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Brief Overview of the College Counseling Process Applications back to top The advent of personal computers and the Internet has led to changes in the way students apply to college. The most common method of applying to college is completing an application sent by the respective college. Colleges now offer several options via their web pages. First, a student can download the application from the college’s web page, complete the application and mail it to the college admission office. Second, a student may complete the application and submit the application on line. Students may also submit applications with an application form that is accepted by many different schools. The Common Application is the oldest such application and is used by 209 selective colleges across the United States. The Catholic College Admission Application, devised by the National Catholic College Admission Association, is accepted by 140 Catholic colleges. With either application, the student completes the application once and can replicate the application for other colleges. www.commonapp.org Several companies have college applications on their web sites: http://www.collegelink.com/clnk/customize/ Colleges Attended back to top Five Year History of Student Accomplishment Careers back to top One of the most difficult questions for a young person to answer is " what will I do with my life". Unfortunately there are no easy answers. Finding a college major and corresponding career is one of the most anxiety provoking aspect of the college search. The following links can assist a student in this process. It is important to remember that one does not have to select a major before entering college. The Guidance Office stands ready to assist in any way. http://cbweb9p.collegeboard.org/career/html/searchQues.html
http://mapping-your-future.org/planning/ http://www.bls.gov/oco/ http://www.jobprofiles.com/
http://militarycareers.com/
http://www.aidt.edu/companyjobs.html
http://www.dir.state.al.us/es/default.htm
Catholic Colleges back to top The first Catholic institution of higher education in the United States was Georgetown University, founded in 1789. Today, there are over 200 Catholic college and universities located in forty states and the District of Columbia. Of the 200 Catholic colleges there are 40 women’s colleges, seven that grant pontifical degrees, 12 junior colleges and one historically black university. While there are major universities with law, medical and professional schools, most Catholic colleges and universities have enrollments of less than 5000 students. Students of Catholic colleges and universities have an overall higher graduation rate than other colleges and universities. One of the best sources of information on Catholic colleges and universities is the National Catholic College Admission Association (CCAA). CCAA puts out a guide book each year and has recently started the Catholic College Admission Application. The guidebook and applications can be found in the Guidance Office. More information on CCAA is available on the world wide web at http://www.catholiccollegesonline.org/
College Night back to top The twelveth annual College Night, sponsored by the Alabama School of Math and Science, McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, St. Pauls, Bayside Academy, and UMS Wright, will be held in October at St. Pauls. The date will be announced later. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors will be given detailed information in
group guidance. Parents are encouraged to accompany their students to
the fair to meet college representatives and to gather information on
the over 100 colleges that will be present. Financial Aid back to top The most influential factor in college selection is cost.
This year the United States Department of Education will provide over
$50 billion to help students pay for college. Most colleges/ universities
rely the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determined
students’ eligibility for financial assistance. The FAFSA is available
in January of a student’s senior year. For
students beginning college in 2008-09 academic year the FAFSA will use
family financial data from the 2007 calender year. The FAFSA should be completed on the web. In addition
to the FAFSA, a number of college/universities will collect more family
financial data with the CSS Profile. CSS Profiles are also available in
the Guidance Office. http://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp http://www.finaid.org/ Scholarships back to top As college cost have risen parents and students have sought out other sources of financial assistance. It is important for parents to check with their employers, their church and civic groups about the possibilities of scholarship assistance. Beware! There are a number of companies that exit to assist you with a scholarship search. Most are scams and are very expensive. They do what you can easily do yourself. This will link you to more information on scholarship scams: The world wide web has become very useful tool in the search for scholarships. Below is a list of web sites that will be helpful in your search. Many searches engines require the student to give biographical information which will assist in locating appropriate scholarships. http://www.fastweb.com http://www.collegescholarships.com http://www.college-scholarships.com/ http://www.collegeboard.org/
http://www.uncf.org http://www.swe.org http://www.college-scholarships.com/ http://www.college-scholarships.com/ Testing Information back to top A majority of colleges and universities the country use standardized tests in admission decisions. The ACT and the SAT are the most commonly used test. This page will offer you links to the ACT at www.act.org and the SAT at www.collegeboard.com It is possible to register for either exam through the respective web sites. McGill-Toolen’s test code number is 011820. While McGill-Toolen is not a test site the SAT can be taken at Murphy High School or UMS-Wright’s Preparatory School and the ACT can be taken at Baker High School, Bayside Academy, Bishop State Community College, Daphne High School, Faith Academy, Fairhope High School, John Shaw High School, Murphy High School, University of Mobile and the University of South Alabama. It is important for students to get a good night’s rest on the night before the exam and eat breakfast on the morning of the exam. Students should arrive at the test center early, have their admission ticket and have acceptable form of identification. Either test may be taken several times. Numerous books and computer software have been developed to assist students with test preparation. These may be found in the Guidance Office and in any local bookstore. There are a number of web sites that assist student with test preparation. |
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