INFORMATION FOR THE CLASS OF 2021
COLLEGE EXPLORATION CHECKLIST
SEMESTER 2 - February/March
__ Are you receiving emails regularly from “Tara Salowitz-Allone” in the College Office?
__ Do you have a Naviance account? http://connection.naviance.com/ermurrow. Your NAVIANCE account username is your ER Murrow email address and the password is your OSIS #.
__ Complete the Brag Sheet and Autobiography in Naviance, under "About Me" "My Surveys."
__ Schedule an appointment with the College Office (rm. 145) at to discuss your college options.
__ Save the Date! Junior Class Family College Exploration Night, on Thursday, February 13th, 6:00PM in the Joseph Anzalone Theater.
__ You are pre-registered for the SAT during the school day on Wednesday, March 4th. Please note that this exam WILL NOT include the writing section.
__ Attend the College Fair here at Murrow on Thursday, March 12th at 5:30PM.
__ Register for the SAT and ACT in May/June. You are encouraged to take both exams at least twice. We will then compare the scores between both exams, and ultimately decide which to submit for the college process. Visit www.collegeboard.org for SAT and www.actstudent.org for ACT.
__ Low-income students should bring in their family’s income tax form or evidence of SSI, SNAP, Public Assistance to check eligibility for fee waivers for the SAT, SAT IIs, ACT, college applications, and special programs such as CUNY SEEK/SUNY EOP/Select Private NYC/NYS HEOP.
__ Research colleges. Keep in mind the characteristics of a college that are important: size, location, total cost of attendance, academic rigor, majors, social environment and diversity. Strive for a balance academically and socially. Don’t stress over your intended major. Your undergraduate college experience is an educational stepping stone and the dress rehearsal for your career.
April
__ Take a campus tour. Be sure the visit when the colleges are in session to feel the campus vibe!
__ Register for SAT Subject Tests if taking AP classes and considering highly selective colleges.
__ Log into Naviance once a day! Check out scattergrams, which shows the college data of Murrow graduates!
May
__ If on an AP track, take the AP exams, which will give you a chance to earn college credit.
__ Request two letters of recommendation from academic subject teachers. The request is done in your NAVIANCE account under "Colleges - Home" and scroll down and the link is on the bottom left side.
__ Start drafting your college essay. Choose one from the following prompts: 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? 7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
__ Build your list of prospective colleges in Naviance under “colleges I’m thinking about.”
June
__ Build your resume of activities! Apply for summer internships, volunteer programs and employment opportunities.
__ Get organized. Narrow and categorize your choices. Strive for at least (3) safety choices, (2) probable match choices, and (2) reach choices. The role of the College Office is to make sure you have a range of options, with an emphasis on safety choices. It is important to have a realistic view of where your academic and social credentials will take you.
SEMESTER 2 - February/March
__ Are you receiving emails regularly from “Tara Salowitz-Allone” in the College Office?
__ Do you have a Naviance account? http://connection.naviance.com/ermurrow. Your NAVIANCE account username is your ER Murrow email address and the password is your OSIS #.
__ Complete the Brag Sheet and Autobiography in Naviance, under "About Me" "My Surveys."
__ Schedule an appointment with the College Office (rm. 145) at to discuss your college options.
__ Save the Date! Junior Class Family College Exploration Night, on Thursday, February 13th, 6:00PM in the Joseph Anzalone Theater.
__ You are pre-registered for the SAT during the school day on Wednesday, March 4th. Please note that this exam WILL NOT include the writing section.
__ Attend the College Fair here at Murrow on Thursday, March 12th at 5:30PM.
__ Register for the SAT and ACT in May/June. You are encouraged to take both exams at least twice. We will then compare the scores between both exams, and ultimately decide which to submit for the college process. Visit www.collegeboard.org for SAT and www.actstudent.org for ACT.
__ Low-income students should bring in their family’s income tax form or evidence of SSI, SNAP, Public Assistance to check eligibility for fee waivers for the SAT, SAT IIs, ACT, college applications, and special programs such as CUNY SEEK/SUNY EOP/Select Private NYC/NYS HEOP.
__ Research colleges. Keep in mind the characteristics of a college that are important: size, location, total cost of attendance, academic rigor, majors, social environment and diversity. Strive for a balance academically and socially. Don’t stress over your intended major. Your undergraduate college experience is an educational stepping stone and the dress rehearsal for your career.
April
__ Take a campus tour. Be sure the visit when the colleges are in session to feel the campus vibe!
__ Register for SAT Subject Tests if taking AP classes and considering highly selective colleges.
__ Log into Naviance once a day! Check out scattergrams, which shows the college data of Murrow graduates!
May
__ If on an AP track, take the AP exams, which will give you a chance to earn college credit.
__ Request two letters of recommendation from academic subject teachers. The request is done in your NAVIANCE account under "Colleges - Home" and scroll down and the link is on the bottom left side.
__ Start drafting your college essay. Choose one from the following prompts: 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? 7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
__ Build your list of prospective colleges in Naviance under “colleges I’m thinking about.”
June
__ Build your resume of activities! Apply for summer internships, volunteer programs and employment opportunities.
__ Get organized. Narrow and categorize your choices. Strive for at least (3) safety choices, (2) probable match choices, and (2) reach choices. The role of the College Office is to make sure you have a range of options, with an emphasis on safety choices. It is important to have a realistic view of where your academic and social credentials will take you.
