Post Secondary Planning
Resources to help students with post-secondary planning options
Senior Parent Night
Financial Aid Night Events - Region 5 [pdf]
College Application Process & Transcript Due Dates [pdf]
Definitions of Admission Options in Higher Education [pdf]
Grade 12 Post-Secondary Plan Checklist [pdf]
Senior Night Program [pdf]
Resources/Links for Career Exploration
Fairfax County Career Connections - Access from 24/7 Blackboard - FCPS site provides information on career planning, self-assessments, college selection and applications, military opportunities, ROTC, trade schools, apprenticeship programs and more.questions about you
Career Cruising - Find careers that match your interests, explore careers, explore colleges. See Ms. Villars in the Career Center for Username and Password.
ASVAB - Offered at Westfield twice a year. Aptitude and Interest Assessment. ASVAB scores needed to enlist in the military. Sign up in the Career Center.
Family Connection - Family Connection is a web-based service designed especially for high school students and their parents. Family Connection is a comprehensive website that helps students as they make decisions about academic plans, colleges, and careers. Family Connection is linked with Counselor's Office, a service used in FCPS school counseling offices to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that is specific to each student's school. Get started with Family Connection
Parents who have registered for an FCPS 24-7 Learning Parent View Account are able to click on the Family Connection link to view information about their high school students postsecondary plans, interests, and opportunities. If you do not have a Parent View account, you may register by going to Blackboard. Login using the following information: Username: parentreg, Password: newuser. Once this process is completed, there will be directions to finalize the registration.
The Art Career Project - A database of over 1000 careers in art.
College Board Big Future - Search for colleges and careers.
Two-Year Colleges in the United States
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College transfer program
Virginia Colleges and Universities
SCHEV (State Council for Higher Education in Virginia) - This website provides information for Virginia's students, parents and educators in higher education in Virginia on preparing for, picking and paying for college.
Virginia's Private Colleges - Provides links to admissions & financial aid (including the Tuition Assistance Grant) for private college and universities in Virginia
Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC)http://www.nvcc.edu - With six campuses and distance learning opportunities, NVCC offers dual-enrollment opportunities through high school, continuing education courses and many programs that assist in transfer to other four-year colleges and universities.
College Visits
College representatives schedule private visits to Westfield High School from mid-September through November. These visits provide a personal touch that may not be available in a school's literature. Representatives inform students about the school's admissions process and deadlines, campus life, housing, majors available and scholarships. Students have the ability to ask questions and this is often a chance for students to meet the person who will read their applications in the future.
College visits are updated daily in Family Connection (through students' Blackboard accounts), under visit schedule. Students should sign-up for the visits on-line, print the confirmation page, and remember to ask their teacher to be excused 24 hours in advance of the visit. The confirmation page will serve as the student's pass and it must have a teacher's signature in order to attend the visit. Most visits are held in the Career Center
Testing
Westfield HS recommends that all juniors planning on applying to a 4 year college take the SAT and/or the ACT in the spring of their junior year. Students must register and pay for the SAT or ACT on their own. For students applying to highly competitive schools, students will also need to take SAT II (or SAT Subject Tests). You can take up to three SAT Subject Tests on one testing date.
SAT - to register for the SAT, find dates and test sites.
ACT - to register for the ACT, find dates and test sites.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) - to register for the TOEFL.
Military Information
To enlist in the military students must take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Assessment (ASVAB). Students may take this with a recruiter or Westfield offers this test twice each year; Fall and Spring. Sign up in the Career Center.
United States Air Force: www.airforce.com or for ROTC www.afrotc.com
United States Army: www.usarmy.com or for ROTC www.armyrotc.com
United States Navy: www.usnavy.com or for ROTC www.navy.com/careers/nrotc/applicationprocess
United States Coast Guard: www.uscg.mil
United States Marine Corp: www.usmarines.com
Virginia National Guard: www.vko.va.ngb.armymil/viginiaGuard/
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training (OJT) and related classroom instruction under the supervision of a journey-level craft person or trade professional in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation.
Virginia Department of Labor and Industry
Gap Year
A period, typically an academic year, taken by a student as a break between secondary school and higher education.
Financial Aid
FAFSA - This is a free application that cannot be completed until January of Senior year. Every school has a priority deadline you will be able to find on the financial aid page of the colleges website.
CSS Profile - Some colleges require this form to be submitted along with the FAFSA. Check the financial aid page of the colleges you are applying to for requirements.
Scholarships
All scholarships are listed on Family Connection (through students' Blackboard accounts), under colleges tab, scholarship list. Students can also visit the Career Center for a summary of everything on the FC scholarship list.
Job Listings
Students may come to the Career Center and review the Jobs Board. Many part-time and summer jobs listed for students.