Roles and Responsibilities

Student Responsibilities

• Put forth your best efforts in and outside of the classroom. • Be a student with a positive demeanor who contributes to the Sacred Heart community. • Be proactive, informed and fully involved throughout the process. • Research and visit schools when possible.

• Attend information sessions when college representatives visit Sacred Heart. • Be self-reflective. The better you understand yourself, the easier it will be to identify colleges that will be a good match for you socially, academically, and emotionally. • Be open-minded. • Fully engage in the Sacred Heart college search and application process. o Organize and follow through with tasks and appointments. o Monitor and respond to all communications. o Be timely. Deadlines are REAL. Sacred Heart deadlines precede college deadlines to ensure ample processing time. We want to help to insure your application is complete and presents your best self. • Communicate with your counselor and your parents. Proactive, timely and responsible communications are paramount in the college application process. • Register for and prepare for the SAT, ACT, and/or SAT Subject Tests. • Read the College Guidance Newsletters. • All Seniors are wholly responsible for: o Submission of all applications. o Keeping their Naviance account current. o Timely communications with counselor. o Self-reporting Test Scores OR submission of Official Test Scores directly from the College Board or ACT to colleges and universities, if applicable.

Parent Role

Whether a parent is a veteran or a novice of the college process, a certain amount of stress is inherent in this process. Our department will strive to keep parents informed, included and engaged as an important collaborator throughout your daughter’s journey.

To this end we recommend that parents: • Attend both Junior and Senior College Nights. • Attend the initial introductory parent meeting with your daughter’s counselor in the spring of junior year. • Communicate with your daughter’s counselor.

• Read the College Guidance Newsletters. • Complete the parent questionnaire. Be thorough, honest, and candid, providing examples and details. • Road trip! Starting early, visit a variety of colleges. • Discuss any financial parameters or expectations with your daughter and her counselor.

Managing expectations in this area is vital to this being a positive experience. • Keep an open mind and encourage your daughter to do the same. • Support your daughter. Remind her of her strengths independent of grades, test scores, and admissions decisions. • Empower your daughter by letting her lead the process; encourage her to make the calls and to advocate for herself. • Reach a mutual decision with her on ONE college before May 1st, submitting the deposit on time.

College Counselor Roles and Responsibilities

As college counselors, we are privileged to share in this important and transformative experience in your daughter’s life. We fully recognize our position as co-collaborators with the student, parent, and collegiate communities in this process. We strive to afford each Sacred Heart student an experience that addresses her unique needs and aspirations. We will honor and respect the confidentiality of each applicant and, in turn, expect that our students and parents exercise the same discretion.

In summary, our department will: • Foster relationships with our students rooted in respect, understanding and individuality to yield insightful, comfortable, and productive experiences. • Encourage and inspire opportunities for self-reflection and personal growth to help students make thoughtful decisions about their futures. • Work collaboratively to develop individualized strategies to achieve each student’s college objectives. • Provide the tools, information and framework to support our students as they make educated and informed decisions throughout the college selection and application process. • Keep lines of communication open between the Sacred Heart, student, and parent communities. • Process and submit all materials to accompany each college application, including transcript(s), teacher recommendations, counselor recommendation, and school profile. • Communicate and serve as an advocating voice with college admissions representatives. • When applicable, serve as a liaison with the Sacred Heart Athletic Director for student athletes.