Postsecondary Counseling Newsletter

February 8th, 2024

The 9th grade Career Fair was a huge success!

Above: Durango City Councilor Dave Woodruff (Left) and Dr. Matt Smith from Mercy Sports Medicine Associates (right) chatting with 9th grade students during the career fair.

Yesterday the 9th grade students had the opportunity to learn from 30 local community professionals in a career fair style setting. Students rotated through class rooms in which professionals were stationed throughout the course of the morning, giving them ample time to learn and to practice their professional communication skills. I receved a text from one of the guest professionals afterward that said:

"What a great group of kids!! That was really fun."

The main goal of the career fair is exposure: helping students to understand that there are so many different careers that exist beyond the main few that first pop into our heads. We encouraged students to be curious and learn about each person's path to where they are now and gain an understanding that for most, the path is not linear. After the career fair during Advisory, students reflected on their takeaways as well as explored courses they can take at AHS next year that will lead to postsecondary pathways connected to the careers they found interesting.

Elliot and I are super proud of our 9th grade Ospreys and their level of professionlism and engagement in the career fair.

We are beyond grateful for all of the community members who volunteeered their time to come and share their wisdom and experience with our 9th grade students!

On April 3rd, we will embark on our 9th grade career site visit field trips. This is a fun way for students to go and see work in action! If you would like to offer up your workplace as a site visit for a small group of 9th graders, please email Elliot: elliot.baglini@animashighschool.com

AHS Application Case Study Workshop

April 13th 9:00am-12:15pm @ AHS

What is an admissions case study? This is a workshop in which students and caregivers can learn about the holistic admissions process through the eyes of admissions officers. Participants are given applications submitted to a ficticious college by ficticious students to review as if they are the admissions officers. This workshop gives participants a better understanding of what holistic admissions means, which things are important in the application, and how to best present themselves and tell their whole story as a whole student through their extracurricular activities, work experience, interships, high school coursework, personal/life circumstances, and teacher/counselor recommendations. Students and their caregivers will also learn about institutional priorities and how they play a role in the admissions process.

This is also an extremely rare opportunity to meet college admissions officers from across the country in person, in Durango. Students interested in selective college admissions are strongly encouraged to attend.

Open to all grade levels and caregivers!

Register HERE

SAT

9th Graders will take the PSAT 8/9 on April 19th. I will be working with 9th Graders in class on April 1st to discuss the importance of the SAT and how we can use the PSAT to prepare. I will be providing guidance to students on how to access free PSAT prep resources through Khan Academy and how to link their accounts to the College Board for customized test preparation.

This week, Dartmouth college issued a press release on their admissions testing policy, shifting back to requiring submission of SAT/ACT scores as a part of their application for admission. I anticipate that other highly selective colleges will follow Dartmouth's lead. As a reminder, there are still over 1800 colleges and universities that are test optional for admission. The important thing to remember is that test optional does not mean without consequence. While not submitting test scores won't hurt a student's chances at a test optional school, it also won't help them.

Students should prepare for the SAT with the goal of having their score be a plus in their college application file, and the decision to send the scores to colleges will be an individual one that I am happy to advise around when the tim comes. 

Upcoming College and Career Events

3/11: Grinnell College virtual visit @ lunch - Circulatory space

3/13: Spring Junior Postsecondary night @ AHS 5:30-7:30pm

3/14: Pacific Discovery Gap Year webinar (virtual) 12:00-12:45pm

4/3: 9th Grade Career site visit field trips

4/13: Admissions Case Study @ AHS 9:00am-12:00pm (9th-12th)

4/17: PSAT/SAT testing day (9th-11th)

4/24: Rising Seniors night

4/25-5/1: Sophomore Inspire Week (10th only)

5/1-5/21: LINK (Juniors only)

College & Career Events Calendar

Sunday, February 18, 2024, 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

2024 Spring February Virtual College Fair  More Info

Sunday, March 24, 2024, 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

2024 Spring March Virtual College Fair  More Info

Sunday, April 21, 2024, 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

2024 Spring April Virtual College Fair  More Info

Summer planning

Two weeks ago during Advisory, we discussed how you will spend your summer. We explored the following questions:

• Why is it important to do something in the summer?
• What does it mean to do something enriching?
• Why is it important to do something enriching?

Please take a look at these slides for answers to these questions and links to lots of summer opportunities.

Also see below for several local employment & internship opportunities!!

Financial Aid, Scholarships & paying for college

This podcast episode from the College Essay Guy on the basics of paying for college is an excellent introduction - give it a listen!

Also check out these other two episodes on colleges that are most generous with financial aid:

• 121: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (US Version) – Jeff Levy, financial aid expert
• 122: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (International Version) – Jennie Kent, international financial aid expert

What Colleges Want Podcast Series

 In this 9-episode podcast series, you’ll learn: 

• Which factors in admission decisions are most important to colleges?
• What are the main things for students to keep in mind when planning high school courses?
• What exactly are "positive character attributes” and how do students show them in their application?
• How has the emphasis on essays changed and how can students stand out in 2024?
• Demonstrated Interest: What is it, which colleges care about it, and how do you show it?
• Crash courses on recommendation letters, extracurricular activities, and more

Interested in or curious about a Gap Year?

Attend this virtual session (open to Parents and Caregivers too!) during lunch on March 14th with Amber Latimer about Gap Years and opportunities.Use this link to access the meeting

This show is a great way to build your knowledge bank about colleges!

The wait is over! The much-anticipated Season 9 of The College Tour is now available on Amazon Prime Video. This season celebrates diversity and inclusivity, showcasing students with unique backgrounds and goals.

The viewers will explore majors like Business Administration, Life Science, Civil Engineering, Literature, and more, all while taking campus tours of outstanding colleges and universities across America and hearing students share their authentic stories and the impact that higher education had on them.

Join our host, Alex Boylan, on this exciting journey through the vibrant world of modern college life.

The College Tour

Opportunities

Apply at sanjuanmountainsoles.com

Interested in Health Care?

Register for the Colorado AHEC HOPE program! Montly virtual education sessions that culminate in the opportunity to attend a free, week-long summer institute in Colorado Springs or Denver! You only have to attend 3 sessions total to qualify for the summer institute. Register HERE

SUMMET program - apply now!

The Summer Multicultural Engineering Training (SUMMET) program is an engineering, science and technology program designed for rising juniors and seniors who are from underrepresented populations, including ethnic and racial minorities, women and first-generation prospective college students as well as students with demonstrated financial need.

SUMMET combines non-accredited coursework, hands-on projects, team building activities and social events. SUMMET provides exposure to the lifestyle, opportunities and challenges of college and is designed to help build skills and experiences for a smooth transition from high school to college. SUMMET is a one-week residential program, allowing participants to live on campus for the duration of the program, experience life as a college student and participate in STEM-related curriculum instruction.

This program is available at no cost to participants with the exception of a $50 confirmation fee for students accepted into the program. Transportation to and from the program is not included in the cost and is currently the responsibility of participants. For more information, check out the SUMMET website.

SUMMET Session Dates

June 2- June 7, 2024: Session I

June 9 – June 14, 2024: Session II

June 23 – June 28, 2024: Session III

On the application, please indicate which week you would like to attend.

Three Step Application Process

1. Click the application button below and submit an application by 11:59 P.M. MST on March 1, 2024.

2. Students must meet a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 and upload your current, unofficial high school transcript.

3. Provide answers to each of the short response questions on their application.

Apply Now

Interested in playing sports in college?

Last month, the Eligibility Center hosted a series of webinars. Staff provided overviews of NCAA requirements for high school counselors and administrators and initial-eligibility requirements for student-athletes. Click below for the specific webinar you would like to watch or share.

• Recording.
• PowerPoint presentation.

Erin Cummins-Roper (she/her)

Dean of Career & College Counseling  

Animas High School |Tel: (970) 247-2474 | x2272 | Cell: 970-903-1617

www.animashighschool.com 

Schedule an appointment with me!

Office hours:

T/TH 1:00pm-3:00pm

Fridays: 9:00am-12:00pm

Financial aid and scholarship help every Friday 12:00pm-3:00pm