JUNIORS

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

*CST TESTING to Begin in April 2012: Please see attched testing schedule below for dates/times/subjects for the California Standards Test, grades 9-11. Also, remember to do your best, be well rested, have a nutritious breakfast, and remain focused on test day!

* IMPORTANT AP TEST INFO: May 2012, TBA
* Please bring your form(s) to Ms. Fu through the Office of Instruction, if you’re applying for a fee waiver; otherwise, make your payment with Ms. Fu by the deadline.

* NEW Scholarship Opportunity:  QuestBridge  offers College Prep Scholarships to 11th Grade Students who are 4-year College Bound that includes: College Summer Programs at Emory, Harvard, Stanford, Notre Dame, Penn, and Yale; laptops and fully paid visits to college summer programs; college admissions conferences at Stanford and Yale.- and can be accessed at www.questbridge.org or by visiting your counselor.

*Important Info About  Schedule Changes!
Please be aware that our master schedule is built around student needs and requests from the previous year. There is an expectation that students will remain in their chosen year-long classes. Teacher preferences for courses will not be honored. Requests are not guaranteed due to class sizes, class offerings, and staffing. Counselors will be available via email and appointment.

*Keep your grades competitive! Remember that UC and CSU colleges look first at your 10th and 11th grade academic coursework, your GPA, and college entrance test scores. Grades of ‘C’ or better are a must. If you are struggling, seek help by speaking with your teachers and seeking tutoring
Note: You must complete 11 “A-G” courses by the end of your Junior Year for UC Eligibility.

*Graduation Cords: If you would like to earn special recognition for participation in various programs at AHS, please review eligibility and price with your advisor

* Explore colleges/universities: Try to narrow your choices to 5-10 colleges. Visit www.ucop.edu for University of California, www.csumentor.edu for California State University, www.aiccu.org for private/independent universities, and www.cccco.edu for community colleges.

* California Scholarship Federation: Students may join if they are eligible academically. Watch for bulletin announcements st the end of the semester. You may also visit the CSF website at www.csf-cjsf.org/ or our CSF tab to learn about specific requirements.

* Take College Entrance exams (SAT or ACT) between January of your 11th Grade year and December of your 12th Grade year. For SAT Reasoning Test (plus 2 subject tests for UC campuses), visit www.collegeboard.com to register. For ACT (plus the Writing test for UC campuses), visit www.actstudent.org to register.

* Take the PSAT (practice SAT test); take the PLAN (practice ACT test) and then retrieve an exam booklet from the Guidance Office.

* IMPORTANT AP EXAM UPDATE:
Beginning with the exams given next spring (May 2011), the following change is being made to the scoring of multiple choice questions:
“Multiple-choice scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers, and no points are awarded for unanswered questions.”

* CONSIDERING APPLYING TO A UC CAMPUS? As you complete the college entrance “A-G” requirements, please note that Class of 2012 eligibility requirements to enter a University of California campus have changed. Some of the changes are:
“Under the new policy, all California high school seniors who…
-complete the 15 UC-required college-preparatory (“a-g”) courses, with 11 of 15 of those done by the end of 11th grade,
-maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better (weighted by honors/AP bonus points) in these courses, and take the ACT with Writing or SAT Reasoning Test
…will be invited to apply and will be entitled to a comprehensive review of their applications at each UC campus to which they apply.

Within this “entitled to review” pool, two categories of applicants will be guaranteed admission somewhere within the UC system:
o those who fall in the top 9% of all high school graduates statewide, and
o those who rank in the top 9% of their own high school graduating class.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/eligibilitychanges/

* NCAA: athletes pursuing college sports via the National Collegiate Athletic Assocaion must register for eligibility at the end of their Junior year. Please visit www.eligibilitycenter.org for more information and to register your high school coursework. Also, visit our NCAA link in the Academic Counseling Section.

*NAIA: athletes pursuing college sports via the National Association for Intercollegiate Association must register for eligibility at www.naia.org . Visit our NAIA link in the Academic Counseling Section.

* Explore college majors and take a Career Assessment Test by visiting www.assist.org or other websites.

* Get involved in school! Participate in Clubs, Organizations, and Community Service. You may also consider getting a part-time job, apprenticeship, or internship– or you can job shadow in a profession that interests you.

* List, compare and visit colleges/universities; identify important factors in choosing a college; think about your reasons for going to college; take a guided tour of the colleges you are considering and ask questions.

* Investigate Scholarship Opportunities by setting up a profile at www.fastweb.com .

* PLAN AHEAD for Summer and Senior Year: review your courses with your counselor, ask questions about specific classes and college entrance requirements, and challenge yourself by taking Honors and AP classes. Stay with the course sequences you began in your 9th grade year, in world language and math, for example. You may also take summer school courses you need to repeat for graduation or college entrance. Summer is also a good time to do community service/volunteer work, take a part-time job, be an intern, and visit colleges/universities.

* GOOD ATTENDANCE IS IMPORTANT! Attend all classes on time so that you don’t miss vital information. Be sure that your parents clear your excuseable absences within 3 days by contacting the Attendance Office. Do not arrive more than 10 minutes late or cut any class. Such decisions result in LOSS OF CREDIT that you may need to recover in order to graduate.

*CREDIT RECOVERY: for those students who need to make up credit loss, please be advised that spaces are limited for our Adult School and On-line programs. Please see your counselor for a referral to these programs as soon as possible. Note: Avoid additional stress during your year; avoid credit loss.