The Senior Seminar course is where students begin the college application and acceptance process. Before applications open at the beginning of October, AVID Seniors are busy preparing all the relevant documents they will need throughout the year. These include refinement of their personal statements, scholarship essay, letters of recommendation, and all other paperwork they will be working with this year. Once October begins, students spend much of their time working though college applications for California State University, University of California, and Private Colleges. The application process is coupled with various scholarship opportunities available to students in the fall. Student also continue bi-weekly reflections of their senior process, reading and writing to learn activities, and Socratic seminar engagement, as well as weekly tutorial sessions in the AVID elective.
The end of the first semester in AVID begins with the opening of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the beginning of the financial aid season. Students need to gather all relevant documents pertaining to the state and federal financial aid process. The first and second semesters in the Senior Seminar class act as a problem solving session, where students have an hour three days a week to navigate the college application, acceptance and financial aid waters that is daunting for many students.
In the third quarter, we take a completely different path. During these 9-10 weeks, Seniors pick a career and a family life, and must navigate their way through the financial realities of adulhood. They must learn what it means to rent an apartment, buy a car, gain insurance, and explore other financial realities. They are required to create a spending plan and budget, and work through the financial literacy website Everfi.
During the fourth quarter, students begin to finalize their college plans. Students take time to review their financial aid offers and choose the schools they will be attending in the fall. Moreover, the fourth quarter is time for AVID seniors to reflect on their time in high school. Seniors prepare presentations for their peers, examining their time in high school, and the process they went through to achieve their college goals. AVID students form a bond during their years, and they become a close-knit family of students. Through classroom presentations, AVID seniors learn a bit more about each other as their last few weeks in high school come to a close.
The end of the first semester in AVID begins with the opening of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the beginning of the financial aid season. Students need to gather all relevant documents pertaining to the state and federal financial aid process. The first and second semesters in the Senior Seminar class act as a problem solving session, where students have an hour three days a week to navigate the college application, acceptance and financial aid waters that is daunting for many students.
In the third quarter, we take a completely different path. During these 9-10 weeks, Seniors pick a career and a family life, and must navigate their way through the financial realities of adulhood. They must learn what it means to rent an apartment, buy a car, gain insurance, and explore other financial realities. They are required to create a spending plan and budget, and work through the financial literacy website Everfi.
During the fourth quarter, students begin to finalize their college plans. Students take time to review their financial aid offers and choose the schools they will be attending in the fall. Moreover, the fourth quarter is time for AVID seniors to reflect on their time in high school. Seniors prepare presentations for their peers, examining their time in high school, and the process they went through to achieve their college goals. AVID students form a bond during their years, and they become a close-knit family of students. Through classroom presentations, AVID seniors learn a bit more about each other as their last few weeks in high school come to a close.