Senior Class

A few reminders about student, parent, and guidance responsibilities:

Students are responsible for requesting transcripts in the main office. It is important to include the college name and address on the form so your guidance counselor knows where to mail the information. Multiple schools can be written on the back of the form.
Students are responsible for requesting two teacher recommendations. The recommendation should come from a teacher who taught you in 11^th or 12^th grade and be a core subject.
Students are responsible for submitting personal statement(s) and any supplemental forms to their guidance counselor. Personal statement(s) are encouraged by your guidance counselor even if they are not required by the college or university. Personal statements give the student a chance to say things about themselves that their GPA and test scores do not.
Parents are responsible for giving reminders to students, paying fees, and continued encouragement.
Guidance is responsible for mailing transcripts, letters of recommendations, personal statements, and supplemental forms to schools. All materials will be mailed in once file is complete (transcripts, letters, personal statements). All documents will be mailed in one envelope.
Guidance is responsible for being available to students and parents when questions and/or concerns arise.

Also every month the guidance department releases a newsletter that is included in the Green Notes and published on the ACHS website that provides information on where students should be in the application process, scholarship opportunities, and other information about college that may be helpful to parents and students.

The Guidance Department is here to assist students and parents with this process however students need to be reminded what they put into the process is what they will get out of the process. We would like to see all of students with college acceptances in the spring and to ensure that they must get on board and get their applications completed and submitted to the colleges and universities of their choice.

College Application Deadline Information

Please be aware of the following when requesting and submitting information to you guidance counselor.

If you have a deadline of: All Information needs to be to you guidance counselor by:

December 1 Monday, November 22

December 15 Monday, November 29

January 1 - 15 Wednesday, December 15

January 15 Monday, January 3 (at the latest)

February 1 Tuesday, January 18

February 15 Monday, January 31

If you have any applications that are due after February make sure that all information is submitted to your counselor at least two weeks before the deadline date.

Summer: June-August

Review your schedule for Senior Year. Do you have a challenging program?

Do you have enough credits in the areas specified by your college?

Prepare for ACT/SAT testing in Senior year by reviewing math, developing vocabulary, improving reading and comprehension skills. Take a class or get a tutor.

Identify your expectations of college. What qualities are important to you in a college? Which are negotiable?

Do some college research. Talk to friends in college, graduates, etc. Read materials in your local library, i.e. the brief college descriptions in the resource books like The College Handbook, Peterson's Four Year Colleges, Index of Majors and the materials under your bed from college fairs and which were mailed to you.

Write to colleges that look interesting and are good matches, request a view book, course bulletin, application and financial aid materials.

Use the Archbishop Carroll High School College Worksheets to summarize information from your search.

Develop your list of colleges, both the "Dream Schools" (If my SAT goes up 300 points or my GPA soars) as well as the NOW schools (my current assets, GPA, SAT are currently in their range.)

Prepare a resume and personal statement or autobiographical essay to be used for college applications.