Unit 2: Finding the "Right Fit"

Students should take advantage of the many career exploration opportunities through District 214.  Parents can help in this process by initiating conversations and asking their sons/daughters to evaluate their personal strengths, favorite classes, interest areas, etc.  Part-time and summer jobs or internships are a great way for students to gain exposure to the work world and may bring into focus the kinds of jobs that interest them. Job experiences may also cause students to realize that they do not have the interest, skills, or ability for certain jobs.  As part of the sophomore counseling core curriculum, your children are exposed to the variety of career exploration tools in Schoolinks and students may continue to access them on their own.

As part of District 214’s Redefining Ready initiative, every student is asked to identify a career cluster of interest. Students are then encouraged to further explore their career cluster by choosing career pathway classes recommended for that career cluster and/or completing an internship or other workplace learning experience.

Each District 214 High School has a Career Advisor to help students in their career exploration. Career Advisors help to plan  Career Nights each fall to teach about careers and the specific skills and educational requirements, job outlooks and salary projections for various jobs. 

Even with all these suggestions for career exploration, some students may feel they want to study a broad variety of subjects.  Remember, you also have the option to take part in a liberal arts area of study.  Should goals change, there are also wonderful resources available through colleges’ student services offices to aid students in declaring a major.

Families can complete college searches at any point during high school. Schoolinks and College Board both have excellent online college searches. Students should begin the college search in the fall of their junior year if they haven’t done so already. Students can begin to figure out the features of a college that are important to them by visiting some of the many colleges in close proximity to Chicago.  Important features to consider are the distance from home, the type of school (public or private, small or large, urban or “college town,” etc.) and costs. Students will also have the opportunity for college searches in Schoolinks during their Junior Core Curriculum Lessons. 

Some colleges have begun to use a holistic review process when selecting students for admission.  This involves looking at the student as a whole to determine the potential for a good fit at that college.  Some colleges have adopted a “test optional” policy where students may choose whether or not they want their ACT or SAT to be used in the admission process.  The majority of colleges, however, are still using the student’s GPA and ACT or SAT scores as the primary admission criteria.  The standard of reporting the selectivity of a college is the use of the “mid 50%” statistic.  This statistic reports the GPA and test scores (ACT or SAT) of the middle 50% of incoming freshmen who were offered admission during the current year. Students should compare their credentials to the “mid 50%” statistics for schools in which they are interested.  Based on how they compare, they can determine whether the school can be classified for them as a safety, probable admit, or reach school.  Students should aim to find colleges they like in each of the three categories.   Students who have not taken an ACT or SAT yet are able to estimate an anticipated score by using past results of their PSAT.  

ACT

A standardized college admission test. It features four main sections: English, math, reading and science — and an optional essay section.

Admission Tests

Also known as college entrance exams, these are tests designed to measure students’ skills and help colleges evaluate how ready students are for college-level work. The ACT and the College Board’s SAT are two standardized admission tests used in the United States. The word "standardized" means that the test measures the same thing in the same way for everyone who takes it. 

Articulation Agreement

An agreement between two-year and four-year colleges that makes it easier to transfer credits between them. It spells out which courses count for degree credit and the grades you need to earn to get credit.

Class Rank

A measurement of how your academic achievement compares with that of other students in your grade. This number is usually determined by using a weighted GPA that takes into account both your grades and the difficulty of the courses you’ve taken. District 214 does not rank and colleges and universities use  data besides rank for admission.

Deferred Admission

Permission from a college that has accepted you to postpone enrolling in the college. The postponement is usually for up to one year.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

A number that shows overall academic performance. It’s computed by assigning a point value to each grade you earn. See also Weighted Grade Point Average.

Legacy Applicant

A college applicant with a relative (usually a parent or grandparent) who graduated from that college. Some colleges give preference to legacy applicants (also called “legacies”).

Liberal Arts

A bachelor's degree in liberal arts means that the courses you take will be in general areas of study such as philosophy, mathematics, literature, art history, or languages, rather than in applied or specialized fields.

Open Admission

A policy of accepting any high school graduate, no matter what his or her grades are, until all spaces in the incoming class are filled. Almost all two-year community colleges have an open-admission policy. However, a college with a general open-admission policy may have admission requirements for certain programs.

Placement Tests

Tests that measure the academic skills needed for college-level work. They cover reading, writing, math and sometimes other subjects. Placement test results help determine what courses you are ready for and whether you would benefit from remedial classes. Read more about placement tests. 

SAT

The College Board’s standardized college admission test. It features three main sections: math, reading and writing, which includes a written essay. Learn more about the SAT. 

SAT Subject Tests

Hour-long, content-based college admission tests that allow you to showcase achievement in specific subject areas: English, history, math, science and languages. Some colleges use Subject Tests to place students into the appropriate courses as well as in admission decisions. Based on your performance on the test(s), you could potentially fulfill basic requirements or earn credit for introductory-level courses. 

Transcript

The official record of your course work at a school or college. Your high school transcript is usually required for college admission and for some financial aid packages.

Transfer Student

A student who enrolls in a college after having attended another college.

Undergraduate

A college student who is working toward an associate or a bachelor's degree.

Weighted Grade Point Average (GPA)

A grade point average that’s calculated using a system that assigns a higher point value to grades in more-difficult classes. For example, some high schools assign the value of 5.0 (instead of the standard 4.0) for an A earned in an AP class.