College Visits: October 27-31

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Tuesday, October 28
1:45-2:00 pm

College Profile: Riverland Community College

One of the most popular colleges for Owatonna High School graduates to attend after high school is Riverland Community College.  Riverland Community College is a two-year school that offers short-term degrees like certificates and diplomas, or two-year Associate degrees.

Admissions
To apply for admission to Riverland Community College, you need to first complete their application, either online or on paper.  There is a $20 application fee.  You'll also need to submit your high school transcript through Docufide (you can pick up instructions on how to submit your transcript in the Career Center).  If you have taken any courses for college credit, you will also need to submit your official college transcripts.  Riverland Community College also requires that students take a placement test like Accuplacer.  Two-year colleges such as Riverland Community College typically have an open door policy, so if you submit all the application materials, you will be accepted to the college.

Academics
Riverland Community College offers over 50 different majors.  Some of the most popular majors are Liberal Arts & Sciences (designed to transfer to a four-year college or university), Farm Business Management, Nursing, Computer Technology, and Business.

Athletics
Riverland Community College offers the following sports: baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

Student Life
Riverland Community College has over 20 clubs and organizations for students to get involved in, including Theatre and Music, Gaming Club, Multicultural Club, Student Senate, and Nursing Student Forum.  There is also some on-campus housing available at the Austin campus.

College Visits: October 20-24

St. Catherine's University
Tuesday, October 21
9:00-9:30 am

Career Profile: Electrician

Electricians work to assemble, install, maintain, or repair electrical systems.  They read blueprints, install and test circuits, inspect equipment, and write cost estimates for clients.

High school courses that might be helpful for a future career as an electrician include:

• Carpentry
• Construction
• Electricity
• Electronics
• Industrial arts
• Physical education

Many electricians are self-employed or start their own business as well.  If this appeals to you, additional coursework in accounting, entrepreneurship, or business might be beneficial as well.  You also may want to look into doing a mentorship or internship with an electrician in the area to get some hands on experience, too!

You might make a good electrician if...

• You like to work with your hands.
• You enjoy being outdoors.
• You like to work with physical materials.
• You value independence and being treated fairly.
• You like to see results from your work.
• You want steady employment and steady pay.

 For a list of colleges in the state of Minnesota that offer electrician programs, click here!


Information gathered from www.mncis.intocareers.org.

Testing, Testing, 1-2-3

Throughout your school career, you have all had experience taking standardized tests before: MCAs, NWEAs, etc.  There is, however, a whole different category of tests that high school students take: college readiness tests.  It can be confusing to keep them all straight at times, so here is a guide to help you understand each different test.

ACT
The ACT is a test that most of you probably have heard of, and many of you (seniors and some juniors) have likely already taken.  The ACT is required for admission to four-year colleges and universities.  Most colleges and universities in the Midwest prefer the ACT as opposed to the SAT (which is covered next).  ACT scores can also be used for placement at two-year colleges and technical colleges.  All juniors at Owatonna High School will be taking the ACT for free on April 28, 2015 as a part of Minnesota's statewide college and career readiness testing program.

You may be interested in taking the ACT at another time as well.  To see national test dates and register for the ACT, you can visit www.actstudent.org.  The cost for the ACT + Writing is $54.50, and the cost of the ACT without Writing is $38.00.  There is a fantastic free ACT online prep course at www.mncis.intocareers.org that you can take to help you get ready for the ACT.  Students who prepare for the ACT and know what to expect tend to get higher scores than students who go into the test without any preparation and prior knowledge.

SAT
Like the ACT, the SAT is another test that is required for admission to four-year colleges and universities.  Whereas the ACT is typically used for colleges and universities in the Midwest, the SAT is preferred for schools on the East coast and West coast.  You can see SAT test dates and register for the test at http://sat.collegeboard.org/register.  There is a free SAT online prep course at www.mncis.intocareers.org that you can take to prepare for the SAT as well, which is highly recommended.

For both the SAT and the ACT, it is recommended that students take them during the spring semester of their junior year (or in the summer before senior year).  It gives you time to take core classes during junior year that will cover material on the tests, allows you to have a score on file before applying to colleges in the fall of your senior year, and also gives you time to retest if you'd like to try for a higher score.

Accuplacer
The Accuplacer is a placement test that is used by several two-year colleges in order to determine if a student is ready to handle college-level courses, or if they will need to enroll in developmental or remedial courses before they can enroll in college-level courses.  Typically, it is taken after students have applied to a two-year college and prior to registering for college courses.  Two-year colleges also will accept an ACT test score in place of the Accuplacer.  There is no fee for taking the Accuplacer.  To learn more about the Accuplacer, you can visit their website: http://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/students

ASVAB
The ASVAB is a career planning test that measures traditional academic skills in verbal, math, and science, but it also measures career aptitudes in electronics information, auto and shop information, mechanical comprehension, and assembling objects.  It can also help students identify career strengths and interests.  The ASVAB is also used by the military as a qualifying exam for entrance into different branches and career paths in the military.  The ASVAB is free for students to take.  You can learn more about the ASVAB here: http://official-asvab.com/applicants.htm


PLAN
The PLAN test is like a pre-ACT exam.  It measures students' level of college readiness, includes a survey to identify career interests, gives an estimate of how students will do on the ACT, and gives feedback o nwhat to work on and how to prepare for the ACT.  All of the sophomores at Owatonna High School will be taking the PLAN test on November 12th, on the morning of our College and Career Day.  This is a part of Minnesota's statewide college and career readiness testing program, and it is free for students to take on November 12th.  If you are a 10th grade student, you will be learning how to interpret your PLAN scores in TMM once the scores are in.  You can learn more about the PLAN test at their website: www.act.org/planstudent/

PSAT
The PSAT is like a pre-SAT exam.  It measures how students might do on the SAT, gives feedback about what to work on and how to prepare for the SAT, provides links to career and college planning resources, and is the gateway exam for the National Merit Scholarship program.  Typically, students need to score in the top 1-2% on the PSAT nationwide to become semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program.  Our juniors will be taking the PSAT tomorrow.  Cost is $14, and there is a limited number of tests available.  You can learn more about the PSAT at their website: www.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt

Is your head spinning yet?  There is a lot of information out there about college readiness tests, and it definitely can get overwhelming at times.  It is recommended for students to learn about these tests early on in their high school careers so that they know what to expect when it comes time for them to take them.  If you have questions about any of these tests, please contact your counselor.

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to the new Owatonna High School Career Center blog!  We are so excited to share with you all kinds of information about careers, colleges, and the latest happenings in the OHS Career Center.

On the blog, you can expect to see posts about:

• Career profiles
• College profiles
• What you can do now to prepare for your future
• School success tips
• Scholarship information
• Ways to use MCIS (Minnesota Career Information System)
• Test preparation information
• Which colleges are going to be visiting OHS
• Pictures and videos
• And more!!

Stay tuned for some great information!!

GO HUSKIES!