Senior Counseling Corner

Seniors,

We hope that you are enjoying your summer break and taking advantage of this wonderful weather. This is the summer edition of your Senior Newsletter, which will start up weekly when school starts. These newsletters will contain information from seminar, application process reminders, weekly college/program visit schedules, career exploration opportunities and more!

Once schedules come out tomorrow, be sure that you have 12th grade seminar in it! We will be going over all things related to post-secondary planning, so attendance is super important. Seminar will start the 2nd cycle of school!

Just a reminder that Senior Summer Office Hours are happening TOMORROW! No need to sign up, just come in to work with Mrs. Stern to get a head start on your post-secondary plans.

Enjoy the last weeks of summer and we'll see you this fall!

Best,

BHS Counseling Office

(585) 242-5000 x4526

Dear Class of 2027,

We are very excited to re-introduce your school’s college and career readiness platform, SchooLinks! All of the SchooLinks features are designed with students in mind to help you become career, college, and life ready. This site can be accessed on your phone, tablet, or computer.

During the summer leading to your senior year, we recommend that you:

• Use the College Search tool

• Create a list of favorite colleges in SchooLinks

• Build your Final List

This school year, we will be utilizing SchooLinks to fulfill college application requirements. The SchooLinks College Application Manager allows you to:

• Track the progress and requirements for your college applications.

• Organize all the application materials for the colleges where you're applying.

• Request your application materials including transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. to be sent to the desired institution.

SchooLink’s College Application Manager serves as an easy way to keep track of all the application steps and materials you need to submit to colleges and when you need to submit them, but it is not an application portal. You will need to submit applications using the methods offered by the colleges where you're applying, including Common App.

The next couple of pages will provide you with information on how to use SchooLinks to track your College Applications.

Regards,

BHS Counseling Team

1. Finish compiling a list of potential post secondary options
2. VISIT & RESEARCH your options in person or virtually
3. Sign up to take or retake the SAT and/or ACT
4. Continue to work in your Common App account if you are thinking of applying to 4 year colleges
5. Write your application essay (register for BCSD essay writing courses this summer or fall)
6. Register with NCAA if planning to play DI or DII sport
7. Touch base with your counselor or Mrs. Stern for help!
8. Be familiar with the Junior/Senior Information Page - has almost all the information you will need this fall: https://bhs.bcsd.org/46752_3

GOAL: Return in the Fall with 5 to 10 post-secondary options that you would like to pursue. Taking these 8 steps will have you in a GREAT place for the fall application season.

BHS Counselors will be available for SENIORS only to help support you with your post-secondary planning. We will be covering a lot in seminar, but we want to make sure you are well supported in this process. We are here to help!!

No sign up needed- just drop in to office hours whenever you are free. Stay for 5 minutes or stay for hours. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, work on applications with support or just a quiet place to work on your plans.

- continue researching your options

- work on college & job applications

- essay reviews

- updating your resume

- Naviance

- whatever else you need!

Please see the poster below for times and locations throughout the fall, starting September 15th until Thanksgiving break

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your counselor. We hope to see you all soon!

Reps will be visiting in-person and virtually. Colleges have already begun to snag spots at BHS!

Check SchooLinks (Under EVENTS) to see a full list of college visits, view the QR code to see a week at a time (to be updated starting in Septemer)

• If a rep is in person, they will be in room 257 (the conference room across from the Counseling Office)
• If they are virtual, you will be able to access a link to their zoom via Naviance. You may come to the Counseling Office and we can help find you a quiet space to attend if needed.
• You will need teacher permission to attend if the visit takes place during a class - get your pass from the counseling office!

You are welcome to sign up for as many visits as you'd like! We encourage you to sit in on the ones you know, as well as some that you've never heard of before. There are so many INCREDIBLE institutions all over the country with phenomenal opportunities. You just don't know about them yet!

When the school year starts, we will list the next week's visits in the newsletter.

This fall we will be offering Instant Decision days with 17 phenomenal institutions as of today!

Students will have the chance to meet with an admissions representative and receive instant feedback on their application- most students will be informed of their admissions decision that day!

We will provide much more detail in Senior Seminar, but below are the general instructions. This is SUCH a great opportunity to learn more about what the college has to offer you and get some early feedback. So, save the dates if you are interested!

If interested, please follow the instructions below:

1. Sign up for your 15 min admissions appointment with any of the institutions you are interested in.
2. We encourage you to submit your college application prior to the instant decision date if possible.
3. Please encourage teacher(s) to upload letter(s) of recommendation to Naviance at least one week prior to instant decision date.
4. An admissions counselor will review your materials and could provide an admissions decision and estimate of your scholarship package that night! (some colleges may require a few additional days to process materials)
5. Please note- Geneseo, URochester & RIT are an ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW ONLY. This will be used as part of your application to be reviewed later. No decision will be made that this time. If interested in Geneseo, we highly recommend taking advantage of this.

A few recommendations:

• Show up a few minutes early- you don’t want to be late!
• Wear appropriate attire- no need to dress up, but please look presentable. This is YOUR opportunity to show them who you are other than a name on a piece of paper!
• Come prepared with questions about the school- we are happy to help you with this.

If you have any questions about these opportunities, please contact Mrs. Stern!

​​​​NACAC Virtual College Fairs are a great opportunity to connect with colleges and universities from the comfort of your own home. Have a quick video chat with a representative, drop-in on a virtual presentation, send a question through the chat — make a connection your way.

Tips for making your college fair experience productive and fun: https://www.nacacattend.org/fairs/virtual-fairs

1) Representatives from each college will be waiting to meet you! Make sure you are ready to put your best foot forward and interact with reps when visiting college booths! Not sure what to say? Here are some suggestions:

• What do students like/dislike most about your school?
• What kinds of students are happiest at your school?
• What is the average amount of student loan debt for graduates?
• If I am awarded a grant or scholarship, can I expect it to remain constant all four years (assuming my financial circumstances don’t change)?

2) Make sure to reference your College Matchmaking® email to connect with the schools that best align with your interests!

At the time of registration, you selected the attributes that were most important to you in a college. You then should have received an email that best matched specific colleges and universities to your criteria. Reference this email on the day of the fair to connect with your best fits!

Learn more about College Matchmaking®

3) Don't sweat the small stuff!

Everyone is at a different stage in their college search process. Keep an open mind and enjoy yourself. These events are all about helping you connect and learn about lots of colleges in a short amount of time to help you land at your dream school. Have a quick video chat with a rep, drop in on a virtual presentation, send a question through chat - make a connection YOUR way!

If you feel you are a Questbridge candidate, please see the information below. Be sure to touch base with your counselor ASAP as many of the deadlines are quite early!

The National College Match application is a college admission and scholarship process through which high-achieving, low-income students can be "matched" — admitted early with full four-year scholarships to QuestBridge college partners. Learn more: youtu.be/KNZndnqRxQs

Check out the Registrar deadlines- based on the college/job/scholarship deadlines, the dates below are when your application is DUE TO THE REGISTRARS OFFICE.

Please note- the Registrars Office will not be ready to process application materials until October 1st. Please contact your counselor directly if you have an unusually early deadline.

Email: courtney_stern@bcsd.org
Website: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2063
Location: 1150 South Winton Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: (585) 242-5000