MEMBER SERVICES
These are provided to Hudson Area Schools students who are accepted to Rising Scholars.
These are provided to Hudson Area Schools students who are accepted to Rising Scholars.
Students receive direct guidance from start to finish on the process of applying to their post-secondary institution(s) of choice. They work on Common App within their cohorts, they are provided, reminded, and held accountable to deadlines, and students are coached how to effectively communicate with collegiate advisors to stay best informed over the weeks institutions review and make determinations of acceptance.
Experts from a variety of professions are invited to interact with students to provide insights into their respective career fields. These occur once a semester during the school day, and are offered exclusively for students earning RS services.
Colleges from around the region, in addition to several of the national highly-selective schools participate with our annual College Fair. This opportunity is a unique opportunity in the county in which RS students receive special perks.
Students are required to create a Scoir account. We use Scoir to connect students to the institutions that are the best fit for their interests and their qualifications. This account keeps track of their schools of interest and provides relevant resources about these schools. Through this account we also explore careers that are matched to the student based on a character assessment.
The RS office understands that getting accepted to a highly-selective post-secondary institution is one challenge in and of itself, but that once accepted, new challenges arise, and one of those is the cost. The RS office works with students and their families to navigate the options that exist for tuition reimbursement, forgiveness, and scholarships. We assist, as much or as little as needed, with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms, and with directing students toward scholarships and other grant programs that are good fits for them. Requirements, fees, timelines, deadlines, etc. for these are tracked by the RS office and are discussed with students routinely.
The RS office performs weekly checks of students receiving RS services. These checks focus on academics, attendance, behavior, mental health, and community involvement. If concerns arise in any of these areas for a student, the DEO schedules an individual meeting with the student to discuss and/or problem-solve the issue(s). Students receive a report of their progress during routinely scheduled meetings with the DEO.
Students are given exclusive access to this digital classroom where the RS office provides guidance on a wide-range of supports, including (but not limited to), career planning, college essay workshops, goal setting, interacting virtually with current students at highly-selective campuses, resume/ transcript development, practicing study habit skills, utilizing time management skills, virtual meetings with collegiate advisors, and virtual college tours. When necessary, the RS office will schedule time with grade-level cohorts to receive some of these supports in-person.
Participation with Symposium is a requirement to receive services, but the RS office is mindful and flexible to work with students’ schedules so as to not miss other critically important learning opportunities. However, students who chronically do not interact with Symposium will be viewed as revoking the RS services.
A considerable factor for highly-selective institutions is what students do with the time they have, and summer is one of those times that’s expected to be used wisely. The RS office is knowledgeable and kept up-to-date on what summer opportunities exist, what they each feature, and what their requirements are for acceptance. Some of these programs are offered locally (within a few hours), while others are offered nationally. The logistics of participating with any of these summer programs is a discussion our office has with students so that we can try to help find solutions to any possible barriers that may exist. Participation with at least one summer program as a member of RS is highly encouraged.
Many highly-selective institutions consider ACT and SAT scores to be optional criteria to include with a student’s application. However, if a student scores in an exceptional range on either or both of these nationally standardized assessments, then he/ she should include those scores. The RS office spends time with students practicing for these assessments by examining and answering actual questions, discussing strategies, recreating the time constraints, and familiarizing ourselves with the different question prompts.
Students in a RS cohort are expected to create, maintain, and present a digital portfolio. The presentation is individually scheduled for students in April of their senior year. Time and assistance is provided throughout a student’s membership to RS during the student’s Seminar. Students who fail to present a portfolio will not be awarded the RS cord for commencement.
Students choose which audience from the list below that they will present their portfolio to.
Hudson School Board
Hudson Area Schools district administrative team
local city council
local civic organization
professional group or individual related to a student’s career plan
external expert (cannot be current employee of student’s school district)
industry and business stakeholder
retired educator
university faculty member
graduate of postsecondary programs with experience related to a student’s career plan
The portfolio consists of the following components:
Introductory Letter
Students summarize how the work they’ve done and the opportunities they’ve sought relate to their post-secondary goals.
Career Development Materials
Students share three of the five documents:
a. application for college(s)
b. application for employment
c. career and educational development plan
d. letters of recommendation
e. resume
Reflection of Progress & Growth
Students highlight what meaningful responsibilities, projects, activities etc. they’ve had during their academic career and reflect on those experiences.
Artifacts
Students share what they’ve produced, relevant to their post-secondary plans. These can be, but are not limited to:
materials developed during a field experience
projects connected to the student’s career focus
research papers conducted within the student’s career focus
video, photographic or audio demonstrations of work
The RS office schedules visits to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor each semester. One visit focuses on campus life, the other focuses on the academic environment. These visits occur during the normal length of the school day. The RS office coordinates virtual visits with institutions that students may have an interest in learning more about, but the following two lists are the schools with which we have a connection established. The virtual visits are announced each month and it’s the students’ responsibility and choice to sign up to be in attendance for these dates.