October 2021 Updates From the AHS Counseling Department

Hello students and parents!  It is now October and we just happen to live in one of the greatest places in the world for this time of year.  Fall fairs, pumpkin carving and decorating, apple picking, cider... everything (what's with all of the cider-ing of the world?  I'm all in on the cider donuts, though.)  

One of the absolute best things to do in the fall in New England though is to go on college tours!  They are free, (reasonably) fun, a good way to connect with family (road trips are excellent for that), and a good way to gather information about a potential future school and the opportunities they offer.  This time of year it will be primarily seniors visiting colleges, finalizing their application list.  But juniors, sophomores and even freshmen will find them helpful (and often motivating!).  To see when/how you can visit colleges, go to the college's website, typically in the "Admissions" section.  Not sure what college's you should be visiting?  Go see your School Counselor!  We are happy to give you some recommendations on where you should tour!


🍂   The PSAT's are scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 16th from 8:00am to (approximately) 12:00pm here at the high school.  The deadline to register is TODAY at 3:00pm.  If you are intending on taking the PSAT and have not registered, do so!  The PSAT is recommended for juniors who are intending on applying to four-year colleges.  (Sophomores are allowed to take it, but it is not  necessary; the test is not open to freshmen). The cost is $30 and students can register/pay directly on the City Hall Systems payment website here: https://epay.cityhallsystems.com/selection

🍂   For those students still looking to sign up for either the SAT's or ACT's, the links to dates and registration are below.  Seniors who still wish to take it should be looking to take it as soon as possible.  For juniors, it is recommended to take the test as late in the year as possible; we want you learning as much in your Math and English classes this year as possible which will help you perform well on the test!  

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register

https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration.html


🍂   Based on the feedback we received, our College Knowledge Night for Seniors and Families was a success!  We really hope it was helpful information about the college application process and eased anxiety overall.  Below is a link to both the presentation itself as well as the slideshow that was presented (for those who don't want to watch the whole presentation, but would like to just click through the slides).  This is great for any seniors/families who missed it, but may be helpful to younger students as it gives you a bit of a sneak preview of what is coming up.  Juniors, we will be having a similar program for you before February break focused on the entire college research process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPVstjOSbNo&t=14s

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1t8tLkBfdhpAR2oZXbBG5ACQEV0oCgOF4IorV2uzG_Zg/edit?usp=sharing


🍂   Our X-Block programming as gotten off to a great start!  This past Monday we had one of our favorite alums on a virtual call with students from Washington DC talking about her previous job in the realm of politics and international relations, and her next job working for the Department of Defense in the area, of Counterterrorism, specifically Bioterrorism.  The students enjoyed the program and hopefully learned a lot about the options in those fields.  Our career exploration series will be every Monday (except for Wednesday, October 6th when we're having a special presentation on Sports Broadcasting, for anyone interested in learning more about how to make a career in sports journalism). If anyone knows any young alumni (grad years 2010-2015) who love their job and would love to share knowledge with our current AHS students, have them contact us!  College visits from admissions offices will be happening every Tuesday and Thursday.  This past week we had UConn on Tuesday and Lasell University on Thursday.  There are still spots for all of the college visits (except UMass-Amherst, which is full), so make sure you get your spot!


🍂   Our senior seminars and freshmen seminars have begun!  For freshmen, the focus is on transitioning to high school.  We do activities with the kids such as a personality test that links them to careers that may be a good fit, a learning styles inventory to help them understand how they learn best, and help them develop a four-year plan to start thinking about what classes they'll take at AHS over these next four years.  We also give them access to their Naviance account for the first time!  (Parents, if you would like Naviance access too, we can hook you up!  E-mail Mrs. Blank, our School Counseling secretary at jblank@ashland.k12.ma.us, or contact your child's counselor).  For seniors, the focus has been on taking the next steps for putting their post-secondary plan into action.  For college-bound seniors, that means starting college applications and understanding the steps that go into it.  For students pursuing other opportunities, it means researching how best to make their great plan a reality for them (such as crafting a resume, contacting a military recruiter, looking for job shadowing opportunities, informational interviews, etc.)


We hope you have a wonderful October!  

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