Your high school junior year is the best time to explore the possibilities ahead of you - whether those possibilities include college, military, a career or vocational training. Now is the time to ask questions about your future, research careers, visit colleges, take interest surveys, and meet with a postsecondary counselor.
Appointments are offered during the second semester from January - May . Juniors, you are strongly encouraged to make an appointment with a DHS Postsecondary Counselor during second semester. These are student appointments, and your parents/guardians are welcome to attend in-person or virtually. Our Junior calendars become available after Junior Extended Homeroom in November. You are assigned a Postsecondary Counselor according to your last name:
Last Names A-Kl: Ms. Magee
Last Names Ko-Z: Ms. Flowers
Whether your postsecondary option is entering the military, pursuing a certificate program, going to college, taking a GAP year, or pursuing full-time employment, we want to help with your plans! We understand some families are working with outside consultants and we are happy to partner with ethical outside voices, as our ultimate goal is to provide you with uniform messaging. There are specific DHS processes you need to be aware of when applying. So, we strongly recommend making an appointment with your DHS postsecondary counselor.
Come to the CCRC if you have any questions and we will be happy to help! See you soon!
Complete your questionnaire in Maia (available in November):
Login to Maia: Go to www.maialearning.com. Click on the white Login button in the upper right, then click on the Sign In with Google button, and select your DHS gmail account. You will be directed to the Maia homepage which is referred to as your Dashboard.
Under the "Dashboard" heading, click on "Surveys". In the Survey section, click on Pre-Appointment Questionnaire for your Postsecondary Counselor - Class of 2027.
Complete this survey by answering questions to the best of your ability. All questions require a response. Please list not applicable (N/A) if you are unable to answer a question.
You can always go back to your completed survey to make updates.
Within 48 hours, you will be emailed a calendar link to pick an appointment time to meet with your postsecondary counselor. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU DON'T MISS CLASS so please schedule during a free period/study hall. Once you select your appointment time, you and your parent/guardian will receive a confirmation email. Can't find a time that works? Email: dhsccrc@dist113.org
Keep in mind that homeroom appointment time slots are for quick questions while these appointments are geared towards talking in detail about postsecondary plans.
Self Survey for College Bound: Use this guide tool to begin building a list of schools you’re excited about.
Start thinking about financial fit: As you begin your college search, it’s important to think about cost. Experiment with the Net Price Calculator to get a rough estimate of what you might pay for college, and start the conversation with your parents or guardians.
DHS Class of 2027 Distribution Chart through (June 2025): approx. 340
Weighted GPA:
Lowest Median Highest
1.26 -------------------------------- 3.95 ------------------------------4.85
Unweighted GPA:
Lowest Median Highest
1.26 --------------------------------3.63-------------------------------4.0
GPA distribution for the Class of 2027 (June 2025): approx. 340
Weighted GPA:
Top 10%: 4.50
Top 25%: 4.26
Unweighted GPA:
Top 10%: 3.96
Top 25%: 3.87
Recommended Reading/Listening/Viewing
Admission Beat Podcast from Dartmouth. On the Admissions Beat, veteran dean of admissions Lee Coffin from Dartmouth College provides high school juniors, seniors, and parents, as well as their counselors and other mentors, with "news you can use" at each step on the pathway to college. With a welcoming, reassuring perspective and an approach intended to build confidence in prospective applicants, Dean Coffin offers credible information, insights, and guidance—from the earliest days of the college search, to applications, decision-making, and arrival on campus.
Here’s the counterintuitive thing about a college search: it’s not about the college — a search requires a more personal reflection. High school juniors and seniors need to ask themselves: Who am I? Read Grown & Flown.
The Science of Well-Being for Teens – Did you know 37% of teens say they have poor mental health? Dr. Laurie Santos aims to combat that with her new course. As a continuation of Coursera's #1 course, the Science of Well-Being, Dr. Santos is excited to share her expertise with adolescents. Enroll here
The Truth about College Admission (Johns Hopkins Press) The college admission experience can be overwhelming and complicated. This podcast helps students and the adults who support them cut through the noise around searching for, applying to, and deciding on a college. In each episode, you can expect guests who are national experts working in the field of college admission and enrollment who will give you honest takes, helpful perspective, and in many cases some much needed levity and solace. Listen on Apple Podcasts.
With the same passion, smarts, and humor that infuses his personal finance column in The New York Times, Ron Lieber’s latest book, The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make, offers families a much-needed guide to help them navigate this difficult and often confusing journey that has only been compounded by a global pandemic and the resulting chaos in higher education. Lieber explains who pays what, and why, and how the financial aid system got so complicated. He also pulls the curtain back on merit aid, a complicated and often opaque form of tuition discounting that most colleges now use to compete with their peers. Visit Lieber's website.
In his 2020 best-selling book Who Gets In and Why, named among the 100 Notable Books of the year by The New York Times, award-winning journalist Jeff Selingo shares what he learned from months inside the college admission process. Most of us probably believe that this process is about merit, grades, and SAT scores, rewarding the best students, but Selingo presents a more complicated truth, showing that who gets in is more frequently about the college’s agenda than about the applicant. In a world where thousands of equally qualified students vie for a fixed number of spots at elite institutions, admissions officers often make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors—including whether a student will enroll if accepted. Visit Selingo's website, excellent resources! FAN Network Recording
Browse the archive of Lieber's New York Times "Your Money" columns.
Watch Lieber's 2015 FAN talk, "The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money."
Read Lieber's September 25, 2020 "Your Money" column, "How to Predict Merit Aid in a Strange College Application Season."
Watch Lieber's January 26, 2021 FAN event, "The Price You Pay for College," with Lauren Rivera, Ph.D.
Read "Imagining the Hybrid College Campus," co-authored by Selingo and Cole Clark, October 8, 2021, Harvard Business Review.
Read a September 15, 2020 review byAnthony Abraham Jack (FAN '19) in the New York Times Book Review of both Selingo' book.
Sign up to download Selingo's "Buyers and Sellers" list.
Read Selingo's August 28, 2020 essay in The Wall Street Journal, "The Secrets of Elite College Admissions."
Watch Selingo discuss changes to the college admissions process due to the pandemic on CBS This Morning, April 15, 2021.
Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn discuss what’s next for higher ed and talk with the newsmakers you want to hear from most. Browse the archives of Selingo's podcast Future U.
The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions, Ethan Sawyer. Practical, up-to-date interviews with experts in college admissions, financial aid, personal statements, test prep and more. Ethan Sawyer (aka College Essay Guy), interviews deans of admission, financial aid experts, and veterans of the admissions field to extract, then distill their advice into practical steps for students and those guiding them through the process. From creating an awesome college list to appealing a financial aid letter, Ethan skips the general advice and gets right to the action items, all in an effort to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college admissions process. Listen on Apple Podcasts
College Admission: New Year, Same You by Brennan Barnard (google doc: Authenticity in College Admission)
13 Common College Admissions Myths Debunked by Bea Castaneda
Junior year is a critical time for exploration, reflection, and preparation. As students begin to take more advanced or specialized classes, it’s also a great time to explore their interests, strengths, and values—and to begin aligning them with potential pathways after high school.
Whether you’re considering college, career training, apprenticeships, the military, or a gap year, now is the time to begin laying the foundation for your postsecondary goals. This year is also a great time to build your resume, seek out meaningful experiences, and begin thinking about how to tell your story—whether through essays, interviews, or applications.
Here are some key questions to consider:
Which teachers, mentors, coaches, or professionals could support me with advice, opportunities, or future letters of recommendation?
(Relationships matter—start building them intentionally.)
What postsecondary paths interest me?
(College, trades, military, entrepreneurship, training programs—what sounds exciting or meaningful?)
What careers or industries spark my interest, and how can I learn more about them?
(Hint: job shadowing, informational interviews, or career assessments through Maia are great starting points.)
What resources or programs at school can help me explore and prepare for life after high school?
(The CCRC, counselors, teachers, clubs, and community programs can all support your goals.)
Am I maintaining a healthy balance of academic work, activities, and time for friends, family, and self-care?
(Balance helps you thrive—and prepares you to navigate the next steps with confidence.)