As high school seniors prepare for the upcoming college application season, the Arcadia High School (AHS) College and Career Center website is a one-stop center for any information students need. With guidance from this year’s new College and Career Counselor, Joanna Moreno, applicants are sure to have access to necessary information. The biggest upcoming events this application season are the helpful workshops that Ms. Moreno and the AHS administration will host throughout the school year. 

To start, Senior Family Night will take place on Sept. 20 at 6 p.m., hosted by Ms. Moreno and the AHS counselors, alongside guest speaker Andy T. Nguyen, Assistant Director of Admissions at University of Southern California. The counselors will lead an in-depth discussion on college admissions, support students, and provide mental and emotional well-being tips. Mr. Nguyen will also offer USC admission-specific questions for those interested. Here is the link to the Zoom meeting, which is also on the homepage of the College and Career Center website. The webinar ID is 821 1189 7227. For even more upcoming workshops, check out this schedule.

“I encourage all students to attend at least one college visit but of course you are welcome to attend any and all of which you are interested in or even considering adding to your college list. Workshops during the fall are mostly for seniors due to college application season, however, during spring there will be more opportunities for all grade levels,” said Ms. Moreno.

Students should seriously consider these workshops as an imperative resource. 

“Benefits of attending the college visits include meeting the admissions representative that will be reading your application and involved in the decision of your admission, learning about the college to include majors, campus life, campus culture, and more, connecting with your peers that are also interested in that college. Remember, it is never too early to begin thinking about your post high school goals!” she added. 

Take Ms. Moreno’s advice; she’ll help you explore career and college options, and walk you through the application and selection process—you’re not alone!

In addition to the AHS counseling workshops, there will be admissions representatives on campus to inform students about their schools. The visits started the week of Sept. 8 and will continue throughout the year. In the past, there have been representatives from Scripps College, UC Berkeley, Occidental College, and University of Chicago, among many others. At these visits, students can learn further details about the schools at the top of their list and grow their interest in a specific college, as well as explore a multitude of schools they may not have previously considered.

Be sure to mark your calendars, using the schedule on Naviance and the regularly-updated College and Career Center website. The representatives will be able to answer any questions you may have about applications to a school or in general—take advantage of their experience! 

One final resource available to anyone, no matter the grade level, is the wealth of virtual workshops and podcasts organized on the “Workshops” page of the website, which also has vast information on the SAT, scholarships, internships, volunteering opportunities, work permits, and career/technical education (through Ms. Orlowsky, our AHS Career Technical Education Coordinator).

So, calling all seniors who would like to hear more details about the common application, financial aid, and general updates for families! Check out the College and Career Center website, or pay a visit to the Front Office of the Administration Building and pop-in to the College and Career Center. 

Photo courtesy of AHS