College Prep
This is the official acronym for the free form you must fill out to apply for federal financial aid for college.
What is the FAFSA?
This official document tracks every high school class you have taken, your final grades, and your total credits earned.
What is a transcript?
True or False: You can only visit the counseling department if you are in major trouble or failing your classes.
What is False? (Counselors support all students with academics, emotional needs, and future planning).
You need this to apply for a job, internship, or volunteer opportunities
What is a resume?
Students should request these from teachers or counselors at least two to three weeks before college deadlines.
What are Letters of Recommendation?
This three-letter acronym represents the numeric average of all your high school grades, calculated on either a weighted or unweighted scale.
What is a GPA (Grade Point Average)?
This is the designated timeline window at the start of a semester where a student can request to drop or add a specific class.
What is the schedule change request period? (Also accept drop/add week).
A document that lists your skills, education, experiences, and achievements
What is a resume?
These are the two primary standardized tests used by many universities for admissions, though many schools are now test-optional.
What are the SAT and ACT?
This is the process or program students use to make up credits for a required class they previously failed.
What is credit recovery?
True or False: If a student is scheduled a meeting with a counselor, can the student leave class without telling the teacher or staff in charge?
False: Students should tell the teacher or staff member they have an appointment with a counselor or wait to be called by said counselor.
This is the legal working age in California
What is 14 years old?
Counselors help students explore these pathways, which include four-year universities, trade schools, military service, and gap years.
What are post-secondary options?
This program allows high schoolers to take local college courses to earn both high school and college credits simultaneously.
What is Dual Enrollment?
Emailing your Counselor, scheduling a meeting, or coming in during office hours are correct ways to do this for non-emergencies.
What is requesting a counselor appointment?
This career training pathway allows you to earn a paycheck while learning a skilled trade under the direct supervision of an expert.
What is an apprenticeship?
This online platform allows high school students to apply to hundreds of different colleges using a single, unified application.
What is the Common App?
This is the specific term for tracking your courses annually to ensure you meet state and district requirements to walk across the stage.
What is on-track or off-track graduation meeting? (Acceptable: graduation progress check)
This is the term for a counselor writing a letter, making a call, or joining a meeting to fight for a student's unique academic accommodations or personal needs.
What is student advocacy?
This traditional college degree is the standard baseline requirement for pathways like engineering, teaching, and corporate management.
What is a Bachelor's Degree?