Middle and High School Student Services

I am an alumnus of Oneonta High School.  After I graduated from high school I was a Rotary Exchange student to Norway.  In college, I also spent a semester studying abroad at the University of Oslo in Norway.  I graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology.  I received my Master's in Counselor Education at SUNY Oneonta.  I was hired by Milford Central shortly after completing my degree at Oneonta.  I am a member of the Otsego County Services Board Mental Health Subcommittee as well as the Otsego County Counselors' Association. 

College planning:  How to get started

JUNIORS:

On Thursday, November 26, juniors will have the opportunity to take the College Board PSAT.  This is a practice test for the SAT as well as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This year, the College Board may offer this test administration on multiple days to allow for social distancing during testing.

During January and February, I meet with juniors to review PSAT scores, discuss the upcoming senior year and start the college and career planning process. 

Spring is the time for juniors to get out there and visit college campuses. I have included links to several great web sites to begin the college search.  There are key points for juniors to consider in finding the right college. 

*Determine what you are looking for.

Start with you:  Make lists of your abilities, social/cultural preferences, and personal qualities. Make a list of criteria that are important to you and that you will use to evaluate all the colleges you visit, such as academic programs, class size, campus housing, sports, clubs and activities, job placement statistics, study abroad opportunities, internships, etc... L

* Prepare for college visits. 

Log in to your Naviance account and explore the Supermatch College search link.  There is so much great information available to students and families. You can explore the links to each college that comes up on your search.

Talk to friends, family, teachers, and recent grads of your school now in college.  Make a list of questions to bring along on the visit.  Take a tour, meet with an admissions representative, ask students what they think of the college.  

* Schedule the visit when classes are in session. 

Although it is not always possible to visit during the academic year, being on campus when classes are in session will give you a better feel for the campus.  If the visit occurs during class times, when registering for the visit and tour, ask if it would be possible to sit in on a class. 

* Take notes. 

Jot down your impressions during or immediately after the visit.  This will help you when you are comparing colleges later. 

  * Send a thank you. 

If you had an interview or had a great tour guide, write a short thank you note!  It will further demonstrate your interest in the college. 

SAT and/or ACT registration

Students should sign up to take the SAT and/or ACT at least once in the spring and again next fall.  The tests are offered locally at either Oneonta High School or Cooperstown High School.  Students must register online by the deadlines.  The links to register for the ACT and SAT are below. The SAT is scheduled in May and June.  The ACT is available in April  and June.  Fee waivers are available for students with financial need.  To prepare, download practice booklets form www.collegeboard.comThe College Board  (for the SAT) or from www.actstudent.orgACT Student (for the ACT).

SENIORS:

At the beginning of the senior year I schedule a meeting with each senior. All parents are welcome to be a part of this important meeting.  The college search process may seem overwhelming.  However, I have created a document called the Senior Year Checklist to help create a sense of order to the many dates, deadlines, and information students need to remember.  You can click on the file below to view the document.

Related Links

Naviance.com

The College Board 
The College Board is the website to go to for the SAT registration, but there is so much more to the site. It has an online search engine for students to begin the college search process.
State University of New York online 
This website has information on all the two and four year colleges in the SUNY system. It is also THE website to apply online to SUNY schools.
The Common Application 
The Common Application is a great way to apply to multiple schools using one application. You can access specific college supplements to the application as well. Not all schools subscribe to this service. However, check out this link to see if any of the schools to which you will apply offer this option.  Most of the SUNY schools subscribe to the CommonApp as well so please look on Common App before filling out both a SUNY application and a Common Application.  
New York State College Connections 
This site, maintained by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, the association representing the 100+ private, not-for-profit colleges and universities in New York State, is updated biannually with data directly from the colleges and universities. The site offers many helpful resources for college admissions and financial aid awareness as well as detailed information about each of the colleges.

SAT registration 
ACT registration 

NCAA Clearinghouse 
Determine academic eligibility for students considering participating in college athletics at the Division I or II level.
 

The Director of Financial Aid at Hartwick College will present  information on the financial aid process. 

When:    Monday, December 18  
              6:00 to 7:00 p:m

Where: School cafeteria

Related Links

• Federal Student Aid Program 
  FAFSA 
  FAFSA PIN 
  In order to electronically sign your FAFSA, the student and parent must file for a PIN.
  New York State Higher Education Services Corporation 
  Apply for New York State grants and scholarships on this site and get a quick Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) calculation.
  CSS Profile 
  Complete the CSS /Financial Aid Profile online, as required by many private colleges and universities
  Scholarships.comScholarships 
  Free scholarship search
  College Tool Kit 
  Search for scholarships and obtain financial aid information
  http://www.finaid.orgFinancial Aid 
  Fastweb 
  Register your profile with Fastweb and be continuously matched with and notified about scholarship opportunities in their database.

I work with middle and high school students to outline their high school plans.  We spend time on career exploration, personality profiles and college and career planning. 

Each fall the 8th graders travel to the Otsego Area Occupational Center for their annual Career Expo.   Each student chooses five different occupation programs to visit.  This is a great way to begin to expose our students to the other educational and career options open to them in the future. 

In the 10th grade students begin to seriously investigate career options.  Sophomores may choose to visit the Occupational Center to visit two programs of interest.  This visit usually takes place in February.   If students opt to attend a Career Tech. Ed program during their junior year, they must return an application in early March. 

The English Department and Student Services department work together during the 3rd quarter on career awareness.  All sophomores take the Pre-Act test. For additional information on this test you can visit their website at:  

http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/PreACT_WhyTake.pdf

This test is a practice test for the ACT exam.  The test also lets you know if you're on track for college.  It points out your academic strengths and areas you need to improve.  The test also includes an interest inventory to help students discover how their personality type can be matched to a particular career area.  Finally, it connects you with more colleges interested in you. 

All sophomores have the opportunity to participate in a job shadowing experience in the month of April/May.  This has proved to be a valuable experience for our students.  Students have the opportunity to find out the ins and outs of a particular job.  Some students come away thrilled at the experience or dismayed that the job is not what they thought it was.  Either way, it is an important part of our students discovering who they are and what they want to become. 

The College Search

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools You Should Know About Even If You're Not a Straight-A Student.
by Loren Pope

Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges
by Peterson's Guides

Peterson's Guide to Two-Year Colleges by Peterson's Guides

The Hidden Ivies: Thirty Colleges of Excellence by Howard R. Greene and Matthew W. Greene 

Writing the College Essay

On Writing the College Application Essay by Sarah Myers McGinty

The College Application Essay by Sarah Myers McGinty