Information for Juniors:
Three things your child could be doing now to alleviate stress next year.
In the fall of Junior year, students have the option to take the PSAT. The testing coordinator will send out information regarding the PSAT.
If you have met the course requirements for a 4-year college, you should plan on taking either the ACT and/or the SAT once in the spring of the junior as recommended by both the College Board and the ACT Educational Services. If necessary, a student may repeat either test once or twice as a senior. It is important to participate in the ACT or SAT Prep programs offered at Westlake before with the May/June tests or the November/December tests. Stop be the College and Career Center or see the testing coordinator for more information. The College of Southern Maryland does NOT require either test.
Begin (or continue) to research colleges. Students generally apply to between 3 to 5 colleges and with the application deadlines often hitting in December (U Md. College Park is Nov. 1) we recommend that counselor recommendations and transcript requests be submitted to the counseling office early in November. During peak times it can take as much as two weeks for the counseling office to process a transcript request that includes a counselor recommendation. If your student walks in the building the first day of school knowing which schools they are applying to, they can work on completing the applications in September and have everything in to counseling early.
Students will need a detailed resume and completed student questionnaire in order to receive a letter of recommendation from the Counselor. It is suggested the student begin to write the resume now and have it ready for the fall.