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DEPARTMENT COUNSELING

FEBUARY 2026

FRESHMEN SOPHOMORES JUNIORS SENIORS

4-Year Course Planning Template Learn More About Your Stengths, Aptitudes, & Personality Values Excercise Time to Register For Summer Programs Start Earning MicroScholarships

4-Year Course Planning Template Should I Take AP classes Schedule Individual Family Counselor Meetings This Spring Time To Register For Summer Programs Passion Project Resources Time For Career Exploration Start Earning MicroScholarships

4-Year Course Planning Template Steps To Find Your Best Fit College Ways to Search For Colleges College Tracker Spreadsheet Spring SAT Here At Bellarmine Register Now For Summer Programs Ways To Jump On Scholarships Visit College Fairs Here At Bellarmine

College Applicant Reminders What To Do If Waitlisted or Deferred Scholarship Resources How To Understand Financial Aid Offers What To Do If You Need To Appeal Your Offer Questions To Help You Discern Between Colleges

FRESHMEN

Classregistrationisaroundthecorner!

Stayorganizedwiththe 4-YearPlanningTemplate

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOURSELF LEARN MORE ABOUT YOURSELF

Thisisagreattimeforselfdiscovery!Exploreyourstrengths, aptitudes,andpersonalitybytaking afewfunandinsightfulassessments designedtohelpyoulearnmore aboutyourself.

ValuesExercise(video):Beforeyou decidewhatfunthingsyouwantto putintoyourlife2ndsemester&this summer,youmightwanttoconsider whatyouvalue Youranswersmay helpdrivehowyouspendyourtime

It’snevertooearlyto earningmoneyforco youknowyoucange yourgradeswithMic Scholarships?It’san

Whatshouldyoubedoingasa Sophomoretoprepareforcollege?

UsethisChecklist

CheckoutTHOUSANDSofSummer Opportunities

80ExtracurricularActivityExamples: Wonderingwhatotherstudentslistedon theirapplications?Theseexamplesmay inspireyou.

5waystoSpendYourHighSchool Summer:Thinkaboutyoursummerin thecontextofhowyourchoicescan helpyoutoleadahappierlife (really!).

RemembertoupdateyourNavianceResume soyoudon’tforgetwhatyou’vedone Thisisa ateyour

penyour etgo?

SOPHOMORES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGE YOURSELF ACADEMICALLY

Classregistrationisaroundthecorner! Stayorganizedwiththe 4-YearPlanning Template

Usethisfreeversionorlow-costdigital ShovelPlannertohelpyoudoitall:schedule, plan,synctasks,timemanage

Exploreavailablecoursesandaskabout higher-leveloptionsifyou’renotfeeling challenged.

ShouldItakeAPclassesanddoesitmatter?

Talktotheteacher’swhoteachthesubject areayouwishtoadvanceinnextyearto findoutiftheywouldrecommendyouforan honorsorAPclassnextyear.

INDIVIDUAL

FAMILY MEETINGS THIS SPRING! INDIVIDUAL FAMILY MEETINGS THIS SPRING!

Ourcounselingteamisexcitedtopartner withstudentsandfamiliesasyouplanforthe yearsahead.

Wewillinviteeachfamilyindividuallytomeet withtheirstudent’scounselortocreatean individualizedhighschoolplanthatsupports academicsuccess,personalgrowth,and post–highschoolgoals.

Asign-uplinkwillbesharedinthespringso youcanscheduleatimeinAprilthatworks bestforyourfamily.Welookforwardto meetingwithyou!

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026

CheckoutTHOUSANDSofSummer Opportunities

80ExtracurricularActivityExamples: Wonderingwhatotherstudentslistedon theirapplications?Theseexamplesmay inspireyou

5waystoSpendYourHighSchool Summer:Thinkaboutyoursummerin thecontextofhowyourchoicescan helpyoutoleadahappierlife (really!)

RemembertoupdateyourNavianceResume soyoudon’tforgetwhatyou’vedone.Thisisa greattimetoreviewandupdateyour extracurricularactivities Wheredoyouwanttodeepenyour involvement? Andwhatdoyouwanttoletgo?

SOPHOMORES

COLLEGE APPLICATION TIMELINE COLLEGE APPLICATION TIMELINE

WhatshouldyoubedoingasaSophomore toprepareforcollege?

UsethisChecklist

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED A PASSION PROJECT?

Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabout whatitis,whyitmaybesomethingyou wanttodo,andsomeideaswith resources,checkoutthesePassion ProjectResourcestogetyoustarted!

Remember,nosingleprogramor experienceguaranteescollege admission Whatmattersmostishow anexperienceismeaningfultoa studentandhowitfitsintoalarger, cohesivenarrativethatshowsgrowth andimpact.

It’snevertooea earningmoney youknowyouca yourgradeswith Scholarships?It’

STARTED ON YOUR CAREER LORATION JOURNEY

Startwiththeselinks&seewhereyoursearch takesyou:

RoadtripNationwilloffer3waystodiscover endlesscareerpathsforstudentsandcareer seekers

UseNaviancetoexplorecareersunderthe “Career”tabandtakequickassessmentsin “Discovery”Ifyoumissedthemlastmonth, completethemnow!

Discoveryourcareeraptitudesandstrengths throughourresourcepagefullofmorefunways toexplore!

JUNIORS

FIND YOUR “BEST FIT” COLLEGE

Startbyfiguringoutwhatkindofcollege youwanttoattend.

TheCollegeTourcom

Taketheself-guidedvideo-based coreclassthatwillgiveyoua betterunderstandingofcampus culture,majors,andtypesof colleges Ittakesabout30-45min tocomplete

USING CHAT GPT

UseChatGptoranother Aiplatformforhelp,but verify

HowtoaskChatGPT andpromptstouse

WUE WUE

Alsolookatschoolswith generousmerit-aid programs,orregional tuitionagreementslike WUE.

Low-Income/First-Gen Students:Getkeytips andresources,including learningaboutthe chancetovisitcollege campusesforfree

MAKE A SPREADSHEET TO STAY ORGANIZED

BegintocreateyourlistwiththisCollege TrackerSpreadsheet orcreateoneofyourown Ifyouaren’tsurewheretobegin,readwhatThe EssayGuyhastosayaboutHowtoCreatea CollegeList

WEBSITES TO SEARCH FOR YOUR COLLEGES WEBSITES TO SEARCH FOR YOUR COLLEGES

ClickonColleges>FindYourFit>CollegeMatch Search,filter,lookatscattergrams,&careerexploration Search,comparecollegeswithunbiasedinformation fromcommondatainformation,findalternate pathways(gov.fundedsite)

Search,usefilters,compare,seeyourprobability,&find directoffers,scholarships,loans,rankings,truecost

Search,usefilters,findyourfit,majors, scholarships, careerinformation,andfinancialhelp

Search,estimateyourchances,financialplanning,net pricecalculator,StudentAidcalculator,compare offers, scholarshipsearch,anythingnumbersrelated

Search,virtualtours,estimateyourchances,financial planning,scholarships,listsbyidentitygroups

Gov.fundedsitefornetpricecalculatorforallcolleges, collegeaffordabilitylists,statespendingcharts,college search

Highlyratedcollegesbasedonmillionsofstudent surveys.Describeculture,academics,financialaid, acceptancerates,whattheyareknownfor,&more.

JUNIORS

Westronglyencourageyou toexploreyourinterests whetherbytraveling,taking aclass,attendingaprecollegeprogramorcamp, jobshadowing,working,or volunteering

CheckoutTHOUSANDSof SummerOpportunities

VISIT COLLEGE FAIRS & COLLEGES VISIT COLLEGE FAIRS & COLLEGES

ARROWCollegeFair(Associationof RegionalRepresentativesfromOR&WA)

March3,2026duringbothLunches

BellarmineCampusCenter

JETTour(JesuitExcellenceTour)

April23,2026

BellarmineGymFoyer

Wecanwalkyouthroughthesteps andwheretofindthem.

ScholarshipResourcePage

TAKE YOUR SAT OR ACT THIS SPRING!

BellarminewillhostanIn-SchoolDigitalSAT DayonApril22,2026.Lookforaninternal Googlesign-up

Ifyoupreferanalternativedateortest, pleasevisitACT’swebsiteorCollegeBoard’s websitenowtoregisterbeforetheavailable datesarefilled.

Testpreppingwillincreaseyourscoreby 25%

TestPrepResourcePage

Confusedaboutstandardizedtesting?: Watchthisvideo,whichprovidessolid context-andthisadditionalcontent specificallyforfirst-gen/low-income students.

Getorganizedandmakeaplan

Usethisfreeversionorlow-costdigital

ShovelPlannertohelpyoudoitall:schedule, plan,synctasks,timemanage,andreduce stress.

Orthesefreeprintableplannersheetsmade justforyou!

Makethissemestercountforyourlast transcriptthatcollegeswillseeanddoyour best!

GoseetheACEforacademicsupportand tutoring

Classregistrationisaroundthecorner!Stay organizedwiththe4-YearPlanning Template.

SENIORS

UPDATE NAVIANCE UPDATE NAVIANCE

CHECK YOUR APPLICANT PORTALS

Ifyoumissarequestformoreinformationoranadditionaldocument, itcouldjeopardizeyouradmissionchances,socheckregularly.

Counselorswillsendyourmidyearreports,andifyoumadeaschedule changeforsecondsemester,counselorswillincludeanexplanation statementtoyourcolleges.

Expectautomatedemailsregardingyour"missingmidyear transcripts"

Pleaseemailthosecollegestoinformthemthatyouarestillinsession, andyourcounselorwillsendthemid-yeartranscriptoncegradesare finalizedthesecondweekofFebruary

UpdateyourNavianceaccount withoutcomesonyour“Colleges IAppliedTo”list.

Iftherearecollegesyoudidn’t applyto,letyourcounselorknow.

SCHOLARSHIPS SCHOLARSHIPS

Wehavethescooptohelpyou searchforScholarships

SeeourScholarshipResources withalistoftrustedsites

Askcounselorsforyourletters ofrec&transcriptifyouneed themtoapply

EA DEFERRALS OR WAITLISTED

Whattodoifyou’redeferredorwaitlisted: Reviewyourapplicationanddetermine whetheryouwanttowritealetterof continuedinterest.

Ifyourapplicationisdeferred,itwillbereevaluatedwiththeRegularDecisionpoolin Jan/Feb.

Tostrengthenyourfile,sendupdatesonnew awardsorresearchprojects.

Note:Schoolswillnotacceptrevisedessays orextrarecommendationletters

Andifyou’reconfusedaboutthepurposeof awaitlist,readthisblogpostbyanadmission director.

SENIORS

FINANCIAL AID OFFERS

Itisimportanttounderstandyour FinancialAidOffer.

Becauseeveryofferis individualized,thereisno standardizedformatthat collegesfollow Herearetwooptionstohelp youbetterunderstandand compareyouroffers: EARNESTArticleand FORBESArticle

IFYOUHAVEQUESTIONS,CALLTHE FINANCIALAIDOFFICEOFYOUR COLLEGES

Theyareusuallyhappytohelp

WASTHEINITIALFINANCIALOFFER LESSTHANTHEASSISTANCEYOU REQUIRE?

Don’tbeafraidtocalloremail thefinancialaidofficeofyour selectedcollege Inquireaboutopportunitiesto increaseaidorapplyfor additionalscholarshipswithin theinstitution.

Here’saguidetowritinga qualityFinancialAidAppeal Letter StartHere

BY MAY 1 MAKE YOUR COLLEGE DECISION

Ifyourapplicationis deferred,itwillbereevaluatedwiththeRegular DecisionpoolinJan/Feb

YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED OF COLLEGE OUTCOMES BY APRIL 1ST

Andifyou’reconfused aboutthepurposeofa waitlist,readthisblogpost byanadmissiondirector

CAN’T MAKE UP YOUR MIND? CAN’T MAKE UP YOUR MIND?

Decidingwhichcollegeisthebestfit,isabigdecision andamajorinvestmentofyourtime,energy,and money.

Visitcampuseswhereyouhavebeenacceptedin personifyoucan.Trustyourinstincts--andthefacts! QuestionsToAsk:Gopreparedwithquestions thisis youropportunityto"interview"thecollege,notjusttake atour.

Seniorscanstillordergraduationgearhere. Josten’swilldelivertheminthespringforstudentsto pickupatlunch. GRADUATION GEAR GRADUATION GEAR

Free Money for College!

[The

sooner you get started, the better.]

Types of Scholarships

Therearethousandsofscholarshipsavailable,so focusyoursearchononesthatmatchyourinterests, goals,achievements,andbackground Youroddsare oftenhigherwithlocalscholarships(cityorstatebased)andsmallerawards andremember,youcan stackmultiplescholarships

Scholarshipscomeinmanyforms:somerequire essays,whileothersarebasedonmerit,financialneed, academics,athletics,demographics,fieldofstudy,or careergoals Foressay-basedscholarships,savetime bypreparing6–10strongdraftessaysthatcanbe easilyadapted Chooseflexibletopics(likecareer goalsorpersonalmotivation)andpersonalizethem foreachapplication

Applystrategicallybystartingwithscholarshipswhere youclearlymeettheeligibilitycriteriaandhavethe strongestchances Stayorganized,trackdeadlines, andsubmitearly Ifyou’renotselected,sendabrief thank-younote andapplyagainnextyear

Helpfulresourcestogetstartedinclude: Studentaid,GoingMerry,Forbescom,EssayGuy

Where to Look

Ittakestime,research,planningand worktofindscholarships Ifyoumake efforteveryweek,chancesareyouwill increaseyourodds

Youwon’twanttomissany notifications.Youalsowon’twantto haveyourprimaryemailbox overflowingwithpromotionsor advertising

Keeptrackofthescholarshipsyou applyfor,thedeadlines,whatessayor criteriawasusedtoapply,any requirements,whenthewinnerwillbe chosen,howmuchwillbeawarded,& whetheryou’rethewinner,etc

Manyscholarshipwebsitesoffer searchtools,weeklyupdates,and trackingfeatures Scholarships shouldnevercostmoney be cautiousofscamsorservicesthat sellyourinformation.“No-essay”and lotteryscholarshipsareoftenlowvalue,andyoushouldneverpayan agencytofindscholarshipsforyou.

Summer Opportunities

Use the summer to lean into who you are. We encourage you to seize this opportunity to explore new interests, develop skills, and step outside your comfort zone to immerse yourself in experiences that can shape your future path. Take a moment to reflect on your passions, curiosities, and aspirations. Then, browse through the vast summer opportunities linked below. From pre-college programs to internships, language immersion to wilderness adventures, you're bound to find an experience tailored to ignite your spirit of exploration and discovery.

Don't let this invaluable time slip away. Invest in yourself, feed your mind, and create lasting memories. It’s time to plan your summer!!

IDEAS TO RECHARGE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE!

Jobshadoworinternshipinafieldof interest

Pre-collegesummerprogramata university

Researchprogramorlabexperience

Communityserviceproject

Studyabroadorculturalimmersion travel

Languagelearningprogram

Outdoorleadershiporadventure program

Artsintensive(writing,dance,music, theater,etc.)

Coding,techorcomputercamp

Entrepreneurshiporbusinesscamp

Sportscamporclinic

Academicenrichmentcourses

Wildlifeconservationor environmentalwork

Museumorzooprogram

CollegeMatchPoint.com 4,000+SummerProgramsforTeens UWSummerSessions

SeattleUniversityPre-College Programs

M.A.S.HCamp-MulticareHealthcare CampBioMedNWAssoc.for BiomedicalResearch

PugetSoundSkillsCenter&Flight Schools