Monday, October 31, 2016

Air Force ROTC Program

"Major Todd Meyers with the Air Force ROTC Program and Detachment 345 will be visiting BHS on Wednesday, November 9th at 10:00 (period 6 that day).  He is based out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell while supporting Merrimack College, Rivier University, Middlesex Community College (CC), Northern Essex CC, and formerly Daniel-Webster College.  He has offered to talk with any interested students about the Air Force.  The UMass – Lowell Detachment is fortunate to have Mr. Gregory Forti (Burlington HS Graduate) in his Second Year of the Program.  Since AFROTC is offered at more than 1,100+ colleges/universities nation-wide, he can explain the program and potentially put the prospective college student in contact with the host Detachment.  See below for further details about the AFROTC Program and scholarship opportunities.

Students interested in attending this information session should sign up in advance by putting their name on a sign-up sheet on the Guidance Counter. They will then receive a pass that will need to be signed by their period 6 teacher giving them permission to attend the presentation. 

 Background about the AFROTC Program:  AFROTC prepares young men/women to become an Air Force Officer while earning a college degree.  AFROTC offers a wide variety of scholarships (including tuition, most lab fees, annual textbook allowance and a monthly cash stipend up to $500) and our Cadets on scholarship don’t incur military obligation until their sophomore year.  We have three scholarship types:

Friday, October 21, 2016

College Topics for Senior Parents

The Guidance Department will host a breakfast called “College Topics for Senior Parents”. The purpose of this breakfast is so the counseling staff can give a very brief overview of important tasks associated with the college selection and application process. This event is geared for parents that missed the Senior College Planning Night on 10/6/16. Please join us for this informative event on October 26th at 8:30 AM in the BHS Guidance College and Career CenterParent's MUST RSVP by calling 781-270-1780.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

College Fair co-hosted by the BHS Guidance Department

On Wednesday October 26th from 6:30 -8:30 p.m., a college fair will be held at the Shriner's Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. The Burlington High School Guidance Department co-sponsors the event with many other Middlesex League High Schools. Usually over one-hundred colleges will attend. A college fair can be a very overwhelming experience for parents and students. The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has developed a very helpful tips. We also recommend bringing a pre-determined list of colleges. Make it a priority to visit the schools on your list, then time permitting check out some others. Please remember you are not obligated to stay the whole time, many students spend about an hour at the event.  Below is the most up to date list of colleges attending:


College
Albany College of Pharmacy
Albertus Magnus College
American International College
Anna Maria College
Assumption College
Bay Path College
Bay State College
Brandeis University
Bridgewater State University
Bryant University
Castleton State College
Catherine Hinds Institute
Champlain College
Clark University
Clarkson University
Colby-Sawyer College
College of Mount St. Vincent
Curry College
Daniel Webster College
Dean College
Elms College
Emerson College
Emmanuel College
Endicott College
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
Fisher College
Fitchburg State University
Framingham State University
Franklin Pierce University
Hamilton College
High Point University
Hofstra University
Husson University
Iona College
Johnson and Wales University
Johnson State College
Keene State College
Lasell College
Lesley University
Lyndon State College
Manhattan College
Marist College
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Merrimack College
Middlesex Community College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Ida College
National Aviation Academy - New England
New England College
New England Hair Academy
New England School of Photography
Newbury College
Nichols College
North Shore Community College
Northern Essex Community College
Norwich University
Paul Smith's College
Pennsylvania State University
Personal Financial Management Plus
Pine Manor College
Plymouth State University
Providence College
Quinnipiac University
Reading Cooperative Bank
Reading Scholarship Foundation
Regis College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rivier College
Roanoke College
Roger Williams University
Rutgers University
Sacred Heart University
Saint Anselm College
Saint John's University
Saint Joseph's College - Maine
Salem State University
Salve Regina University
School of Fashion Design
Siena College
Simmons College
Southern New Hampshire University
Springfield College
Stonehill College
Stonybrook University
Suffolk University
SUNY - Cobleskill
SUNY-Genesco
Syracuse University
Temple University
Unity College
University at Albany
University at Buffalo
University of Delaware
University of Limerick
University of Maine-Farmington
University of Maine-Orono
University of Massachusetts - Boston
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
University of New England
University of New Hampshire
University of New Haven
University of Scranton
University of Southern Maine
University of Tampa
University of Vermont
Vermont Technical College
Wells College
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Western New England University
Westfield State College
Wheaton College
Worcester State University
United States Army Recruiting Station
United States Army National Guard
United States Marine Recruiting Office
United States Navy Recruiting Office

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

An Evening with Admissions Expert Mark Montgomery


Date: Monday October 17th
Time: 6:30PM– 8:00PM
Location: Burlington (MA) High School Auditorium

Join us for an entertaining, informative, and stress-reducing presentation by a national expert in higher education. This presentation is aimed at students in 8th through 11th grade.  Students are encouraged to attend with their parents.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Senior College Planning Night

Senior College Planning Night was well attended with roughly 125 parents. The BHS Guidance staff covered many aspects of the college planning and application process were covered. For parents that missed the event, BCAT will stream the event within the next few weeks. Informational packets were distributed to all that attended. If you would like to pick up a packet please feel free to stop by the Guidance Office.

Also for parents that missed this event we will hold our annual "College Topics for Parents of Seniors" breakfast on October 26th at 8:30 AM in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center. This informative event will cover the various topics relating to the college selection and application process for parents of Burlington High School seniors.

In terms of financial aid, two very important forms were mentioned last night. The FAFSA and the CSS profile. Both forms are now available. We encourage parents to investigate both applications ASAP. Please remember that the BHS Guidance Department will host a Financial Aid Night on Thursday October 13, 2016 at 6:30, Thursday January 5, 2017 at 6:30 and BHS will be a location this year for FAFSA Day on January 29th.

Financial Aid Night

The BHS Guidance Department strongly recommends that senior parents attend a presentation on Thursday, October 13th, 2016 beginning at 6:30 PM in the BHS Auditorium. MEFA will host and give an overview of the financial aid process, specifically in regard to completing the FAFSA. The FAFSA is an on-line form that must be completed for seniors to be eligible for state and federal loans and grants (https://fafsa.gov/). This form is NOW available. Below are specific details about FAFSA changes.


From the MEFA Web-Site

On Sept. 14, 2015, President Obama announced significant changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) process that will impact millions of students. Starting with the 2017­–18 application cycle, the following changes will be put in place: 
  • Students will be able to submit a FAFSA® earlier.  Students will be able to file a 2017–18 FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2016, rather than beginning on Jan. 1, 2017. The earlier submission date will be a permanent change, enabling students to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as October 1 every year. (There is NO CHANGE to the 2016–17 schedule. The FAFSA became available January 1 as in previous years.)
  • Students will use earlier income information. Beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA, students will be required to report income information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2017–18 FAFSA, students (and parents, as appropriate) will report their 2015 income information, rather than their 2016 income information.  
The following table provides a summary of key dates as we transition to using the early FAFSA submission time-frame and earlier tax information. 
If you’d like more details about the upcoming changes, you may read the fact sheet called College Students and Parents: What You Need to Know About the 2017­–18 FAFSA®.
We will continue to update this site as the 2017–18 FAFSA launch approaches.

Academy Night 2016

The New England Service Academy Information night will be at the Danversport Yacht Club on 11/2/2016. The event begins with dinner at 5:00.

School and service representatives attending:
Naval Academy
Military Academy
Air Force Academy
US Merchant Marine
US Coast Guard
Mass. National Guard
Mass. Maritime Academy
Maine Maritime Academy
SUNY Maritime Academy
Navy ROTC
Army ROTC
Air Force ROTC
Norwich University
The Citadel
Valley Forge Military Academy
Virginia Military Institute
US Marine Corps

Please click here for more information 



Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Performing and Visual Arts College Fair

The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) is pleased to announce its 2016 Boston Performing and Visual Arts College Fair on Thursday, October 27th, 2016 from 7 p.m to 9 p.m. at Boston University – Fuller Building. This program is an important resource for the fine arts students interested in pursuing undergraduate degrees of study in the areas of:

Music
Theatre
Dance
Visual arts
Graphic design
Film production, and other related disciplines.

Students will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from colleges, universities, conservatories, festivals, and other educational institutions with specialized programs in the visual and performing arts. Attendees of these free events will learn about educational opportunities, admission and financial aid, portfolio days, auditions and entrance requirements, and much more.

A workshop on Navigating the Audition/Portfolio Process will be offered from 6:10 p.m to 6:50 p.m at the College of Fine Arts - Theatre Lab.

All participants are encouraged to register prior to attending this event. This will make navigating the fair and collecting information from multiple colleges and universities much easier. By registering, students can print a bar coded confirmation to be used on-site at the fair as an electronic ID. Register prior to attending these events HERE.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Senior College Planning Night

Senior Parents and Seniors are reminded that College Planning Night will be held on Thursday October 6, 2016 at 6:30 in the Burlington High School Auditorium. The evening will cover a variety of topics in regard to the college selection and application process. The entire guidance staff will be at this event and we look forward to seeing you.

If you cannot make the event, it will be televised on BCAT. The showtimes will be posted soon.