College & Career Planning

College and career planning is one of the most important things for a student to focus on during high school. While it can create a bit of anxiety, our goal is to help students through this process by holding individual meetings with them throughout their high school career. Individual student meetings are tailored by grade as listed below.

Lancaster Catholic subscribes to Naviance, an all-in-one college and career prep service that can be accessed by students via the internet. Each student has a personal account that gives them access to numerous personal, academic, career, and college-related assessments and tools. A curriculum will be delivered to students in grades 9-12 that allows them to experience every facet of the Naviance website, but they are welcome to explore on their own as well.

In order to access Naviance, please navigate to the LCHS Naviance page.

Student username is the last two digits of graduation year, followed by their first initial, and last name. Their password is a student-generated password of their choosing.

Sample username: 18cwentz

College & Career Planning at LCHS

9th Grade

Log on to Naviance to take the first assessment guided by your School Counselor: "Learning Styles Inventory". Naviance will be your most valuable tool to understand career interests, college preparation, and communication with everyone involved with your future plans.

Create a four-year high school plan.
Start thinking about your life after school, including the types of jobs that might interest you.
Participate in extracurricular activities. Try to find at least one and don't be afraid to try new things!
Meet with your school counselor to discuss goals. Your counselor will schedule this meeting after the 1st quarter.
During course selection for sophomore year in February, it's a good idea to meet with your counselor and discuss which courses you are ready to take.
Explore summer opportunities (camps, volunteering, job shadows).

10th Grade

Meet with your School Counselor to discuss academics and career interests. Your counselor will schedule this meeting before or after the 4th quarter begins.

Naviance Career Finder and Career Cluster is an online career exploration and planning survey tool that Lancaster Catholic subscribes to on behalf of our students. Students in 10th grade will explore career clusters using their Naviance Accounts.
Take the ASVAB. The ASVAB will be reinstated in January 2023 for all sophomores. While this is technically a military placement test, many high schools use it for career interests and aptitudes. This is a free test offered to all interested students but focused on sophomores.
Take a look at your academic progress. Is your grade point average high enough to be invited to apply to the National Honor Society? Where do you need some improvement? Where can you request a tutor? All these questions may be discussed with your School Counselor.
If you are interested in attending a military academy, make sure you tell your counselor.
Attend college and career fairs in the area to get an idea of what you will be looking into in the future. It's never too early to get familiar with the process!
Participate in school activities, extracurriculars, and make sure your Good Samaritan hours are up to date! All of these things help to make your high school experience valuable.
Informally visit some of the local colleges in the area (Millersville, Elizabethtown, Franklin and Marshall, Lebanon Valley, etc.) to see what they are like and become familiar with what to expect from a college/university.
Do you have a learning exceptionality? This is a great time to have all testing updated for upcoming college testing and necessary college admissions documents. Please see your Instructional Support Teacher if you have questions.

11th Grade

In the Fall: Make a list of things you might want to study in college.

Learn about colleges by doing research, visiting with college reps in the Counseling Office, and going to college fairs. LCHS offers a Catholic College Fair every fall. Your student's Naviance account provides numerous college resources including a college search, match, and compare tool.
Take the PSAT at Lancaster Catholic High School in October. This test is offered to Catholic High students for FREE. Even if you took this test as a sophomore, you can only enter your scores from junior year to be considered for the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Competition. The PSAT will help to prepare you for the actual SAT test in the Spring.

In the Winter

Sign up to take college admissions tests in the spring. You should take either the SAT or the ACT. Some people take both and decide which test they like more. there are many free resources offered online to help prepare you for the SAT and ACT. Khan Academy is an excellent tool that you can access through collegeboard.org.
If you're taking an AP class, make sure that you are beginning to prepare for the test by doing a little extra studying.

In the Spring: Begin visiting colleges that interest you. Many colleges will have visit days primarily geared toward juniors so this is a great time to get on campus, meet with professors, and get a feel for the campus with students still there.

Scholarship opportunities will be posted in Naviance under the Scholarship tab. Although most scholarships will start coming in during the second half of the school year, check this tab often. While most of the financial aid opportunities will only be for seniors, it's a good idea to see what is being offered so you know what to look for during the senior year.
Meet with your School Counselor to discuss your college/career plans and outline a plan for the summer. Your Counselor will schedule a meeting with you early in quarter 3.
Create a resume on Naviance so your teachers can write a complete and accurate letter of recommendation for you. Another bonus--this task will be complete and you can add any new items at the start of your senior year.

In the Summer: If you are an athlete who plans on playing a sport in college, register with the NCAA Eligibility Center which offers a guide for the student-athlete. Please click on the link:
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/CBSA.pdf

Find a full-time or part-time job, or participate in a summer camp/volunteer experience. This helps to build your resume!
Visit the colleges that you are interested in and try to narrow your list down to a top five.
Fine-tune your resume on Naviance and ask teachers for letters of recommendation.

12th Grade

In September

Create a master list that includes tests you will be taking (registration deadlines and test dates) and college application due dates including any early action/decision deadlines.
Meet with your school counselor to discuss your senior year plan. Your counselor will schedule this meeting in the first few weeks of the year.
You and your parents are invited to attend a Financial Aid workshop either virtually or in person. A representative from our state organization PHEAA will guide you through this important process. The FAFSA website opens October 1st to begin financial aid submissions.
Ask for letters of recommendation if you have not already done so. Please ask in person. Give letter writers at least 2 weeks to complete them.

In October

Try to finalize your college choices and begin preparing applications.
Be sure to send your college admission test scores directly from College Board or ACT to the colleges you are applying to. LCHS does not include SAT or ACT scores on transcripts.

In November:

For early decision or early action deadlines, your materials will be due between November 1 and November 15.

Complete at least one college application by Thanksgiving.
Formalize your plans to take AP exams in May--all students must register with College Board. Later, you will be directed to pay for your exams through Total Registration.
Make sure to request your transcripts through Naviance for the schools you are applying to and contact Collegeboard.org or Actstudent.org to have official test scores sent as well.
Attend the FAFSA Completion Night to take care of the forms you will need to submit for Financial Aid for college.

In December:

Complete all college applications before Christmas Break.

In January:

If the colleges you applied to require mid-year grades, let your counselor know so she can send them through Naviance.

In February- May:

Avoid senioritis! With midterms behind you, there are scholarships to go after and AP exams to prepare for; keep going!
By mid-April, you should have received your admission letters and financial aid packages. If you can't decide where to go, take a couple of final visits to help you decide.

By June, you'll be a graduate!

Don't forget to request your final transcript by completing the senior survey prior to graduation!

College Application Procedures for Seniors

Teacher Recommendation Request Form