Counseling Newsletter

Upper St. Clair High School / October 2024

-- DID YOU KNOW? --

Scholarships are starting to become available for juniors and seniors! Click here to access the list of scholarships, including some that are local!
Over 100 Colleges, Technical Institutes, and Military Branches will visit the high school this year. Students should sign up in Naviance if they are interested in attending these meetings. Representatives will be here from those institutions and it is a great way to network and gain valuable information about that institution. The list of visits can be accessed here.
Approximately 730 students visited the High School Counseling Office in September.

-- WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW --

-- HIGHLIGHTS --

School Counselors have been working with senior students on their post secondary planning.
School Counselors are writing Letters of Recommendations for seniors and work to ensure all required documents are submitted to support their college applications.
Freshman School Counselors are meeting with their students to check in with them about their classes and to see how they are doing.
School Counselors evaluate grade reports on a weekly basis and collaborate with teachers to ensure appropriate academic support is in place to promote positive outcomes for all students.

--TRENDING NOW --

South Hills College and Career Fair

You are invited to the annual SOUTH HILLS COLLEGE & CAREER FAIR hosted by the South Hills Consortium. Bethel Park High School will be hosting the event on Tuesday, October 8th from

6:00 - 8:30PM.

With 150 vendors in attendance, students will have the opportunity to learn about many different types of colleges & post-secondary programs, including 2- and 4-year schools, trade schools, and the military.

The event is free. Students MUST register at StriveFair.com to receive a barcode. This allows students to easily share their information with the colleges they are interested in.

FAFSA Completion Night

The 2025 FAFSA form is tentatively scheduled to open in December! Some states and schools have limited funds, so don’t delay! There will be a FAFSA completion night at the High School on January 7th at 6:30pm. Amy Sawdey will be here to help SENIOR parents complete the FAFSA application.

AP Exam Registration

Registration for AP Exams is open now through October 31st. Late registration is November 1st - 8th. Late fees will apply, so register on time! To register, click here.

AP EXAM DATES:

May 5-9 2025

May 12-16 2025

SAT EXAMS

October 5, 2024

November 2, 2024 @ USC

December 7, 2024

March 8, 2025 @ USC

May 3, 2025

June 7, 2025

PSAT/NMSQT

October 16, 2024 @ USC

ACT EXAMS

October 26, 2024

December 14, 2024

February 8, 2025 @ USC

April 5, 2025

June 14, 2025

July 12, 2025

Financial Aid Night Virtual Presentation

On September 26th, Amy Sawdey, PHEAA's Higher Education Access Partner for Allegheny County, presented information on the financial aid application process, what types of aid are available for students, and strategies to start thinking about affordability before getting ready to apply for post-secondary school admission. Check the Counseling Page to view the recording.

College Visits

College visits are in-person this year. To access college visit information, log in to Naviance, and go to Colleges >Research Colleges >College Visits. College visits are listed by date and college name. Click on a college to view details and/or to register. College visits will be held in the Counseling Conference Room unless otherwise noted.

If students have a scheduled class during the college visit, they MUST get permission to attend the college visit from their teacher. Students should print out the college visit page and have their teacher sign it giving permission to attend. Students should turn in their signed permission page when they attend the college visit.

Scholarships

Many local, regional, and national scholarships are available online. To view a scholarship list composed by the counseling department, login to Naviance; click on the "Colleges" tab; click on the "Scholarships and Money" link in the drop-down box; click on "Scholarship List." For a Naviance Scholarship reference guide, click here. Additional scholarship information is available here on the USCHS Counseling page.

Get matched to Scholarships that fit you

Finding college scholarships shouldn't be overwhelming. Scholarships.com makes it simple to match you to scholarships you qualify for. Click here to find scholarships now.

Job Postings

Looking for a job? Check out the job opportunities on the bulletin boards by the USCHS Counseling Office.

-- TECH --

USC Lunch & Learn

USC Lunch & Learns are designed to educate students on STEAM career opportunities and inspire them to develop skills to pursue their dreams.

Click here to learn more and to register.

Here are the guest speakers for October:

-- POST SECONDARY PLANNING --

Why Applying To All Eight Ivy League Schools Could Hurt Your Chances Of Admission

Many students who read about the unbelievable successes of those accepted to all eight Ivies assume that they can improve their own odds by simply applying to all of the Ivy League schools. However, this is not the case, and devoting time and energy to completing eight Ivy League applications is actually a detrimental strategy for most students

How students can address their backgrounds on college applications, even without affirmative action

MIT is the first college to release racial data on the class of 2028 since the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in admissions last year. To no one’s surprise, the school’s percentage of Black, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander students dropped from 25% to 16% in just one year. MIT is not alone.Read more Source: LosAngelesTimes.com

How Rising Higher Ed Costs Change Student Attitudes About College

A new book lays out the changing forces shaping what students are choosing after high school, and argues for a change in the popular narrative around higher education. Among other things, the author calls for an end to ‘degree inflation,’ where jobs require a college degree even if someone without a degree could do the job just as well.Read more. Source: Edsurge.com

-- PARENTING --

How to Manage Senior Year Stress, According to Teens and Experts

Heading back to school can often bring up a mix of emotions for parents and students alike, but for teens headed into their senior year, the anticipation of the last months of high school can be especially emotional––and for many, quite stressful.

-- HEALTH --

Can Instagram’s new ‘Teen Accounts’ help improve youth mental health? Experts weigh in

Instagram announced it will implement a suit of changes for its teen users: accounts for kids ages 16 and younger will become private, restricted settings will need parent approval to be lifted, and notifications will be silenced from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

The feature, called Teen Accounts, is meant to address the harm social media can do to young peoples’ mental health.Read more. Source: CNBC.com

Latest Data Show 22 U.S. Teens Die of Overdoses Each Week

An average of 22 U.S. teens die each week from drug overdoses, a death toll driven by the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, a new study reports.Researchers also have identified 19 “hotspot” counties where fatal ODs are occurring as much as double the national average.

1 in 4 Parents Say Their Teen Drinks Caffeine Daily

Many teens are spending their days buzzed on caffeine, with their parents mostly unaware of the potential risks, a new national poll says.Read more . Source: usnews.com

-- CAREERS --

16 Best Jobs for High School Graduates

High school graduates have great options when it comes to careers. Here are 16 opportunities for those with high school degrees or equivalents. Some jobs on this list also require some postsecondary training, but there is no college debt associated with these careers.

--UPCOMING IN THE NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER--

Junior Meeting- On November 13th at 6:30pm counselors will meet with junior class parents. Look for an email about this upcoming meeting, or check out the Counseling Page for more information as the date approaches.

-- RESOURCES --

Counseling Department

Post secondary planning

Naviance

Niche

Career Planning

Bullying Prevention

How to talk with educators at your child's school about bullying
Get advice on how to communicate with teachers and other leaders at your child's school if you're dealing with bullying.
Tips for parents: What to do if your child is being bullied
Get tips for supporting your child through this very painful experience.
Tips for parents: What to do if your child bullies others
If your child bullies others at school, it needs to stop. Find out what you can do at home.
What can parents do to prevent and address cyber-bullying?
Protect your child from indirect forms of bullying that use text messaging, Web sites, and cell phones.

Click to access the USCHS Counseling Website for helpful information and valuable resources.

The shared content and information is from a third party and is provided for general informational purposes only. The Upper St. Clair School District and High School Counseling Department do not specifically endorse the material and make no representations, express or implied.

USCHS Counseling

The mission of the Upper St Clair School District school counseling program is to maximize student potential, nurturing them as they become responsible, self-sufficient learners and productive citizens.

Email: hscounselingoffice@uscsd.k12.pa.us
Website: https://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/domain/200
Location: 1825 McLaughlin Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone: 412-833-1600