Tools To Make Plans 

Post Secondary Advising

Each trimester, each grade level will work with Susie on High School and Beyond advising through advisory seminars. 

Using the  https://wsac.wa.gov/actionplan   resources, students will know how to pace their plans for after high school. 

Families are encouraged to view and discuss these seminars with their students. https://readywa.org/

You need to take a look

Attend a college fair in your 10th and 11th grade years to be ready to apply in your 12th. Here is a start:  https://NACAC College Fairs

• WSAC Website Review WSAC’s Plan Your Future page for information and resources on college planning, career exploration, financial aid, apprenticeship, and more. Learn about Washington’s state financial aid programs and how to apply for financial aid.

• View Video Series: WAGU Career & Technical Programs |  WAGU Campus Visits | WAGU Speaker Series and https://readywa.org/

• Are you looking for apprenticeship resources? - see the apprentice tab on this site 

Do you need testing for admissions? 

ACCUPLACER Testing services are found HERE for Olympic College.   Entrance into community college, as well as the  Running Start program begin here. 

SAT  

• Signing up for the SAT or the ACT is rather simple once you get started.  Additionally, many Juniors take either one of these tests in the spring and then again in the fall of their senior year if their scores need support for admissions purposes. Reminder, only universities require these tests AND there is a new wave of schools moving to 'test optional' so check your desired schools' admissions requirements.   *students who qualify for free/reduced lunch should see Susie for a fee waiver. 

The ACT - Solutions for College and Career Readiness | ACT   and The SAT | College Board 

Testing for 2023-2024 SAT SAT Dates and Deadlines – SAT Suite | College Board  and ACT ACT Test Registration - The ACT Test | ACT 

• ACT and SAT CEDAR CODE 480-148

• Juniors in the winter or spring take one of these tests for admissions to universities and for some scholarships. If the score you earn is not what you are happy with, a retest in the summer/early fall of your senior year is the way to go. (see the notes below about advising) 

• Many colleges and universities around the nation have suspended the SAT and ACT score requirements, permanently, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Universities report that not taking the SAT or ACT will have no bearing on your application status.  To ensure the most accurate information, please visit your college of choice, on their admissions website.

Guaranteed Admission! The Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program (WAGAP) supports a college-going culture and guaranteed admission efforts at Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, The Evergreen State College, University of Washington Tacoma, Washington State University and Western Washington University. 

ALL our students with a 3.0 GPA and meeting CADERS (CADERS ) will be admitted to Washington public universities participating in WAGAP (Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program)  include Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, The Evergreen State College, University of Washington Tacoma, Washington State University and Western Washington University.

https://councilofpresidents.org/_admissions/guaranteed-admissions-program-gap/#students-families

Students need to meet two criteria to be eligible for guaranteed admissions:

• A minimum GPA of 3.0

• Completion or on track to complete by fall 2024 all College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs)

• If a student meets the criteria or is on track to meet the criteria by fall 2024, they are guaranteed admission to all six participating institutions. Students eligible who receive guaranteed admission must supply additional data as part of supplemental admissions application. The institutions are required by law to collect this additional data. Students are encouraged to engage in challenging high school coursework and maintain their high school GPA during their senior year to meet the guaranteed admission criteria

Importance of the College Visit: 

Here is ONE email with ideas to help you check out where you may want to go. CollegeBoard.com also has great resources. 

Best Colleges and Universities in America, let’s talk about the sales pitch that is the campus tour.

The Changing Campus Visit

The flood of applications to elite colleges means you cannot take getting on a tour for granted. 

• Make sure to check the admissions office website many months before your target date: Lots of schools require you to register for your visit and have limits on how many people can come with your student. 

• These things fill up quickly. Spring break is especially popular. You don’t want to get to campus only to learn all of the tour slots are full. (Self-guided tours are also an option.)

Getting the Most From Your Tour

This will most likely be your only time on campus before the application deadline. Here are some ways for you and your student to wring the most out of it:

• Read the student-run campus newspaper. Your tour guide is there to sell you on the institution, not tell you about cafeteria workers on strike, tensions with the local community or complaints about a shortage of on-campus housing.

• Look at the common areas: cafeterias, libraries, green spaces, classrooms. How are they being used? Do the students seem happy? (This might not apply during exam weeks.)

• Everyone will have their own questions. Parents and applicants won’t have the same exact issues on their minds. It’s OK to stand apart from your kid so your question doesn’t embarrass them. The four questions we found most useful were: 

  • “Have you ever had trouble registering for a required class?” 

  • “How many of your classes are taught by teaching assistants, not professors?”

  • “How easy is it to get a meeting with a professor?” 

  • “What kind of academic support is available?”

  • If you really like your tour guide, it’s OK to ask for their email address for follow-up questions (or even a thank-you note).

Another big tip: Do you know a current student? Do you know someone who knows a current student? We were lucky to be able to bribe some friends of the family with food in return for a candid assessment. It’s not that the tour guides are not honest. But they are selling you the school. We were even luckier to know someone who attended our son’s high school and could therefore report whether it had suitably prepared them for that particular college.

What About the Information Session?

Most schools we visited paired the tour with an information session, usually led by an admissions officer, sometimes joined by current undergraduates or recent alumni. My teen also attended many sessions with institutional representatives who visited his high school.

If you’re still just browsing, these can be very useful for getting answers to basic questions and getting an overview of the application process and life at the school in question.

• Beyond that, the way to make these work for you is for your student to go up to the rep after the session to introduce themselves and ask a question, perhaps get the person’s email address. Have them send a thank-you note! That rep is much more likely to remember your kid.

• And that can be especially useful with the reps who come to your teen’s school: They can turn out to be the admissions officers who read applications from your county or school district or state.

A Good Overview: 

10 Steps to Picking the Right School : US News and World Report

First In College Guide