Junior
Year Calendar
Check
out all the news at the FUHS counseling blog and website:
Website: Go
to:https://sites.google.com.site/fuhscounseling
Blog: Go to the FUHS counseling blog at: http://fuhscounseling.blogspot.com
September
Review your high school courses and make
sure you are taking all of the courses you’ll need for graduation, college
and/or vocational planning.
If you need to make up credits, this is the
year to get caught up. Credit recovery will be available this fall for students
needing to make up credits providing there is space available. See your
counselor for more details and keep an eye on the bulletin or blog for start
dates.
Remember! During your Junior Year, grades are very
important! Keep your grades as high as
possible. Also remember that colleges like students who participate in
extracurricular activities and show leadership… however, remember to not
overload your activities at the expense of your grades. Why are grades so
important? Next year as seniors your college applications are due before senior
grades are posted. Colleges mainly use
sophomore and junior grades to determine acceptance because senior grades are
not yet available. Also grades are important to calculate Cal Grants for
financial aid to help pay for college. So, once again - junior year grades
are extremely important!
From here on, you’ll need to use the
following two numbers, so be sure to keep them in a handy place: The College Board Code number for Fortuna
High is: 050965
Your social security number (try to have it
memorized)
Both of these numbers will be used often
when filling out applications and registration forms. Write them down in a safe place.
The Junior year is the time to start your
college searches. If you haven’t already
done so, identify the sources of college and career information (library,
internet, counselor’s office), and make time to start searching and gathering
information.
Here’s a good website to look for colleges:
www.collegeboard.com (search by
major, location, etc.)
Make an appointment with your counselor and
bring your parents to discuss your plans after high school graduation.
Keep
watch on the bulletin for College Night
at Eureka High. This year it will be
held on Wednesday, September 24th from 6 – 8:30 p.m.. College
reps will be in attendance and it will be a great opportunity to get
information. All branches of the
military are present as well. Be sure to
arrive early… it gets very crowded.
College reps will be here on campus
periodically. Keep an eye on the
bulletin to see who will be coming. This
is another good way to get information on colleges from the reps.
October
If you are planning to apply to a four year
college after graduation, sign up for the PSAT.
The PSAT is a “practice” test for students planning to take the SAT. It will
be held on Wednesday, October 15th here on campus in the cafeteria. The PSAT test will cost $14.00. Students who are eligible for fee waivers can
get them through the counseling department.
If you’re planning to join the military, be
sure to sign up for the ASVAB – the armed forces vocational inventory. It will be offered sometime this fall. Dates will be announced in the near future.
November
– March
Continue to gather information on colleges
and/or vocational programs. Try to visit
campuses with your parents during school vacations. If you are interested in a
certain college, make sure it offers the program(s) that you plan to study.
Keep an eye out for any scholarships by
checking web sites and the daily bulletin.
Here are two good web sites to help you with your financial
aid/scholarship search:
FastWeb
The Financial Aid Information Page – this
page is great for parents. It has a calculator to help parents figure out if
they will be eligible for financial aid.
Students who are in AP classes need to sign
up for the AP tests. First step, consult with your AP teacher. Fee waivers may
be available for students on the free/reduced lunch program.
If you haven’t already done so, make an
appointment with your counselor to discuss future plans.
April
– June
Sign up to take the SAT I or ACT test for
the first time. You’ll be registering
for the test online, and the test itself will be offered at Eureka High on a
Saturday. Be sure to register by the
deadline date. It is recommended to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT
(equivalent test for college admission ) once at the end of your Junior Year,
then again at the beginning of your Senior Year. The more you take the test, the more familiar
it becomes, and theoretically the higher your test scores.
Good,
free test prep website for the SAT or ACT:
Some highly selective colleges require the
SAT Subject Tests. UCs used to require them, but now only certain UC programs
recommend them. If you plan to take both the SAT Reasoning Test and the SAT
Subject tests you will need to register for each test separately. Only one test
can be taken on a given test date.
During the summer it’s important to visit
college campuses if you haven’t already done so.
Colleges are expensive, so this might be
the time to get a summer job to help pay for expenses that will come as a
result of applying to college, taking SATs, etc.
