What you’re missing… The College and Career Center

November 3, 2010 — by Denise Lin and Kelly Liu

Around campus, many students, especially upperclassmen, seem to be stressing about how to get into the right college, how to find the right college and how to find out more information about potential careers. They are sometimes confused and don’t realize the answers to many of their questions can be found in the College and Career Center, located near the main office and special education classrooms.

Around campus, many students, especially upperclassmen, seem to be stressing about how to get into the right college, how to find the right college and how to find out more information about potential careers. They are sometimes confused and don’t realize the answers to many of their questions can be found in the College and Career Center, located near the main office and special education classrooms.

The CCC is run by about 50 parent volunteers, who work scheduled shifts each week. About 50 college speakers speak at the center each year. It is open Monday 9:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 7:55 a.m.-3:15 p.m., Wednesday 9:15 a.m.-2:45 p.m. and Friday 9:15 a.m.-12:40 p.m..

“I don’t think [the CCC] is advertised as well…[but] there are so many scholarship opportunities, volunteer opportunities, and internship opportunities,” said Rashmi Shah, a parent volunteer of the CCC.

Students can take advantage of these opportunities by getting familiar with the resources available. For example, there is a file for volunteer, internship and job opportunities, a job board and work permits, financial aid and scholarship information and a file for summer programs and opportunities.

In addition, the CCC contains an abundance of resources geared toward preparing students for the SAT and ACT. Registration information and applications for the SAT and ACT can be found at the CCC. A list of preparation programs and prep books are also available.

The center schedules visits by college representatives who talk about their schools and answer questions, something that can help college-bound students know what to expect from college.

“The college speakers from different universities are really helpful because they [give] perspective on what to expect and what I’m shooting for,” said junior Sophie Kang. “It’s kind of daunting at first because they tell you what they want, but at the same time, it’s good to have knowledge of what I’ll be doing in one year.”

Kang finds other features of the CCC valuable as well.

“Other than college speakers there are job opportunities and college fares….SAT study guides and stuff, [which] is always nice,” said Kang.

To help students as they apply for college, the CCC provides applications for community colleges, various public and private colleges and universities, and the Common Application. Application workshops for UCs and CSUs are also available.

A bounty of reference materials are also available. The CCC stores reference materials about careers, colleges, and scholarships and test preparation. College reference books and other materials are available for checking out. Computers in the CCC provide access to college and career databases and student planner information.

The CCC also has a web page on the guidance page for students to easily access. The generous abundance of resources CCC provides can help students pave their future outside of high school, whether it may be for college admission help, SAT preparation and other various internship, volunteer and job opportunities.

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