Life After High School: Meeting Thursday To Help Prepare

Parents and their 11th-grade students at Harrison High School are invited to an orientation Thursday night that will get teach them how to get started to the college search and admissions process on the right foot.

"Junior year is a critical year for them," said Christopher Miller, supervisor of Guidance.

The orientation is an annual event the school hosts to get students about their future in an explicit way, according to Miller.

Right about now, Miller said 11th-grade students need to be signing-up for and taking college entrance exams, such as the SAT and the ACT.

Juniors who plan to attend college need to do more than just aim for high tst scores though. Miller said they should continue to focus on good grades, develop their interests outside of school and visit college campuses.

College admissions representatives from Sacred Heart University and City College of New York will be on hand to make presentations about the college admissions process from their points of view and give parents and students a better idea of what colleges are looking for.

Erica Pabilla, director of admissions at Manhattanville College, said that colleges generally see students visiting campuses during the spring of their junior year of high school and the summer before. However, this isn't always the case.

"My general feeling is that students start thinking about college earlier and earlier because the competition has increased," Pabilla said. "That doesn't need they need to be fixated with the applications process but focus on academics and what their college path might be."

She also advised against students waiting until their senior year to take the SATs and the ACTs for the first time because they'll likely be playing catch-up at that point.

Miller said he thinks its important that both a public and private university are represented Thursday night to give parents and students a better idea of what the differences are in the schools and their applications processes.

"We want students to apply to both public and private schools. We want them to apply to safety schools and reach schools," Miller said. "We want them to apply to a variety with regard to cost; in their price range, below and above."

Last year apprximately 96 percent of Harrison High's graduating class was accepted into an institution of higher learning, with 80 percent of those being admitted into a four-year institution.

Parent Teacher Association Treasurer Jill Temkin said she will have to wait one more year to attend when her son is a junior, but said she knew of other parents who would definitely be attending Thursday night.

As part of an emphasis on early college awareness, Miller said the school district takes its eighth-graders to visit a college campus each year to start thinking about going to college.

"We talk about this being the kick-off in junior year, but it really starts well before that," Miller said.

Thursday night's meeting will be hed at 7 p.m. at Harrison High School. For more information, call the school at 914-630-3095.