A Note From Stephanie
Featured Article
Upcoming Events and Deadlines
Class Specific Monthly Focus
College Spotlight
Test Prep Opportunities
Internship, Job and Volunteer Opportunities
Scholarships
In Other News
Helpful Resources
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Welcome back Miramonte Community,
After what felt like a very short summer, the College and Career Center is up and running and already very busy. I am very excited to be working with our seniors as they plan for life after Miramonte. Last week we partnered with the Counseling office and delivered a
presentation to seniors during their Gov/Econ, Macro, AP Gov classes (11 in total), The focus was on post-secondary planning, college applications and Naviance.
I have also been meeting with seniors individually on essay writing and building college lists. Students can continue to
schedule appointments or attend one of the many academy sessions we have beginning this week. Starting last week and running until Thanksgiving break, we have over 150 college admissions reps visit Miramonte. Students can register for those visits via Naviance. Seniors are not limited in the number of times they visit, however, juniors are limited to 2 visits a year. A complete and up-to-date list can be found on Naviance.
Finally, it is my pleasure to announce the newest addition to the College and Career Center.
Jennifer Mosher will be joining me on a part-time basis, thanks to the generosity of the Parent's Club. Jen has been a volunteer for many years in the Orinda school district and is thrilled to be part of the Miramonte team. I am so excited to have her onboard and so grateful for your donations to the Parent's Club who made this partnership possible. Thank you!
So, sit back, buckle your seat belt and ENJOY the ride. It will be a very exciting year and we look forward to every aspect. We are honored to be working with all of our students each and every day! If you have a moment please stop by to say hi, welcome Jen to the team and check out our newly spruced up space.
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Stephanie Brady
College and Career Center Advisor
925-280-3935
Keep in touch & stay up to date:
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Looking Back: Things I Wish I Paid Attention to...
Advice From the Class of 2019 to the Class of 2020
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Dear Miramonte Class of 2020,
With the talk of college applications in full bloom, I thought it might be a great time to share some advice from what I learned over the last year. Throughout my junior and senior years, my older friends never hesitated to give me advice on the college application process. At the time, I ignored most of it. Now, after a year of watching triumphs and heartbreaks, I have similar advice. I know that the college process can seem daunting, but I hope that with some advice from past seniors, you can avoid some of the stress that the college application process brings.
The college process as a whole brings on a lot of different emotions. At times, you can feel hopeless, but by the end, hopefully, you will finish feeling triumphant. When I was applying to college last year, I made the mistake of falling in love with one school. I was so enamored by it that I applied early. When I got deferred, I felt like I would never find the right college for me. I lacked the perspective that I have now. Looking back, it wasn’t a school where I would have thrived. My new perspective has helped reinforce my belief that everyone ends up where they are meant to be. Over the last year, some of my friends faced the worst rejection they had ever felt. Now, they are all at college, and could not be happier with the final result. My biggest advice to seniors is to keep an open mind to different or unexpected possibilities. If you do your best to not get stuck on one college, you will eliminate a lot of stress from the whole process.
If you don’t take my advice, hopefully, some advice from other graduates from the Class of 2019 will help make your college process easier!
- Get applications done by Thanksgiving because I saw many friends stress over it during Winter Break. - Declan Brady
- Find a college that accommodates what you’re looking for, not one that seems easy to go to or prestigious. And when you do find that place, apply using your interests as the main point. - Malcolm Tom
- Don’t be stressed, and don’t compare yourself to others! - Ethan Yen
- Write essay outlines during the summer. Research various college policies on AP credit. Take virtual or real tours of campuses. It’s the simple things; stuff that I was too lazy to do at the time. - Alexander Chen
- Make a list of dates that you need to have stuff done by and work backwards from there because that would have reduced a lot of stress for me. - Emily Huston
- If you don't get into your ED school, don't panic and apply to too many safety schools. You have to trust the process; you'll end up where you're meant to end up. - Maya Harrison
- Be productive and get your essays done quickly. Don't compare where you're applying to the schools that your friends are applying to. - Anna Wong
- Don't be worried if you don't get into your dream school because there will always be a school that fits you best. - Vanessa Lam
- Stay organized and make yourself a calendar. - Sara Aoki
Best,
Harper Orr - Class of 2019
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Upcoming Events and Deadlines
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September 6
- Registration Deadline for 10/5 SAT
September 10
- SAT Comprehensive Prep Course Begins - 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. -
Room 221
September 10
- Navigating the Financial Aid Landscape - 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. -
Library
September 14
- ACT
September 20
- Registration Deadline for 10/26 ACT
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Class Specific Monthly Focus
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Rep Visits
Admissions Reps from over 150 colleges will be coming to Miramonte from now until Thanksgiving break. Please be sure to sign up on Naviance to attend. If you are still building your list this is the perfect opportunity to get your questions answered and to learn more about the college from a personal perspective. The reps that visit are typically the same admission's people reading your applications so it is a great chance for them to get to know you too.
Academy Sessions - September
4 - How to Build a College List
6 - College Essay Workshop
11 - Early Decision/Early Action/Restricted Early Action
13 - College Essay Workshop
18 - Supplemental Essays
20 - Common App Activity Section
Students must be signed up to attend. Sign ups are done via Teachmore.
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Naviance
Naviance is a tool designed for students and parents to help make decisions about colleges and careers
. It
is a wonderful research tool for juniors as they begin to think about post-secondary plans. A formal introduction to Naviance will be given to juniors in January/February. All juniors and their parents should have separate log in credentials. If you do not know your user name or password please email
Stephanie Brady.
PSAT
Rep Visits
September marks the beginning of the College Admission Rep visits to Miramonte. Over the course of the next 3 months, 150+ reps will visit our school. Juniors may attend 2 sessions this year. For a complete list and to register to attend please log in to your Naviance account. To register once in Naviance:
- ‘Colleges'
- ‘Research Colleges’
- ‘College Visits’
- ‘Register Now’
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As sophomores it is important to continue building upon freshman year.
Academics
Put your best foot forward in classes and take the opportunity to get to know your teachers.
Participate
Continue participating in extracurricular activities both in school and in the community. Be intentional with how you spend your time.
Explore
Try something new! Whether it is a new club, a new sport or a new hobby, embrace the opportunities in front of you and be willing to go outside your comfort zone. You may uncover a new passion,
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The College and Career Center serves as a great resource for students and families on all things related to college AND career, including: job opportunities, internships, community service, and much more. We meet with students annually, starting their freshman year, to introduce ways to utilize the CCC througout their time at Miramonte. The College and Career Center is open to all grade levels with a focus on juniors and seniors when post-secondary planning begins. Additionally, we also offer parent education workshops on a range of topics. The door is always open so we hope you stop by to check us out and say hello. You can find us near the library.
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Comprehensive SAT Prep Course
We have partnered with Tried & True Tutoring to offer an in-house SAT prep course. The course begins on September 10, and will run for 8 consecutive weeks. Each session in 2 hours in length. For more information and to register please click
here.
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WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
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Western Washington is a large public university located in Bellingham, WA. It is approximately 55 miles south of Vancouver, BC and 90 miles north of Seattle, WA. There are approximately 16,000 students enrolled with 95% of them being undergraduates. Additionally, 87% of students are residents of the state of Washington. Even thought Western Washington is a large university 99% of its courses are taught by faculty and not by graduate assistants.
The university is a member of the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). WUE is a regional tuition-discount agreement that enables students to enroll as nonresidents and pay 150 percent (or less) of the in-state resident tuition. There are
16 states and territories and 160+
participating colleges and universities in the exchange.
If you are interested in learning more about Western Washington University please register for the rep visit at Miramonte on
September 12th at 8 a.m.
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Internship, Job and Volunteer Opportunities
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Getting involved in extracurricular activities is a great way for students to explore areas of interest. We have a large list of internship opportunities on the
College 101
website
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Mathnasium, the Math Learning Center, is now hiring for their Lafayette location!
Requirements
- Available at least 2 days per week
- Solid math skills through Geometry and Algebra II
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to professionally interact with students
- Energetic and confident personality
Schedule
Monday - Thursday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Click
here
for full job listing
Sherman Swim School is hiring after school swim coaches for private swim lessons!
Qualifications
- Love working with children
- Able to demonstrate basic strokes
- Some experience with children
- Swim team experience is a plus!
Schedule
- 2-3 weekdays
- 6-12 hours per week
- Open weekdays 2-7p.m. in winter, spring and fall
Click
here
for full job listing
Gardening Work
Job needs
General gardening, pruning, grass cutting, handy work
Schedule
- 10 - 12 hours a week
- Pay: $20/hour
Contact: Sam Garabedian: (925) 376-8576
Read
more about the benefits of youth employment
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- The number of hours required to earn the Miramonte Service Award is now 30 hours regardless of age.
- Helper Helper is our new online tracking system and will be used to submit hours and verify service completed.
- The Graduation Stole Program is officially underway and the Class of 2021 will be the first class eligible to earn this distinction.
Each year our students volunteer over 10,000 hours of community service to our community. Those contributions leave a footprint on the lives of those who feel the generosity of your actions. Thank you!
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Scholarship opportunities will continue to roll in throughout the school year. We will advertise scholarships and their application details as they open.
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Is Your Child Emotionally
Ready for College?
For many students, the transition to adult independence is unexpectedly difficult. There are ways for
parents to help
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University of California Plans Reforms in the Wake of College Admissions Scandal
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The University of California plans to install a range of checks in its undergraduate admissions process to prevent fraud, as schools begin implementing reforms in the wake of the nationwide college-admissions cheating scandal.
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College Recruiters Aggressively go after Out-of-State Students
Chelsea Marsh spends most of her days networking with high school kids. As a regional recruiter, her job is to spread awareness about the University of Alabama, and the institution prides
itself on customer service
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Miramonte College and Career Center
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