Junior Parents/Guardians:

Below is information about college planning in the next few months. We will continue to update you and the students about information relating to college as things come up. For the big picture, however, please see the College Counseling section on the Urban website. There is a section for Juniors with a number of links to pertinent information.

College Forum 2: Please join us on Thursday, January 5, for Junior College Forum 2: An Application Primer. This evening meeting will be a follow-up to the meeting last October and is for parents only.

The presentation will include some nuts and bolts of college admissions and information about the college counseling process at Urban. Among other topics, we will be discussing the public and private college requirements, standardized testing, the application process and the basics of financial aid.

The evening begins with a potluck for Class of 2018 parents/guardians at 6 pm. You'll receive an invitation with details from your Class Reps. The college meeting will begin at 7 pm. 

Individual Parent/Student Conferences: To begin the college process formally, we schedule a conference with both the student and parents. Meetings begin mid-January.

Scheduling will be via email. Please look for an email from College Counseling Associate Maya Zeigler with information about how to sign up. Respond promptly when you receive notice, as early January meeting times fill up quickly. 

Family Connection/Naviance: You will be receiving information soon about Family Connection from Naviance. Naviance is a comprehensive website linked with Urban's College Counseling office where students and parents can search, research and organize colleges.

Standardized Testing: Please read the FAQ About Standardized Testing here.

PSATs: You will be receiving the results of the PSATs that your student took last month sometime in mid-December. The College Board will contact the student directly via the email provided on the PSAT answer sheet. Please make sure to check the email listed on the PSAT answer sheet mid-month. You will need to establish a College Board account to see PSAT results. We will also go over testing and testing requirements at the Junior College Forum 2 and in a grade level meeting with Juniors.

Mock ACT: In addition to the PSAT, we will be offering a practice ACT through Compass Educational Services. You have received information about that mock test here. This Thursday, December 1, is the deadline to sign up. Any student interested in comparing the SAT to the ACT should sign up. The test is this Saturday, December 3.

ACT Prep Course: For the convenience of Urban students, we will be hosting an ACT prep course on site at Urban this winter. This will be a group course and financial assistance will be available. The course will begin in late January in preparation for the April 2017 ACT exam. You will receive more information soon about registering for the ACT prep course.

Testing Schedule: Typically, students should take a set of tests in the spring of their Junior year and retest in the fall of their Senior year. For regular decision applications, colleges will accept scores from tests taken through December of the Senior year. We recommend that each student take the SAT Reasoning Test OR the ACT once this spring. In addition, students should take two SAT Subject tests. Since the SAT Subject tests are content based, May or June are the best times to take these tests. We will help individual students plan a test schedule that works to their advantage.   

We look forward to seeing you at the Junior College Forum 2 on January 5!  

Susan, Lauren and Maya