Counseling Department Frequently Asked Questions
How can I schedule a meeting with my counselor? To
whom do I go and is it smart to meet with my counselor just so
I can introduce myself?
To schedule a meeting with your counselor, you may come
to the counseling office and pick up a green appointment request form.
The form is self-explanatory.
Fill out this form and give it to one of the secretaries. It is, indeed
smart to meet with your counselor and introduce yourself. This way,
your counselor gets to know you and a relationship is established.
What do I do if my counselor is unavailable when I
need to talk to him/her?
If your counselor is unavailable you
can do any of the following: Make an appointment using the green
appointment sheet explaining what
you want to discuss. The counselor will get back to you.
If it is
an emergency please let the secretary or another counselor know. There
are other counselors available and they may be able to
help you immediately. The secretary will help you find someone to
talk to.
If no counselor is available and you feel an urgent need to
talk to someone, you may go to an administrator in the main office
or you may try to talk with the nurse.
If you are experiencing a crisis,
please talk to an adult immediately. Here is the county crisis number
(240) 777-4000 if you are not at
school.
Are there other staff members who can answer guidance
questions besides my counselor in case he/she is busy?
Other
counselors, our guidance secretaries, the registrars and the Career
Information Coordinators may all be able to answer your question.
Sometimes an administrator may be helpful depending on the question.
There is also a central office School Counseling Services Unit where
counselors may be able to help you with specific questions if no one
locally can help you. The number is (301) 279-3593.
Where can I find
a list of activities that I can be involved in and how can I get information
on activities’ dates?
There is a list of school-sponsored
activities in the Blair Student Plan Book. It includes everything
from sports to clubs to theater.
Also check the Blair website at http://www.mbhs.edu/.
If you have any problem contacting the activity sponsor, ask your
counselor for help.
What programs are there for new students entering
the school from other counties, states, or countries?
Students
new to Blair (other than 9th graders from the feeder schools) have
an individual registration conference with their counselor. The
purpose of this conference is to introduce students to the school
culture and answer questions regarding school policies and procedures,
as well as evaluating the student’s previous credits. Proof
of residency is required for registration at Blair.
Where can I get Student Service Learning
forms? When do these forms need to be turned in? Is there a deadline?
Student
Service Learning forms are available in the administrative offices
and from Mr. Hopkins. They need to be completely and properly
filled out and turned in when you have completed your hours. It is
preferred that you turn the hours in within the same school semester
that you perform the service If you have questions about particular
aspects of Student Service Learning or need information about what
organizations are acceptable for service, contact Mr. Rob Hopkins,
Robert_T._Hopkins@fc.mcps.k12.md.us or by phone at 301-649-2844.
By
what date should a student sign up for summer school?
The date for summer school registration varies from year to year,
but generally students need to be signed up for Semester 1 (typically
begins around the Fourth of July) several weeks ahead of time. For
second semester courses, which begin at the end of the first three-week
session (around the 25th of July), students must be registered by
early July. Registration materials are available in May in the Blair
Counseling Office.
Is there is a way students can select their teacher
for a particular course? Teachers have different styles of teaching
and students have
different learning styles, so a student may have more success with
one teacher than another.
Although it is true that students have different styles of learning
and teachers have different styles of teaching, a large part of life’s
survival skills is learning how to adapt and work with various personalities
and teaching styles. Since we change classes (and usually teachers)
at the beginning of each semester, students have a great opportunity
to familiarize themselves with a variety of styles. Some students
view this as an impediment to learning, but others find that the teacher
they weren’t so fond of early in the semester becomes one of
their favorites by the end of the eighteen weeks, and they learn to
appreciate the options of different classroom settings. If we were
to match you with your “favorite” teachers for four years,
what a rude awakening college and the world of work would be!! We
also need to balance classes and teacher loads equitably.
How should
I choose my classes? What classes look better to colleges? When comparing
grades for honors, regular and AP classes, which looks
better for a student to have: an A in a regular class or a C in a
honors/AP class?
Students should consult with their parents,
teachers and counselors in making course selections and selections
of levels of courses. While
consistency is important,
the types of classes you take and the grades you earn are extremely important.
We encourage students to seek out new academic experiences and exposure to new
ideas and we have many course selection options. Meeting with a counselor to
plan course selections and discuss college options would be beneficial in helping
you decide whether or not you want to continue with a particular subject.
Generally
speaking, colleges would like to see students challenge themselves
to as great a degree as possible in high school. Colleges also recognize
that
students have strengths and weaknesses, and understand that not all students
should take 7 honors/AP classes. Your high school program should reflect some
attempts at honors/AP work if that interests you and motivates you to success.
The selective colleges are interested in your Weighted GPA-the GPA that reflects
the honors and advanced level courses you took. An A or B in an honors or advanced
level class suitable for the student’s abilities is generally viewed more
favorably than all A’s in less challenging classes. Students consistently
making C’s in honors/AP classes should review their program with their
counselor.
Is it better to have more than two foreign language
credits?
Yes, in the same sense that it is better to take several
levels of other courses.
Completion of advanced levels indicates the student’s desire to challenge
himself or herself. Foreign language levels higher than level 2 give some advantage.
Four years of high school and seven credits per year allow you, in theory, to
take up to 28 credits by graduation. There is, therefore, ample opportunity to
take more than two credits of foreign language if you so desire.
How can I get
information about colleges and careers?
There are several ways to
get information about careers and colleges, and the Counseling Office and
the Career Center are the places to start. We have standardized
test registration packets (SAT’s and ACT’s), a listing of average
SAT scores for hundreds of colleges, and ACT/SAT score equivalent guide,
and counselors who will be happy to sit down with you to discuss different
college
options.
Check the Blair website under Career Center, http://career.mbhs.edu/ and
listen to Infoflow for college related information.
Which information
do I get from the Counseling Office, which from the Career Center, and
which from the Registrar?
There is a great deal of shared information
among all the counseling offices. You may get help from any place, but
generally:
The Career Center focuses on:
- College searches and information
- Career searches and information
- Financial aid and scholarship
information
- College recruiters
- Testing information (SAT, PSAT, ACT, TOEFL)
- GED information
The Counselors focus on:
- Personal counseling sessions
- Scheduling of classes
- Conferences with students, parents, and
teachers
- College advising and counseling
- Career advising and counseling
- Alternatives to college
- Edison High School of Technology information
- Night school or
summer school information and registration
- Special counseling referrals
- Crisis resolution
The Registrar’s Office and Secretaries
focus on:
Transcript requests for colleges, scholarships and jobs
- Enrollment of students
- Withdrawals of students
- Grades and grade changes
- Records management
What does it mean if I have good grades
but my SAT scores are not high?
The SAT tests are but one measure of
how a student might do in a college environment. It’s also important
to remember that a Verbal and Math composite score of 1000 is considered
to be a good indicator of success in college. If you are
doing A and B work in high school, challenging
yourself with some honors/AP classes, have a desire to learn and continue
challenging yourself, and you are an involved
member of the school community, it sounds
like you and your teachers are doing a fine job, and you would have an excellent
chance of success after high school
regardless of your SAT scores.
Do colleges
take heavy consideration of students’ involvement
in extracurricular activities?
A
general rule of thumb is that extracurricular
activities count about 25% of the admissions
decision. In discussions
with several
admissions
counselors,
deans
and directors the decision is usually
based on:
- 50% high school program and
GPA/WGPA (which translates into your range of class
position)
- 25% SAT scores (these may be
weighted more at the most competitive and highly
competitive institutions
- 25% Personal Qualities-as reflected in the
extracurricular activities to which
you have given significant amounts
of time.
Colleges like to know what quality of
contributions you have given to the
activity. They also
like to know if
you exhibited
leadership
skills
in
the organization.
Depth of involvement in activities
is preferred, rather than a breadth of activities.
Your
sports and activities
show
what kind
of broad
interest you have as well
as the time management skills you
possess.
Do colleges give more consideration
to those students in the Magnet
and CAP
programs?
Selective colleges
generally look for a transcript
that demonstrates
the
most rigorous
and challenging
high school
program of
which that student is capable.
The Magnet and CAP programs certainly
meet those high standards. Students
not in these
programs
at Blair
High School may
choose to complete an
equally
rigorous
and challenging program with careful
course selection. Consult with
your school counselor.
What is CAC?
What does it do for me? Who belongs? How does one join?
The CAC
is the Counseling Advisory Committee. This committee is
designed to help the
counseling department
with communications
to the Blair
community and
to help
with special projects. The
committee is made-up of parents and the
resource counselor.
We
are interesting in expanding
the membership
to include
students, teachers
and administrators. Students,
parents and teachers may join by expressing
their interest to the resource
counselor. We meet approximately
every month.
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