HCPSSCareer and College Readiness

HCPSS PostSecondary Resources

March2Future Webinar Series: Every other Wednesday night join us for a unique webinar on postsecondary preparation. We cover all topics related to postsecondary. All sessions are recorded and can be accessed on the March2Future document.

College and Career Weekly: Current and important information related to college and career preparation is included in the weekly. Events, opportunities, and information are all shared.

Scholarship List: Are you looking for scholarships for college or trade school? Check out this resource for national, local, and school specific scholarships. Students can also utilize Naviance to search for these scholarships. Visit Naviance-> Colleges-> Scholarships *The scholarships in Naviance and on the attached list are the same. Naviance allows you to search using criteria.

Enrichment, Opportunity, Employment, Education Document: Are you looking for an internship? A job? A volunteer opportunity? Or an educational experience? Look no further! This document has compiled all of these opportunities into one place for students to search. Students can also utilize Naviance to search for these opportunities. Visit-> Naviance -> Colleges -> Enrichment Programs. *The programs in Naviance and on the attached list are the same but Naviance allows you to search.

Postsecondary Google Calendar: Subscribe here to learn about all virtual and in person events that are happening related to postsecondary preparation. There are so many valuable programs for families to attend and learn how to best prepare for the future.

College Resources

Class of 2026 College Application Process

HCPSS College Application Process: This is a google site that includes all parts of the college application process including step by step instructions, resource documents, screencasts, and FAQ's.
HCPSS College Application Checklist: Follow this checklist to ensure you complete each step of the College Application Process. Links to essential documents and websites are included in the checklist. En Espanol:Los pasos para la universidad Korean Chinese

HCPSS Waiver of Rights and Release of Records: All students applying to college must submit this form to the school registrar prior to any documents being sent to colleges. This form serves two purposes 1) (FERPA) To authorize HCPSS to release any education records or other information requested by the school or organization in support of the applicant 2) Provides students the option to Waive or Not Waive their rights to review letters of recommendation.
HCPSS Naviance Instructions: This document provides step-by-step instructions for students on how to add colleges to Naviance for teachers and counselors to submit documents.

HCPSS Due Dates: This document provide the deadlines students must complete and submit requests to teachers and counselors in Naviance in order to meet their college deadline.

College Tracker Requirements: This workbook can be used to track the ALL the components of the application for each college. It is a way to help stay organized.

Free College Resources

Free College Workshops: Join interactive College Admissions Workshops to excel on your college essays, applications, and more! The workshops, hosted on Schoolhouse.world’s platform, are aimed at helping students make progress through the college search, application and financial aid process with support from trained tutors in free, virtual, small-group workshops. Students can register for whatever times work for them! Big Future, Schoohouse.world and Coalition for College partner to provide this free resource.

AXS Companion Guide to Common App: The AXS Companion is a free, open online resource designed by professional consultants to be used side-by-side with Common App as you work through your application. Each section includes explanatory videos, helpful tips, a glossary of application terms, and links to resources mentioned in the videos.

Coursera- Applying to College 101: Empowers learners of all backgrounds to demystify and better understand the college search and selection process. Led by expert educators, including Whitney Soule, Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Sean Vereen and

Sara Woods, Co-presidents of Heights Philadelphia, this free course will help students, family members, college counselors, and any curious learner to navigate each stage from the start of the college search process through preparing your applications to colleges.

College Essay Guy Matchlighters Program Free One on One College Counseling for highly motivated juniors from low-income households.

Matriculate: Matriculate connects high-achieving, low-income juniors and seniors to highly-trained undergraduate advisors—completely virtually—empowering students to attend colleges where they will thrive.

College Search Engines

Naviance: Naviance is a college and career tool that offers interest inventories, college searches, and career information. Naviance is the mechanism by which counselors and teachers submit transcripts and letters of recommendation to colleges and universities on behalf of students. All high school students in HCPSS have an account in Naviance. Counselors utilize Naviance in grades 6-12 to provide classroom lessons to support postsecondary readiness.

Big Future: A college and career website maintained by The College Board. This is a comprehensive site that includes interest inventories, search engines, resources, blogs, scholarship information and more.

College Essay Guy: College Essay Guy is where students, parents, and counselors find smart, practical guidance for the college admission journey.

College Scorecard The College Scorecard is an online tool, created by the U.S. government, for consumers to compare the cost and value of higher education institutions in the United States.

College Navigator: College Navigator is your direct link to nearly 7,000 colleges and universities in the United States. If you are thinking about a large university, a small liberal arts college, a specialized college, a community college, a career or technical college or a trade school, you can find information on all of them here.

College Transitions: A team of consultants, researchers, and former admissions officers, College Transitions offers a data-driven program of services that helps students identify good-fit schools, maximize their admission prospects, and make the most of their college investment.

HBCU Listing: There are 107 colleges in the United States that are identified by the US Department of Education as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The College Tour: The College Tour is a TV series brought to you by multi-award winning producers. Hosted by Alex Boylan, each episode of The College Tour tells the story of a single college through the lens of its students.

Niche: Finding the right school shouldn’t be hard. From K‑12 to college to grad school, we make it easy to discover and connect with the best ones for you.

Marigold Prep: Our proprietary curriculum is delivered with the big picture in mind, enabling students to surpass near-term goals and build life long habits.

College Essay

College Essay Guy: College Essay Guy is a comprehensive website that provides webinars, blogs, resources, exercises, examples and more in order to support students in the writing of their college essay.

JHU Essays that Worked: You’ll find selected examples of essays that “worked,” as nominated by JHU admissions committee. In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins.

Coalition for College: The College Essay In this panel discussion, get advice directly from the experts: the people who read and review applications at Coalition schools. Come away with ideas for how to find your topic, tips for starting your draft, how to review and revise, and insight on what admissions counselors are most looking for when reading essays. THIS SESSION HAS SPANISH SUBTITLES.

Using AI: From CollegeVine- Suggestions for using AI in an ethical manner to create your college essay.

Disabilities Services in College

National Center for College Students with Disabilities: The NCCSD is the only federally-funded national center in the U.S. with information and resources for future and current college students with disabilities, including those in part-time programs and graduate students. We work with students, their families, teachers, professors, and anyone with questions about disability and higher education. We’re here for you.

Education Matters: Postsecondary Disability Services: A fact sheet prepared by the Maryland Department of Disabilities, Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Maryland Disability and Higher Education Network on accessing disability services at the postsecondary level.

Learning Disability Consultant: Author and speaker Elizabeth C. Hamblet offers advice and delivers presentations based on her professional experiences drawn from her 20+ years as a college-level learning disabilities specialist.

National Parent Center on Transition and Planning: Think College is a national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for young adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). PACER Center is a proud partner of Think College. This website includes information on transition planning, legal issues, employment, and pathways to success.

College Transitions: Colleges with Strong Learning Support Services: The College Transitions team has identified a number of a universities that do an exceptional job helping students with disabilities find postsecondary success. In some cases, we highlight a general disabilities services office that is known for providing exceptional support free of cost. In other cases, we highlight programs that, for an extra fee, will provide structured and scheduled support to students, sometimes in a particular disability category.

Financial Aid

StudentAid.org: Federal regulated website where FAFSA application is housed as well as a ton of resources on Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Maryland Higher Education Commission: All state and financial aid scholarships are found on this website.

MEOC: Maryland Education Opportunity Center and HCPSS have a partnership whereby MEOC supports families in searching, applying, and receiving financial aid for postsecondary attendance.

CollegeAidPro- Tools and support to help families find an affordable college education.

College Essay Guy Financial Aid

How do I Pay for College Without Going Broke Podcast- Lisa D'mour with Ron Leiber

College Admission Testing

The Answer: This program provides in-person and virtual test preparation

Compass Education Group: This company provides test preparation, videos, resources and more related to standardized testing. Compass Education Group- 2025-2026 Guidebook

C2: C2 provides tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students.

Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy is world-class SAT prep that is effective, personalized to each student, and 100% free.

Princeton Review: The Princeton Review provides tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students.

FairTest.org: Fairtest.org maintains the list of colleges that do not require SAT or ACT for admission.

SAT: The SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. The SAT is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test created and administered by the College Board.

ACT: The ACT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. It is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test administered by ACT, Inc.

PSAT: The PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) is a standardized test administered by the College Board. It prepares you for the SAT and is administered in October to all 10th and 11th grade students during the school day.

Admission Blogs and Podcasts

Georgia Tech Blog- A view from the Trashcan: Navigating College Fairs, Part 1/ Part 2

Coalition App Presents: Behind the Scenes of a College Admission Committee Featuring admissions counselors from Colby College, Lehigh University, North Carolina State University and Wellesley College. (Hay subtítulos en español disponibles para esta grabación. Haga clic en el ícono de ajustes en la parte inferior del) (August 14, 2024)

College Essay Guy Presents: Analysis of a Successful College Application... and what you can learn from it: (August 21, 2024)

College Admission Insider:Inside the Mind of an Application Reader

College Essay Guy Podcast: I interview some of the most brilliant minds in the college admission world, analyze their genius, then break it down for you into practical, actionable steps. Why? To bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college admission process.

Georgia Tech Admissions Blog - Georgia Tech Admission Counselors pull back the curtain on the college admissions process by providing tips and their perspective of applications on the receiving end.

Tufts Admissions Blog - Tufts admissions counselors talk prospective students through the application process while current students reflect back on their own experiences on the admissions process

UVA Admissions Blog - A UVA admissions counselor helps students through the college admissions process, including archived posts dating back over 18 years.

Future U - Podcast devoted to dialogue regarding higher education topics including college admissions

How to Find your Dream College- Jeff Selingo Whether you have seniors about to make their final decisions, or teens in high school just starting the search, I'll lay out what you can be doing differently right now to have a smoother journey.

Recommended Reading

Dream School by Jeff Selingo

Who Gets in and Why by Jeff Selingo

I’m Going to College Not You: Surviving the College Search with Your Child by Jennifer Delahunty

How to Raise an Adult: How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lyhcott-Haims

The Black Family's Guide to College Admission by Timothy Fields and Sheerema Herndon-Brown

The Truth About College Admissions: The Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together by Brennan Barnard

The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Roadmap for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make Ron Lieber

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni

Athletics In College

February 2025 NCAA Newsletter

March2Future March 19th Athletic Recruiting

NCAA Future Athletes: If you want to compete in NCAA sports, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Visit this site to register. Additionally, this website provides resources and information on athletics in college.

Our Three Divisions: This website provides information on the three differences between Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3.

FROM NCAA:

Over 12,300 college-bound student-athletes registered for the NCAA’s initial-eligibility webinar for students and their families. The links below provide information students need to be ready to practice, compete and receive a scholarship at an NCAA school.

Student-athlete recording
Student-athlete slide deck
NAIA: The NAIA is the ONLY athletic association that serves the interests of small colleges by driving student-athlete enrollment and financial sustainability.

Transfer Process 2 Year-4 Year

Artsys- Maryland Articulation System: Explore course equivalencies and program transfer guides, which show you the recommended first 60 credits toward a bachelor’s.

Career Resources

Career Search Engines

Career Dreamer: A playful way of searching careers using AI.

MarylandTransition.org: You're looking towards the future. What do you want to do after high school? Work? Education? Living on your own? Here are some resources to help you plan what you will be doing.

O*NET - a tool sponsored by the US Department of Labor, in an effort to provide you with detailed descriptions, including salary information and projected job outlook.

Occupational Outlook Handbook - information on hundreds of occupations, provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This helpful handbook includes details such as education and training, work environments, and job duties.

What Can I Do with This Major? - an online job exploration tool that provides you with valuable information on some of the most common academic majors. You will learn about typical career areas and the types of employers that hire staff from various majors, as well as strategies to make you stand out as the best candidate.

Career Information and Training Programs

HCPSS Skilled Trades Directory: This directory includes trade schools, apprenticeships and other pathways to pursue a career in the trades industry.

Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Program: Information on what apprenticeships are available in Maryland and how to apply.

AG Explorer: Learn about a wide variety of agriculture careers with videos, focus area, salary information and more.

Maryland Department of Service and Innovation- Maryland Service Year

Howard Community College- Apprenticeship and Training Program: Apprenticeship programs available at HCC.

Maryland Center for Construction Education & InnovationLinks to an external site. - The Maryland Center for Construction Education & Innovation is an independent and trusted adviser and resource for industry, education, and government. MCCEI aims to promote, develop, and connect career opportunities in the built environment.

Next Step Career Readiness Advising

HCPSS NextStep is the Blueprint-aligned Career Readiness Advising initiative led by a team of 13 school-based Career Readiness Advisors (CRAs). CRAs collaborate closely with the Howard County Office of Workforce Development and Howard Community College to facilitate a student-driven journey of self-reflection, skill development, and career exploration to ensure that all students graduate with a well-informed post-high school plan aligned with their career goals.

Recommended College Application Timeline

Grade 9

Theme: Exploration and Involvement

Students:

Get involved in activities you enjoy either inside or outside of school.

This WILL be different for each child and there is no right or wrong way to get involved. The key is to participate in activities that utilize your skills and that you enjoy participating in.

Work with teachers and counselors to identify classes and/or programs that would be of interest to you. Consult with your counselor during registration to determine any pre-requisites or experiences that are necessary to be prepared for these programs.
Engage in self exploration through personality assessments, career assessments, strengthsfinder, and values activities. These assessments are found in Naviance.
Update your portfolio in Naviance each quarter by adding all achievements, accomplishments and activities. This is found in Naviance under About Me.
Plan activities in the summer that provide opportunities for personal growth. This can be a volunteer activity, work experience, a college class or going to a camp.

Parents:

Start learning about financial aid. Attend workshops and start reading online about the process.
Support your child’s exploration of different activities.
Avoid questioning your child about what they want to be or do after they graduate- simply encourage exploration

Grade 10

Theme: Building a Foundation

Students:

Continue to participate in your current activities and look for ways to become more involved with leadership. This doesn’t have to be a title, rather taking on a new project or mentoring a new member.
Continue to engage in self-exploration working to identify what makes you happy, what you're good at, what your values are. Do this through self-assessments in Naviance OR through self-reflection in your life experiences.
Work with counselors, teachers to identify classes that are both challenging and match your interests. Discuss the possibilities of dual enrollment, ARL, Career Academies, and Apprenticeship to determine if any peak your interest.
Attend webinars related to career and college preparation in an effort to understand what options are available and to understand what to expect in the future.
Attend a local college fair. Use this experience to practice talking to an admissions counselor and learn what college admission counselors share about their schools. Be prepared when you attend these events.
If you are near a college, visit a campus-- take a tour of a couple college campuses. You are not making any decisions at this stage-- rather creating a foundation of knowledge about what colleges offer to be used later in your decision making.
Take the PSAT or Pre-ACT if your school offers it. This is PRACTICE. Use it as a practice to see how it feels to take a full length test, to see what the questions are like.
Update your portfolio in Naviance each quarter by adding all achievements, accomplishments and activities.

Summer

Start in January or February exploring opportunities for the summer. Many colleges offer academic programs or courses. Others provide fly-in programs to recruit and attract under-represented students. Start applying for a job or explore volunteer opportunities or an internship. Summer Enrichment Program

Parents

Support exploration and discovery of different activities for your child.
Encourage your child to ask questions, attend and engage in learning experiences (webinars, parent information nights, college and career fairs) that relate to postsecondary preparation.
Plan a few visits to different colleges or career centers to expose your child to different opportunities. These can be local.
Avoid questioning your child about deciding what they want to do or where they want to go at this point. It is still important for them to learn and explore. Continue to learn about financial aid and scholarships.

11th Grade

Theme: Mobilization and Reflection

Students

Continue to participate in activities in school while reflecting if there are other interests you want to explore. More is not necessarily better. The goal is to find ones that facilitate personal growth and help you discover more about yourself. Challenge yourself to try a new activity!
Create a priority list of what is important to your future- what do you want in a college? What do you want in a career?
Utilize college search engines to perform college searches. Use the information from your priority list to decide what factors are important.
Spend time visiting the college websites and learning about their academic program, their community, career services and anything else that is important to you.
Sign up in Naviance to meet with college reps that visit your school. Listen and take notes on what you like and what you don’t.
Update your portfolio in Naviance each quarter by adding all achievements, accomplishments and activities.
Schedule time to visit college. Utilize days off from school such as professional days or long weekends. Oftentimes colleges offer open houses on these days. Keep an open mind when visiting colleges and take notes after you leave so you remember that feeling and what you liked and didn’t.
Attend college and career information sessions your school, community or others offer to learn about the vast amount of opportunities that are available.
Learn about financial aid and scholarships by attending workshops, reading blogs and viewing college financial aid pages.
Work with counselors and teachers to determine senior year courses and programs. Explore all options and determine which is the best fit for you. Maintain a strong academic record while exploring and experimenting with different programs.
Schedule a visit to colleges- research open houses, utilize spring break. Try to visit at least 3-4 colleges during the spring/summer.
Complete the letter of recommendation and transcript process that your school requires.
Apply to summer programs such as Fly In, internships, employment. Find activities during the summer that will help you explore your interests and contribute to your personal growth.

Testing

Create a testing schedule for you based on your PSAT results, your schedule, and your potential goals. Explore if need to take a test for your school or academic program
Register for both the ACT and SAT for the winter or spring.
Utilize a test prep program either independently (Khan Academy) or register for a class. Be mindful that this class is timed to finish right when you take the test.
Talk with your counselor or trusted adult about test optional policies and how they impact your test plan.
Research different colleges and academic programs testing policy.

Summer

Work on your common app or any other application portals. The more you finish during the summer, the less you have to do when school starts!
Start brainstorming your college essay-- use tools such as college essay guy to understand what is expected.
Create a college list of all schools you plan on applying to.

If you are applying to schools that require multiple essays and factor in demonstrated interest consider limiting your list to 8-10 thereby allowing you to give the attention necessary for each application.
Since many colleges offer free applications and the common app can be sent to over 1000 colleges, there isn’t a set number we recommend.
Consider utilizing a direct admissions application such as Niche or Match. In this process, students complete a profile on Niche or Match and then colleges send acceptances.

Research the admission requirements and deadlines for schools on your list and create a spreadsheet to maintain this information.

Parents

Have honest conversations with your child about what you can afford for college.
Encourage your child to attend and engage in college and career information sessions.
Research financial aid and scholarships.
Plan college visits alongside your child.
Help your child understand different admission plans and determine which is best fit.

Grade 12

Theme: Action and Decision

September-October

Finalize your college list and identify deadlines and requirements.
Decide on your college application type- are you applying early decision? Early Action? Make sure you indicate your decision type on your application AND in Naviance.
Follow any processes your school requires to request transcripts or letters of recommendation.
Meet with college reps that come to your school. These are the same reps that will read your application!
Research financial aid and scholarship opportunities at specific colleges and understand the requirements.
Research special programs within colleges and learn about what they require.
If you are concerned about money, talk to your counselor about strategies to access the most money.
If determined necessary, register for a final SAT/ACT. Be sure to send official scores to colleges if required. Research schools that allow self-reported scores.
Complete and submit applications that have a November 1 deadline

October-December

Complete FAFSA and if necessary the CSS profile.
Attend any open houses or information sessions offered by the colleges to which you applied.
Continue to learn about the programs and opportunities at the schools where you applied.

January-April

Enjoy your last semester of high school.
Research scholarships-- local scholarships become available in the spring of senior year
Spend time thinking about what YOU want out of your college or postsecondary experience.
Evaluate ALL your offers from colleges including financial aid packages to make a decision that is best for you.
Create pro and cons list.

May

Send thank you notes to all teachers and counselors that supported your journey
Share your decision with your counselor and follow process to have your final transcript sent to your college
Complete your senior survey in Naviance and indicate where you need your final transcript sent AND what your post high school plans are.

Parents

Encourage your child to explore an engage in conversations with college admission reps, career counselors and school counselors
Help your child set realistic expectation for admission.
Talk to your child about debt!
Support your child’s decision and celebrate with them!

Naviance

A college and career software program offered to all students in grades 6-12 in HCPSS. Students gain access to the program through their hcpss.me accounts.

Self-Discovery

Naviance offers eight different self-discovery assessments including skills, personality, strengths, intelligence, learning and productivity, career key, career interest profiler, and career cluster finder. Students are guided through these assessments by teacher, counselors and CRA's.

Visual of what the self-disovery assessments look like in Naviance.

Resume

Students can begin working on their resume as early as grade 9, adding any actiivties or accomplishments using the template in Naviance.

This is the resume t
emplate.

Portfolio

Students can begin adding to their personalized portfolio beginning in grade 6. Students can add activities, achievements, work experiences, academic highlights, and more. The portfolio feeds information into the resume.

This is the options within portfolio.

College Planning

Students can search for colleges using the supermatch college search, identify where they fit academically using scattergrams, and research colleges using the college exploration tool. Additionally, students can register for college visits to their school and find scholarships and enrichment programs. In 12th grade, students use Naviance to request teacher and counselor letter of recommendations and transcripts.

This is the college planning tab in Naviance.

Career Planning

Students can research careers, identifying average salary, educational requirements, potential job growth and more. All the self-discovery assessments help students identify careers that match their identified interests and abilities.

Here is what the careers section looks like in Naviance.

Course Planning

Students can map out a 4-year plan using the HCPSS Catalog of Approved Courses.

This is the course planner in Naviance.

Logging Into Naviance

Students log into Naviance using their hcpss.me accounts.

Parents First Time Log- In: If you are a first time user, you must request a registration code from your child’s school counselor or career readiness advisor. After you receive the registration code:

Go to Naviance Log- In
Type your child’s school into the search bar and select the school.
Scroll to the bottom and click the “I’m new and need to register” link.
Type in the registration code and click register.

Parents Returning User:

Go to https://student.naviance.com/auth/fclookup
Type your child’s school into the search bar and select the school.
Select parent or guardian.
Enter your username and password.