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Fellowship PaperAddressing the Needs of First-Generation, College-Bound Students: A Comprehensive 5th-12th Grade Approach
By Joshua Cabral South Boston Harbor Academy Charter School
Massachusetts Charter School Association 2004
South Boston Harbor Academy South Boston Harbor Academy was founded in 1998 with a simple, yet ambitious mission: to prepare each student for college. That mission drives our rigorous curriculum, our support and enrichment programs, and the college-centered activities students experience from their first day in 5th grade through the 12th grade when they engage in the culminating experience of applying to college. Our mission is woven into the fabric of our school, a constant reminder to students of the importance of a college education. SBHA’s founders, Brett Peiser and Susan Fortin, were dedicated to building a model urban public school and realizing the ideals of the Educational Reform Act of 1993, which called for charter schools “to provide opportunities for innovative learning and assessments” (General Laws of Massachusetts, Ch 71, Sec 89d). SBHA has grown from 120 students in grades 5, 6, and 7 when it opened in 1998, to currently 340 students in grades 5 through 12. Students come from all 13 of Boston’s neighborhoods, with the majority residing in South Boston and Dorchester. For its first six years, SBHA was located in a predominantly white neighborhood and the racial make-up of the first families who accessed the school reflected that neighborhood. White students comprised 93% of the first 5th grade class in 1998 (SBHA 2004). However, as the school has developed a strong reputation across the city, and as we’ve increased our outreach efforts, SBHA’s population has diversified. What’s more, with a move (in 2004) to a permanent facility in Dorchester, the student population is continuing to become more racially and economically diverse. The 5th grade class for the 2004-2005 school year reflected this change, with 59% of the students identified as white/non-Hispanic (SBHA 2004). SBHA is dedicated to three pillars: 1) the belief that creativity flourishes within a structured academic environment; 2) a commitment to high academic and behavioral expectations combined with a significant amount of extra support provided during and after school and on Saturdays; and 3) the belief that exceptional teachers are at the core of the school’s success (SBHA 2004). Our goal is that students master basic skills in middle school before moving on to more abstract concepts in high school. With a 10:1 student-teacher ratio and an average class size of 22 in the middle school and 16 in the high school, students and families benefit from close attention and individual instruction. All students take 6 classes every day, each class lasting 55 minutes. The school year is 190 days long and every school day begins at 8 AM. There are 3 afternoon dismissals, the first at 3 PM for those students have completed all of their homework and did not earn a detention, a second at 4 PM for those students who either did not complete high-quality homework assignments or earned detention, and a third at 5 PM for those students who have not completed high-quality homework assignments and earned a detention. Academic support is available during the school week. All teachers are required to offer two hours of after-school tutoring each week, and many teachers, depending on their schedules, hold preview sessions before the formal start of the school day. In addition, SBHA students have the option of Saturday School, where we focus on pre-empting the problem of end-of-the year failure and retention. Each Saturday, for four hours in the morning, students who are in danger of failing work closely with SBHA teachers to complete upcoming assignments and develop core academic skills. Difficulties are handled as they arise and on an individual basis throughout the school year. This program was designed as an alternative to summer school. SBHA is also committed to providing students with a wide range of enrichment opportunities, through which students are introduced to new locations, cultures, and ideas. Such opportunities include a 5th and 6th grade Science Expedition to Yellowstone National Park, an 8th grade trip to Quebec City, a 10th grade trip to Washington D.C., an 11th grade trip to New York City, and a 12th grade trip to Paris. All students, families, and faculty work diligently throughout the year, fundraising to make these trips possible for all students. In addition, there are numerous local field trips to area colleges and museums. Older students also have opportunities to job shadow with business professionals in the Boston area and work with City Year, the Boston-based national non-profit, which brings together diverse groups of young people, ages 17 to 24, for a year of full-time, rigorous community service, leadership development, and civic engagement. SBHA has built itself as a model of a highly successful, highly accountable urban public school. But we face a major challenge in fulfilling our mission of preparing each student for college: Only 27% of our students’ parents have attended college, with an even lower percent having actually earned a degree (SBHA 2004). Our students enter SBHA without the expectation that college will be a “given” in their lives, and their families have very little experience with the college admissions process. To meet that challenge, we have developed a school culture that addresses the needs of these first-generation, college bound students. We help families navigate the college admissions process, and we help students understand the importance of a college education in a job market that is requiring candidates to be increasingly more qualified. Preparing for College: Grades 5-12 Our college prep program is designed to meet the needs of students at each developmental stage and also respond to the time lines in place due to college testing and the college application process. The focus of the middle school college prep program is motivating students to want to go to college and providing them with age-appropriate information and activities that stress the importance of continuing education after high school. At the high school level, we continue to inspire students, but we also focus on college prep coursework, extracurricular activities, and the admissions process. From the moment they enter the building for the first time as 5th graders until they leave the school as 12th graders and head off to college, SBHA students are literally surrounded by the school’s mission. Throughout both the middle and high schools, we display college banners and posters with GPA calculation information and college vocabulary (“campus,” “GPA,” “SAT,” “major,” “minor,” “dorm,” etc.). There are posters highlighting individual colleges (prepared by students on “College Day,” described in the “High School” section of this paper), an “I Got In!” bulletin board showcasing senior acceptance letters, and a map detailing the locations and names of colleges that seniors have selected to attend. In addition, each year we create a wall of college majors, highlighting the majors of the SBHA faculty and staff. The physical environment of the school reflects our mission; it’s one part of our 5-12 college-centered program. Beginning Early: Getting Middle School Students Excited about College SBHA 5th graders start talking about college on the first day of school when they learn what advisory group they will be in. That’s because each advisory group is named after the college or university that the group’s advisor attended. Advisory groups, part of each grade, are lead by a grade level teacher who meets with advisees each morning for 45 minutes (including a 15-minute period of Silent Sustained Reading) before students go to their first period class. Advisors also eat lunch with their advisory group and meet with them again at the end of the day for ten minutes before students leave school. Students do research on the college their advisor attended, and together they decorate the room where they meet, so it represents that college. Many middle school students learn songs from their advisor’s college, and advisories try to outdo each other by being able to sing their college song louder or faster than the other advisories. At all grade levels, it is common for advisors to name groups within their classes (such as those that complete group assignments together) after dorms or academic buildings on their respective campuses. Students quickly get into the habit of saying, “I’m in UMass/Boston 7,” or, “I’m in Fairfield 11.” At each week’s middle school assembly, when the principal asks, “Where are you going when you leave SBHA?” middle school students call out, “College!” This excitement continues throughout the week as students eagerly research the Mystery College of the Week. The Mystery College wall gives information on a college (the location, enrollment, tuition, average GPA and SAT scores of enrolled students, and other interesting facts) but not the college’s name. Middle school students look through college catalogues and search Web sites trying to discover the college. This gives students the opportunity to use college vocabulary and compare the tuition, facilities, and academic requirements for different colleges, while having fun. Students try to be the first one to submit the correct answer to the college counselor and are rewarded with merits they use to “buy” items (healthy foods, donated tickets to local sports events, etc.) from the Merit Store. In March of each academic year, all advisory groups (middle and high school) are given the names of two college basketball teams to follow and research during the NCAA Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness. To research their colleges, each advisory is allotted the period of time from the first game of the tournament until the final championship game. Typically students document the location, tuition, GPA/SAT data, campus traditions, noted academic majors and minors, facilities, and other interesting facts about the college and its students, faculty, and campus. They find some way of displaying the information publicly. The projects are evaluated by faculty members and given points based on accuracy and creativity. The advisory is also given points according their team’s standing at the end of the tournament, though the majority of the points are based on the research. The prize is typically a pizza party, field trip, or an ice-cream social, depending on the age of the winners. The 5th and 6th grades, again in their advisory groups, participate in a College Morning once or twice during the academic year. This gives the students a chance to meet with the college counselor and understand his role: to work with all SBHA students and not just seniors. Under the guidance of the college counselor, students take part in small group activities such as looking through viewbooks (books produced by the college that describe the college and provide visuals of the campus) and participating in discussions about what they know about colleges, whom students know who has attended college, specific careers that require a college education, and what they are personally interested in studying while at college. We’ve developed workshops that help students get at this material (see Appendix A: SBHA Introduction to College: Grades 5 and 6, as well as Appendix B: Group Activities with Viewbooks). As our students move on to the 7th and 8th grades, discussions begin to revolve around academic as well as extracurricular and social opportunities available to them on a college campus. They also begin visiting college campuses in the Boston area. College trips always take place on school days; travel is usually by bus, and the trips are chaperoned by teachers and parents. Prior to leaving on trips, there is a short discussion with the college counselor who talks to students about the college and provides information. If there are faculty members who attended the college, they also take part in the trip and speak with students about their experiences at the college. 7th and 8th graders become increasingly involved in their advisories and further research the alma mater of their advisor. When possible, advisees also visit their advisor’s college and bring back photos and information to decorate the advisory room. Advisors also bring in their alumni magazines and college newspapers, so their advisees can be aware that they continue to be active members of their college campuses well after graduation, much like we hope advisees will continue to be a part of the SBHA community after they graduate! Eventually we hope to purchase weekly or monthly campus newspapers that students can access, those that represent the alma maters of faculty and staff, as well as a variety of other college publications, all of which would be available in the college counseling office and in the school library. All middle school students are made aware of the accomplishments of SBHA seniors as they apply to college, receive acceptance letters, and ultimately decide where they will attend college. Students bring home weekly newsletters (handed out in advisory on Friday afternoon), one for the middle school and one for the high school. Both newsletters have a section devoted to the college application process. In the fall, this section is dedicated to informing families about various college options, such as public and private universities; each issue also provides students with a short description of a college in the Boston area or elsewhere across the country. Later in the year, we use this section of the newsletter to showcase the college acceptances of seniors. Many middle school students have siblings applying to college and are extremely proud to see the reactions of their classmates as they read about the acceptances. The newsletter is also available on the school Web site, so people not directly involved in the SBHA community can access information on the college acceptances of SBHA seniors. This is particularly helpful for families that are considering SBHA for their children. Publicizing college acceptances of SBHA students has another positive effect: it helps illustrate the success of the school. We graduated our first senior class in 2004 and for the first time were able to provide families with a list of college acceptances of SBHA graduates. This simple, yet powerful list provides families with a concrete reason to keep their children at SBHA through high school. High School: Planning for College, Meeting Individual Needs All high school students continue to take part in the school-wide, college-centered, activities and traditions such as March Madness, advisory names and research, and college visits, but they also begin to engage in activities specifically designed to address their individual needs as college-bound high school students. While the middle school years at SBHA are devoted to inspiring and motivating students and families to want a college education, as students enter the 9th grade, they experience a more personalized college application program, available to them now that they are in the high school. Ninth grade students take part in College Day, an extension of the (previously described) 5th grade experience, College Morning. A key part of the day is a visit to the NEACAC (New England Association of College and Career Counselors) College Fair at the Bay Side Expo Center in Dorchester, MA. This national college fair showcases hundreds of colleges and universities from across the country as well as Canadian and European universities. Representatives are available to talk to students and provide them with information. All SBHA 9th, 10th, and 11th graders attend this fair in the spring; 10th and 11th graders attend together, and 9th graders attend separately, allowing faculty to spend more time with these students (because they usually have many more questions about the process than do the older students). Students typically spend two hours speaking with representatives and gathering information. The fair is just the beginning of an entire day of college-centered activities for the 9th grade students as they are officially introduced to the college application process. Before leaving in the morning, students gather in small groups with a faculty leader, typically a 9th grade teacher or advisor, to discuss what will be available to them at the fair and how to get the most out of their time. They review a map of the fair, and they develop lists of schools they wish to see, narrowing these down based on personal interests, type of college, location, size, and tuition. They also discuss what questions to ask representatives and what materials to ask for. To ensure that all students engage in the fair, we have a College Scavenger Hunt; students work to find answers to a list of questions about the various colleges represented. At school they have time (usually during lunch) to view materials gathered, talk about their findings, and ask faculty members any questions that come up. As the College Day continues in the afternoon, students review the answers to the College Scavenger Hunt questions. High scoring individuals are rewarded with merits to be used to “purchase” items from the Merit Store. Each student also begins to develop a college file, a binder in which each student maintains information on colleges that interest him or her, as well as copies of all handouts that pertain to the application process. Students keep these in the College Counseling Office; the binders are open and accessible, and students can also take them home. These files are separate from files that contain student essays, test scores, and teacher and counselor recommendations, which the college counselor maintains in a locked file cabinet. Student college files include a questionnaire about their academic and other interests (See Appendix C: “9th Grade College Day”). In small, faculty led groups students discuss these, as well as facts and information they learned at the fair. Faculty members focus on vocabulary essential to understanding the college application process and the college experience in general. During the remainder of the afternoon each 9th grade student works with a partner and uses materials they got at the fair to create a poster that showcases a particular college. Students are given guidelines that indicate what information should be included, such as location, popular majors, activities, tuition, and enrollment. Many groups also include noted alumni, campus maps, and freshmen admissions data, such as average SAT scores and GPA. These posters are then presented to the larger group and later hung in advisories, so middle school students can also view them. Finally, each advisory creates a poster that highlights the important vocabulary they have acquired throughout College Day, vocabulary critical to navigating the college application process, words such as dorm, GPA, SAT, major, minor, tuition, room and board, campus, dining hall, registrar, bursar, intramural sports, RA, TA, and gen. eds. As 10th graders, SBHA high school students continue to concretely examine their college options, though they are not yet fully exposed to the application process. We find that given media attention to the increasingly competitive college admissions process, these first-generation college-bound students can feel defeated before they even begin. We don’t want to shield our students from the reality of this competition, but we also do not want our students to feel overwhelmed, nor do we want to dampen the enthusiasm that SBHA’s college-centered activities help create. Our goal is to work with students and families early on in their high school careers, so the colleges they choose and are counseled to apply to (based on their academic achievements, extracurricular interests, and family understanding of the process of applying to college) are viable options and not remote possibilities. We strive to make the entire process of applying to and being accepted into college a tangible undertaking. Part of preparing students for college involves getting students ready for the PSAT and SAT, so at SBHA we include some test preparation in our academic program. All SBHA 10th and 11th grade students take the PSAT in October. All 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students take English class for seven hours each week, two more hours than the norm. In the fall of the 10th and 11th grade years, students devote some of that extra time to preparing for verbal section of the PSAT (and during the rest of the year that time is dedicated to MCAS preparation for 10th graders; SAT, as well as Chemistry and other SAT II preparation, for 11th graders). All English teachers and math teachers as well, are provided with PSAT and SAT prep materials and practice exams, which they utilize in class. Preparing for several weeks in advance helps students become very comfortable with the exam, decreasing the anxiety many students experience on test day. As we began this procedure in 2002, it is still a work-in-progress. But since implementation, there has been a considerable increase in PSAT scores from the 10th to the 11th grade, generally 5-6 points on each of the three sections, which translates to a projected SAT score increase of 50-60 points of both the verbal and math section. In the 10th grade year, exam preparation is complimented by several college trips, in the Boston area as well as a trip to western Massachusetts. Students visit UMass/Boston, UMass/Amherst, and Amherst College. There is also an optional trip to Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges where female students can experience a women’s college. At the end of the 10th grade year, the entire class travels to Washington D.C., where they tour the city and also have the opportunity to visit the Catholic University of America and Georgetown University. As SBHA high school students enter the 11th grade, they begin thinking more specifically about the career path they might take after college, and that thinking serves as a starting point to considering college courses of study. Just as they did in the 10th grade, 11th graders continue to prepare for the PSAT exam in the fall, but they also begin job shadowing in Boston area businesses. SBHA has formed partnerships with agencies such as WBZ TV, Fidelity Investments, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Professionals employed by these agencies agree to mentor a junior for a day, or several days, so the student can experience their mentor’s work. The experience sets the groundwork for a much more elaborate internship program that takes place in the spring of senior year. 11th graders also visit several colleges in the greater Boston area, as well as Columbia University, Fordham University, and New York University. The goal here is not to attempt to find the college that individuals want to attend, but rather to compare different types of urban and suburban colleges, so students can better determine what types of colleges they want to research. In addition, many college representatives visit SBHA each year, and all SBHA high school students are encouraged to meet with them. Juniors also meet individually with the college counselor. They begin discussing their interests, and to help them narrow down their college choices, they are asked to think more specifically about location, campus type, likelihood of being admitted, strength of academic and extracurricular programs, and tuition. They complete several documents, both in English classes and with their families, in order to help with this process (See Appendix D: “Junior Questionnaire, College,” as well as Appendix E: “Junior Questionnaire, Personnel”). Juniors take the SAT exam for the first time in the spring of their 11th grade year. In addition to the extra hours of English each week that focus on SAT prep, they also take part in SATuesday. Every Tuesday from March through May, each academic class prepares students for the SAT using material in their content areas. For example, in history and biology, students begin class by completing an SAT reading comprehension exercise dealing with a historical time period or scientific research. In French class, the teacher focuses on demonstrating Latin and Greek roots in both English and French. Students also have the option of staying after school on Tuesdays to prepare further for the exam; they’re offered a weekly one and one half-hour session led by the college counselor and 11th grade English teacher, providing students with extra exam practice, especially in math. Many juniors also work individually with their teachers to prepare for SAT II subject exams in May of their 11th grade year, and the SAT in June. The focused effort has brought results. Since the inception of this program, there has been a considerable increase in SAT scores. The projected average SAT score (as based on the PSAT scores in October 2004) for the class of 2005 was 830, but the actual average SAT score as of the June 2004 administration was 960, with 25% of the students scoring over 1000. The 11th grade year at SBHA is very busy. As students get ready for college, families are presented with lots of new information. In April of the junior year, juniors and their families attend the College Kick-Off, where they are formally introduced to the admissions process through short presentations by visiting representatives and the SBHA college counselor (See Appendix F: “Junior/Senior Parent College Meeting Agenda”). There is also a social part to the evening; following the presentations families have the chance to speak one-on-one with college representatives and SBHA faculty. It is also a wonderful occasion for families to speak to each other about the college admissions process, sharing what they know and asking each other questions. At the kick-off, families are provided with a college admissions timeline for the end of the junior year and the entire senior year. They are also given several documents that reflect different average SAT scores and GPA’s of various colleges in New England and around the country. The GPA’s and PSAT scores of the junior class are available, so families can begin seriously looking into their college options. One major aspect of the College Kick-Off is a discussion of the Financial Aid process. The college counselor begins with a brief overview, and then several college representatives offer advice to families on how to best navigate the process. Because seniors and their families will take part in a more detailed meeting in the fall, the College Kick-off is meant to give 11th graders a general overview of the process of applying to college. We invite entire families, serve a light dinner, and provide childcare during the presentations. In coming years, we will ask families of students who have graduated to come back to this event to speak about the admissions and Financial Aid processes from their points of view. The culminating experience of the college-focused activities begins in the fall of the senior year as students begin concretely looking into college options and begin the application process. SBHA seniors have a College Prep Seminar for one class period a week. Early in the senior year, this class is devoted to preparing for the October SAT exam. Following the exam, students use their time in seminar to begin narrowing down the list of colleges to which they will apply. Our goal is to make the college application process less intimidating. We break down the process of applying to college into meaningful, manageable steps (See Appendix G: “Benchmarks/Timeline”), making sure seniors are aware of key dates and are held accountable for meeting them. Generally, students apply to five colleges, but many apply to more. We recommend that they choose schools they would like to attend, using the following breakdown: one “safety school” (a school where they are 80%-90% sure to be accepted), two “target schools” (two schools that they would like to attend and where there is a 75% chance they will be admitted), and one “reach school” (a “dream” school to which they are not sure they’ll be admitted). These lists begin to be developed during the junior year as students and families meet with the college counselor and senior advisor; they are then refined throughout the fall of the senior year. As noted earlier, during the junior year, students maintain binders where they keep information about the colleges that interest them; this process continues in the senior year. One tool we utilize is the Counselor-o-Matic, which is an online counseling tool available free of charge at www.princeton.com. Students input information about the type of college that interests them as well as their personal academic information and SAT scores. The program then searches its database and provides students with a list of colleges that best match their interests and academic achievements. We help guide students through the process of obtaining information about a school (See Appendix H: “Requesting Information from Colleges”) and provide them with forms on which they record key information about the colleges that interest them (See Appendix I: “College Profile”). Finally, in addition to several other graduation requirements, all seniors must get at least one acceptance letter from a college to be eligible to receive their diploma. As seniors continue their research into October and November, they also begin writing their college essays and peer references. Those students who choose to apply early start writing their essays earlier, as application deadlines for early decision applicants are generally in December. Seniors choose an essay question (or multiple questions) from the Common Application (available at www.commonapp.org) and work on it with their senior English teacher during their College Preparation seminar. Each senior also writes a peer reference for one classmate, which is sent to the applicant’s college along with the transcript and counselor and teacher recommendations. To obtain teacher recommendations, students speak individually with their teachers. The college counselor guides them through this process and also works with teachers, sharing tips and outlining the steps in writing a quality teacher recommendation (See Appendix J: “Teacher Recommendations,” as well as Appendix K: “Writing the Letter”). Once the essays are written, students begin completing college applications. Throughout their high school career at SBHA, all students are urged to take part in extracurricular activities that will help to make them well-rounded students. Their experiences are then reflected in the applications they fill out. Many SBHA students qualify for SAT and college application fee waivers (available to those who qualify for free or reduced lunch) through the College Board. The college counselor is responsible for sending in the fee waiver with the application. SBHA pays for the SAT exams of those students that do not qualify for a fee waiver, and we encourage these families to budget $120.00-$150.00 for application fees. All families meet with the college counselor again in the fall to discuss where the seniors are in the process of applying to college and to get a head start filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Families receive a pre-application worksheet and are informed of the tax documents that are required. We reserve a substantial amount of time for questions and one-on-one conversations, making sure families understand the process, whether they will complete it on-line or on paper. The college counselor follows up with families after January 1st to help with the actual filing of the FAFSA (See Appendix L: “FAFSA Letter”). When the essays have been written and applications have been proofread, the college counseling office sends all materials to admissions offices. Before each application is sent, seniors complete a checklist to ensure that all materials are included (See Appendix M: “Application Checklist”). We send all applications, essays, SAT scores (school copy), counselor and teacher recommendations, and transcripts in one envelope, making sure all materials are filed together. Some Final Thoughts The success of the College Counseling/College Prep Program at SBHA can be measured by the fact that 100% of SBHA’s first senior class (2004) was accepted to college. The class is comprised of 18 students, with an average of about four acceptances per student, for a total of 68 college acceptances (See Appendix N: “College Acceptances”). Four students were also admitted early. The total pre-financial aid scholarship money offered by colleges was $513,000. The total financial aid, including awards based on each family’s FAFSA, was about $650,000. SBHA is very proud of this accomplishment. The number of college acceptances, however, is not the only means by which we measure the success of the program. In addition to preparing each student academically for college and ensuring that families can successfully navigate the college admissions process, our collective efforts help students envision college as something they can and will do. Students entering SBHA in the 5th grade ask the question, “Should (or can) I go to college?” But they leave asking, “Where will I go to college?” Our college-centered program is successful, but it’s also constantly changing and developing. In the coming years, for example, as we track the post-graduation plans of SBHA graduates, we will refine our techniques, involving SBHA alumni to help to motivate and inspire their younger peers. Our College Counseling/College Prep program does not depend on extravagant funding. The only budgetary factors are PSAT/SAT exam fees for students that do not qualify for a fee waiver, materials for exam prep, bus transportation to area colleges, food for family meetings, postage to send applications and supporting documents, and the salary of a part time coordinator. Having a staff person dedicated to overseeing the College Counseling/College Prep program is a huge asset. As the coordinator, I work half time in college counseling and half time teaching. The classes I teach are scheduled to meet in the morning, so I’m free in the afternoon to arrange college trips and activities and help seniors navigate the college admissions process. As college preparation is the focus of SBHA, the cost of the college prep program is part of our operating budget. Also critical to the success of our college preparation program is the day-to-day commitment of every staff member. We integrate the goal of going to college into our plans and expectations for every student. Each of us talks regularly about our own college experiences, and we encourage students to talk to us whenever they have questions about college. At SBHA we work to create an atmosphere in which students work toward college as a matter of course. With limited funds, coordination, and faculty buy-in, a college prep middle or high school can implement a comprehensive approach to address the needs of first generation, college-bound students, supporting each student and family throughout the entire process, from 5th-12th grade.
About the Author Joshua Cabral serves as the College Counselor as well as the French Department Chair at South Boston Harbor Academy Charter School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He has been teaching French and counseling families through the college admissions process at SBHA for four years. Prior to coming to SBHA, he taught French, Italian, and Drama at Falmouth Academy, where he also worked in the Admissions office. He is a graduate of UMass/Amherst (BA) and is currently a Master’s Degree Candidate at UMass/Boston.
Appendix A: SBHA Introduction to College: Grades 5 and 6 From Mr. Cabral, SBHA College Counselor Answer each of these questions in a few words. We will talk about your answers as a group after. These are your own thoughts. There are no” right” or “wrong” answers.
Appendix B: Group Activity with Viewbooks Look at the viewbooks with the other students in your group and find the following information about the college. You will present this college as a group to the rest of the class when you are done.
Appendix C: 9th Grade College Day Questionnaire Name: _____________________________________ Date: _____________________________________ SBHA College Day In the space below, please respond to the following questions. Your responses are for your personal information and college counseling only. Therefore, please respond openly and honestly.
Appendix D: South Boston Harbor Academy Junior Questionnaire (College) Notes from junior meeting with college counselor regarding academic and college interests: Student Name: _____________________________________ GPA as of the end of sophomore year: ___________________ Advisor: _____________________________________ Filled in by students: Location, Location, Location!
Academic Interests!
Size and Student Body!
Finances Will cost influence where you go to college? Will your family apply for financial-aid? Do you think that you will qualify for merit scholarships (based on achievement)? Admissions Criteria! If 5 is the most selective and 1 is not at all selective, to which level of colleges do you expect to apply? Which do you think are likely to say yes? Why Go to College? Check those that apply and add onto the end if there are responses that are more appropriate for you.
Who Will Make the Decision? Who do you think should make the decision about the college that you attend?
Appendix E: South Boston Harbor Academy Junior Questionnaire (Personal) Notes based on initial meeting with College Counselor. Student Name: _____________________________________ GPA as of the end of sophomore year: ___________________ Advisor: _____________________________________ Filled in by student (note: it is important students are able to do this, as they will have to easily access this information throughout the application process):
Appendix F: Junior/Senior Parent College Meeting Agenda Note: This agenda is used both for the junior family meeting in the spring and the senior family meeting in the fall. The material is reviewed in brief at the junior family meeting, and much more in depth during the senior family meeting.
Handouts:
Appendix G: Benchmarks/Timeline Note: During the junior year, students review the benchmarks periodically with their advisor. At the beginning of the College Prep Seminar in the fall of the senior year, the college counselor reviews the junior year benchmarks with students to be sure they are on the right track going into their senior year. The senior year benchmarks are also used as a guide for the senior year and the application process. Benchmarks Junior Year:
Senior Year:
Senior Year College Timeline September (Senior Year):
October:
November:
December:
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
Summer:
Appendix H: Requesting Information from Colleges that Interest You Once you have completed the Counselor-o-Matic program on princeton.com and have obtained your initial list of “target,” “reach,” and “safety” schools, you will want to begin looking for information about these schools. You may even want to narrow down your initial lists based on what you may already know about the colleges. The first place you should look is on the bookshelves of college catalogues in the library. I have already contacted many colleges and universities and they have sent me many materials and viewbooks. If you would like your own copy of a book that you find, please contact the school directly and request information. How do I get information about a school? Look in the college catalogues (I have several and there are several in advisories as well) and find out the web address, e-mail address, phone number, and street address.
Please Note: All correspondence that you have with a college from your first e-mail or telephone conversation to your letter of acceptance will become a permanent part of your admissions file. For this reason, it is extremely important that you write professional style letters and e-mails and that you conduct yourself appropriately on the telephone. Be sure to spell-check your letters and to use correct grammar and form. Keep this in mind as well when writing e-mails. They will be printed out and placed in your admissions file. Above all, if you do choose to e-mail, make sure that you have an appropriate e-mail address as this will be seen by the admissions office. If you have an address such as hatetostudy@yahoo.com, or partygirl@hotmail.com, you will want to look into creating an alternative name.
Appendix I: College Profile
Appendix J: Teacher Recommendations
Appendix K: Writing the Letter What You Should Do:
What You Should Avoid:
Letter Outline Paragraph 1:
Paragraph 2:
Paragraph 3:
Paragraph 4:
Appendix L: FAFSA LETTER Monday, January 12, 2004 Dear SBHA 12th Grade Families: SBHA’s first senior class is ready for college. We are all very proud of the effort that each student and family has put into researching college options and completing the application process. As of today, all applications, essays, teacher and counselor recommendations, transcripts and SAT scores have been sent out. The SBHA class of 2004 will be applying to 58 colleges and universities, a total of 112 applications. As of this week, 5 of our seniors have been accepted by various colleges; theses colleges include Marietta College, Norwich University, Johnson &Wales University, University of Montana, Temple University and Bowdoin College. Now that the application process is complete, it is time to turn our attention to the financial aspects of a college education. The first step in the financial aid process is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). I have included the paper application, but you may also apply on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. It is much faster to apply on the web site. The FAFSA is used to apply for federal student aid, such as grants, loans and work-study. In addition, most states and colleges use information from the FAFSA to award non-federal aid, such as state grants and need-based scholarships. Every student is eligible for at least a federal loan. To be considered for any type of financial aid, it is absolutely necessary that every family fill out the FAFSA. How the FAFSA Works:
Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Financial Need You will need information from your W-2 to complete the FAFSA, but it is not necessary to have filed your tax return for 2003. Students should also be researching independent scholarships. A reminder that the best web sites are www.fastweb.com, www.freschinfo.com and www.free-4u.com. If you have questions about the financial aid process or the application process in general, please do not hesitate to contact me at 617-265-1172, ext. 292 or at jcabral@sbha.org. Sincerely, Joshua Cabral
Appendix M: Application Checklist Student Name: __________________________________ Date Sent: __________________________________ College: __________________________________ Phone Number: __________________________________ Address: __________________________________ Admissions Contact: __________________________________ Web Site: __________________________________ Application Deadline: __________________________________
Appendix N: College Acceptances and Colleges Selected College Acceptances: Johnson and Wales* Norwich University Marietta College Temple University Bowdoin College University of Montana Lynchburg University University of Scranton University of Hawaii Albany College of Pharmacy Suffolk University* University of Connecticut University of Bridgeport University of Hartford Salem State College* Mount Ida College Champlain College* Framingham State College* Regis College Umass/Amherst* Bridgewater State College* Fitchburg State College* Catholic Univ. of America University of Nebraska Bunker Hill Community College* Northeastern University* American University* U. of Vermont* Pace University Providence College Merrimack College Boston University* Monmouth University Curry College* Fairfield University Umass/Dartmouth Umass/Boston* *Multiple Acceptances
Colleges Chosen by Students: Temple University Umass/Amherst* Johnson & Wales Champlain College Providence College Bridgewater State College* University of Montana Suffolk University Bowdoin College University of Nebraska Salem State College U. of Vermont American University Pace University *Multiple Students Attend
References South Boston Harbor Academy (SBHA). 2004. Annual Report. Duplicated.
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