Counseling at AMHS

ABOUT

The counseling department at Archbishop Murphy High School plays an integral role in the school’s mission to inspire and develop Christlike leaders.

Each counselor works with students in grades 9 through 12, assigned by last name, to provide guidance services and college/career counseling.

GUIDANCE SERVICES INCLUDE:

  • Personal counseling
  • Academic scheduling and support
  • Credit tracking
  • Standardized testing

COLLEGE AND CAREER SERVICES INCLUDE:

  • Assistance with college selection and application
  • Career exploration
  • Scholarship search

Counselors work with students both individually and in groups. In addition, counselors facilitate academic staffing with students, parents and teachers as well as college informational meetings for parents.

9TH GRADE

FOUR YEAR ACADEMIC PLAN

The 4 year college preparation and admissions timeline provides a snapshot of how our students become college ready. Over the course of their time at Archbishop Murphy High School our students will complete steps each year that will better prepare them for their post high school experience.

10TH GRADE

FOUR YEAR ACADEMIC PLAN

The 4 year college preparation and admissions timeline provides a snapshot of how our students become college ready. Over the course of their time at Archbishop Murphy High School our students will complete steps each year that will better prepare them for their post high school experience.

11TH GRADE

FORECASTING COLLEGE INFORMATION

The spring flyer for juniors was created for all juniors and families to provide information for forecasting and college readiness. The flyer provides information such as, SAT/ACT testing information/dates, community service, athletics, etc. Click on the link below for the flyer that was provided to your student during forecasting.

If you have a question regarding a class make sure to check-out our course catalog book located on the counseling page.

12TH GRADE

SENIOR PROFILE

The purpose of the senior profile is to assist your counselor and the teachers who will be writing college and scholarship recommendations for you. The senior profile is located under the “About Me” tab in Naviance. When you have completed the senior profile, please email your counselor. NO TEACHER OR COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION WILL BE WRITTEN UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THIS SENIOR PROFILE.

SENIOR INFORMATION

The Senior Book is a packet the counseling department created for all seniors and their families. The book provides information on the following topics:

  • Important dates for seniors
  • Academic preparation/graduation requirements.
  • Standardized testing for college (SAT/ACT)
  • College research and selection process
  • AMHS senior profile
  • College application process
  • Transcripts
  • College bound student-athletes
  • Military academies/ROTC
  • Financial aid/scholarships (FAFSA & CSS Profile)
  • Senior AMHS Naviance checklist
  • Making your college campus visit count
  • Talking with college admissions representatives
  • The Common Application basics

Even though much has evolved with the college process this spring, there are a few steps you should still be taking. Please note: Naviance instructions are posted to Moodle.

  1. Complete your Senior Profile in Naviance. *If you have not yet registered, please contact your counselor.
  2. Contact two teachers who you would like to request letters of recommendation from.
  3. Register for the SAT and/or ACT.
  4. Explore virtual college tours.
  5. Create a college list. *SuperMatch in Naviance is an excellent place to start, please contact your counselor if you need instructions.

SAT/ACT

The world of standardized testing is ever changing. Through this challenging time, ACT and the College Board have provided some additional resources for students.

ACT Academy
Khan Academy
CollegeBoard
CollegeBoard Coronavirus Updates

We are seeing more colleges and universities make adjustments to their admission processes to support the Class of 2021, for example becoming “test-optional,” accepting different forms of grading, etc. However, we are advising our students to be over-prepared to ensure all post-secondary options of their choosing are available to them. Students should try to register for the SAT or ACT in the summer/fall, if at all able.

SAT Update:

“Until June 3 at 8pm ET, August, September, and October registration will be open to: Students in the class of 2020 or 2021 who don’t have an SAT score, and students who registered for the June SAT or Subject Tests and didn’t cancel.” – The CollegeBoard

After this date/time, registration will be open for all students. More info

LINKS

COURSE FORECASTING

SCHOLARSHIPS & COMPETITIONS

SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES

Scholarships and other financial assistance for college expenses are available from hundreds of sources. National, regional, state, and local organizations sponsor scholarships as do individual colleges and universities, and even organizations and departments within schools. On this site we have provided some useful links for scholarship searches, some general advice for approaching the search, and a limited number of selected scholarship opportunities. Also listed are competitions for seniors, and in some cases underclassmen, with cash awards that could be used for college expenses.

Scholarship and other information becomes available throughout the year, so you will need to monitor this and other sites for information. Local scholarships, especially, are promoted later in the year and updated information usually becomes available in late winter and spring.

SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCE GUIDES

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SCHOLARSHIP GUIDE-ONLINE
www.collegeplan.org/cpnow/pnwguide/pnwguide.htm
College Planning Network, a non-profit organization serving students in the Pacific Northwest, produces this online guide which is periodically updated. In searching for scholarships, students may sort scholarships by eligibility codes or the “key word search” feature.

SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL AID CLEARINGHOUSE WEBSITES

These websites will help you locate college scholarships and may give you some idea of other sources to explore. Please be aware that website data may not always be complete and up to date. Remember, there are some scholarship scams online; you should never be required to pay any money in order to apply for a specific scholarship or subscribe to a scholarship service.

FAFSA

www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov
This website is intended for use primarily by families with students in grade 11 or first semester of grade 12. It provides families with the opportunity to receive a preliminary report of their Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), i.e., the minimum amount of money that the family will be expected to contribute to the student’s college expenses based upon family income and assets. After completing this preliminary FAFSA, families can electronically transfer data to the actual FAFSA in January of the student’s senior year in high school.

FREE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH ENGINE

www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/scholarships

This site includes a free scholarship search engine.

FUNDING EDUCATION BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL

www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/guide
“Funding Education Beyond High School” is a 50-page, comprehensive guide that addresses all aspects of the federal financial aid program–what you should know before you apply, how to apply, the types & amounts of aid (grants, work-study, loans), program requirements (while receiving aid, reimbursement), etc.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov
This is the official government website for information on the seven federal student aid programs. It provides a link to the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) which must be filed after January 1 and preferably prior to February 1 of the student’s senior year in order to apply for federal aid.

NEEDALIFT.ORG

www.needalift.org
This source is provided by the American Legion. It includes college and financial planning guidance as well as a list of private scholarship sources.

COLLEGEPLAN.ORG

www.collegeplan.org
This website contains general information on college planning, financial aid and scholarships. It also provides a scholarship guide (see above) which specializes in state and regional scholarship opportunities. Use of the online guide is free, requires no personal profile, and provides access to all of the scholarship information in its database.

FASTWEB

www.fastweb.com
This is an online scholarship and college search site. It has a fairly comprehensive database of scholarships and will send email notifications related to specific scholarships. It also has a college match function. Be aware that while the site and service are free, you are required to provide a good deal of personal information to register. If you don’t want the information shared, you will need to opt out when the site is accessed.

SCHOLARSHIPS.COM

www.scholarships.com
This online resource works much like FastWeb; you need to answer personal questions to register. Some general information is available without registering.

WASHBOARD

www.theWashBoard.org
Whether you’re looking for a scholarship or looking to provide one, theWashBoard.org makes it simple. We connect students with relevant scholarships in one stop — saving everyone time and making sure scholarships don’t go unused.

WESTERN UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGE

http://wue.wiche.edu/
The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Students who are residents of WICHE states may enroll at participating two- and four-year college programs outside of their home state at a reduced tuition rate.

WICHE states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

SCHOLARSHIPS

A. AMHS Scholarships
B. National Scholarships
C. State and Regional Scholarships
D. Local Scholarships
E. College and Affiliated Organization Scholarships

Some scholarship programs will have made information and application forms available to us in hard copy. Scholarship files in the counseling office have been established and will be updated for these programs.

Every college has a financial aid office and will have a financial aid resource available on the website. Even students not applying for financial aid are urged to explore the financial aid information; merit based scholarships are available at many schools and students not qualifying for need based aid may be eligible for merit based support. In addition, some merit scholarships may be offered at the time of acceptance by some schools to encourage attendance.

AMHS SCHOLARSHIPS:

John Martens Scholarship
Bob and Jane Braukus Scholarship

UPCOMING COLLEGE VISITS & EVENTS

LOOKING FOR A COUNSELOR?

ALLIE SINEX

College & Guidance Counselor: A-E
asinex@am-hs.org

SHANNON HIPPE

College & Guidance Counselor: F-K
shippe@am-hs.org

BRAD SERKA

College & Guidance Counselor: L-P
bserka@am-hs.org

DANE STRINGFELLOW

College & Guidance Counselor: Q-Z
dstringfellow@am-hs.org