Junior Year
The Junior Year is very important academically for students. This year marks the beginning of student's transition out of high school. It is extremely important for students to be on track for graduation. At the beginning of this year, your student will receive a credit status letter from the counseling department. The letter is designed to keep parents and students informed of their credit status. Also during the Junior year, counselors will meet with juniors and parents to help them with their college/career plans after graduation.
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Here is an overview of the Junior Year:
September:
Review your high school courses and make sure you are taking all of the courses you’ll need for graduation, college and/or vocational planning.
Remember! During your Junior Year, grades are very important! Keep your grades as high as possible. Also remember that colleges like students who participate in extracurricular activities and show leadership… however, remember to not overload your activities at the expense of your grades. Why are grades so important? Next year as seniors your college applications are due before senior grades are posted. Colleges mainly use sophomore and junior grades to determine acceptance because senior grades are not yet available. Also grades are important to calculate Cal Grants for financial aid to help pay for college. So, once again - junior year grades are extremely important!
From here on, you’ll need to use the following two numbers, so be sure to keep them in a handy place:
The College Board Code number for Fortuna High is: 050965
Your social security number (try to have it memorize)
Both of these numbers will be used often when filling out applications and registration forms. Write them down in a safe place.
College Searches: The Junior year is the time to start your college searches. If you haven’t already done so, identify the sources of college and career information (library, internet, counselor’s office), and make time to start searching and gathering information.
Here’s a good website to look for colleges: www.collegeboard.com (search by major, location, etc.)
Make an appointment with your counselor and bring your parents to discuss your plans after high school graduation.
Keep watch on the bulletin for College Night at Eureka High. It is usually held at the end of September in the evening. College reps will be in attendance and it will be a great opportunity to get information. All branches of the military are present as well. Be sure to arrive early… it gets very crowded.
College reps will be here on campus periodically. Keep an eye on the bulletin to see who will be coming. This is another good way to get information on colleges from the reps.
October:
If you are planning to apply to a four year college after graduation, sign up for the PSAT. The PSAT is a “practice” test for students planning to take the SAT. It is generally held on the second Wednesday of the month here on campus in the cafeteria. The PSAT test will cost around $15. Students who are eligible for fee waivers can get them through the counseling department.
If you’re planning to join the military, be sure to sign up for the ASVAB – the armed forces vocational inventory. It will be offered sometime this fall. Dates will be announced in the near future.
November – March
Continue to gather information on colleges and/or vocational programs. Try to visit campuses with your parents during school vacations. If you are interested in a certain college, make sure it offers the program(s) that you plan to study.
Keep an eye out for any scholarships by checking web sites and the daily bulletin. Here are two good web sites to help you with your financial aid/scholarship search:
FastWeb
http://www.fastweb.com/
The Financial Aid Information Page – this page is great for parents. It has a calculator to help parents figure out if they will be eligible for financial aid.
http://www.finaid.org/
Students who are in AP classes need to sign up for the AP tests. First step, consult with your AP teacher. Fee waivers may be available for students on the free/reduced lunch program.
Keep your grades up!
If you haven’t already done so, make an appointment with your counselor to discuss future plans.
April – June
Sign up to take the SAT I or ACT test for the first time. You’ll be registering for the test online, and the test itself will be offered at Eureka High on a Saturday. Be sure to register by the deadline date. It is recommended to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT (equivalent test for college admission ) once at the end of your Junior Year, then again at the beginning of your Senior Year. The more you take the test, the more familiar it becomes, and theoretically the higher your test scores. If you need a fee waiver and qualify for free and reduced lunch please contact your school counselor.
Good, free test prep website for the SAT or ACT:
www.number2.com or www.collegeboard.com
Some highly selective colleges require the SAT Subject Tests. UCs used to require them, but now only certain UC programs recommend them. If you plan to take both the SAT Reasoning Test and the SAT Subject tests you will need to register for each test separately. Only one test can be taken on a given test date.
Summer:
It’s important to visit college campuses if you haven’t already done so. Colleges are expensive, so this might be the time to get a summer job to help pay for expenses that will come as a result of applying to college, taking SATs, etc.
September:
Review your high school courses and make sure you are taking all of the courses you’ll need for graduation, college and/or vocational planning.
Remember! During your Junior Year, grades are very important! Keep your grades as high as possible. Also remember that colleges like students who participate in extracurricular activities and show leadership… however, remember to not overload your activities at the expense of your grades. Why are grades so important? Next year as seniors your college applications are due before senior grades are posted. Colleges mainly use sophomore and junior grades to determine acceptance because senior grades are not yet available. Also grades are important to calculate Cal Grants for financial aid to help pay for college. So, once again - junior year grades are extremely important!
From here on, you’ll need to use the following two numbers, so be sure to keep them in a handy place:
The College Board Code number for Fortuna High is: 050965
Your social security number (try to have it memorize)
Both of these numbers will be used often when filling out applications and registration forms. Write them down in a safe place.
College Searches: The Junior year is the time to start your college searches. If you haven’t already done so, identify the sources of college and career information (library, internet, counselor’s office), and make time to start searching and gathering information.
Here’s a good website to look for colleges: www.collegeboard.com (search by major, location, etc.)
Make an appointment with your counselor and bring your parents to discuss your plans after high school graduation.
Keep watch on the bulletin for College Night at Eureka High. It is usually held at the end of September in the evening. College reps will be in attendance and it will be a great opportunity to get information. All branches of the military are present as well. Be sure to arrive early… it gets very crowded.
College reps will be here on campus periodically. Keep an eye on the bulletin to see who will be coming. This is another good way to get information on colleges from the reps.
October:
If you are planning to apply to a four year college after graduation, sign up for the PSAT. The PSAT is a “practice” test for students planning to take the SAT. It is generally held on the second Wednesday of the month here on campus in the cafeteria. The PSAT test will cost around $15. Students who are eligible for fee waivers can get them through the counseling department.
If you’re planning to join the military, be sure to sign up for the ASVAB – the armed forces vocational inventory. It will be offered sometime this fall. Dates will be announced in the near future.
November – March
Continue to gather information on colleges and/or vocational programs. Try to visit campuses with your parents during school vacations. If you are interested in a certain college, make sure it offers the program(s) that you plan to study.
Keep an eye out for any scholarships by checking web sites and the daily bulletin. Here are two good web sites to help you with your financial aid/scholarship search:
FastWeb
http://www.fastweb.com/
The Financial Aid Information Page – this page is great for parents. It has a calculator to help parents figure out if they will be eligible for financial aid.
http://www.finaid.org/
Students who are in AP classes need to sign up for the AP tests. First step, consult with your AP teacher. Fee waivers may be available for students on the free/reduced lunch program.
Keep your grades up!
If you haven’t already done so, make an appointment with your counselor to discuss future plans.
April – June
Sign up to take the SAT I or ACT test for the first time. You’ll be registering for the test online, and the test itself will be offered at Eureka High on a Saturday. Be sure to register by the deadline date. It is recommended to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT (equivalent test for college admission ) once at the end of your Junior Year, then again at the beginning of your Senior Year. The more you take the test, the more familiar it becomes, and theoretically the higher your test scores. If you need a fee waiver and qualify for free and reduced lunch please contact your school counselor.
Good, free test prep website for the SAT or ACT:
www.number2.com or www.collegeboard.com
Some highly selective colleges require the SAT Subject Tests. UCs used to require them, but now only certain UC programs recommend them. If you plan to take both the SAT Reasoning Test and the SAT Subject tests you will need to register for each test separately. Only one test can be taken on a given test date.
Summer:
It’s important to visit college campuses if you haven’t already done so. Colleges are expensive, so this might be the time to get a summer job to help pay for expenses that will come as a result of applying to college, taking SATs, etc.