This article covers a study that researched what type of student is most likely to graduate from college.  It covers some very important points, including, once again, that high grades, participation (and success) in AP’s, and living on campus all contribute to a high success rate in college.

If you are thinking of applying to a college or university using the Common Application, you may want to view a draft showing the changes for next year’s application – https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/2009-10CommonApp_highlightedUpdates.pdf

College Board has recently launched a new option for students to send scores to college.  Now, instead of automatically sending all scores from each testing administration, students can pick and choose which set of test scores to send to colleges.  ACT already does this.

For more information, visit http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/score_choice.html?CampaignID=3465.  College Board has also set up a tutorial here – http://www.collegeboard.com/html/SCTutorial/index.html

To see a list of colleges and how they evaluate scores, download this PDF.

This article explains several sources where you can find free college opportunities! 

http://www.examiner.com/x-673-Education-Examiner~y2008m11d8-More-information-on-full-scholarship-and–tuitionfree-colleges

Welcome back!  I hope that Spring Break was a relaxing and safe time off for everyone.    Now that we’ve rested and gotten refreshed, it’s the time to really buckle down and work hard to bring up any grades that might not be where you want them to be.  This is NOT the time to coast.  If you are failing a course, you need to speak with your teacher TODAY about what you need to do to improve.  If you haven’t been going to tutoring or getting help from someone, don’t expect that things will get better by just sheer desire.  I love the phrase that is so common in counseling – “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”  Basically, we can apply this thought in this way: if what you’ve been doing hasn’t worked,  you need to try something else. 

 You may even want to set up (or have your parents set up) a parent teacher conference.  To do this, just speak, or have your parents, contact that teacher and arrange a time.  If you have several teachers to coordinate, contact your counselor and we’ll set up a time for everyone to meet. 

Hopefully, this will help matters and you’ll sail into the summer with a stellar report card.  However, sometimes things just don’t go as hoped and there comes a need for credit recovery.  What should you do in this case??

The first option is summer school.  Some general information can be found on the Oakwood HS webpage.  We will be getting registration materials in the next week, so if there is a class that you need to make up or something you’d like to take to get ahead, come see your counselor for the information.  This year, SS will be at Walton and the dates will run from June 11 – July 9.  Cost is $300 for 1/2 credit and $600 for a full credit (not cheap, I know!  More motivation to pass those classes…).  I’ll post this info on the guidance webpage when we receive the materials and we’ll also be making announcements.

E-High School is another option.  If you want to make up math credits through E-High School, they are offering a longer session and registration is going on currently.  These classes begin in April and end in July.  All other classes will begin in late May after school is out and end in July.  Visit the E-High School webpage for more information and to sign up.  Please keep in mind that E-High School is best for those of you who are self-motivated and can dedicate yourselves to working hard every day without a teacher “making” you do the work.  Many students have all the best intentions and end up not succeeding because they fail to realize the dedication it takes to do well.  In all honesty, if you are a procrastinator, you would probably do better with summer school.

Lastly, I want to make you aware of a new credit-recovery program that is being offered by the state through Georgia Virtual High School.  The cost is $200 per half credit and it is a self-paced program that you do at home on your own computer.  The program is only available to students who have failed a course, so this might be a good option for some.  For more information, visit the GA Credit Recovery webpage.  To register, see your counselor.

One of the largest studies ever to have been done on AP courses has shown that students who take AP courses do better in college.  Of course, this makes perfect sense when you think about it.  Students who take these challenging courses learn how to write more effectively, analyze content and synthesize it with what they already know, take good notes, STUDY (since many bright students often go through their school years without having to study), among many other things.  One thing that this study does not address (probably due to the fact that it was written last year) is the fact that AP courses are now being audited, which will have an even greater impact, since there will be more mandatory standardization across the nation to ensure that all AP students are learning the same material.  In the past, some schools have labeled courses “AP” but the content was not up to the standards to warrant the label.  Now, College Board is instituting some accountability to the schools to guarantee the quality of the curriculum.

Read this study - do you agree or disagree?  Are there any other positives  to taking AP courses?  Are there any negatives?

YOU NEED TO GO VISIT THE GUIDANCE SCHOLARSHIP PAGE!!!  There are several EXCELLENT scholarships that have deadlines ending soon.  Like in the next few days.  I’ve been updating every day lately.  That’s all. 

Welcome to my counseling blog!  I will be posting current information about things going on in the guidance office.  One thing that you will be able to find is information about colleges, financial aid, testing, groups, and lots more.  Please feel free to make comments.  I will post these so that everyone can learn from others’ comments.  Please let me know if there is a topic that you would like for us to discuss.