Welcome to a new school year! We look forward to working with the Class of 2016 and everyone else who wants information about their future high school plans. The College and Career Center (C&CC) is open to all students, parents and staff of MHS. Services offered through C&CC include post-high school planning, processing of college applications, information on financial aid and scholarships, as well as coordination of college, military speakers, the ASVAB and PSAT. The C&CC Weekly Bulletin, speaker sessions and scholarship listing can be found on Edline.

General Announcements:

Communication

Keep abreast of weekly information via the C&CC Bulletin, which can be found on Edline. Available scholarships, announcements and upcoming speaker sessions are also published in the C&CC Bulletin.

Welcome Back, Mrs. Toyota!

Mrs. Toyota is a counselor who will be working part-time in C&CC. She will be here on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Career Assistance

Ms. Kato is available to help you with occupational/collegiate searches, connect you to a military recruiter and help you with scholarship information.

C&CC Appointments

Mrs. Yamamoto is available to discuss your college options. It is difficult for her to see every student, therefore be proactive and come into the office to make an appointment. Everyone is welcome, regardless of grade level.

College Speakers

All students are welcome to attend our speaker sessions. Last year, 92 schools and speakers visited MHS. If  you are interested, sign up on Edline. Fill out the information on your student planner. Ask for permission to attend the speaker session from your teacher at least one to two days in advance. On the day of the session, check into your class for attendance and have your teacher sign your planner. The teacher has the option of not allowing you to attend and you are responsible for all work missed. C&CC will stamp your planner to verify that you have attended the speaker session. Refer to your planner for more information.

PSAT Testing

The PSAT will be administered here at MHS for students in grades nine to 11, on Wednesday, Oct. 14 beginning at 8 a.m. Registration will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8 through Friday, Sept. 25. The cost is $15 – checks should be made payable to MHS. Students need to have their ID and fee to C&CC before and after school, or during recess and lunch. Space is very much limited. Refunds will not be given, so plan accordingly.

Announcements for Seniors:

Senior Parent Night & Mini College & Career Fair:

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, Sept. 16. We have invited local and mainland schools for a mini college/career fair starting at 5 p.m. in the old dining lanai. The Senior Parent Night will begin in the cafeteria at 6 p.m. Information to be presented: Senior Class upcoming events and announcements, information from the C&CC Jostens (cap and gown/ring/announcements) and Project Graduation. Parents and students are welcome to attend. We hope to see you there!

Senior English Class Visits Mrs. Yamamoto has scheduled all of her senior class presentations for the next few weeks. Testing information, the college application process and the UH Systems Application Information will be presented. If you don’t have an English class or missed the presentation, please stop by C&CC for information.

College Planning

Please make an appointment to see Mrs. Yamamoto if you have questions or need help, especially if you are applying to mainland colleges.

How to Apply to Colleges

Applications are available at most colleges’ websites. The college may have an “apply on-line” option or provide an application that can be downloaded and submitted in the traditional manner. If you do apply online, you may need to submit some parts of your application in paper form. For example, teacher and/or counselor recommendations, transcripts, and sometimes essays or resumes must be submitted by mail. Application fees may need to be sent by check if not paid through a credit card. SAT/ACT scores may need to be sent directly from the testing agency instead of on your transcript. So paper or electronic, the choice is yours. Whichever way you go, complete your applications carefully, fully answer all questions asked, write and edit your essay, submit all documents requested and meet all deadlines. Keep a copy of all applications sent and the dates they were submitted.

Testing for Seniors

Sign up immediately! Test dates/sites will close up due to the heavy volume of seniors testing in the fall. Don’t forget our College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) Code, 120-197. Send your scores directly to your colleges. Keep in mind that MHS does not have the “score choice” option. If we send your test scores with your transcript, we will be sending all of your scores. If you are on free or reduced lunch, fee waivers are available for you. See Mrs. Yamamoto for more information.

Application Deadlines

Except for those with earlier deadlines, most transcript requests or applications should be turned in to C&CC by Dec. 1. Keep track of your application deadlines! All college applications and/or transcript requests should be turned in to C&CC. We will add your senior schedule and the MHS profile to your application packet.

Financial Aid

Continue to check either Edline or the scholarship bulletin board for any announcements. Use FAFSA4caster  (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to get an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid, and get an early start in the financial aid process. When you are ready to apply for financial aid, much of the information you enter in FAFSA4caster will populate the FAFSA. Go to www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov for more information. FAFSA will be available online starting Jan. 1 at www.fafsa.ed.gov

Important Upcoming Dates

Sept. 16 – Mini College and Career Fair/Senior Parent Night

Oct.14 – PSAT at MHS

Oct. 27 – College/Career Fair at Hawaii Convention Center

Dec. 1 – Applications Due

Jan.1 – Financial Aid applications begin – fafsa.ed.gov

Jan. 29 – College Planning Night

Compiled by College and Career Center Counselor Denise Yamamoto