12th Grade Students
This page was designed to house topics of interest to students in their fourth year of high school. For detailed information about specific topics or programs, please view the tabs designed for those specific programs.
A series of very short articles can also be found below. These provide excellent tips for the college application process. Well worth the time it takes to read these!
Remind
The best way to stay up-to-date on events and deadlines for the senior class is to follow the Counseling Office on Remind.
Sign up by Text:
Class of 2025: Text the message @cmeagles25 to the number 81010
Sign up by Email:
Class of 2025: remind.com/join/cmeagles25
The best way to stay up-to-date on events and deadlines for the senior class is to follow the Counseling Office on Remind.
Sign up by Text:
Class of 2025: Text the message @cmeagles25 to the number 81010
Sign up by Email:
Class of 2025: remind.com/join/cmeagles25
LCCC Transcripts
Your CMHS transcripts do not show your LCCC college credit. If you are attending a college other than LCCC, you will need to send that school a copy of your LCCC transcript as well are your high school transcript. If you need a copy of your LCCC transcript please use the link below print out a form. We have copies of this form in the counseling office and would be happy to fax them for you once they are filled out!
Your CMHS transcripts do not show your LCCC college credit. If you are attending a college other than LCCC, you will need to send that school a copy of your LCCC transcript as well are your high school transcript. If you need a copy of your LCCC transcript please use the link below print out a form. We have copies of this form in the counseling office and would be happy to fax them for you once they are filled out!
Parents: Stop taking out parent loans for your kids' college
This is a great article that discusses students picking colleges that are affordable. A good warning about taking out Parent Plus loans and private loans to help fund a child's education.
This is a great article that discusses students picking colleges that are affordable. A good warning about taking out Parent Plus loans and private loans to help fund a child's education.
Sallie Mae Paying for College Tips & Resources
Sallie Mae is a consumer banking company that provides avenues for college funding. While we do not endorse banking institutions or their products, they do have nice resources for understanding all of the different types of funding available for college. Students can access these articles, videos, and documents without creating an account or providing any personal information.
Sallie Mae is a consumer banking company that provides avenues for college funding. While we do not endorse banking institutions or their products, they do have nice resources for understanding all of the different types of funding available for college. Students can access these articles, videos, and documents without creating an account or providing any personal information.
Letter of Recommendation Brag Sheet
Do you plan to apply for scholarships or for college admission? A letter of recommendation is sometimes necessary to complete this task. You should think about teachers who know you well, or those who teach in the discipline most closely related to your intended college major. In addition to giving your chosen recommender(s) plenty of time to write a quality letter, you should also provide them with a list of information about you in order to aid the recommender in this task. Below, you will find fillable forms, or "brag" sheets, that you can and should use to help your recommender with this process. There is one for counselors and one for teachers. Many students do not realize that your school counselor must write a letter on your behalf for certain colleges. Because your counselor does not spend daily time with you in class, this sheet can be extremely helpful in making sure you end up with a letter that highlights all of your interests and strengths.
Do you plan to apply for scholarships or for college admission? A letter of recommendation is sometimes necessary to complete this task. You should think about teachers who know you well, or those who teach in the discipline most closely related to your intended college major. In addition to giving your chosen recommender(s) plenty of time to write a quality letter, you should also provide them with a list of information about you in order to aid the recommender in this task. Below, you will find fillable forms, or "brag" sheets, that you can and should use to help your recommender with this process. There is one for counselors and one for teachers. Many students do not realize that your school counselor must write a letter on your behalf for certain colleges. Because your counselor does not spend daily time with you in class, this sheet can be extremely helpful in making sure you end up with a letter that highlights all of your interests and strengths.
Senior Year To-Do Checklist
While we are entering uncharted territory this year for senior post high school planning, the to-do list below is a good way to keep track of tasks that typically need to be addressed during the senior year. As new information becomes available to us, we will communicate that information directly to our seniors through emails, announcements, and remind messages. It is really important that seniors "follow" the counseling office this year in as many ways as possible! As always, feel free to reach out to your counselor if you have specific questions.
While we are entering uncharted territory this year for senior post high school planning, the to-do list below is a good way to keep track of tasks that typically need to be addressed during the senior year. As new information becomes available to us, we will communicate that information directly to our seniors through emails, announcements, and remind messages. It is really important that seniors "follow" the counseling office this year in as many ways as possible! As always, feel free to reach out to your counselor if you have specific questions.
CMHS Activity Tracker
Mrs. Diveley, CMHS Registrar, created this handy brochure for students to keep track of their high school involvement. Taking the time to do so as you progress through high school will make the completion of college admission and scholarship applications much easier. For a printable copy of this tracker, please visit the link below. Students are also welcome to stop by the School Counseling Office to pick up a hard copy.
Mrs. Diveley, CMHS Registrar, created this handy brochure for students to keep track of their high school involvement. Taking the time to do so as you progress through high school will make the completion of college admission and scholarship applications much easier. For a printable copy of this tracker, please visit the link below. Students are also welcome to stop by the School Counseling Office to pick up a hard copy.
College Planning by Grade Level
CollegeBoard provides a wonderful grade-level "checklist" to assist students who are interested in entering college after high school. This might help answer that question of "What can I be doing now?" to improve my chances for college admission and scholarships.
CollegeBoard provides a wonderful grade-level "checklist" to assist students who are interested in entering college after high school. This might help answer that question of "What can I be doing now?" to improve my chances for college admission and scholarships.
Quick Tips for Your College Essay
This quick list was in an article titled "Is it Worth Sweating Over the College Essay?" by Lee Shulman Bierer. Great advice! And the answer to the question is... Yes; the essay is now the tipping point for most college admission decisions. Here are a few basic writing tips:
This quick list was in an article titled "Is it Worth Sweating Over the College Essay?" by Lee Shulman Bierer. Great advice! And the answer to the question is... Yes; the essay is now the tipping point for most college admission decisions. Here are a few basic writing tips:
- Tackle a topic that only happened to you.
- Think small – recall some event or conversation that made you think differently about the world
- Start with an outline to help you organize your thoughts.
- Don’t forget to make your introduction interesting – use your five senses, ask a question, recall a conversation describe something vividly.
- Write a solid essay with supporting arguments and a conclusion.
- WRR – Write, Rest and Revise – allow yourself enough time to put the essay away for a few days and then come back and make edits
- Ask for feedback from teachers, parents or anyone you think is a strong writer
- Don’t let anyone write it for you
Phrases to Avoid in your College Essay
The advice in this very short article is sound! Always good to avoid common pitfalls when completing those very stressful college application essays!
The advice in this very short article is sound! Always good to avoid common pitfalls when completing those very stressful college application essays!
Topics to Avoid in Your College Essay
With the college essay sometimes tipping the scales in admission decisions, it is important to know what NOT to write about. This short article does a great job of advising on what you should not include along with tips for discovering what you should include.
With the college essay sometimes tipping the scales in admission decisions, it is important to know what NOT to write about. This short article does a great job of advising on what you should not include along with tips for discovering what you should include.
Essay Tips from Common Application
Please see the attached flyer with tips from Common Application on how to construct your essay. Nothing like getting advice straight from the horse's mouth!
Please see the attached flyer with tips from Common Application on how to construct your essay. Nothing like getting advice straight from the horse's mouth!
More College Essay Tips....Are you picking up on the idea that the college essay is important?
Another short read with great essay advice!
Another short read with great essay advice!
Please Don't Write Like This.....
More great essay tips...especially what to avoid!
More great essay tips...especially what to avoid!
Sallie Mae College Prep Tips
Sallie Mae is a consumer banking company that provides avenues for college funding. While we do not endorse banking institutions or their products, they do have nice articles with college planning tips. Students can access these articles without creating an account or providing any personal information. As articles are made known to us, we will post them here for your perusal.
Sallie Mae is a consumer banking company that provides avenues for college funding. While we do not endorse banking institutions or their products, they do have nice articles with college planning tips. Students can access these articles without creating an account or providing any personal information. As articles are made known to us, we will post them here for your perusal.
Why this college? Essay
This is another short article that gives great advice on how to avoid common pitfalls when composing your essay on the topic of why you chose the college that you did.
This is another short article that gives great advice on how to avoid common pitfalls when composing your essay on the topic of why you chose the college that you did.
Should I include COVID in my college essay?
This very short article contains good advice about how to handle the COVID pandemic in your college essay! Some recent advice that was provided at a Big 10 conference, encouraged students not to stress. Don't stretch to find something profound to say; short, sweet and honest on this is probably your best approach!
This very short article contains good advice about how to handle the COVID pandemic in your college essay! Some recent advice that was provided at a Big 10 conference, encouraged students not to stress. Don't stretch to find something profound to say; short, sweet and honest on this is probably your best approach!
College Applications Mistakes to Avoid
Again, another very short article with great advice!
Again, another very short article with great advice!
College Essay Topics to Avoid
This is a great (very short) article about topics to avoid when constructing your college essay.
This is a great (very short) article about topics to avoid when constructing your college essay.
College Essays, the good, bad and the risky
This is a very short article with some really great advice about college essays!
This is a very short article with some really great advice about college essays!
Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision...What does all of this mean when applying to colleges?
Applying to college is stressful enough, but deciding when to apply can add an extra layer of angst to the process. Both articles below are VERY short and do a great job of describing the different types of application decisions you must make along with providing tips for when to use which one. There is also a nice side-by-side chart provided by Discover Card.
Applying to college is stressful enough, but deciding when to apply can add an extra layer of angst to the process. Both articles below are VERY short and do a great job of describing the different types of application decisions you must make along with providing tips for when to use which one. There is also a nice side-by-side chart provided by Discover Card.
Should I use the Common Application to apply for college?
Some colleges/universities belong to a group of "Common Application" schools. As a result, one application (The Common Application) can be filled out once and then used to apply to multiple colleges at one time. Keep in mind though, that colleges can add their own "extra requirements" to the application process so be on the lookout for supplemental requirements. Also, the Common App is a little more cumbersome than a basic university application, so only use Common App if you plan to apply to multiple colleges within the group.
Please notify your Counselor and your "recommending teacher" ahead of time if you plan to complete the Common App. They will be required to submit information on your behalf and it is always good etiquette to ask first so they are expecting the email. This also allows you to provide personal information about yourself so that your recommenders can write the best letter possible on your behalf!
Some colleges/universities belong to a group of "Common Application" schools. As a result, one application (The Common Application) can be filled out once and then used to apply to multiple colleges at one time. Keep in mind though, that colleges can add their own "extra requirements" to the application process so be on the lookout for supplemental requirements. Also, the Common App is a little more cumbersome than a basic university application, so only use Common App if you plan to apply to multiple colleges within the group.
Please notify your Counselor and your "recommending teacher" ahead of time if you plan to complete the Common App. They will be required to submit information on your behalf and it is always good etiquette to ask first so they are expecting the email. This also allows you to provide personal information about yourself so that your recommenders can write the best letter possible on your behalf!
Test Optional, Test Blind, Test Flexible: When should I send my score?
This short article explains the difference between the admission testing options being offered to seniors this year. In addition to understanding the lingo, great advice is offered for knowing when to send your score and when to hold off on doing so.
This short article explains the difference between the admission testing options being offered to seniors this year. In addition to understanding the lingo, great advice is offered for knowing when to send your score and when to hold off on doing so.
College Resume: More important than ever if choosing Test Optional
This is another short article that discusses the ins and outs of submitting a resume for college admission purposes. Of course, all guidance given in this article must be verified with your school of choice.
This is another short article that discusses the ins and outs of submitting a resume for college admission purposes. Of course, all guidance given in this article must be verified with your school of choice.
STARR College Search Series
The STARR College Search Series (or CSS) is a multi-part virtual program geared towards high school juniors and seniors in an effort to help students navigate the college search. The program includes a 30-minute information session around the Series topic, followed by two (35-minute) breakout rooms where students will briefly meet with St. Louis Area Regional Representatives, and an optional 20-minute Zoom Q&A where students can learn more from institutions of interest! For a list of STARR member institutions, see the button below.
The STARR College Search Series (or CSS) is a multi-part virtual program geared towards high school juniors and seniors in an effort to help students navigate the college search. The program includes a 30-minute information session around the Series topic, followed by two (35-minute) breakout rooms where students will briefly meet with St. Louis Area Regional Representatives, and an optional 20-minute Zoom Q&A where students can learn more from institutions of interest! For a list of STARR member institutions, see the button below.
