JUNIOR NEWSLETTER ~June 19, 2015
Hello Juniors and Junior Parents,
This year has flown by! The next weekly e-mail you receive from our department will be as Seniors! You’ve all done a great job getting started with your college/post-grad searches. To keep the momentum going throughout the summer we’ve listed some helpful tips below. Remember, the more you can get done over the summer, the less stressful your Senior fall will be.
Things to do over your summer vacation:
STUDENT RECOMMENDATION QUESTIONNAIRE: All seniors who will be applying to colleges must complete the Student Recommendation Questionnaire, found under the About Me tab in the left-hand column on Naviance. You are required to complete this questionnaire prior to your senior meeting.
RESUME:Whether you are going to a four year school, community college, joining the military or heading right into the work force, you will need a resume. Continue to build and update your resume so it’s ready in the fall to bring to your senior meeting and/or give to teachers who are writing your letters of recommendation.
APPLYING EARLY?If you are planning to apply early to any/all of your schools, please note that you MUST have your resume and Student Recommendation Questionnaire in to your guidance counselor at least 30 days prior to your first deadline. (The same will be true for those applying Regular Decision.)
COMMON APPLICATION:The 2015-16 version of the Common App ( will be available on August 1st. Review the Common Application as well as applications for non Common App schools you are interested in. Be aware that many schools will have a supplement in addition to the application itself. Look these supplements over – there may be additional essays for you to complete.
ESSAYS: Speaking of essays, start working on yours! Often, the hardest part of the essay is coming up with an idea. Keep brainstorming and jotting down possible topics. Remember to make it personal so the colleges can learn more about you beyond your transcript and test scores.
VISIT COLLEGES: Keep (or start!) looking at schools and building your Colleges I’m Thinking About list. Even though there are fewer students on campus in the summer, we strongly advise you to go on college tours and to get a feel for schools that are a good fit for you. In the fall you will need to begin moving your selected colleges to the Colleges I’m Applying to List, so start thinking seriously about where you ultimately want to apply.
INTERVIEWS:Consider scheduling an interview at the schools where you are strongly considering applying.
SAT/ACT: Register for SAT reasoning or subject tests ( and/or ACTs ( The fall testing dates and deadlines are listed below. (Note the August deadline for the ACTs and the early September deadline for the SATs.) Remember to save your College Board/ACT log-in information as you will need it to access your scores and to send the scores to your schools. The CHS CEEB code is 220575.
TEST PREP: Whether you take a test prep class, use a practice prep book and/or do the College Board SAT Question of the Day, it is in your best interest to prepare for your standardized tests. The key to success on these tests is practice, practice, practice!
TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS: If you haven’t already done so, be sure to ask your teacher in person first. Then, to request your teacher on Naviance go to the Colleges tab, Colleges I am Applying To link, and scroll down to Teacher Recommendations, where you can select your teachers.
LIVE BINDER/FACEBOOK PAGE: Don’t forget to check out our new Live Binder, a virtual binder with links to important college planning/application web sites. You can access it at: Also be sure to visit our CHS College & Career Planning Facebook page and “Like” us for timely reminders, interesting articles, and general information.
Have a wonderful summer, and we’ll see you in September!
CHS Guidance
Important Dates:
June 17-23: Final Exams
June 23: Last Day of School (Early Release)
September 2: First Day of School
September 12: ACT offered at area high schools, registration deadline – 8/7/15
October 3: SATs offered at CHS and other area high schools, registration deadline – 9/3/15
October 24: ACT offered at area high schools, registration deadline – 9/18/15
November 7: SATs offered at CHS and other area high schools, registration deadline – 10/9/15
December 5: SATs offered at CHS and other area high schools, registration deadline – 11/5/15
December 12: ACT offered at area high schools, registration deadline – 11/6/15