Answering the Why

As senior students wrap up their regular decision applications, they start finalizing their supplemental essays for their college applications. Many colleges and universities that require supplemental essays include the question "Why (insert name of college)?" This question presents the most problems for high school students.  Frequently, the answer includes a long list of why the college is perfect. However, what the answer fails to explain is why is the college perfect for YOU? The college knows what it is about, it's strengths, and what it stands for.  The college is really asking what parts about the college make you want to go there.  In other words, how does the student fit within the college community and what would the student add to it?

This question is not posed as a challenge to see what the applicant knows about the school in general. The question is posed to find out what draws the student to apply to the college. Be specific.  What do you want to major in? Why? If you do not know, what programs of study interest you? What about the culture excites you? What extracurricular activities do you want to be a part of? Is there a specific, unique internship opportunity or study abroad experience that you are dying to take advantage of?

In order to test the strength of the supplemental essay, substitute the real name of the college with another college that it is similar to.  Read the essay aloud. If it still makes sense, then the essay is not one you should keep. Make sure that the essay is so specific that it would not make sense to use on any other application. It is only then that you know you are finished.

News and Notes:

PSAT scores are available online for 10th and 11th graders on College Board's website.  Check your email with a video demonstration for how to access scores and what they mean.

Friday, December 16th at 7:45 am: Coffee with Counselors: Understand your PSAT Scores: Library: RSVP to Anne Murray at murraya@cantonma.org

The Holiday Stretch

"The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for those around us."

Happy Holidays! In the guidance department, we strive to make the quote above how we work all year long!  The hustle and bustle of the stretch of holidays from Halloween to New Year's Day is well under way. With crazy sales, family gatherings, and holiday parties, we know time is your most precious resource right now.  And if it is yours, it must be your children's too!

Life in CHS Guidance is just as busy! With the regular decision deadlines approaching, we are diligently giving essay revisions, recommendation writing, and finalizing college lists! With first term grades released before the Thanksgiving holiday, we are busy catching up with freshmen to see what they think of their academic progress thus far. College Board releases the PSAT results in two weeks; there is so much going on!

We also host multiple events in the month of December.  Please reach out to your child's counselor with any questions.  An email was sent today about our event on the 8th!

Thursday, December 8th: 6 pm - 8 pm Post-secondary Pathways Night: Mini-Fair with Alternative Plans to Colleges and a College Admissions Night: Open to 10th, 11th, and 12th Grade Families. There is something for EVERYONE! Students and parents encouraged to attend together.
Friday, December 16th: 7:45 am: Coffee with Counselors: Understanding Your PSAT Scores

The Power of Choice

The high school years tend to be the most demanding on our resource of time.  Students try to master the art of balance by fitting in sports, arts, hobbies, homework, family time, friend time, drivers ed, SAT, ACT, and applying to college. Parents strive to set phone limits, driving boundaries, curfews, reasonable bed times, and family dinners.  Sometimes, in the midst of all of this organized chaos, there seems little time to talk about how we make smart decisions as students enter adulthood. How do we teach our students to make good decisions and support one another even if opinions differ? How often do we ask them if they are completely comfortable making a different decision than their friends? If the answer is no, then have they found the right friends?

Even though at this age, it may seem that our teenagers need us less, the reality contradicts that notion.  Yes, some can drive themselves to play rehearsal and sports practice, pick up dinner on their way home, do their own laundry, and make their own meals. At the same time, they really need to hear that we are in their corner, not here to lecture and scold, but to listen and brainstorm. High school students need to know we are here, all they need to do is give us a sign. It is our collective responsibility to help them on their journey into adulthood.  Because as they say, it takes a village.

Coming Up:
Tuesday, November 1st, 6:30 pm at Stonehill College: Financial Aid 101
Thursday, December 3rd: December 3rd SAT Registration Deadline
Friday, November 4th: December 10th ACT Registration Deadline
Saturday, November 5th: SAT (at other testing locations)
Thursday, December 8th: 6:30 pm: College Admissions Night in the auditorium
                                                         Alternative Options to College Fair in the cafeteria
Friday, December 16th: 7:45 am: Coffee with Counselors: Explaining PSAT results

From Canton to College

As parents, it is natural to want your children to enjoy high school and relish every aspect of this developmental stage. From dating to driving, prom and voting, high school represents a time of great growth and maturity. Yet, high school also represents a time of preparation for post secondary planning. The college application process does not simply reflect the act of applying and enrolling. Rather, it begins in sophomore year, with self-evaluation and career exploration. Junior year entails matching the results of self-awareness and career goals with colleges and universities. The process culminates in senior year with college applications and matriculation. The events listed below are offered as a resource to help students and parents navigate this complex task.

Wednesday, October 5th: 

Canton High School will be chaperoning sophomores, juniors, and seniors, to the TEC College Fair in Waltham.  Bus will leave at 5:30 and return at approximately 8:30. Cost is 10 dollars. Please to go myschoolbucks.com to register and pay. Permission slips were emailed to parents with details last week. 

From 6:30 to 7:30, on the same evening, parents are invited to attend a financial aid workshop for parents, presented by MEFA, in the library. Then from 7:30-8:30 in the cafeteria, parents can come learn about the intricacies of the SAT and ACT.

Wednesday, October 19th:

The PSAT will be held during the school day, from 8-12. Cost is 20 dollars and registration can be done at myschoolbucks.com. We are striving for ALL sophomores and juniors to take this exam, as it is an important step in preparation for the SAT in the spring of junior year.

BIG NEWS: WE ARE BREAKING UP!

Welcome to the 2016-2017 academic year! In the guidance department, we are starting this year off with a bang. In an effort to increase our communications and services to parents, we are breaking up the comprehensive twitter and blog posts. What does this mean you ask? Galvin Middle School Guidance now has their own twitter and blog focused solely on middle school students.  This blog will focus on high school material. If you have a middle school student, please sign up for updates for the following:

Galvin Guidance Blog - galvinguidance.blogspot.com 

Galvin Twitter - @ GMS_Guidance

The Canton Guidance Department also had the great fortune of welcoming two new members to the team. Mr. Chris Buss joins CHS after five years at Saugus High School. He is taking over Mr. O'Brien's caseload.  Mrs. Kari Denitizio starts her career here in Canton at Galvin Middle School after working as a teacher and counselor for years in Brockton.  She oversees the seventh grade and is the entire grade's school counselor. Please welcome them to Canton!

Please note the upcoming event at CHS:

Friday, September 9th at 7:45 am: Senior Parent Coffee with Counselors: College Admissions 

Looking Ahead

I think everyone can remember a time when a parent, a babysitter, a teacher, a grandparent, told us "Look Where You Are Going!" As a child, it was heard when crossing the street, or riding a bike, and trying to talk to a friend or look around, while at the same time staying in motion.  Now, it can be heard outside or in a hallway, when someone is trying to text and walk at the same time  - or even worse, text and drive.

Sometimes, in life, when we live in a constant state of motion, we fail to take stock as to where we are in the world, what we have achieved, and what we need to do to move forward.  As we conclude another school year, and more specifically the 2015-2016 academic year, it is important to note what the guidance department has accomplished this year...Please excuse me for bragging, but it has been quite a year of firsts!

1. A New Blog
2. College Bus Tours
3. A New Counselor at the High School
4. A New Counselor for the 2015-2016 school year, and another new counselor hired for 2016-2017 at Galvin Middle School, both the result of new positions added to the staff
5. Reorganization of the Student Response Team at CHS and GMS
6. College Admissions Night with a College Fair
7. Guidance Coffees every term at both CHS and GMS
8. PSAT moved to Wednesday
9. The Building of a UBD, Vertically Aligned curriculum according to ASCA standards
10. CAPE Grant Award Recipient
11. Breaking Free From Depression Training and Plan for Implementation in 2016-2017
12. Revision of Course Selection Process to Online Recommendations
13. Revamp of Scheduling Timeline
14. SAT and ACT Accommodations Training and Execution by CHS counselors
15. Reorganization of GMS school counselors to grade level counselors for 2016-2017

We look forward to continuing to evolve and grow as we work to improve our services to our students and families of Canton. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Stuck in the Middle

About once a decade College Board decides to revamp the SAT test, and change the way they do things. As the first two administrations of the new SAT have passed, College Board released concordance tables, comparing the new SAT to the old SAT, and the new SAT to the current ACT. Like Winnie the Pooh (pictured above), the current junior class is stuck in the middle of vast standardized test changes which no one completely understands the ramifications of yet. Colleges and universities across the country are trying to figure out what they are going to do with the essay and whether or not they even care about it. If parents utilize Naviance and look at the past data, it no longer holds relevant. So, how can one make sense of it all?

Let the guidance department help you get unstuck.  There are concordance tables comparing the old SAT to the new. The link is below.

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/concordance

 In general, it is important to note that new SAT scores are inflated in comparison to the old SAT scores. In other words, a higher score on the new SAT translates into a lower score on the old SAT. Understand that high scores on the new SAT actually reflect a lower percentage standing in comparison to years past. This translates into SAT averages for accepted students at colleges and universities to rise substantially next year. This rise fails to represent increased competitiveness for admission; it simply reflects the change in scoring by College Board.

Further, College Board failed to communicate with ACT when producing these concordance charts. Hence, do NOT use the concordance table to compare an ACT score with a new SAT score. Rather, use the ACT score and compare it to the profile of the average admitted student at the college of interest.

It is of utmost important that you reach out to your child's guidance counselor if you are having trouble figuring this all out.  That is normal! Guidance counselors spend fourth term meeting with juniors individually to follow up on the group seminar work completed in term three. With so many changes, getting help makes sense.

With the Common Application already live for next year's senior class, students can get started on filling out the basic information. By being proactive, students can spend the summer months focused on essay writing. In addition, the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success released their version of the Common Application.  See the website for details.

http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/


Below are some important dates coming up.

Friday, May 20th: CHS Guidance Coffee at 7:30 am: Anxiety and Depression Awareness
Sunday, May 22nd: 2-5 pm and Monday, May 23rd: 8:30-12:30 pm NACAC College Fair in Boston, see NACAC website for details
Wednesday, June 22nd: Bus field trips to colleges for rising seniors and juniors: more information to come. Cost 10 dollars per student plus money for lunch.