Senior Information Guide 2027

Class of 2027, Are you Ready?

Class of 2027 -Welcome to your senior year!

This year will be busy and filled with challenges and excitement for your future. Your SBHS Counseling Department, and the College & Career Center, are here to assist you in your journey.

Some of you are planning to attend a 4-year college directly after your senior year, while some of you are making different plans. Community colleges offer an affordable route that can transfer to a 4-year college. Community colleges also offer many opportunities to earn an Associate’s degree or a certificate program. Certificates can help you earn a living wage job, some in a very short amount of time.

You may be interested in trades, from culinary to construction, and more. With some training and apprenticeships, these can lead to great careers. Take the time to learn about the steps you can take while in high school to help expedite your pathway.

The military may be a good fit for some. There are options to serve either full-time or part-time. Branches offer career skills and a way to pay for college while serving your country.

This Senior Information Guide has been designed to provide you with critical information. Please contact your counselor or the College & Career Center for help.

Let’s make your senior year a fun and productive one.

Things To Do In The Summer Prior To Your Senior Year

Where to go to Explore Colleges and Careers

CollegeBoard's Big Future Type in your preferences and find schools to match.
The College Tour

Schoolinks Research schools and careers that interest you. (Use your SBHS gmail and ID# to log in.)

More Schoolinks tools to explore:

College Search using Schoolinks

Career Exploration using Schoolinks

Schoolinks Learning Tasks

Trying to Decide if a 2-year or 4-year path is best for you?

There are a variety of factors that play a role when prospective students are deciding what type of education is the best for them and their career goals. These factors include location, campus size, cost, social experiences, diversity, and opportunities.

We suggest that you visit college campuses to help you decide. Try to visit a large public university, like Oregon State University, and visit a smaller private university, like Linfield or George Fox. Then visit a community college. We are lucky to have three that are close to Barlow students; Mt Hood Community College, Portland Community College, and Clackamas Community College. All three offer Associate Degree Programs and transfer degrees, but they each offer a unique variety of certificate programs. Take a look online to see the variety of programs available at MHCC, PCC, CCC. Research whether attending a community college associated with a 4-year school is a good way to save money with degree partnership programs. (Linn Benton and OSU, Lane and UofO.)

Don't forget to watch the College & Career Center calendar to see which colleges will be coming to Barlow to present admissions information. Students are excused to attend these events. Presentations start the first week of school, so get in the habit of watching our website's calendar.

Tips For Applying To College

pdf

insert_drive_file

College Visit Student Experience Guide.pdf

Download

1.8 MB

Planning to go to college for any length of time? (4-year, 2-year, certificate program)

First, do the FAFSA!

Everyone should do the FAFSA or ORSAA! There may be free funds for you. Don't walk away from that opportunity.

FAFSA-What is it? How and when do I apply?

The FAFSA is your primary way to get help paying for college. It is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This summer is a great time for you and your family to get started on your FAFSA process. The FAFSA doesn’t actually open for you until October 2026 but you can do a few steps before then.

Create a FSA ID for the student AND a parent.

Create my FSA ID.

In October, start your FAFSA.

FAFSA.

You will need your 2025 tax information to do the application. You will be submitting the 2027-28 FAFSA (your college freshman year). Remember, you can also receive the Oregon Promise (OR community college tuition funds) if you complete the FAFSA and the Oregon Promise application. This application opens in Oregon and closes June 1, 2027. You must have a 2.0GPA to be eligible for $4000-$8000 to use at a community college in Oregon.

If you are a non-citizen, you will submit the ORSAA for state funded financial aid.

ORSAA

Don't forget that the FAFSA or ORSAA must be complete EACH year you are in college.

Scholarships!

We have two lists to help with your search for scholarships to lighten the financial load of college tuition. We have a local scholarship list that consists of Oregon scholarships and some that are only available to SBHS students. Check this list first as you may have a better chance of obtaining one of these scholarships. We also have our large comprehensive scholarship list that is organized by deadline. Please realize that the details for each scholarship change frequently and it is somewhat difficult to keep these details current.

Please check the individual scholarship websites to confirm dates and details.

Other Scholarship Resources:

BigFuture-Scholarship Search Engine

Oregon Goes to College-College Planning Website & Scholarship List

OSAC Scholarship List-This list is visible now but the application opens Nov. 1

Prepare An Activity Chart

You will need to prepare an Activities Chart in order to request letters of recommendation, apply to colleges and scholarships. Make a copy and personalize.

Remember to keep yours updated and ready to go throughout the year.

Another Activity Chart Example

Asking for Letters of Recommendation

When asking for letters of recommendation, please allow two weeks notice. This will give them a good amount of time to write a great letter.

Ask Your Counselor For a Letter of Recommendation

Outside Letter of Recommendation

WHAT TO DO THIS SUMMER TO BUILD YOUR APPRENTICE APPLICATION PORTFOLIO

Apprenticeships use a ranking system for who will be called for an interview. You can improve your ranking with these steps:

GET YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE
DO CONSTRUCTION RELATED VOLUNTEERING - Community Energy Project, Habitat for Humanity, Hands on Greater Portland, REACH Community Development, The Rebuilding Center, Rebuilding Together
DOCUMENT YOUR DIY PROJECTS, AUTO MAINTENANCE & HOME PROJECTS - Take before and after photos of your work and add captions describing the work you performed and the tools you used
GET A JOB - Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware or any construction related work experience will improve your ranking
ATTEND A UNION MEETING & TALK WITH PEOPLE IN THE TRADES - make a positive impression, ask questions about the working conditions, job outlook and how you can improve your portfoliio
SHARPEN YOUR ALGEBRA SKILLS
GET CPR/AED, FORKLIFT AND FLAGGING CERTIFIED