Stevenson counselors outline postsecondary timeline, resources for sophomores
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Summary
Stevenson High School counselors walked sophomores and families through college and career planning timelines, available resources (including Naviance), upcoming college-rep visits and individualized postsecondary scope meetings.
Stevenson High School’s college and career counselors laid out a multi-year roadmap for sophomores at a school presentation, covering timelines, campus visits, application planning and counseling services.
The counselors — Dan Miller, postsecondary counselor; Jamie Travis, career resource specialist; and Sarah Hansen, postsecondary counselor — told students and families that sophomore year is a time to begin research and build a working list of colleges while using school resources like the College & Career Center and Naviance. "We want the student forefront," Hansen said, stressing student ownership of the process.
The presentation explained why fit matters — academically, socially and financially — and encouraged students to begin a broad list of schools (roughly a dozen to 20) and narrow it over time. Counselors urged families to use official college websites for up‑to‑date admission and cost information and to treat Naviance and other tools as research aids. Miller noted that the college website remains “the gold standard” for accurate information.
Counselors previewed events and touchpoints for rising juniors: college-rep visits beginning around Labor Day and concentrated in September and October; a junior-focused college night set for Nov. 10; a financial aid night on Sept. 25 featuring a guest from Lake Forest College; Choices College Fair for students with IEP or 504 plans on Oct. 7; and local and national college fairs. They also described 45‑minute individualized postsecondary scope meetings (scheduled late 2025 through the following June) where counselors will review transcripts and recommend a working list of schools.
On academic preparation, counselors recommended maintaining strong grade trends, said transcripts are the most important part of an application, and advised taking standardized tests only a few times rather than repeatedly. They described support such as college rep visit notes that the counselors publish in Naviance and the school’s ongoing updates to the College & Career Center website and YouTube resources.
The presentation closed with logistical tips — sharing student Naviance logins with families, using the College & Career Center website for links and recordings, and contacting counselors for individual appointments — and with an invitation to follow the center’s social channels for event updates.
