Mr. Johnson's Counselor Links

 Listed below are a great many Internet links organized to help students make career and college decisions, find out about financial aid and accomplish many of the other tasks necessary to help you move successfully from La Quinta to your next post-high school educational step. Parents may also find the information useful as they help guide their student through high school. Also, remember your counselor is here to help you through any phase of your high school planning. Best wishes and I hope you find the information helpful.

 

 Mapping Your Future:

Career planning, selecting a college, tuition funding, and online college applications can be accessed at this LINK

usa. cx.bridges.com:

A great CAREER site for you to access career information, begin career planning by responding to a series of decision making guide questions, and a place to access links to higher education. Mr. Johnson suggests you start here with your career planning. Our school User Name is 0010449 and the Password is aztecs (lower case). Select Student and you are ready to explore. To set up your unique "Personal Portfolio" with this system you will need the following information:

School ID: laquinCA9742

School Key: PKhVQWpqPJ

 

TESTING INFORMATION

 The College Board:

This is the SITE to access the services offered by The College Board including SAT I and SAT II registration and other communication with this organization. On the site you will find a career search questionnaire (click on the SEARCH icon at the top) to help guide you in finding careers that match your interests and abilities. You can also apply to colleges on-line at this site. NOTE: The new SAT required of the Class of 2006 and beyond makes its debut in March of 2005.

 The ACT Assessment:

If you are interested in taking the American College Test (ACT) that provides sub-scores in English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning and is an acceptable alternative to the SAT I in California you can get more information at this SITE. The four sub-scores are mathematically joined together to produce a composite score that correlates with SAT I.

 

INFORMATION ON COLLEGES

California Colleges Clearinghouse Debuts!

Access to application and other essential information about all California community colleges, state universities, private colleges and University of California campuses is now a click away through a new, one-stop web SITE. This site has two main functions: college exploration, which offers virtual campus tours, criteria searches and a student-campus matching assistant; and guidance and counseling, including information on financial aid and admissions requirements. Seven different "tabs" can be selected to help you navigate the site.

 

  University of California:

Find out everything you want to know about the University of California (including being able to view La Quinta's "a-g" course list) and apply to the University of California on-line at this "Pathways" SITE.

Also here's the latest information on the UC Selection Criteria called "Comprehensive Review" -- All UC-eligible applicants are reviewed using a combination of academic and personal achievement factors including: uncapped GPA (maximum of eight semesters of approved honors or AP courses); scores of all required exams; number of "a-g" courses beyond the minimum specified for UC eligibility; Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC is the top 4% of our senior class); educational environment; low family income; first-generation college attendance; demonstrated leadership; special talents, achievement and awards; volunteer/community service; and special circumstances and/or personal challenges.

 

    California State University Information:

To access your Internet connection to the California State University (CSU Mentor) -- to be able to Apply over the Internet, apply for an application fee waiver, plan your courses, take a virtual campus tour, and more. This site will tell you most everything you want to know about the CSU system and its 23 campuses.

 

To help in your high school course planning, here are the

Subject Admission Requirements for UC and Cal State ("a-g" Requirements):

"a" History/Social Science - Two Years

Two years of history/social science to include: one year of U.S. History or one-half year of U.S. History and one-half year of civics; and one year of world history (UC) or second year of history/social science (CSU).

"b" English - Four Years

Four years of college preparatory English (One year can be ELD English 1 P).

"c" Mathematics - Three years beginning with algebra 1, four years recommended

Three years of college preparatory mathematics including algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2.

"d" Laboratory Science - Two Years, three recommended

Two years of laboratory science in at least two of these three areas: biology, chemistry, physics (UC) or one year of physical science and one year of biological science (CSU).

"e" Language Other Than English - Two years, three years recommended

Two years of the same language other than English.

"f" Visual or Performing Arts - One year

One year of visual or performing arts chosen from the following: art, dance, drama or music.

"g" College Preparatory Electives - One Year

One year in addition to those required in a-f above chosen from the following: visual or performing arts, history, social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science and languages other than English.

 

A relatively new site has come to my attention and I checked it out. It's pretty thorough and I think you will find it useful. The site provides a "step-by-step pathway through college preparation". Tools for both students and parents are available. The free site is sponsored by USC and is open to anyone applying to any school. You will find suggested courses to take each year, when to take admissions tests, when to apply for financial aid and other information all in one place.

 

Private Colleges: 

 The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AICCU) represents 77 private institutions in California. They have developed a comprehensive web-site for their member schools that includes an "Online Guidebook for Students" with college profiles, admission applications and links to the institutions own web-sites. If you are interested in a private college in California you should check out this site for one-stop access to a variety of schools. It's informative, fun and easy to use.

Plug-in to the College Guide sponsored by the California Post-secondary Education Commission. This SITE is a "portal" that includes information about all five systems: UC, CSU, California Community Colleges, Independent Colleges and Universities, and Private Post-secondary and Vocational Education. You will be able to find information profiles about more than 400 California Colleges and Universities. Check this out!

This SITE claims to be the "ultimate college success resource". Topics include: How to get the most out of high school; college selection and application tips; ways to finance college; what's college life like; and many more. Students actually speak to you about their experiences. There's a college search section powered by Peterson's College Quest with links that will take you right to the college's home page. This is a Mr. Johnson rated "Cool Site".

 

So you want to do more College Research:

Another useful SITE from the U.S. Department of Education is College Opportunities on-line, a direct link to more than 9,000 colleges nationwide.

SchoolsintheUSA.com claims to be "the most comprehensive online resource available" allowing students to explore career paths and find the right college. All content on this site is free.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has a web site you can access to find about college fairs to be presented in our area. You can also find out information about the colleges that will have exhibits at the fair. Follow these steps: Select "National College Fairs Dates and Locations"; scroll down to O.C. National College Fair Spring 2005 (note date of April 17, at Anaheim Convention Center!) and select this link; scroll down to box listing schools exhibiting at the fair; select your school of interest which will become highlighted; select "display information on this school".

 

 

School-to-Career Information: Check out this site-- Orange County Community College Career Programs Here you will find included all public providers of career education programs such as ROP, community college and adult education programs.

MORE ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE: As a part of a project to support vocational programs at the 28 community colleges in Los Angeles and Orange County a matrix that contains all of these programs listed by major and college has been developed and can be accessed by clicking HERE.

To find information on applying to a community college, check out this web SITE.

Planning to go to college can be a confusing and intimidating process for many families. Fortunately, there are resources available to simplify the experience. Sallie Mae has developed a new Internet initiative for students and parents to help relieve the anxiety associated with planning and paying for college. Click HERE to launch Wiredscholar, an online guide to help you through the entire college-preparation process. (No advertising on this site) Mr. Johnson says this site is really worth a look!

 

STUDENT GATEWAY TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT-- click HERE to visit a government-wide web portal that makes it easy to find any kind of federal service. The U.S. Department of Education is coordinating with other federal agencies to provide a "one-stop-shop" giving students access to information about financial aid, career development, education planning, consumer protection, and a wide variety of other topics.

  A new site called Peterson's College Quest Plus includes test preparation information (Peterson's Online Practice Tests), a college search area that's really advanced where you can select a college and then go directly to the college web-site, a method to apply to college on-line and suggestions and articles to find ways to pay for college. Check out this site by clicking HERE.

 

CHRISTIAN COLLEGES: If you are interested in finding out more about colleges that have a Christian emphasis you can click on the SITE for the National Association of Christian College Admissions Personnel (NACCAP) for an extensive list of colleges all across the United States.

 

To Apply to additional colleges over the Internet:

A free site affiliated with US News and World Report is called COLLEGEEDGE. Here you can access applications for 400 undergraduate and graduate institutions. In addition, the matchmaker link will take you through a series of questions for your college search--such as specific major, location, cost, etc.

APPLYING for college over the Web (over 350 participating colleges/universities)? College search, scholarship search and college bookstore can be found here.

You can DOWNLOAD applications to more than 800 colleges, including many of the "biggies", fill them out on your computer and send them in via-email.

 

Sites to help you when applying for Financial Aid:

Use this LINK to the Department of Education to access the electronic version of the FAFSA (FAFSA on the Web) and to obtain federal school codes. A Spanish version of the FAFSA is available. This site is also a great place to get your questions answered. To sign your FAFSA application on-line (e-sign), you and your parent will each need a PIN (Personal Identification Number). You may apply for a PIN by clicking HERE. Or, you can transmit your on-line FAFSA without signing (Not recommended by Mr. Johnson). If you choose this option, the processor will send you a report requesting signatures and then the process can continue. It is a good idea to use a disk to save your application information. Also, be sure to print out the confirmation page after you successfully submit your form. You should be able to receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) and find out your expected family contribution (EFC) within about one week after filing electronically!

COMPLETING the 2005-2006 FAFSA. NOTE: Information on the 2005-06 FAFSA will be made available for seniors who will be attending college next fall at La Quinta's financial aid workshops on December 14 or 15. Every senior is strongly encouraged to attend one of these workshops.

NEW NEW NEW READ BELOW

Just One Web site at the U.S. Department of Education tells you everything you need to know about getting federal student aid to help pay for education after high school. Before, you had to use different Web sites for different purposes. Now, just go to this SITE, apply for aid online, and get all the information you need from just one place. You can: Fill out and transmit the FAFSA with step-by-step instructions in English or Spanish; get a PIN to sign your FAFSA electronically, correct information on you SAR, etc.; and find everything you need to know about federal student aid programs.

Student Financial Assistance has an award-winning Web SITE, which connects students with U.S. government services and information. Included is information on careers, planning an education, and paying for college.

Clicking HERE can access a comprehensive Web site that contains several helpful college-financing features. The site includes college-planning calculators, Financial Aid 101, a tutorial that guides students through five financial aid lessons, and much more.

Ask the advisor, LINKS to free scholarship searches, loan calculators, scholarship scam alerts, strategies for maximizing aid eligibility, comprehensive Q&A, etc.

The California Student Aid Commission's Web SITE contains information on the state's financial aid programs, including Cal Grants.

When you log on to EdFund's SITE, you will find information on the federal student loans offered under the Federal Family Education Loan Program, along with a comprehensive question-and-answer section. There is also a great link on this page called EdWise that is an easy-to-use tool offering tips on planning and budgeting for college.

CHASE bank invites you to visit their Web site where you will find a countdown to college calendar, a Financial Aid 101 section, and more detailed information about your financial aid options including education loans.

 

  More money for college -

 Scholarship Search: FastWeb! Mr. Johnson says start here first! Over 600,000-scholarship database to SEARCH free, online scholarships. (The Internet's largest site)

Click HERE to access a search engine that provides links to government, colleges and commercial sites like Peterson's or Kaplan's.

You can CLICK on this commercial site to access financial aid information and even a calendar.

While this SITE does not provide information on specific scholarships, the benefit is from its wealth of links to 101 other sites that do provide specific information.

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS:

To register for the Selective Service or to verify your status, use this LINK. Remember that males must register to be eligible to receive financial aid.

To APPLY for a Social Security Number, obtain replacement cards, etc . . . Reminder: No social security number, no financial aid.

 

ADDITIONAL TEST PREPARATION SITES:

SAT preparation-- This is the SITE for the Princeton Review. There is a cost for their test-prep. course. Also provided is general information on the college admissions process and financial aid.

I have found a new test preparation site to help you prepare for the PSAT, SAT and the ACT. This site offers interactive tutorials over the Internet. Number2.com (click HERE) is totally free. Two other sites offer SAT and ACT test preparation courses: Scholastic Testing Systems and College Powerprep.

 

The University of California College Prep Initiative (UCCP) will immediately begin offering California high school students FREE online SAT preparation. Click HERE to access the web site and select the active link that will take you to the course. This is a unique, commercial free opportunity that even includes a timed diagnostic to help you recognize the areas you need to strengthen.

Prepare for the SAT or ACT online . . . anytime, anywhere!

The University of California presents free SAT and Act test preparation including tutorials, practice sessions, answer feedback, tips and strategies and a diagnostic test. All subject areas and question types are covered. Click HERE to access this site.

 

NCAA: This SITE contains much valuable information for the potential college athlete including eligibility requirements for Divisions I, II, and III schools. This is also the NEW clearinghouse Web site at which the prospective student-athlete can access the materials and forms necessary to register with the clearinghouse. The NCAA "strongly suggests" that prospective student-athletes at La Quinta who plan to participate in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or II institution use this new online registration, rather than completing the paper form.

You can search this data bank of job openings at any time (24 x 7). Click HERE to see these postings.

From Food Service to Sales jobs, this is the SITE to find a listing of part-time and seasonal work that high school student's desire.

 

PARENT/STUDENT RESOURCES

Any parent or student interested in knowing the State adopted Academic Content Standards in the areas of English-Language Arts, Mathematics, History-Social Science and Visual and Performing Arts can check the California Department of Education SITE.

Do you have questions regarding the California High School Exit Exam? Check out this California Department of Education SITE and also see a "Parent Assistance Packet".