artwork by Andrew Villescas
Colleges, scholarships, and exams…oh my!
As seniors enter their last year of high school, many often begin to relax; however, the work is not over. With college and scholarship application due dates nearing, as well as the stress of classes and standardized tests, seniors should be keeping these critical deadlines in mind.
For seniors wanting to apply early decision to college, applications are due early in the semester, ranging from November to December, and counselors recommend that students begin the process early. Early decision is a great opportunity for students who are committed to a certain university or college; many applications also have benefits such as waived fees and scholarship opportunities, which will reduce a large portion of school costs.
Finding the right college fit can be difficult, and for students struggling to find theirs, Naviance provides an excellent college search resource, allowing students to search for specific opportunities and to narrow down their application list. Using Naviance is a quick method allowing seniors to regulate their tasks. Naviance college search will find schools based on preferences such as location, class size, and the ideal environment. Using Naviance is faster, cheaper, and allows seniors to quickly check on what is done and what needs to be done. Counselor Jeremy Anderson explained that students should “find out what the school is good at, what they offer, and make sure that it’s something they offer when [students] look into it.” Finally, when seniors have successfully chosen their colleges to which they are applying, they can use Naviance to sign up for college visits, which provide information about certain colleges.
Scholarships provide great opportunities for students, so it is critical to keep with with deadlines. Future Center advisor Rena Maez sends out weekly emails providing useful scholarship opportunities, but seniors are urged to check into the Future Center often to stay up to date with these deadlines. There are a myriad of scholarship opportunities available for any student, but it is critical to stay informed regarding those significant benefits. Maez is always available to answer students’ questions, as well as to assist with scholarship applications or essays. Besides the smaller scholarships, several students are taking advantage of some of the large scale scholarships being offered, including the Daniels Fund and the Gates Millennium Scholarship. While Daniels is due on November 11th, students have until second semester to apply for Gates, and, if they win, will be able to study for their bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees with the scholarship. There are a multitude of significant scholarships such as these, but students must take the initiative to find them; besides visiting Maez, they can visit www.denverscholarship.org.
Test dates are also important to keep in mind, such as the ACT, SAT, SAT subject tests, and other tests that certain universities may require. First, students should confirm which tests are required by the universities to which they’re applying, to ensure that they meet the application requirements. Test dates can be found in the packet that was received at the senior meeting, as well as in the Future Center. Students can also go to ACTStudent.org, as well as the College Board website. For study tools, students can see Maez; the College Board website also offers practice tests for certain tests. Practice test books are excellent resources, and can be found at any bookstore, or online. Finally, shmoop.com offers a significant amount of resources for not only AP tests, but the SAT, SAT subject tests, and the ACT, and with a certain school code, will be provided for free. Students should see principal resident Mike Christoff for information regarding this valuable resource.
Many college fairs are coming up, and they are an amazing opportunity to check out new colleges and possibly add more options to seniors’ application lists. While TJ hosts many in-state and out of state fairs and college visits, many colleges visits occur outside of TJ as well. Students can find a full list of visits on Naviance, and should sign up for these visits as soon as possible.
As the end of the semester is approaching, it is critical to manage time when it comes to certain deadlines. If students have further questions regarding these deadlines, they can ask the counselors, stop by the Future Center, or reach out to other informed teachers throughout the school.
