Sophomore Advising (November-December)

I have started to meet with sophomores in my office. I have met with approximately half of the class and look forward to meeting the rest of the class as soon as possible. Please advise any sophomores to come to my office (321) during their free period for an individual or group meeting. The meeting serves as an informal way for the college counseling office to get to know this class at an important time in their high school career. The meetings are very relaxed and students do not need to bring anything.

Summer Programs

Summer Enrichment programs are a great way to develop a student's voice. These programs can be instrumental in helping students discover their passions, develop their independence or learn valuable skills. For sophomores or juniors, check the campuses of potential colleges and universities. Many have summer "pre-college" enrichment programs. While these programs do not make it easier to gain admission when you apply as a senior, these programs are still a valuable insight into what college life can be like and gain transferable college credits, too!

Here are some valuable online resources to help connect you to a variety of programs:

http://www.petersons.com/summerop/code/ssector.asp?sponsor=1&path=hs.fas.summer
Seems to be a more complete program listing (at least for summer pre-college programs)

http://www.enrichmentalley.com/
Not a complete list, but a good starting point for summer pgms and gap year options.

http://www.rusticpathways.com/
offers travel abroad programs. I don't have any first hand information about these programs, but I have interviewed many students who have had good experiences with this company.

http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home
Another program that many students I interviewed participated in.

Please let me know if you have a specific type of program you are interested in. I have a very long list but I worry that listing all of them here may make it tough to know where to start. Please let me know if you have a program to recommend.

College Fairs

College Fairs are an underused resource for SLS students. One great tip for navigating a college fair successfully is to have name labels printed out in advance! This way you don't have to spend time filling in an inquiry card at every table you visit, leaving you more time to speak with the college representative. Please come see us in College Counseling if you have any question about name labels. Here is what to include:
Name, email address (make sure you have an appropriate email handle), mailing address, complete Name of school, year of graduation.