Dunellen High School October Buzz 2007

D.H.S. GUIDANCE BUZZ

October 2008

As most of you have already discovered, there has been a change in the Guidance Department this year....Ms. Axelrad will be the counselor for freshman and sophomores and Mr. Trafford will be the counselor for juniors and seniors. Juniors and seniors will receive this newsletter monthly in home room and it can also be found on the DHS web site.

DHS has been invited to attend the College Fair at Middlesex High School on Oct. 22 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Sign up is in Guidance on a first-come/first served basis, beginning immediately.

I have already met with some of you regarding scheduling and other matters. Please be patient as I work with the seniors on their college applications. Meanwhile, I have attached a copy of REACH For Junior Year for your information and planning purposes, and I ask that you not hesitate to come to me for any reason or for any questions you may have. If I am not immediately available, please fill out an appointment slip and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.

The time has come to begin the process that will propel you into the next phase of your lives – college and careers! If you are planning to attend a four-year college next year you must apply this fall to each college you would like to attend. If you want to attend a community college or vocational-technical school, you will also need to complete an application. If you are planning to go into the workforce or join the military after graduation, there are steps you will have to take to make that happen.

During the past couple of weeks I have sent out two communiques via your home rooms: The first was a “Dear Senior” letter in which I describe the college application process in detail and the second was REACH For Senior Year, which focuses on developing a college list and provides a time line for senior year. If you did not receive either of these documents, stop by the Guidance Office to get a copy.

CONGRATULATIONS! to Matt Lohrey for being the first member of the DHS Class of 2009 to apply to a college. Last week, in fact, Matt applied to two colleges and he is presently completing applications to a number of others. I will use Matt as an example of how others may wish to proceed:

1. Matt researched and developed a list of approximately eight colleges of various levels of admission competitiveness. (Some students will have fewer colleges on their lists and others will have more.)

2. Matt became aware of the admissions deadlines at all the colleges on his list and is taking advantage of those colleges which offer early admissions programs.

3. Matt arranged with two teachers in different disciplines for letters of recommendation. He also completed a “Senior Uniqueness Form” and sat for an interview with me for a counselor recommendation letter. And he updated his student worksheet so that all his extra-curricular activities could be added to his transcript.

4. Matt then applied online to his colleges and requested that Guidance send his transcript and recommendations to those colleges.

FYI, most college applications will require an essay; I am available to help you choose an essay topic and develop a plan for writing the essay, and to help you revise and edit the essay after you have written it.

More FYI: You are responsible for providing postage for the mailing of your application components, i.e., transcripts, counselor recommendation and forms, teacher recommendation and forms, and anything else that the colleges may require; a good rule of thumb is 3 loose stamps per application, as we usually send the material in oversized envelopes.

There are still opportunities to improve your SAT scores and to complement those scores by taking the ACT. And, if any of your colleges require SAT II Subject Tests, you need to make arrangements to take them as soon as possible.

A free SAT Prep Crash/Refresher Course is presently being offered on Monday and Tuesday evenings, with two full-length Saturday practice tests ... finishing in time for the Nov. 1 SAT. Please see me immediately if you would like to discuss joining this course in progress.

As a junior and as a senior, you are encouraged to visit colleges three times a year; these count as “excused absence.” Pick up a “College Visitation Form” from the Guidance Office before you go to a college. Permission is needed first from your parent, Mr. Lynch and your counselor before you can visit. A signature from a college representative, while you are there, is also necessary. Return the form to Mrs. Missimer in the Attendance Office.

Visits

Representatives will be coming to D.H.S. during the lunch periods from colleges, the military, and business schools. Make sure you pay attention to the morning announcements for the dates. Take advantage of these opportunities to gather information and speak to the representatives. A list is posted in homeroom containing the schools and dates. You can check on our web-site as well!

Ø Berkeley College will be holding Open Houses on Oct. 18, Nov. 15 and Dec. 13. Go to www.BerkeleyCollege.edu/OpenHouse for information on times and locations.

Ø Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, NJ will hold its fall Open House on Oct. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Register online at www.bloomfield.edu/openhouse.

Ø Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA will hold Open Houses on Oct. 25 and Nov. 8, 2008 and Jan. 31 and Feb. 21, 2009. If you bring a completed application with you to the Open House or apply online the application fee will be waived. For information and to register go to www.bridgewater.edu.

Ø Centenary College, Hackettstown, NJ will hold its Fall I Open House on Oct. 18 and Fall II Open House on Nov. 8. Check-in is at 9:30 a.m. Register online at www.centenarycollege.edu/events.

Ø College of Saint Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ will hold an Open House & Financial Aid Workshop on Nov. 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Register and get information on this and other events at www.cse.edu/camputvisits.htm.

Ø Daemen College, Amherst, NY will hold its fall Open House on Oct. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Register online at www.daemen.edu/admissions.

Ø Felician College, Lodi, NJ will hold Undergraduate Open Houses on Oct. 18 and Nov. 15 beginning at 9 a.m. in the Lodi Cafeteria. For information and to register go to www.felician.edu.

Ø Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY will hold its fall Open House on Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register online at www.hofstra.edu/admissionevent.

Ø Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY will hold its fall Open House on Oct. 26. Tours begin at 10:30 a.m. and the event will run until 3 p.m. For information and to register go to www.manhattan.edu.

Ø Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY will hold two fall Open Houses – Oct. 18 and Nov. 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Register and take a virtual tour at www.manhattanville.edu.

Ø Middlesex County College will hold its fall Open House on Nov. 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Go to www.middlesexcc.edu for information and directions.

Ø Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ will hold Open Houses for prospective freshmen on Oct. 19 and Nov. 9. For information and to register go to www.montclair.edu/admissions/visit.html.

Ø Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY will hold Open Houses on Oct. 19, Nov. 16 and Dec. 7, 2008 and Jan. 25 and Feb. 22, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Register and get more information at www.msmc.edu/admissions.

Ø Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, Lancaster, PA will hold an Open House on Nov. 15 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Application fee is waived during Open House. Register online at www.pcad.edu.

Ø Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT will hold fall Open Houses on Oct. 18 and Nov. 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Register at www.quinnipiac.edu/visit.

Ø Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ will hold Open Houses on Oct. 19 and Dec. 7 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center. For information and to register go to www.ramapo.edu/openhouse/.

Ø Roanoke College, Salem, VA will hold Fall Visit Days on Oct. 13, Oct. 25, Nov. 4 and Nov. 8. Register at www.roanoke.edu/visit.

Ø Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA will hold Open Houses on Oct. 18 and Dec. 6 beginning at 8:30 a.m. For information and to register online go to www.ship.edu/admiss/openhouse.html.

Ø St. Bonaventure University, in St. Bonaventure, NY will hold its final fall Open House on Oct. 19 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information and to register go to www.sbu.edu.

Ø The University of Delaware will hold fall open houses – known as Blue & Golden Saturdays – on Oct. 11 and 25 and Nov. 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sign up at www.admissions.udel.edu.

Ø University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA will hold its fall Open House on Oct. 18 at 9 a.m. at the Mullins Center. RSVP online at www.umass.edu/admissions/openhouse.

Ø Western New England College, Springfield, MA will hold Open Houses on Oct 18, Nov. 9, and Dec. 7, 2008 and on Feb. 28, Mar. 28 and April 19, 2009. Register online at www.wnec.edu/admissions.

Ø William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ will hold fall Open Houses on Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 at the Student Center beginning at noon. Register online at ww2.wpunj.edu/admissions/visiting/ohouse.cfm.

Ø Brown University, Providence, RI will host An Introduction to Brown University on Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Rutgers Preparatory School Orchestra Room, 1345 Easton Avenue, Somerset, NJ.

Ø Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA will hold fall Preview Days on Oct. 26 and 27. Spend a night on campus, meet student leaders, speak to professors, visit classes, talk to coaches. For details and to register, go to www.brynmawr.edu/admissions/fallpreview/.

Ø Daemen College, Amherst NY will host Senior Visit Day on Nov. 11 at 9:30 a.m. Discover Daemen from a student’s point of view. Learn about available majors. For information go to www.daemen.edu/admissions.

Ø Discover Duke University (Durham, NC) in New Jersey on Oct. 12 at 3:00 p.m. at the Woodbridge Public Library, 1 George Frederick Plaza, Woodbridge, NJ and on Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Peddie School Caspersen History House (across from 129 E. Ward Street), Hightstown, NJ. For more information go to www.admissions.duke.edu.

Ø Kean University will hold Information Sessions re: the 4+4 BS/MD Scholars Program and the Kean, Drexel University College of Medicine and St. Peter’s University Hospital partnership on Oct. 6 and Oct. 29 at 6:00 p.m. Information sessions on the five-year combined bachelor/master’s degree for high school science and math teachers and for research careers in such areas as biotechnology and computational math will be held on Nov. 19 and Dec. 1 at 6:00 p.m. All sessions will be in Kean Hall, K-127. For more information visit the website at www.njcstme.kean.edu or email njcstme@kean.edu.

Ø Middlesex County College has changed the application deadline for their selective Health Technology programs to Dec. 1, 2008 for the Fall 2009 semester. Programs include: Dental Hygiene; Medical Laboratory Technology; Nursing; Psychosocial Rehabilitation & Treatment; and Radiography Education. Apply online at www.middlesexcc.edu.

Ø Tufts University, Medford, MA will hold New Jersey Information Presentations on Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Newark Academy Auditorium, 91 South Orange Avenue, Livingston and on Oct. 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dwight-Englewood School Auditorium, 315 E. Palisade Avenue, Englewood. Information on Tufts is available at http://admissions.tufts.edu.

Ø The University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN will hold New Jersey Information Programs on Oct. 9 at the 7 p.m. in the Notre Dame High School Auditorium, 601 Lawrenceville Rd., Lawrenceville, NJ and on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at The Pingry School – Macrae Theater, 49 Martinsville Road, Martinsville, NJ.

Ø Washington University in St. Louis will hold an Admission/Financial Assistance Reception at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton on Oct. 22 and at the Marriott in Saddle Brook on Oct. 28 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. For information visit admissions.wustl.edu.

Scholarships are filed alphabetically in the Guidance Office. Please stop by before or after school to look at them. Ask Mrs. Wilhelm to copy it for you if it is the only one on file. We will be happy to send them out for you. Please provide us with an envelope and a stamp!

Feel free to borrow a college catalog, CD, video, or any other resource material from the Guidance Office. Please let one of the counselors or secretary know if you take something out. We have FREE career and college brochures and pamphlets available that you can keep! Check on our table and shelves.

JUNIORS and SENIORS: Important Reminder: You must complete 25 hours of Community Service as part of your graduation requirement. See Ms. Piano for further information on placements and hours.

Miscellaneous

Job opportunities are posted in the Guidance Office as they come in. Please check the inside bulletin board periodically if you are seeking employment. Let us know if you get a job! Working papers may be obtained from Mrs. Missimer in the Dean of Students office after you obtain the job.

Important information will be posted outside the Guidance Office on the small bulletin board. Such information will include test dates for PSAT, SAT and ACT tests. Be sure to check it periodically.