Curse of November First

As if Halloween isn't scary enough, the date of November 1st seems to be cursed. Since I started in this profession thirteen years ago, the weather patterns around the common early action deadline are mind blowing.  From Halloween being canceled several years ago due to an ice storm, to hurricanes up the coast, to crazy tropical storm like conditions early this week, it seems like the world finds a way to add major stress to stressed out seniors. Without power, many students lost important days to work on their Common Application. In the last two days, my email account has been flooded with colleges and universities extending their early application deadlines to November 6th or later. If you are finding yourself in a pinch, and rushing to get everything in, double check the schools that you are applying to in order to see if their deadlines have been extended.

Please be mindful of the upcoming opportunities for your students....

Saturday, November 4th. Medical School Career Fair
https://students-residents.aamc.org/event/2017-aamc-minority-student-medical-career-fair/

Thursday, November 2nd. December 2 SAT Registration Deadline
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/dates-deadlines

It's Here: Post Secondary Planning Night is Tomorrow!

We are so looking forward to tomorrow night (October 3rd).  Everything you need to know about post secondary planning. All Canton High families are welcome.  Parents of seniors and juniors are strongly encouraged to attend.  Parents of sophomores, please come and get ahead of the game. Parents of freshmen - see what is in your future!

Post Secondary Planning Night

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

6:00-8:30 pm

Canton High School

6:00 pm: MEFA   Cafeteria

The Massachusetts Educational Finance Authority will teach parents everything they need to know about financial aid in higher education.

6:30 pm: Post-Secondary Alternatives      Main Hallway

This mini-fair will consist of other options for students who may be interested in other plans besides four year universities: Ben Franklin Institute, Massasoit Community College, Universal Technical Institute, Rockland Trust Bank (work and attend college for free!), AFS Mass Bay- Metro West, Air National Guard, US Army, US Navy, and the US Marines.

7:00 pm: UMASS Amherst Admissions Auditorium

Jon Westover, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at UMASS Amherst, will detail the requirements for admissions to not only UMASS Amherst, but to all of the universities in the state system. Jon will explain the application process and what minimum requirements students must meet to be considered for admission.

     College Admissions Overview       Library

The Dean of Admissions from Stonehill College, Joe Dacy, will share the ins and outs of what to look for when selecting colleges. Joe will provide insight on what to look for on college visits, what the most salient parts of the application are, and how to find the best fit.

              

              Healthy College Transition           DLL

Stephanie Shapiro and Chris Buss, counselors at Canton High School, share healthy tips to help students transition to college. They will talk about how to support your student emotionally and mentally as they begin their lives at college and beyond.

7:30 pm: UMASS Amherst Admissions Auditorium

Jon Westover, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at UMASS Amherst, will detail the requirements for admissions to not only UMASS Amherst, but to all of the universities in the state system. Jon will explain the application process and what minimum requirements students must meet to be considered for admission.

     College Admissions Overview       Library

The Dean of Admissions from Stonehill College, Joe Dacy, will share the ins and outs of what to look for when selecting colleges. Joe will provide insight on what to look for on college visits, what the most salient parts of the application are, and how to find the best fit.

     Smart Track College Funding           DLL

Demystifying the Financial Aid Process, will include an overview of the financial aid landscape, strategies for improving financial aid awards and instructions on how to access and best use the Smart Track tools.

8:00 pm: College Application Procedures and Policies           DLL

Drew Carty, a counselor at Canton High School, will share everything you need to know about the policies and procedures of submitting applications for college admissions.  This seminar is a repeat of our senior parent coffee held in September, but all parents are welcome.

     Common Application: Dos and Don’ts                Library

Meredith Chamberland, Guidance Director for the Canton Public Schools, will provide a visual tutorial on everything Common Application.  Seeing what the Common Application is like and how to utilize it most effectively will provide you the overview you need so you feel confident navigating the Common Application with your student.

              

A Sprint or a Marathon

Preparation for life after high school can feel many different ways.  For those who prepare slowly over time, starting as early as sophomore year, it can feel manageable, much like a marathon for a runner who completed a well thought out training program. Conversely, it can feel like an insurmountable task, where one is always playing catch up, much like an ill prepared runner who feels like they are going to pass out after the first mile.   Let CHS Guidance make this a record breaking, easy marathon of post-secondary planning; but, we are going to need your family's participation along the way.  

While we have been busy getting to know our freshmen students, addressing all of our seniors' college questions, and helping all students with schedules, we have also been planning some amazing things for the month of October. 

Tuesday, October 3rd: Post-Secondary Planning Night. 6 pm at Canton High School. We are having one HUGE night event with everything college related. While parents are attending a variety of workshops, students have the option to take a bus for $15.00 with guidance counselors to the TEC College Fair in Waltham.  Bus leaves at 5:30 and returns at 8:15ish. Register at myschoolbucks.com. Here is a link to all of the colleges which will be at the fair thus far.  More colleges are added daily.

http://www.tec-coop.org/internships-college-fairs/college-fairs/college-fair-exhibitors

Wednesday, October 11th: Juniors take the PSAT while sophomores take the Pre-ACT. Cost is $20. Pay at myschoolbucks.com or bring a check to Anne Murray in guidance.  Once you register, you can also pick-up a review guide for the PSAT in guidance.

  

Filling Your Shoes

Little ones love finding their parents shoes and walking around in them. They are so eager to be just like mom and dad, figuratively and literally. As parents, there are many moments when we wish the years would speed up at various times, especially when the little ones are in challenging stages. Then all of a sudden, the time goes by way too quickly, as we cannot get it to slow down. The adult shoes they previously played in, now fit them, or are even too small.

As we get ready to say goodbye to the class of 2017, it is important to think about how we can all help these young adults transition into the next stage of their lives. It an emotional time for them and an emotional time for families as well. The summer after high school is a good time to sit down as a family and help your young adults figure out how to live a full, responsible, balanced life. Here are some questions that can guide your discussion.

What are the family expectations now that your high school student is growing into adulthood? Detail the responsibilities of everyone in the family.

What is a responsible time to go to bed?

What is reasonable time to be up in the morning? How do you establish healthy sleep and wake patterns?

What does it mean to be a professional in the workplace?

Who is paying for what at college? Books? Spending money?

How do you get help if you have roommate issues? Academic challenges? Transition and adjustment issues?

Sometimes students' expectations for life in college forget to include some of the challenges that they may face.  No place is perfect and graduating into adulthood means finding the positives, fixing the negatives that can be changed, and accepting those things that are beyond control. Helping students arrive at college with an open mind and the resiliency to access the supports available to them will make all the difference in the world. Preparing for the transition is key, as more students are transferring during their college years than ever before.  The article link below is a great read about this trend.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/01/29/why-so-many-college-students-decide-to-transfer/?utm_term=.d06cb6dbab25

As always, please reach out to your child's counselor, and we can help you with any concerns you may have about the college transition.

Believing is Seeing; or, is seeing believing?

Students need to visualize life after high school.  Seeing themselves in college, seeing themselves in the world of work, envisioning happiness and success - these are the exercises they need to do to help them reach their potential.  The power of believing cannot be overstated; negative self talk and fear of failure impact performance from everything from sports to the stage, SAT to AP. Yet, in addition to picturing a life after high school, students also benefit from seeing life after high school. College visits provide concrete images of the next step in education. In the upcoming week, there are amazing opportunities for your children to get out and learn about what is out there.

NACAC College Fair: Hundreds and hundreds of colleges and universities will all be present at the Boston Convention Center this Sunday from 2 to 5 pm and Monday morning from 8:30 until 12:30 pm. Please see the link below for a list of colleges attending.
https://hub.nacacnet.org/viewtemplate?render=pdf&tid=a2K1a000000LuLU&id=a0k1a0000058VqFAAU

Junior Families: Please check your emails this evening.  On Wednesday, June 7th, the high school guidance department will be chaperoning buses to take juniors on college tours.  Students can sign up for one bus of the three. Destinations are: UMASS or Endicott and Merrimack or Emerson and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Space is limited so sign up as soon as possible.  All the details are in the email and flyer!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

The college application process takes years. From the moment students enter high school, they are creating a picture of their academic profile with every grade they earn.  From the PSAT to the SAT to the ACT to AP to MCAS, students learn how to deal with the world of high stakes testing. With the very first application to the last, students are putting forth extreme efforts to put their best selves forward. As the seniors polish up scholarship essays, and make pro and con lists, some assume the stress has lessened. Yet, for many seniors, the pressure of making a decision is the greatest pressure.  Often, we are taught there is a right and a wrong, that there is a path that guarantees success and one that guarantees heartache. However, life does not work that way.  It is possible to overthink things, to take a decision and make it into more than it really is? Yes.  It is a choice. It is a single choice in a lifetime of choices. Is selecting a college a big choice? Yes.  Should it be done thoughtfully and carefully? Yes. Is there a wrong choice? No. Make a list of the pros and cons.  Think about which pro and which con is most influential; but never ignore that sixth sense, that nagging voice in the bag of the mind, that tells us all what really is the best choice.  Go with it.  Go with it, because it is the right college at the right time.  Go with it, because no matter what path is selected, it will lead to a series of other decisions, other choices, and in due time, this choice will fade into the background as just one of many choices.

Testing:
ACT: April 8th (not at CHS)
AP Exams: May 1st-May 12th (CHS)
SAT: May 6th (not at CHS) Deadline:  FRIDAY, APRIL 7TH

Confused about College?

Spring is the birth of new life with buds on trees, flower stems peeping out of the ground, longer days, and the return of wildlife that migrated south for the colder months.  In the life of school counselors, spring represents seniors selecting colleges for matriculation, and juniors selecting colleges to visit.
With the total cost of private college totaling over a quarter million dollars in the northeast, the pressure to find the right fit is larger than ever. Families can rise to the challenge of fit by utilizing the resources available to learn about college options appropriate for their students.

There is not a one size fits all model. Every student comes with different talents, different academic strengths, and different academic interests. Juniors are in guidance seminars to learn how to effectively find colleges and universities that match up with their academic abilities and interests as well as their personal preferences for community environment, location, and personal hobbies and passions. Yet, it is equally important for students to seek out their guidance counselors for individual meetings to have more personalized in-depth conversations about the college process.  It is extremely common to find families coming in and meeting with counselors so that everyone is on the same page with a clear plan moving forward.

Upcoming Events: 

TEC College Fair at Westwood High School on March 22 from 6:30-8:30 pm
http://www.tec-coop.org/internships-college-fairs/college-fairs/college-fair-exhibitors

NEACAC College Fair at Stonehill College on May 15 from 6:30-8:30 pm

Deadlines:
March 17th late registration deadline for April 8th ACT
April 8th regular deadline for May SAT

The Power of the Word

As we approach the midway point of the school year, also known as the end of the first semester or the end of term two, we all need to push each other to finish strong and commit 100 percent to those final days, those final assignments. Like a marathon, a school year requires disciplined, sustained effort over a significant period of time. In the dead of winter, with the summer sun months away, we must reach out to one another and offer the encouraging word, the reassuring smile, and the helping hand. With semester classes giving closing assessments, junior students beginning standardized test prep classes, and seniors finalizing their last college applications, let's rally around them and assist them in juggling the responsibilities of life.

As I finish my twelfth college application cycle, I reflect on the numerous essays and supplements I reviewed this year.  As always our students push the boundaries and think outside of the box, something that is imperative in the college application process.  I recently received the following article, and although brief and simplistic in nature, it details solid advice that would all college bound students should reference when writing their essays.  The strength of  verb choice greatly impacts the power and emotion of the college application essay.  It should not be overlooked or undervalued. In fact, these suggestions would help all pieces of writing.

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Important Dates:
Course Selection Night at Canton High School: 6:30 pm February 9th
SAT at Canton High School: March 11th (register NOW at collegeboard.org)