity, go to www.pcsdconnects.org and find the link on the home page. Browse the items and pick out the one you want, then fill out the electronic form to share what you did and what you would like. The item will be safely delivered to you either at school or at home depending on how you are attending school once your activity has been verified. Please give us two weeks to process your orders.

Questions? Contact Cathy Graham at cgraham@collegenowgc.org.
GEARED UP for the Future
In this month's newsletter, we are thrilled to introduce you to Jeremy, a 2019 graduate of Parma Senior High School. He is pleased to share his high school and college story, and to offer words of advice to current high school students.

"I attended Parma Senior High School from 2014 until 2019 for grades 8 through 12. I graduated with honors and I now attend John Carroll University, with the possibility to gradate a year early in 2022. I have also made the Dean's list for the College of Arts and Sciences for the Spring 2020 semester. My success through the years can be attributed to the hard work I put in during high school and the continuing work I put in for college. In high school, I took every opportunity I could to take AP and honors classes to challenge me academically and better prepare me for college. It was through classes like AP U.S. History, AP Government, and AP Micro and Macro Economics that allowed me to find my passion for politics and to discover the important role elected officials play in constructing how we live our lives. I now major in political science at John Carroll with a concentration in legal studies. I hope to attend law school and study constitutional law.

If I had to give advice to anyone looking to succeed in college, I would tell them to put in the hard work and effort now and continue to push through. Challenge yourself with classes that are difficult. If I could, I would go back and take Tri-C classes in subjects like psychology, foreign language, and speech, just to get those out of the way for college. While the AP courses were challenging and gave me indispensable skills in preparing for college, I could have gotten out of more classes had I taken advantage of more Tri-C opportunities while in high school. Do not be afraid to take summer classes at the community college - they have saved me a few courses at John Carroll! When you decide to go to college, you are putting your entire progression in life on hold to pursue higher education. Utilize what you can to finish quickly. It will get hard and it will get stressful, but your ability to struggle now will push you over the top down the road."
GET TO KNOW YOUR DEADLINES

As you begin to complete your college admissions applications, it is important to note the deadline for submitting each application. When researching your application deadlines, you might notice that an institution has multiple, so you need to ask yourself which deadline is right for you. There are three general types of deadlines in reference to college admissions, though not all schools choose to offer multiple deadlines:

  • Early Action: Application deadline is generally either November 1 or November 15. Students submit their applications early in the fall and will receive their admissions decision prior to the school's regular decision deadline. This admissions decision is not binding, meaning that if you are accepted, you are not required to accept and submit a confirmation prior to the institution's normal reply date (generally May 1st).
  • Early Decision: Application deadline is generally November 1, November 15, or December 1. Students applying Early Decision submit their application early in the fall and will receive notice prior to the school's regular decision deadline. Students should only apply to their first-choice school Early Decision, as if they are admitted, they will be required to withdraw all other applications for admissions and attend that school. The application is a binding contract between the student and the school.
  • Regular Decision: Application deadline is generally between January 1 and April 1. This is the deadline by which all applications must be completed.
  • Priority: While some institutions admit students on a rolling basis (meaning students can apply up until each semester begins or until spots are filled), many schools have priority admissions deadlines to be considered for institutional financial aid.
 
Students should also note and be aware of other deadlines that a school sets, such as deadlines for submission of the FAFSA and other financial aid documentation, as well as special applications for programs and institutional aid.
WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING THIS MONTH?
NINTH GRADE TASKS

  • Review first quarter grades
  • Develop a plan to improve or maintain your GPA before the end of the semester
  • Establish a SMART goal for high school
  • Attend a college and career fair and visit a college campus (either in-person or virtually)
TENTH GRADE TASKS

  • Use Naviance to explore different careers
  • Under the "About Me" tab in Naviance, complete the "Career Interest Profile" survey
  • Watch Road Trip Nation interviews featuring people with interests similar to your own. YouTube and Instagram can also lead you to helpful videos about various careers.
  • Look for volunteer opportunities such as food drives, reading to younger children, or supporting elderly individuals in your community
  • Continue to put forth your best academic effort. Ask your teachers for help, if needed.
  • Continue working on your resume and save your best academic work in a portfolio.
  • Check in with your guidance counselor to ask questions and attend parent/teacher conferences
ELEVENTH GRADE TASKS

  • Continue to put forth your best academic effort - colleges look closely at your junior year grades!
  • Check in with your school counselor and teachers with any questions regarding help with study strategies, test taking, organizational skills, etc.
  • Begin preparing for semester exams
  • Attend your parent/teacher conferences
  • Use Naviance to help explore different careers
  • Under the "About Me" tab in Naviance, complete the "Career Interest Profile" survey
  • Review Road Trip Nation interviews with people whose interests are similar to your own
TWELFTH GRADE TASKS

  • Register for the December ACT/SAT
  • Meet with your College Now advisor
  • Check on your FAFSA status; College Now can help verify that it has been processed successfully. Errors can potentially slow down the financial aid process and reduce awards.
  • Consider setting up a job shadow opportunity to see if the field you are interested in meets your expectations
  • Follow your school's procedure for sending your transcripts to all of your colleges
  • Keep your grades up! Colleges consider grades seriously.
  • Continue to refine your applications for winter deadlines.
  • Ensure that instructions have been followed and details are accurate. Have a qualified English and grammar professional review your best work.
Have questions about these tasks?
Contact your College Now advisor!