Newsletter Infinite Campus, MaiaLearning and Parchment

February 2019

Junior Newsletter

Infinite Campus, MaiaLearning and Parchment

Confused about what these are used for? Here is a short run down:

INFINITE CAMPUS, or IC, is used to look up a class schedule, grades, or review your unofficial transcript.

MAIALEARNING is used for post-secondary (after high school) planning including college and

scholarship searches, tracking college applications, and checking upcoming college visits. You can also use Maia to do interest inventories which lead to researching career

possibilities.

PARCHMENT is used to order official high school transcripts to be sent to colleges,

scholarships, and more.

I've scheduled an

appointment with a

college counselor.

Now what?

If you haven't already scheduled your college counseling appointment,

you can do so through our online scheduling system via the CCRC website. The link to schedule the appointment is at the top of the

page. To log into the system, the username is your student school

email address and the password is your student ID number.

You are required to complete the "College Counseling

Pre-Appointment Questionnaire" at least 3 school days prior to your

appointment. This questionnaire is only available through your MaiaLearning account.

To access the questionnaires:

Log onto MaiaLearning From on the Student Dashboard

Scroll down to Activities and Tasks then click on the College

button Follow the directions for the questionnaire

For questions about the appointment process, please contact Mrs. MJ Thurau (mthurau@ / 224-632-3060).

You will receive an automated confirmation email from the scheduling system to your school email address. It will contain your appointment information including the date, time and with whom you are meeting.

If you have not yet completed the "College Counseling Pre-Appointment Questionnaire" at the time of scheduling your appointment, you will receive a reminder email, with your parents/guardians copied, from Ms. Thurau.

You will receive a reminder email one week prior to your scheduled appointment. If you still have not completed the "College Counseling Pre-Appointment Questionnaire," Ms. Thurau will also include the deadline for completion. If it is not completed by the specified time, your appointment will be cancelled and you'll need to reschedule.

As a reminder, the college counseling appointment is a student appointment. Parents/Guardians are not required to attend, but are welcome.

Each college counselor takes notes during the meeting and will share a summary.

The college counselor with whom you meet will be your college counselor for the remainder of your time at DHS. This is the person you will contact with questions, help you through your post-high school planning, and continue to meet with through the end of senior year.

How to make the most of a campus visit

Make it official! Visit the admissions website to register for an official campus tour and information session. While anyone can visit a campus, it's important for you to make sure the college knows you are there as it is a part of demonstrated interest. Take advantage of days off from DHS and spring break.

Research the college before the visit. This will help you understand what you still want/need to learn about the college. You can write a list of questions to be sure you ask while on the visit.

If possible, sit in on a class, eat at a dining hall and stay overnight in a residence hall. Having these experiences will allow you to feel what it is like to be a student at the college and if it is the right fit for you.

After the visit, write down notes and your impressions. You may end up seeing a couple of colleges, so it's important to keep yourself organized. Take pictures and notes so you have them to look back at as you make your way through your college search process.

Send a thank-you. If you plan on applying to the college, you should send a thank-you note or email. Recalling specifics about the campus or program of interest makes a great impression. Colleges put a lot of time and effort into hosting you on campus, so be sure they know you appreciate it!

Looking for more tips on visiting a campus? Use this handout!

Common Application: Essay Prompts

The Common Application is one application platform you may use to apply to

colleges. The Common Application has announced that the 2019-2020 essay prompts will remain the same as the

2018-2019 essay prompts.

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in

your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. In other words, quality is more important than quantity. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so.

(The application will not accept a response shorter than 250 words.)

Here are the prompts:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

The Coalition Application is another application platform you may use to complete college applications. Specifically, if you are planning on applying to the University of Florida, University of Maryland, University of Washington or Virginia Tech as this is the only means by which to apply.

The Coalition has just released their essay prompts for 2019-2020. While there is no perfect length for an essay, Coalition recommends that you stay within a range of 500-550 words. For more information on specific application requirements, please consult the website for each institution to which you are applying, as requirements often vary.

Coalition Application:

Essay Prompts

Here are the prompts:

1. Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

2. Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.

3. Has there been a time when you've had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?

4. What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What's the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?

5. Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

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