Junior Bulletin, June 12, 2018

Greetings Juniors and Families:  This bulletin wraps up a successful junior year – onward toward senior year and college applications!  It highlights the College Prep Day on June 8, during which students learned essential information for making senior year productive and stress free, and initial steps toward identifying and applying to colleges.  The application process starts now! Advice and opportunities in this bulletin will also help students use the summer months effectively.

Congratulations to  New College Access Leaders for 2019 (and thanks to everyone who applied – you are all impressive!)

Zahirah Tucker –  Best

Christina Santana – Block

Nzinga Bey – Estey

Cynthia To – Enzweiler

Lauryn Lewis – Kaur

Carolina Ortiz – Hirschfield

The CALs work with the College Office and Ms. Hirschfield to help their peers with every aspect of the college application process.  They are your first resource for any question about applications, standardized tests, letters of recommendation, or whatever you need! 

Common App Help Guide & FAQs

 

This Guide will help you understand the layout of the Common App and acquaint you with the information you will need prior to creating a Common App account.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UybH_pfUk8RwPkh73ib2vjR3jnP5NLR2k3JrAApBLxU/edit?usp=sharing

Class 2018 Final Transcript Info

All colleges require final official transcripts to confirm that students graduated. To ensure that we send your final transcript to the appropriate school you must complete two surveys BEFORE THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR: 1) in Naviance go to the ‘About Me’ tab, on the left under Surveys to Take, complete the Graduation Survey; 2) in the School District portal go to Infinite Campus, then Announcements – under Surveys complete the Senior Exit Survey.  NOTE: many colleges will not allow you to register for classes until the final transcript is complete. If you need an official transcript for a job or other reason when school is not in session you can request one through the School District portal: https://philasd.scriborder.com/application. Unofficial transcripts can be accessed through Infinite Campus.

Junior Bulletin, May 2018

SPRING AND SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE

 SAT Prep Right Here at SLA!

This course meets August 6 through 10, 8:30 to 12:30.  The cost is $75 (need-based scholarships are available). For more information and to register click HERE. Fills fast, so register by May 1, 2018

 Social Justice Research Academy at Penn

The Social Justice Research Academy examines the historical importance and the contemporary relevance of struggles to overcome inequality and injustice. If you attend a School District of Philadelphia public or charter high school, you may be eligible to attend a Penn Summer Academy free of charge with a Penn Summer Scholarship. For other Penn summer programs click here. Deadlines are May 1, 2018.

Smith College Women of Distinction Program

Smith College, one of the top tier women’s universities, offers an all expense paid Women of Distinction program  for 2018-2019 seniors from Oct 19 to Oct 21, 2018. The program introduces opportunities for African American, Latina, Asian American, and Native American students who enroll at Smith. For more information on the application process, visit www.smith.edu/admission/wod. Applications available May 1.

West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution

WPFSI offers 15 paid eight week summer internships for rising juniors and seniors. The WesGold Fellows program is anchored around four key topics: Personal Finance, College Planning, Personal Development and Career Development. Apply online here. Deadline is May 4, 2018.

Senior Bulletin, May 2018

Hello Seniors,

This is the last Senior Bulletin! Here at the College Office we congratulate all SLA students for their hard work and achievements.  This year SLA students are going to an especially diverse range of schools, from Adrian College in Michigan, to the University of Colorado!  Four students received full tuition as Drexel Liberty Scholars, and over 70% of the class received scholarships at their school of choice. This bulletin includes opportunities and suggestions for how to make a successful transition from high school to college:

• Stay on top of deadlines; keep in touch with new and old friends
• Follow up with the financial aid office at your college.
• Scholarship opportunities are still available
• Special interview with an SLA alumna about her experiences at college
• Not sure?  Consider a Gap Year 

Class of 2019 Sign Up to Get College Office Text Message Alerts

SIGN UP HERE – When you sign up, you will be able to receive the most recent Junior Bulletin notification and other reminders from the college office. We want to help you stay on top of the college search process and deadlines!

Grades 9-11 Official Transcript Request

Students are sometimes asked to provide an official transcript to an academic institution, summer program, or community agency. All SLA students in grades 9-11 can request official transcripts by completing a Transcript Request form HERE. (When students are asked for unofficial grades, a report card or grade printout from SchoolNet will be sufficient.) Bring all completed requests to the College Office, room 312.

Notes:

• Allow TWO WEEKS to process the request.
• If sending request via email, complete the Transcript Request form, scan, and email (preferably in .PDF) back to Mrs. Hirschfield at khirschfield@scienceleaderhsip.org.
• Seniors who need official transcripts must add it to the Transcript Request Log in the College Office.

SLA’s High School Profile

Click here to view the Class of 2018 School Profile.

Diversity College Fly-In Programs

Would you like to visit colleges but it’s too far away and expensive? Fly-in programs offer students the opportunity to stay overnight on campus to get a feel of their college environment and see if it’s the right college for you.

Check out this list for colleges who offer fly-in programs with financial assistance for eligible students.

Remember to keep track of the upcoming application deadlines for the programs you are interested in.

College Application Fee Waiver FAQs

Income-eligible seniors who took the SAT or SAT Subject Test using a fee waiver will receive four college application fee waivers from College Board.

Here are the most frequently asked questions regarding the fee waivers.

Questions to Ask Colleges

Here are a few scripted questions that Juniors and Seniors can ask when talking to College Admission Representatives:

Around Academics:

-Do you have any professional programs? (eg: does your liberal arts school offer a teaching credential, is your nursing program accredited)

-How many students on campus do research with their professors? How easy will it be for me to find academic mentorship at your school?

SLA Graduation Requirements

SLA Graduation Requirements

ACT/SAT Test Optional Schools

If you’re interested in applying to any test optional schools, click here for a list of schools that may be of interest to you.

Common Application Information

Common App powerpoint from June College Prep Workshop here.

Check out this document for Common Application FAQs!

College Entrance Exam Deadlines Coming Up!

Juniors:

Please be aware of the following upcoming deadlines for the college entrance exams (SATs and ACTs):

Click on the links below to get test date information.

SAT- http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-us-dates

ACT-http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html

Transcript Requests for Non-Seniors

Attention freshmen, sophomores and juniors!

If you want to participate in a summer enrichment program, or want to apply for a scholarship, come to the college office and request a transcript to be sent!

Introducing the College Navigator

Juniors and Seniors and related parents, the College Navigator should be your second favoriate website of all time–after this one of course. Here, you can browse through real-time data on actual price based on

Navigating the College Financial Aid Process

There are two websites that the College Office wants you to look at today. Have you looked at the College Board’s Net Price Calculator and FAFSA Forecaster?

Want to know how to convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale?

Use  THIS CHART to help you figure out your GPA on a 4.0 scale. As a general rule SLA GPAs are unweighted.

Preparing for College Entrance Exams

SAT & ACT PREP RESOURCES

It’s so important for students to begin prepping for their college entrance exams! There are tons of great test-optional schools, but some of them may require ACT/SAT test scores to be considered for merit scholarships.

Here’s a list of Test Prep Resources to help you get started!