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Starting to think about college?

ATTENTION JUNIORS!
First off, this year the PSAT is being offered on Sat Oct 15th at JHS from 8am - noon in Cwing.  You will need to register online through the JHS website to take it. Listen for announcements regarding registration. The cost is usually around $25.  Many colleges have special scholarships for National Merit Scholars and I want you to get them.  If you are full time PSEO please touch base with your counselor so that you don’t miss the opportunity to register for it.  
Secondly, I wanted to make sure you knew about all the great colleges that are coming by JHS this year to meet with students.  This list of college visits will be updated throughout the year but we already have visits lined up from Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, Johns Hopkins and many others.  They will be held in the Career Center.  
Third,  you should plan to take the ACT and/or the SAT this year in addition to taking it for free on April 19th at JHS (all JHS juniors will take it that day).  The ACT is being offered on October 22, December 10, February 11, and June 10.  The reason I want you to take it more than once is so that you'll have the BEST score to submit to colleges next year.  You can register at www.actstudent.org to take the test.  It costs $42.50 (without writing part) or $58.50 (with the writing part) to take the ACT.  
We also offer practice ACTs at different times throughout the year and you can register online through the JHS website to take one of those (listen for announcement).  Generally it costs $15 to take a practice exam.  This year we are holding practice ACT exams on October 29 at 8am with results on November 7 at 6pm and on February 4 at 8am with results on February 13th at 6:30.  Registration information will be in the Career Center.  
The SAT is also offered locally just not as often at Bloomington schools.  The SAT test dates for this year are October 1, November 5, December 3, January 21, March 11, May 6, and June 3.  
Confused as to which test you should take?  The Princeton Review put together this quiz to help kids decide.  Another option is to read this article which discusses which types of students will do better on which test.  
If parents want a helpful resource to guide you through the next two years I recommend College Admission:  From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step by Mamlet and Vandevelde.  I think it could be a helpful resource.  

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