College & Career Resource Center
Elizabeth Rimmer, College & Career Specialist
[email protected]
M-F 7:00-2:30 PM
The goal of the College & Career Resource Center is to help students be prepared for a smooth transition to post-secondary life, regardless of their vision. In order to accomplish this goal, we strive to educate students about the many options available to them and the path to make those dreams a reality. College planning and visits, assisting with the application process, and supporting the search for scholarships and financial aid are some of the many ways the CCRC supports students.
Additionally, the CCRC will stay open many Wednesdays until 6 PM for “Workday Wednesdays”. These dates are after-school hours that students and parents can plan on attending for personalized help from Ms. Rimmer. Please check College & Career Page in Canvas for exact dates.
For individual appointments, please email [email protected]. Students must have permission from any teacher to miss their class…and must arrive at CCRC with a pass.
Walk in Hours
Before and After School
During A & B lunch
Additionally, the CCRC will stay open many Wednesdays until 6 PM for “Workday Wednesdays”. These dates are after-school hours that students and parents can plan on attending for personalized help from Ms. Rimmer. Please check College & Career Page in Canvas for exact dates.
The primary tool for communication from the College & Career Resource Center is through CANVAS and the weekly school newsletter. Please pay close attention to announcements and information there. The College & Career Resource Center will share information about college visits, scholarships, and extra-curricular & enrichment opportunities for students via CANVAS announcements under Student Body. Additionally, the College & Career Page of Canvas has a listing of all scholarships that have been advertised by due date.
College Planning Resources
College and career planning begins as soon as you start taking high school classes. You should start exploring options for careers and colleges as early as possible. Students should take a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and work to maintain the best GPA possible. Involvement in extracurricular, enrichment and leadership activities, community service and maintaining a record of good character helps students be more competitive in securing post-secondary options.
The following is a partial list of web-based resources to help facilitate the college planning process. There are MANY great resources available to students free of charge.
Big Future
SCOIR (Available on student’s OCPS Launchpad)
FastWeb
Admissions Revolution (There are many FREE resources on this site. You do NOT need to pay to access these resources.)
College Essay Guy (There are many FREE resources on this site. You do NOT need to pay to access these resources.)
College Match Self-Survey for College Bound Students
Financial Aid
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (opens October 2021 for class of 2022)
Bright Futures Requirements and Award Amounts
Video Tutorial for Florida Financial Aid Application (2020)
College Admission Testing (SAT and ACT)
College admission testing remains an important part of the college admissions process even though some schools are currently “test optional”. Students are encouraged to test early to secure the scores needed for the colleges and scholarships they are pursuing.
ACT dates and online registration
SAT dates and online registration
Read about the differences between SAT and ACT
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Test
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Test Date
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Registration Deadline
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Online Score Release Date (Reports sent to colleges within 10 days)
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SAT
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28-Aug-21
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30-Jul-21
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10-Sep-21
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SAT
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2-Oct-21
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3-Sep-21
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15-Oct-21
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SAT
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6-Nov-21
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8-Oct-21
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19-Nov-21
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SAT
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4-Dec-21
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4-Nov-21
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17-Dec-21
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SAT
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12-Mar-22
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11-Feb-22
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25-Mar-22
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SAT
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7-May-22
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8-Apr-22
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20-May-22
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SAT
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4-Jun-22
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5-May-22
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13-Jul-22
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ACT
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11-Sep-21
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6-Aug-21
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ACT
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23-Oct-21
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17-Sep-21
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ACT
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11-Dec-21
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5-Nov-21
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ACT
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12-Feb-22
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7-Jan-21
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ACT
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2-Apr-22
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25-Feb-22
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ACT
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11-Jun-22
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6-May-22
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ACT
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16-Jul-22
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17-Jun-22
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Scholarships
Many local or regional scholarships will be advertised and promoted through CANVAS. There will be announcements sent AND a permanent listing on the College & Career Page under Student Body. Students should pay close attention to scholarship requirements and deadlines.
Students are also encouraged to research other scholarship opportunities using one of the many free search engines. A sample of national scholarship search engines are listed below. (There are MANY.) Remember, these scholarships are open to everyone, so it is important to spend your time only applying to the ones for which you feel you are uniquely qualified. It is also a good idea to create a separate e-mail account when you sign up for these national scholarship sites because you will receive lots of e-mails daily from these sites. Remember, students should NOT need to pay ANYTHING to use a search engine!
Search Engines
BrokeScholar
Cappex
FastWeb
FinAid
GoingMerry
Petersons
Scholarships.com
CollegeConfidential
Southern Scholarship Organization – Housing Scholarship
Valencia Career Pathways
Instructions to Claim Credits
Military Interest
Representatives from each branch of the military will be on campus throughout the year to meet with students. If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities that the military can provide, please complete the short survey below. This will help us connect you to the appropriate recruiter when they are on campus. Military Interest Link
Resources & Forms:
College Application Checklist
Senior Brag Sheet
Senior Year College Admission Timeline
Resume Sample Template
Community Service Proposal Form
Community Service Log
Florida State University Application Requirements Matrix (Will be updated for 2021 when available)
NCAA Eligibility Center