ARHS has a College Advisor who meets individually with juniors and seniors and their parents/guardians, and plans workshops that provide a comprehensive view of the college admission and financial aid application processes. The overall goal of the College Advising Program is to help each student and his or her family with major aspects of the college admission and planning process. In conjunction with school counseling staff and community resources, the college advisor assists students and their families with a broad range of activities including: early college planning; academic preparation for college; college and scholarship searches; application and financial aid procedures, testing, recommendation requirements and transition issues.
College planning strategies are designed to meet the individual needs of each student as he or she explores higher education options. This is done primarily via individual conferences with students and their families that are held during the junior and senior years. A variety of college admission topics (such as early college planning, SAT Reasoning and Subject test preparation, early decision options, essay writing, athletic recruitment, financial aid, etc.) are explored in additional classroom, after-school or evening workshops for students and their parents. Print materials, including information packets for parents, newsletters and local newspaper announcements provide supplemental information about the college admission process.
All handouts and additional information are posted on this website (http://www.arps.org/hs/Offices/Guidance/Planning/).
NOTE: See our calendar of college dates for more detailed information.
Representatives from approximately one hundred colleges visit ARHS each fall. A mailing including a schedule of these visits is sent to all seniors in September. Students may attend them during directed study periods. Students who have a class must inform the teacher in advance. The attendance policy applies to college visits. Students must bring a college visit pass (available in the Guidance Office), to notify the teacher in advance of the college visit. Parents are welcome to attend. NOTE: Check the bulletin board and http://www.arps.org/hss/CollegeVisits.jsp for schedule updates.
Seniors work closely with the Guidance secretaries, who send transcripts, teacher and counselor recommendations, mid-year reports and other documents to the colleges to which the students are applying. They must bring all documents at least three weeks before the application deadlines, and must complete a release form specifying the items to be sent to each college. Students must also bring $5.00 for each application (up to six; $10 per application thereafter) to cover the costs associated with postage and processing.
Students should make sure that they meet all application deadlines. They are very strict. Students who are applying to colleges with “rolling admissions,” often state colleges and large private universities, should apply as early as possible. The published deadlines are not target dates. Under “rolling admissions,” spaces are filled on a first come-first served basis, and the program desired close before the application deadline.
Each March seniors receive a mailing with information on local scholarships and a common application form to use to apply for them. Some of the winners are determined by a committee of ARHS teachers and counselors. Other winners are chosen by the local donors. Many students are eligible for these scholarships, as the criteria are designed specifically to include a wide variety of achievements. Students and families are encouraged to read the packet of information carefully and pay attention to the strict April 1 deadline. Students are encouraged to put some effort into completing these applications, as there is quite a bit of money available.
In addition to these local scholarships, the Guidance Department keeps students informed about various Massachusetts and national scholarships. Students should pay careful attention to morning announcements to keep themselves informed about these. Deadlines are strict.