Before Senior Year
9th-11th Grade
College and Career Planning
9th-11th Grade
College and Career Planning
A student's GPA, or Grade Point Average, is one of the biggest factors when it comes to college and career planning. The GPA is the culmination of all grades earned by the student over the course of their 4 years in high school, and this is what colleges look at to get a sense of whether the student would be able to succeed at their school.
One of the biggest factors for college and career planning is a student's Grade Point Average (GPA). This is calculated beginning in a student's freshman year all the way until they graduate. Usually, GPA is on a 4.0 scale, but when a student takes Honors or AP courses, it gives their GPA a small bump— this is because AP and Honors courses are on a 5.0 scale.
If a student gets an A in an AP or Honors class, it is worth more GPA points than if they got an A in a standard course. This is why some GPAs can be over 4.0. GPAs which include the extra points from AP and Honors classes are weighted GPAs, but students still have an unweighted GPA that treats all classes with equal weight. So, even a student that has a weighted GPA that is over a 4.0 might have an unweighted GPA that is below 4.0.
Log into Aspen and click on "My Info". On the left, click on "Transcript'. From there, on the left there will be a tab that says "Grade Point Summary". When you click on this, it will show you your GPA from each school year, and your current cumulative GPA.
There is no such thing as a GPA too low to go into college or career programs—there is usually no minimum GPA requirement for community college, as well as for most trade schools and certificate programs. In this sense, all GPAs can be good depending upon what a student is interested in doing. However, many 4 year colleges have GPA cut-offs around 2.0 or 2.5, and generally the higher the GPA a student has, the more academically competitive they are for admission.
There are ways around these cut-offs, such as attending community college and then transferring with your new college GPA! If students have had extenuating circumstances, such as illness, absence for school, personal obstacles, etc that have impacted their grades while in high school, this is something that can be communicated to the college as well—you can meet with the College and Career Office to communicate this to schools when you apply.
Check your GPA consistently, at the end of each term. If you know you're falling behind on work, check with your teachers to see how you can catch up. You should have a general idea of your GPA at all times.
Remember that while you don't need to have a high GPA to be successful, working to have the best GPA you can will serve you in your career and college prospects!
Throughout their time at BAA, students have access to various opportunities, jobs, clubs, and even internships! We encourage students to take advantage of these throughout their time in high school—they will benefit from the experience, and all extracurricular involvement looks very good on their college applications and resumes! The Guidance office can help students find an after-school job, a summer internship, or a pre-college program!
All students at BAA are expected to partake in community service—it is a graduation requirement! The class of 2023 is expected to complete at least 60 hours of community service (honors must complete 120 hours). There are many ways students can volunteer at BAA itself, but students are also encouraged to volunteer and serve in their own communities.
Students can read more about their specific requirements for community service according to their class year at BAA here.
Students should keep track of how much they serve to report it to BAA and on their college applications!
**For the class of 2022, almost all colleges are TEST OPTIONAL. This means that students may submit their SAT scores, but that they are not required to do so. Guidance recommends that students only submit their scores if it is at or above a school's average SAT score.
The PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) is given to students in 11th (and sometimes 10th) grade in October every school year. Getting an especially high score on the PSAT can sometimes qualify students for scholarships such as the National Merit Scholarship! The PSAT is essentially a practice round of the SAT, and so the sections and formatting are the same: A Reading and Writing Section as well as a Math section (half with calculator and half without). Because the PSAT is a practice exam for the SAT, students can study for the PSAT by studying SAT materials.
SAT (or ACT) scores have traditionally been a part of the college application process, often viewed alongside a students GPA to determine academic competitiveness. Nearly all four-year colleges require an SAT, you can't apply without them. Colleges look at your test scores, along with your high school grades and courses to see how well prepared you are for college-level work. As a result of the pandemic's impact upon the availability of testing, almost all colleges have been test optional from 2020-2021. This means that students can submit their scores if they'd like, but they are not required, and the scores themselves haven't been as central to the admissions process. We do not know yet whether most colleges will continue to be test-optional going forward, and so we recommend that students still continue to study and prepare to take the SAT in the spring of their Junior year or the early fall of their Senior year.
There is excellent personalized SAT/PSAT prep available through Khan Academy for FREE! Students can make an account and set up an individualized study plan, complete with daily reminders and practice tests. Ms. Marz also has study materials and practice exams available in the BAA library!
From the DESE website about MyCAP (which stands for My Career and Academic Plan):
"My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) is a student-centered, multi-year planning tool designed to provide students with ongoing opportunities to plan for their academic, personal/social and career success."
From the BPS website: "The MyCAP is activated by the online platform Naviance. This interactive tool allows students to complete learning assessments, explore careers & occupations, upload artifacts, and manage their post-secondary applications."
BAA students will be:
Learning about their key strengths using the StrengthExplorer assessment.
Finding their learning preference and planning to use it in the future
Learning to effectively set long- and short-term goals
Discovering career clusters that match their interests.
Developing a four-year academic plan for high school
Learning the basics of banking in a financial literacy activity
Learning the basics of a college search, ways to pay for college, and the components of a college application.
BAA students will be doing:
My Personal Road Map: reflection & forward thinking
Career exploration by discovering their personality type and myriad of occupations that align with their type
Financial literacy as it relates to career planning, and learning about banking basics
A resume based on identifying the human skills that are valued in the world of work
College preparation: learning the basics of the major standardized tests required by many colleges, how to prepare for them, and plan their prep route
College exploration: learning about the various types of post-secondary opportunities available to them, the components of a college website, and the basics of visiting a college campuses
College financing: looking for tuition- and financial aid-related information in college profiles
BAA students will be:
Exploring what their "Personal Brand" is, and creating goals related to career ambitions
Learning the basics of the major standardized tests required by many colleges, how to prepare for them, and plan their prep route
Looking for the right "fit" of colleges, exploring and completing the College SuperMatch on Naviance to start a preliminary list of colleges they will apply for
Updating their resumes
Drafting a personal essay that could be used to apply for a post-secondary program
Completing a financial literacy workshop/lesson about financial post-secondary goals
Learning the basics of the college financial aid: FAFSA and needed documents, federal and state financial aid available, and how to look for tuition- and financial aid-related information in college profiles
VAD contact Ms. Horne: ahorne@bostonpublicschools.org or https://calendly.com/hornebaa