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Career & College Planning

Career & College Planning

  • ACCES-VR provides support for persons with disabilities in regards to vocational training, and career development. During junior year, students who have an IEP or 504 Plan are provided information and encouraged to begin the application process. Students do have to apply for these NYS provided services. During senior year, eligible students will receive the information again to ensure they do not miss the opportunity to apply.  Applying for and participation in ACCES-VR services is optional.

  • Students are encouraged to begin completing their college applications in August prior to their senior year. Majority of students will utilize the Common Application to apply to their chosen colleges.

    Occasionally, students will apply to college using the SUNY application or through a direct application available on a college’s website.

    All students must list the colleges they are applying to in Naviance Student and request a transcript using a Transcript Request Form available in the Guidance office. It is important that students maintain accurate records of their deadlines to ensure all requests for transcripts (and letters of recommendation) are made at least ten school days prior to the college’s posted deadline for the application type being submitted.

  • Most four-year colleges and universities and some two-year institutions require students to submit scores from a college entrance exam. The SAT is administered by the College Board and the ACT is administered by American College Testing. Juniors will usually take their college entrance exam in the spring of their junior year, however, students are welcome to test at any time and can take the SAT and/or ACT multiple times.

    Prior to taking the SAT, many students will take the PSAT in preparation for the actual exam. The PSAT is offered to all Juniors in October. Sophomores who are enrolled in Algebra 2 are also invited to take the exam. The registration and fee for the exam is collected through an external company called Total Registration. Registration and payment for the PSAT opens in early  August and concludes in early to mid-September. Student’s score reports become available on the College Board’s website in December. Following the release of score reports, students are encouraged to create a College Board account using a personal email address and begin using the resources on the College Board website and Khan academy to prepare for the SAT.

    For the SAT and ACT, students need to be familiar with test dates to be sure they register by the posted deadlines. Goshen High School is a test site for the SAT in November, December and May. Students choose their test center location at the time of registration.

    Scores from college entrance exams are reported to high schools, however, they are not listed on the high school transcript.  If official test scores are required, students must request their scores to be sent from the testing organization directly to the colleges they are applying to.

  • Students are encouraged to engage in ongoing research of career and college options. During junior year, counselors will visit students in their classes to facilitate the three part series titled, Career & College Readiness. This program encourages students to utilize Naviance and other resources to research colleges based on the components and characteristics that are important to them, review the data associated with college admissions and also begin to develop a plan to work toward implementation of their post-secondary goal. In addition to college research, counselors will assist students as they complete their third Naviance assessment, Strengths Explorer and also introduce components of college admissions and the application process.

  • In the spring, counselors invite the parents of juniors to attend Junior Parent Night. During this program, counselors will present information about college admissions and the application process. Information about financial aid will also be presented. Please check the district calendar for the scheduled date each year.

  • College Fairs bring together admission counselors from multiple colleges and allow students to begin to gather information about colleges that interest them. Students can speak to admissions representatives and seek additional information and ask specific questions to gain information about programs, services and campus living. There are two opportunities for students to attend a college fair locally.

    Each year in the spring, the Orange County Counselors Association hosts a college fair that is held at SUNY Orange in Middletown. All students are welcome to attend but this is especially important for juniors who are doing research about potential colleges. In the Fall, the CASDA College Fair is held at Goshen High School and again, all students are welcome. The Fall fair is a great opportunity for seniors to speak to admissions representatives from colleges they plan to apply to and for underclassmen, the Fall fair can really jump start the college research process.

    Following the initial information gathered at college fairs and through independent research via Naviance or college specific websites, students are encouraged to visit the campuses of the colleges that interest them. Many campuses offer virtual tours which is a great starting point before traveling to a campus. Students can often schedule in-person tours or register for open house events online at a college or university’s website. Students should use their personal email accounts when registering for events to ensure they can receive important information from colleges. Students are allowed three absences from school between the spring of their junior year and fall of senior year for the purpose of visiting a campus in-person.

  • All students who plan to attend college after high school are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Some colleges require a completed application. Students who plan to attend college in New York State should also complete a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application.

    In the fall, GHS offers an annual Financial Aid Night. A representative from the State of New York presents important information regarding financial aid and resources to students and parents. The financial aid process begins in October for seniors but anyone is welcome to attend this event.

  • Many colleges will require a letter of recommendation from a counselor (also referred to as a written evaluation) and/or teacher. All requests for letters of recommendation should be made in person well in advance of a student’s application deadline. In addition to making a request, students must complete the necessary documentation to accompany their request. For letters requested from teachers, students must complete the Teacher Letter of Recommendation Request form available in the Guidance Office. For a counselor letter of recommendation, students are asked to complete a Student Autobiography, Parent Brag Sheet and have a completed Resume in Naviance. A prepared resume submitted attached to the Autobiography will also be accepted. All requests are required to be made no less than ten school days prior to the college application deadline. This ensures the teacher and/or counselor has adequate time to complete the letter and any academic evaluations required.

  • During freshman year, students are introduced to the Naviance program. Each student is provided an access code in order to create their individual, personalized account. Students are encouraged to log into Naviance frequently to research potential careers as well colleges that may interest them. Students can also use Naviance to schedule tasks and view upcoming events such as college admissions representative visits.

    Counselors will conduct classroom guidance lessons with students to assist them in completing career assessments as follows:

    • Grade 9 – Personality
    • Grade 10 – Career Interest Profiler
    • Grade 11 – Strengths Explorer

    Following the introduction of Naviance, parents of ninth graders are invited to create an account in the Naviance program. A letter is sent to parents/guardians of ninth graders that includes the access codes parents need to create their account. If at any time, parents/guardians have difficulty accessing Naviance, they are encouraged to contact the counseling office for assistance.

  • Students who are interested in pursuing a Division I or II athletic opportunity in college, must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. It is recommended that students create their account and begin this process at the end of their sophomore year. In order to be academically eligible for Division I and II athletics, students must meet initial eligibility standards by completing a set of high school courses that are approved by the NCAA. Please note that not all courses that meet NYS graduation requirements are approved courses. The link below will allow student athletes to search for courses that are approved for Goshen High School.

    Once students have created their NCAA account and have a NCAA number, they must complete two release forms and submit them to the guidance office for the processing of their transcript to the NCAA.  An initial transcript will be sent to NCAA upon receipt of the release forms and a final high school transcript will be sent in July following graduation.

    Students who transfer schools during high school must request a transcript to be sent to the NCAA directly from each high school attended.

  • Beginning in late September counselors will begin meeting individually with seniors. The goal of the senior meeting is to review the academic transcript, schedule and progress toward graduation. Counselors will also review post-secondary plans with students to identify any assistance needed as students take steps to achieve their postsecondary goal. Counselors can assist students with resume completion, career research, college applications and general financial aid questions. Students are encouraged to schedule follow up meetings with their counselor as needed throughout their senior year.

  • Students are encouraged to become familiar with the scholarship information available in the Naviance Student program. As the guidance office is notified of scholarships available to students, information is posted in the Naviance system. Most scholarships are for seniors; however, there are awards posted for underclassmen as well. There are additional scholarship resources available for students.

    The Goshen High School Common Scholarship application is made available during the second semester of senior year. This packet includes a variety of scholarships that students can apply for. Each scholarship has specific criteria as well as components of the application that are required. This information is set by the scholarship donors/organization. Scholarship availability and amounts are also determined by scholarship donors and are subject to change. Students must apply for each scholarship they qualify for.

    When the application is available, seniors are notified and encouraged to apply. Scholarship recipients are typically notified at the annual Goshen High School Scholarship Banquet held in June.

  • For students interested in pursuing a career in the armed services, it is important to review the opportunities and requirements of each military branch. Military applicants are required to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The ASVAB can also be used as a career assessment tool and some students who are not interested in the military specifically will also take the assessment. The ASVAB is administered at Goshen High School once each year, usually during the month of March. Students must sign up in the Guidance Office to be included in the test administration.

    The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program offered at more than 1,700 colleges and universities that prepares students to pursue a career as an officer in the military. Students who are awarded an ROTC scholarship receive a full tuition scholarship in exchange for a commitment to serve in the military after graduation.

    Students who are interested in applying to a military academy must be knowledgeable about the requirements, application components and strict timeline for each academy.

  • The Employment certificate (working papers) application for students ages 14-17 who are interested in part- or full-time employment is available in the nurse’s office. Call (845) 615-6134 for information.

  • The following agencies, individuals and websites are not directly affiliated with the Goshen CSD but can assist with academics, career and college planning as well as test preparation.

    Some websites may ask for students to set up an account or provide information. We recommend that students consult with their parents/guardians before providing any personal identifying information. Also, GCSD email does not allow students to receive email from outside sources and therefore, students should use their personal email address to ensure they are able to receive email communications from outside sources.