COUNSELING NEWSLETTER

John P. Stevens High School January 2017 10/9/13: JPS Club Fair in student cafeteria, after school—allVolume grades10, Issue 3 www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344; Twitter: @JPSCounseling

From the Counseling Office… Happy New Year! The Counseling Office has continued to be a place full of activity. As of January 3rd, we processed a total of 4,016 college applications for our seniors with 1,135 of them being early decision or early action applications. That means 28% of all applications processed were done by the earlier deadline of November 1! To our seniors who have been hearing from their early action/decision schools, we hope that you will come down and let us know of the outcome of your applications if you haven’t already. Remember, we are just as invested as you in this process! Be sure to update your notifications in Naviance! As the new year starts, we will be working with our students in small groups. During these sessions, we guide students in using Naviance Family Connection. Naviance is a web-based program (the link can be found our Counseling Website) designed especially for students and parents. Each student in our school has his/her own account. The program contains learning style assessments, and career inventories that students are encouraged to take. IN THIS ISSUE: Counseling Office Update

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Important dates

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Financial Aid & IDD

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Special Opportunities 3 SAT/ACT

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Junior Family Night

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Coffee!

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Student timeline

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SAT/ACT College Fairs

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Tutoring Info

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Naviance also provides up-to-date information that is specific to our school. For example, it provides statistics on acceptance rates of our alumni. Once a student account is set up, Naviance also lets allows us to share information with students about upcoming meetings, news, and events, as well as other Web resources for college and career information via a student’s Naviance account and school email. In senior year, Naviance will be used during the actual college application process. Take the time to explore Naviance now! Next week, we will start meeting with our freshmen during their Social Studies classes. In the weeks to come, we will be meeting with the sophomores in small groups to work in other parts of Naviance. Following this, juniors will meet with us in small groups. A Junior Family Night with all of the counselors is in the works for February 16th! Our College Counselors are working on our upcoming JPS Alumni Day for our current juniors this Friday and will host a morning workshop on understanding your PSAT results on January 26th! All students are encouraged to see us with any questions or concerns! Our doors are open to you!

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Important dates to note: 1/6/17: 1/25/17: 1/26/17: 2/3/17: 2/16/17:

JPS Winter Alumni Day Middlesex County College Instant Decision Day Morning workshop: Understanding PSAT results and test timeline overview End of 2nd marking period Junior Family Night at 6:45pm

Free help for filing the FAFSA! As you look ahead to college, don’t forget to apply for financial aid to help you pay for college! You should apply online for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This FREE application is available now. Go online at http://www.fafsa.gov to complete the application. Have questions on how to fill out the forms or how the process works? Get help for FREE at one of the many New Jersey College Goal Sundays at www.njasfaa.org. Professional financial aid experts from New Jersey Colleges and Universities together with the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority and many other groups volunteer their time to provide one-on-one free assistance to students and their families in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Check out their schedule and sign up for a free session online.

Instant Decision Days During the month of December, the Counseling Department sponsored a series of Instant Decision Days (IDD) with New Jersey Institute of Technology, Seton Hall, Kean and New Jersey City University. All of the JPS Instant Decision Day events were a success! We had over 35 student acceptances with some offered substantial college scholarships! What is Instant Decision Day? And why participate? IDD is a non-binding way to receive an on-the-spot college acceptance from an admissions counselor who comes to John P. Stevens. Rather than submit an application and wait months for a decision, an admissions counselor from the visiting institution reviews a student's application on site and provides an immediate decision. Students are not obligated to attend the institution if accepted. Our NEXT Instant Decision Day for seniors ONLY: Middlesex County College: Wednesday, 1/25/17 **Must register by 1/18/17 at https://goo.gl/forms/s5wvzIIU1V37M59G3 Juniors - keep an eye out next Fall for your opportunity to participate!

FINANCIAL AID TIPS

Information on the FAFSA and how to answer specific questions can be found on our Counseling website at www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344. Click on “Paying for College” link. There is a lot of valuable information located on the page! Some schools may ask you to complete the CSS/Financial Aid Profile in addition to completing the FAFSA. Pay attention to the specific deadlines that your colleges may have. These may differ from the FAFSA deadline. Make sure you adhere to all deadlines to ensure eligibility for financial aid. If you are applying to any NJ State schools, click off “yes” to applying to state schools so that you get the extra questions for TAG. You should click “yes” even if you don’t know for sure if you are going to stay in state.

Should you take the SAT or ACT? SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES & SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES

Looking for a job, internship or volunteer opportunity? Check out the Job Board located in our Resource Center (front room) in the Counseling Office for current listings. Have a job but don’t know where to go for working papers? Get them from the Counseling secretaries in the Counseling Office after school! Not sure what to do over the summer other than rest, relax and have fun?  Spend some time giving back to the community. There are many places looking for volunteers. Interested in a class for the summer? The application process starts now. Many colleges offer pre-college summer programs. You can look online under “Academics” on the Counseling website. If you are interested in a particular college, you should search that college’s website for information. Another useful site is: studenteducationprograms.com.

The SAT and ACT are two different standardized tests that are used by many colleges and universities when evaluating students for admission. The SAT is administered by the College Board. They also administer the PSAT. The ACT is administered by ACT Inc. Both are widely accepted by colleges and universities. To determine which one might be a better for fit for you, take a look at the comparison chart on the next page. Note that both tests now have free online test preparation available. Free SAT test prep is available at www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat. More information is available at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat?excmpid=SM056-AL-1-tw. ACT is offering its newly redesigned ACT Online Prep™ product, a value of $39.95, at no cost to students who qualify and register for a national ACT® test date with a fee waiver. For more information, go to http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/testpreparation/act-online-prep.html FREE ACT Kaplan Online Prep Live event: Wednesday January 4, 2017 at 7pm http://tinyurl.com/gl2lwnk

Freshmen and Sophomore Family Nights In December Mrs. Silberberg and Mrs. Nadel hosted Freshman and Sophomore Family Nights. Each presentation reinforced the message that it is never too early to begin thinking about post secondary education. Mrs. Silberberg met with freshman families to review how to set a foundation for academic success, provide insight into quality of involvement versus the quantity of extracurricular commitments and offer proactive planning strategies like understanding college FIT, relating academic interests to college majors and planning to finance a college education. Mrs. Nadel’s presentation led sophomore families in a framework for planning for future success. It included a review of graduation requirements, discussing parent and student roles in the college process, outlining standardized test options and giving a sample timeline for college planning and search. Both nights were a huge success with over 500 parents in attendance!

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Junior Family Night with your School Counselors Calling all juniors and their parents! Thursday, Feb 16, 2017 at at 6:45pm JPS Auditorium All juniors and their parents are invited to join us at this college preparation night to learn everything you need to know about the college process and what you should be doing now. During the night: • We will have a College Admissions Director as a guest speaker who will speak about what admissions process. • You and your parents will meet with your school counselor in a breakout session to get personalized information! • Each junior will get a copy of his/her transcript! • You will receive information on what to expect at college visits, how to do college searches on Naviance Family Connection, taking the SAT/ACT, and Sat II and more. • College planning calendar for juniors and their parents will be given out! Hope to see you all there!

Coffee with the College Counselors Please join the JPS College Counselors for a coffee chat before you start your day! Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 7:30am JPS Library Our featured presenter will be Ryan DeGuzman, Manager of Pre-College Programs at Kaplan Test Prep. Mr. DeGuzman will guide families through an overview of the PSAT score report. He will highlight how understanding results can provide a foundation for planning and taking standardized college admission exams. Mr. DeGuzman will also illuminate how using the PSAT score report can assist with attaining score growth on the SAT exam. This event is geared towards sophomore and junior families. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED! Please follow the link for more details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coffee-with-the-college-counselorstickets-30497860923

WHAT IS A GPA? HOW IS IT CALCULATED? A GPA is a grade point average. It is the calculated average of the final letter grades you earn in school at the END of the school year. Because of this, GPAs are not calculated during the school year as you have not completed your coursework for the year yet. Our school has both weighted and unweighted GPAs. A weighted GPA takes into consideration the final grade you received in the course in addition to the level of the course itself. For instance, more “weight” is given to a level 1 course than a level 2 course since it is a higher level course. The unweighted GPA is calculated only based on the final grade received in the course. The level of the course is not considered in the calculation. Both GPAs are reported on the student transcript that is sent out to colleges, universities, special programs, and jobs. For the specifics on how to calculate your GPA, go to page 23 of the Student Handbook on the JP website at www.edison.k12.nj.us/stevenshs

A Timeline for Students: What Should I Be Doing Now? Freshmen & Sophomores: •

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Juniors: • • • • • • •

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Second marking period will end on February 3rd. Finish strong! Don’t forget to study for your quarterlies! Make sure you get enough sleep every night. Studies show that a lack of sleep can cause issues with concentration and focus. You can begin to search for colleges on Naviance (connection.naviance.com/jpstevens) or go to College Board (www.collegeboard.org). Look for possible enrichment/summer programs on the Counseling website. Register for SAT Subject Test? Check to see if the schools you are interested in applying to need the SAT II Subject Tests. If so, sign up to take them in May or June as you finish up the course for the school year.

Search for colleges and make a list of colleges you might be interested in. Not sure how to do a search? Try using Naviance (connection.naviance.com/jpstevens ). Visit colleges—go on their websites to find out information about Open Houses and information tours. Attend our Junior Parent Night on Thursday, February 16 at 6:45pm. Register for the SAT or ACT: We recommend that you take the SAT (www.collegeboard.org) and/or ACT (http://www.actstudent.org) at least once your junior year and again in your senior year (if necessary). Register for SAT Subject Test? Check to see if the schools you are interested in applying to need the SAT II Subject Tests. If so, sign up to take them in May or June as you finish up the course for the school year. Continue to participate in after-school activities or weekend programs/volunteer sites. Start thinking about what you may want to do in the summer—work, volunteer, attend a summer program, etc. One way to find programs is by regularly checking the Counseling website’s link for “Enrichment/Summer Programs”. Note application deadlines for summer programs. If a counselor recommendation is required, give your counselor advance notice (10 school days in advance)! Look for possible enrichment/summer programs on the Counseling website. Look for possible scholarship opportunities on the Counseling website.

Seniors: • • • • •

File FAFSA at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ Note and adhere to all deadlines! Colleges may have a financial aid deadlines that are separate from the FAFSA deadline. File CSS Profile in requested by your college. Look for scholarship opportunities at our Counseling website “Paying For College”, Fastweb.com, or other scholarship sites. Just remember, if you don’t apply, then you won’t get it! Update the results of any college decisions/notifications you’ve received in Naviance. If your college needs midyears sent to them, make sure to fill out a Midyear Transcript Request Form (on Counseling website under “Forms”) and give it to your counselor. We do not automatically send out midyears. You must request them.

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SAT Registration www.collegeboard.org; CEEB Code: 310787 Test Date

Regular Registration

Late Registration (online)

December 3 January 21 March 11

November 3 December 21 February 10

November 22 January 10 February 28

May 6

April 7

April 25

June 3

May 9

May 24

ACT Registration www.actstudent.org Test Date

Registration Deadline

(Late Fee Required)

December 10

November 4

November 18

February 11 April 8 June 10

January 13 March 3 May 5

Jan 20 March 17 May 19

College Fairs Attend a college fair to find meet representatives from colleges, get information, and explore what is out there.

Study New Jersey is hosting its 1st annual Instant Decision Day and College Fair for International Students. Schools such as Fairleigh Dickinson U, Kean, Monmouth, NJIT, Rider, Rowan, TCNJ and more will be represented. You must make an appointment to meet with Mrs. Nadel or Mrs. Silberberg in order to attend the event.

Event Latino College Expo Held in New York City (Includes workshops for students!) http://www.latinocollege-expo.org/ Please register in advance.

Date March 18, 2017

Time 8:00 am3:00 pm

May 1-6, 2017

See website for details

February 8, 2017

Holiday Inn, 195 Davidson Ave, Somerset, NJ 10am-5pm

College Fairs Online: Virtual College Fairs at www.collegefairsonline.com Study New Jersey: Instant Decision Day & College Fair for International Students Must see Mrs. Nadel or Mrs. Silberberg in the Counseling Office in order to attend the event.

NEED SOME TUTORING? ‘Cause sometimes we just need a little help with our studies… If you think you could use some tutoring, look below for some help!

Science Honor Society • Mondays & Wednesdays: Drop in Room 230 from 2:45-3:45pm • For tutoring during your study hall, please email Ms. Biloholowski at [email protected] English Honor Society (Includes Writer’s Clinic-bring your essays for help !) • Drop in Room 105 at 2:45pm: 1/25, 2/15, 3/22, 4/19 Social Studies Honor Society • Drop in on Thursdays in Room 116 immediately after school • Email Mr. Pierce at [email protected] ahead of time to get a tutor. Spanish Honor Society • Mondays & Wednesdays: Drop in after school by 2:45 pm in the school library; Thursdays: Room A6 • Any day during your study hall: Speak to your Spanish teacher to arrange this. Latin Honor Society • Email Mrs. Hasner at [email protected] to request a tutor. French Honor Society • Any day during your study hall: Speak to your French teacher to arrange this. Italian Honor Society • Italian Honor Society: Email Ms. Schiavone at [email protected] to request a tutor. National Honor Society (most subjects) • Please see your counselor to be set up for tutoring during your study hall or after school (if available).