College Counseling

List of 5 items.

• Eighth Grade

  For eighth-grade students, presentations and discussions cover high school credit opportunities, graduation requirements, understanding the pre-ACT tests, turning middle school potential into high school success, goal-setting, and academic advising.

• Freshmen Year

  Students learn the importance of maintaining a quality GPA during freshman year, understanding the high school transcript, and developing effective resumes. They are also advised about the cost of college and provided with information, resources, and academic advising. Freshman receive their Scoir.com accounts and can begin utilizing the resume builder, researching schools, and more.

• Sophomore Year

  The emphasis during the sophomore year reviews standardized testing, ACT vs. SAT, taking a practice version of the PSAT, exploring leadership opportunities, assessing academic progress, TOPS eligibility, and academic advising. Through their Scoir accounts, sophomores may begin to explore the career assessments and create a list of saved careers.

• Junior Year

  The junior year focuses on the search/list/visit process. In addition to attending a national college fair, juniors take a three-day college tour of six colleges and universities to compare different types of colleges and help them to determine the right kind of fit for them. Utilizing the My Colleges feature in Scoir, juniors can build and refine their list of potential colleges and universities in anticipation of senior year.
  
  Juniors have the opportunity to take a school-day ACT on Testing Day in October. In preparation, Ascension provides each junior with a subscription to ACT’s Online Prep course along with targeted weekly assignments leading up to Testing Day.
  
  Juniors also receive instruction and feedback on a college application essay, ending the year with at least a first draft. College counseling meetings assess academic progress, potential admission outcomes,  TOPS eligibility, and provide academic advising.

• Senior Year

  For seniors, the presentations include a Common App/Scoire workshop where students are guided through the application process, utilize Scoir to organize their individual applications, and take the first steps in completing the Common Application; an Application Answers presentation for seniors and their parents highlighting all phases of the application process, including understanding rights and responsibilities, requesting transcripts, seeking financial aid, and managing the application and decision timeline. A final virtual presentation for seniors covers transitioning to college. In addition, individual meetings are available as early as July and throughout the year to address application questions, acceptances, final decisions, and more.