The curriculum of St. Francis High School is college-preparatory, and, therefore, the goal of the College Counseling Office is to ensure that each student matriculates to a college or university that is a good fit for him academically, emotionally, and spiritually. One hundred percent of St. Francis graduates attend college. In a typical year, 90% of our students are accepted to at least one 4-year college.

 

College Counselors Daniel Pelletier and Anthonette Sweeney are available to upperclassmen and their parents. In working with students and parents, the college counselors facilitate the college search process, communicate and solve problems throughout the search and application process, write letters of recommendation, and write monthly articles for Knights and Days, the monthly newsletter for St. Francis families. Application workshops are offered to seniors in order to help them complete their UC and CSU applications. In addition, the college counselors plan and coordinate several evening presentations, including College Knowledge Night for Seniors and Their Parents; College Knowledge Night for Juniors and Their Parents; Creating a College Profile Nights for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Their Parents; Financial Aid Nights; and Moving On Night for Seniors and Their Parents.

Steps to Career: http://www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/steps.asp

O*Net Online: http://online.onetcenter.org/

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Career Information: http://stats.bls.gov/k12/

CareerOneStop: http://www.careeronestop.org/

America's Career Infonet: http://www.acinet.org/

Career Voyages: http://www.careervoyages.gov/

MonsterCollege: http://college.monster.com/

 

Accreditation Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_accreditation

The College Board: http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp

Petersons: http://www.petersons.com

Princeton Review: http://www.princetonreview.com

GoCollege: http://www.gocollege.com

My College Options: http://www.mycollegeoptions.org/

University and College Accountability Network: http://ucan-network.org/

College Grazing: http://collegegrazing.com/

Guidance Resource Homepage: http://www.wisemantech.com/guidance/

College Navigator: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

College Results Online (college graduation rates): http://collegeresults.org/

Unigo (college reviews by college students): http://www.unigo.com/

Virtual Campus Tours: http://www.ecampustours.com/

Steps to College Newsletter: http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/steps/Pages/default.aspx

Colleges That Change Lives: http://www.ctcl.org/

Colleges of Distinction: http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/

Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges: http://www.coplac.org/members.html

Catholic Colleges and Universities: http://www.catholiccollegesonline.org

Franciscan Colleges and Universities: http://www.franciscancollegesuniversities.org/

Jesuit Colleges and Universities: http://www.ajcunet.edu

Dominican Colleges and Universities: http://www.domlife.org/Links/DominicanColleges_UniversitiesList.htm

Benedictine Colleges and Universities: http://www.abcu.info/

Congregation of Holy Cross Colleges and Universities: http://www.holycrosscongregation.org/almanacdirectory/schools

Lasallian Colleges and Universities: http://www.ialu.net/portal/index.php?page=universities

Sisters of Mercy Colleges and Universities: http://www.mercyhighered.org/index.html

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities: http://www.cccu.org/members_and_affiliates

National Collegiate Honors Council (honors colleges and programs): http://www.nchchonors.org/hsstudentscounselersparents.shtml

Great Books Colleges and Programs: http://www.thegreatideas.org/schools.html

Work Colleges Consortium: http://www.workcolleges.org/wcc.htm

The Eco League (environmentally-oriented colleges): http://www.ecoleague.org/

Lists of federal service academies, state-supported and private college-level military academies, military junior colleges, and state-supported maritime colleges and universities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_schools_and_academies#Private.2FState_college-level_military_academies_.28United_States.29

Results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) of four-year colleges and universities: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-04-nsse-how-to_N.htm

Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE): http://www.ccsse.org/

 National Portfolio Day (for arts program and colleges): http://www.portfolioday.net/

 

Research California Colleges and Universities:

California Independent Colleges and Universities: http://www.aiccu.edu

University of California: http://www.ucop.edu

California State University: http://www.calstate.edu

 California Community Colleges: http://www.cccco.edu/

 

Research International Universities:

Study in Canada: http://www.studyincanada.com/english/index.asp

Canada’s Higher Education and Career Guide: http://www.canadian-universities.net/

Study in the U.K.: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-study-in-the-uk-old

UCAS (clearinghouse for applying to U.K. universities): http://www.ucas.ac.uk/

 Study in Australia/New Zealand: http://www.australearn.org/

 

College Entrance Exams and Test Preparation:

Register/Prepare for the SAT: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/reg.html

Register/Prepare for the ACT: http://www.actstudent.org

Number2.com (free SAT and ACT prep): http://www.number2.com

Gleim PSAT Prep (free): https://www.gleimpsat.com/

UC College Prep (free online AP courses): http://www.uccp.org/

 

Common Application: http://www.commonapp.org

University of California Application Information Center: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergradapp/welcome.html

California State University Center: http://www.csumentor.edu

UC/CSU Approved A-G Course List: http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/

Guide to Public and Private Options in California: http://www.californiacolleges.edu/

 

Financial Aid:

FinAid, the SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid: http://www.finaid.org/

Federal Student Aid Information Center: http://studentaid.ed.gov

FAFSA Online: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

CSS Profile Online: http://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp

California Student Aid Commission: http://www.csac.ca.gov

EdFund: http://www.edfund.org

FAFSA4caster (early estimator of the estimated family contribution toward college costs): http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/F4CApp/index/index.jsf

Army ROTC: http://www.goarmy.com/rotc/

Air Force ROTC: http://afrotc.com/scholarships/

Navy ROTC: https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/

 

Scholarship Tips and Information About Scholarship Scams: http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/

Scholarships.com: http://www.scholarships.com

FastAid: http://www.fastaid.com

FastWeb: http://www.fastweb.com

 MeritAid: http://www.meritaid.com/

 

Resources for Students with Disabilities:

Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD): http://www.ahead.org/students-parents

Office for Civil Rights: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition: http://www.ncset.org/

 

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): http://eligibilitycenter.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.html

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA): http://www.naia.org

National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics: http://www.nacda.com

 National Directory of College Athletics: http://www.collegiatedirectories.com

 

College Admissions Blogs (helpful information for students and parents):

Admissions Advice: http://www.admissionsadvice.com/

The College Solution: http://thecollegesolutionblog.com/

The Choice (New York Times): http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/

Not Your Average Admissions Blog: http://notjustadmissions.com/

 

Extracurricular Activities: Academic/Educational

Pasadena City College: http://www.pasadena.edu/admissions/apply/hs.cfm

Fast Track and College Advantage Programs (PCC): http://www.pasadena.edu/transfer/specialprograms/fasttrack.cfm

Glendale College: http://www.glendale.edu/AR/application.htm

Citrus College: http://www.citruscollege.edu/ar/Pages/ApplyingforAdmission.aspx

College of the Canyons: http://www.canyons.edu/offices/Admissions/highschoolstudents.asp

Los Angeles Community College District: http://www.lacolleges.net/admissions/

Art Center College of Design Saturday Program: http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/programs/public_programs/saturday_high.jsp

Armory Center for the Arts: http://www.armoryarts.org/education.php

Ryman Arts: http://www.rymanarts.org/

Los Angeles County Regional Occupational Program: http://www.lacorop.org/ROPOnline.htm

Jisan Research Institute: http://www.jisan.org/

UCLA Extension: https://www.uclaextension.edu/r/default.aspx

Cal State University, Los Angeles Pre-Collegiate Programs: http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/sem_ed/precol-list.htm

Riordan Scholars Program: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x1325.xml

The Teaching Company: http://www.teach12.com/teach12.aspx

Cogito's Summary of Academic Competitions: http://www.cogito.org/Programs/programslist.aspx?competitions

The Concord Review: http://www.tcr.org/

LA Youth: http://www.layouth.com/

Aviation Explorers Post 747: http://www.sfv99s.org/explorers.html

 

Extracurricular Activities: Volunteer

LA's Best: http://www.lasbest.org/

Brotherhood Crusade: http://bhcsports.org/

YMCA of the Foothills: http://www.ymcacc.org/Main/Default/Home.aspx

Boys & Girls Clubs of Pasadena: http://www.bgcpasadena.org/

New Horizons Family Center: http://www.newhorizonsfamilycenter.org/

Union Station: http://www.unionstationfoundation.org/

Habitat for Humanity (San Gabriel Valley): http://www.sgvhabitat.org/

Special Olympics of Southern California: http://www.sosc.org/

AbilityFirst: http://abilityfirst.org/index.asp

L.A. Works: http://www.laworks.com/HomePage/index.php/home.html

Huntington Hospital: http://www.huntingtonhospital.com/ME2/Default.asp

Verdugo Hills Hospital: http://www.vhhospital.org/community_volunteer.asp

City of Hope: http://www.cityofhope.org/Pages/default.aspx

Pasadena Senior Center: http://www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/index.htm

Descanso Gardens: http://www.descansogardens.org/site/volunteering.cfm

Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens: http://www.huntington.org/default.aspx

Autry National Center: http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/volunteers.php

 

Summer Programs*

Enrichment Alley (searchable directory): http://www.enrichmentalley.com/

Trips on Tips and Camps: http://tipsontripsandcamps.com/

Cogito (Connecting Young Thinkers Around the World): http://www.cogito.org/Programs/programslist.aspx?summerprograms

California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS): http://www.ucop.edu/cosmos/

Innerspark, California State Summer School for the Arts: http://www.csssa.org/

Eve and Gene Black Summer Medical Career Program: http://www.lapedsoc.org/summer/index.html

Engineering Innovation: http://engineering-innovation.jhu.edu/

Thomas Aquinas College Summer Great Books Program: http://thomasaquinas.edu/admission/summerprogram/index.htm

University of Northern Colorado Summer Enrichment Program: www.unco.edu/cebs/sep

University of Dallas Summer Programs (Irving, Texas and Rome, Italy campuses): http://www.udallas.edu/academics/summer/hs

High School Summer Science Research Program: http://www.baylor.edu/summerscience/

Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS): http://www.umsl.edu/~sep/programs/stars.html

Iowa Young Writers' Studio: http://www.uiowa.edu/~iyws/

Northwestern College (Iowa) Neuroscience Camp: http://www.nwciowa.edu/neuroscience/camp.aspx

St. Cloud State University Pipeline Summer Camp Programs: http://www.stcloudstate.edu/pipeline/default.asp

University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences: http://summerprograms.aces.illinois.edu/

Operation Catapult: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/catapult/

Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning Summer Program: http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/CAP/Academics/SummerWorkshop.aspx

The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop: http://www.kenyonreview.org/workshops-ywinfo.php

The Art and Science of Medicine: https://reason.kzoo.edu/hhmi/artandscience/

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp: http://camp.interlochen.org/

Michigan Tech Summer Youth Explorations: http://www.youthprograms.mtu.edu/syp/explorations.asp

Environmental Studies Summer Youth Institute: http://academic.hws.edu/enviro/

World Debate Institute: http://learn.uvm.edu/wdi/?Page=highschool.html

Project SMART: http://www.smart.unh.edu/

Maine Summer Youth Music: http://www.umaine.edu/spa/YouthPrograms/MSYMSeniorCamp.html

UConn Mentor Connection: http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/mentor/

Pace University Summer Scholars Institute: http://www.pace.edu/page.cfm?doc_id=9934

Daniel Fox Youth Scholars Institute: http://www.lvc.edu/CEGS/CE/youth-scholars.aspx?pid=70

North Carolina State University Engineering Summer Programs: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/summerprograms/index2.html

July Experience at Davidson College: http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x3808.xml

Furman University Summer Scholars: http://engagefurman.com/index.asp?id=1033

Sewanee Young Writers' Conference: http://www.sewanee.edu/ywc/

Firespark!: http://www.firespark.org/

 

*selected links—the College Counseling Office maintains a more extensive list in the spring semester