The College Counseling program is committed to providing those skills to help students make informed choices regarding their post-high school planning. Through individual meetings, college skills classes, parent workshops, informative newsletters and announcements, students are encouraged to discover the best about themselves and to research the opportunities available to them. Most important to this process is self-evaluation. When a student knows herself, she is then able to make more appropriate decisions regarding her future.
We stress a personal, interactive communicative process between student, parents, and college counselors. Individual meetings with student and parents are emphasized while general information, deadlines, and hands-on activities regarding the college are part of weekly College Skills Classes. A monthly newsletter is distributed to students and posted in homerooms. Informative workshops for students and parents are planned throughout the year and informational morning coffees are offered for parents.
The College Counseling office subscribes to Family Connection, an internet driven college counseling program that enables students to manage the college search process. Highlights include tracking test data and grade point average, researching colleges, examining admissibility using Woodlands' past statistics, registering for college informational sessions led by visiting college representatives, keeping abreast of deadlines, and managing the student's individual application process.
Standardized Testing begins sophomore year with the PLAN and PSAT. All sophomores are automatically registered for these tests. Juniors take the PSAT in October and the SAT and ACT in the winter/spring. If applicable, juniors will take the Subject tests in May/June. International students for whom English is a second language should plan to take the TOEFL test. Students may repeat these tests senior year. Testing information on the above as well as special accommodations dates, deadlines, and registration forms are available in the College Counseling Office and on-line through College Board and ACT websites.
Financial aid information including the FAFSA and Profile (College Board) applications are also available through our office.
The College Counselors are active participants in local, regional, and national associations - attending conferences, meetings, and workshops. In addition, we meet with college representatives who visit our school and maintain ongoing communication with college admission offices.
The College Counseling program is committed to finding and developing the unique and special qualities of every student. We encourage students to reach beyond the obvious, discover the myriad of opportunities available to them, make informed choices, and find the "perfect" fit. We are proud of the diversity and quality of our graduates' college acceptances.
