Class of 2019 Newsletter
November 2017

On Tuesday, January 9, at 7:00 p.m. in the Alumni Auditorium, we will be hosting our annual Junior Class College Night. We are especially pleased to welcome three seasoned admission professionals to join us for our program. They are Julie Shimabukuro, Director of Admissions at Washington University in St. Louis, Gail Sweezey, Director of Admissions at Gettysburg College, and David Weber, Associate Director of Admission at Boston College. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to be in touch with any of us with questions; our contact information is located at the end of this newsletter.

Winter of Junior Year

In order to help you prepare for the year ahead, please review the full timeline published in September's Newsletter with important dates regarding programs, college counseling meetings, standardized testing, and potential college visit dates.

In December, juniors and parents will be able to formally request a college counselor if they so choose. Juniors who have no preference will be assigned a counselor. The college counseling process will officially kick off after winter break. In January, juniors will receive an email from their college counselor inviting them to schedule a first meeting. The counselors will ask that parents schedule an initial meeting after the first student meeting has taken place.

The college counselors will make extensive use of form meetings throughout the year in order to convey information about college admission, testing, course selection, college visiting and to keep students informed on all aspects of the college counseling process. Detailed information can also be found on our college counseling website.

In the meantime, here are a few things to consider:  

1. Use the fall and winter months to prepare for standardized testing. The College Board offers free SAT test prep through Khan Academy, a non-profit online education organization. Students can link their College Board and Khan Academy accounts to get automatic personalized recommendations based on their PSAT performance, watch video and text explanations regarding skills covered on the test, and take full-length practice exams. The ACT offers this free online test book including a practice test. Local test prep companies such as Capital Educators, OmniTest, and C2 Education offer fee-based test prep. Whether you choose to utilize free online test prep, a test prep book, or paid online, classroom, or one-on-one tutoring, practicing for standardized tests can improve your performance on those exams.   
   
2. Plan ahead for college visiting in the spring. We encourage families who can to make use of spring break -- March 10 through March 19 -- as an opportunity to begin visiting colleges. If you can't see colleges during spring break, consider visiting colleges on other days in the spring when Gilman is closed. Juniors are also allocated excused absences to visit colleges at times that are most convenient to them and their families. College visiting forms can be found outside Ms. Hammer's office.    

Monthly Focus

Late Registration for the December SAT and/or ACT

In past newsletters, we advised that juniors choose December for their first SAT and/or ACT. There is still time to register late for those tests. Late registration is available until 11/17 for the ACT and 11/21 for the SAT. If students don't take their first standardized test in December, they should register for the February 10 ACT and/or the March 10 SAT. A reminder, juniors should take at least two standardized tests - the SAT and/or the ACT - by the end of the 11th grade. Thus, juniors should likewise register for a second spring SAT and/or ACT. A full list of SAT and ACT test dates can be found by clicking on the links provided.

PSAT Scores

PSAT scores will be available online by mid-December. Score will be available through your College Board account, and we will also mail home hard copies of score sheets.

Testing Accommodations

If you are a student who has a diagnosed learning disability and who has been approved to receive testing accommodations (such as extended time) at Gilman, please note that you do not automatically qualify for those same accommodations on the SAT or ACT. There are separate procedures you must follow if you are requesting accommodations from The College Board or the ACT. To learn more about the process of requesting extended time, please visit the the College Board's website on Services for Students with Disabilities and/or the ACT Accommodations page. If you have any questions regarding the process of applying for extended time, please contact directly our Upper School Learning Specialist, Ms. Stephanie Dennis.  

For Your Consideration

Demonstrated Interest: What is it? Does it matter? Who's keeping track? Jody Sweeney, Associate Director of College Counseling at William Penn Charter School, offers meaningful ways to "demonstrate interest" in her ACCIS blog post: The Lowdown on Demonstrated Interest. 

Eric Hoover, senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, offers an inside look into the admission process in this New York Times article: What Colleges Want in an Applicant (Everything). 

Did you know that about 30 percent of undergraduates change their major at least once? Did you know that English majors can make on average just as much or more than engineers and business majors? Read these Six Myths About Choosing a College Major.

Contact the CCO