Post-Secondary Planning

We have opened a new Career & College Readiness Center at Richfield High School this year, staffed by CCR Program Coordinator Julie Magnuson, to provide students with ready access to postsecondary resources and support. Here, students can find information about jobs, scholarships and college fairs, as well as attend college and military rep. visits, sign up for WIN sessions and meet with Ms. Magnuson for postsecondary planning, including FAFSA and college application assistance. Students are encouraged to visit the CCR Center and can schedule a meeting with Ms. Magnuson.

Upward Bound and College Possible are both postsecondary support programs hosted at RHS. Information for these programs, along with other opportunities, are available from our counselors and Ms. Magnuson. We encourage our students to learn more about ways in which they can receive extra support as they prepare for postsecondary success.

Annual paid internships are available for qualified and selected RHS students through Genesys Works and BrandLab, and other internships also arise periodically. Ms. Magnuson and our counselors are available to advise interested students of these and other relevant opportunities.

Naviance is a web-based tool that all students use for learning about and planning for careers and college. Naviance curriculum is embedded into CCR lessons from grades 6-12. Our counselors & Ms. Magnuson will support you with accessing and using this tool. In addition, you can schedule a visit with your counselor or Ms. Magnuson at any time to discuss your plans. 

Follow these steps to access Naviance:

1. Log into your student portal
2. Select the "Clever" icon
3. Click "log in with Google"
4. Choose your school email account
5. Click the "Naviance" icon

Once there, you can: 

1. Sign up for college rep visits from calendar on homepage
2. Explore careers and colleges from tabs on top of homepage
3. Access curriculum from purple box at bottom of homepage

College is not limited to only four-year institutions. Consider college to be any accredited postsecondary education or training that will lead you to a career (not just a job). That may be a certificate or license, an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. The only “right” pathway is the one that fits you best.

Deciding on your Pathway:

• It is crucial that you carefully choose what is right for you, as one size does not fit all. Some important things to consider are how long it takes to attain postsecondary certification, location and size of the institution, housing options, social life, admission policy, cost and program availability. Most importantly, however, you should choose a school that feels like a good fit. There are many resources to help you make this decision, including talking with college representatives at Richfield High School, conducting campus visits and completing the “Super Match” survey under the colleges tab in Naviance to help determine your best fit. 

College Representatives

• Over 100 public and private educational institutions send representatives to the CCR Center at RHS to visit with interested students during the school year. This includes two-year and four-year colleges, universities and technical schools, as well as military representatives. Juniors and seniors are invited to sign up through Naviance to meet with the representatives during the school day. This is one of the ways you can obtain preliminary information about a college before scheduling a campus visit. College representative visits are posted on this website’s calendar, and on the “Class of 2022” and “Class of 2023” Schoology Pages.

Campus Visits

• The best way to determine if you will "fit in" at a school is to make a campus visit. You are encouraged to schedule an official visit through the college’s admissions office, during which you will be given the opportunity to tour the campus, sit in on classes and visit with current students and/or professors. If possible, it is most beneficial to visit a campus when classes are in session to get a feel for true student life. We suggest that you use days off during the October MEA break or staff development days throughout the school year to set up your visits (as opposed to missing school).

College Admissions

• Admission to a postsecondary institution varies from school to school. Technical schools generally require that students have earned a high school diploma, and suggest that they have completed classes in areas to which they are applying. Two-year public colleges (often referred to as community colleges) generally require that students have a high school diploma, and suggest that they have completed a college preparatory curriculum. Four-year public colleges and universities generally require students to be in the upper 50th percentile of their class and/or earn a minimum 21 ACT score, in addition to completing a college-preparatory curriculum. Requirements for the University of Minnesota system and for private school admission vary greatly and we suggest that you speak with your counselor or to the college for more information. 

Student Athlete Information

• For students who are interested in participating in a collegiate sport at Division I or II level, it is important for you to complete the necessary paperwork through the NCAA. Please visit the NCAA website for more information.

Once you have made some college decisions, it is time to apply. We suggest that you pay close attention to due dates and that you thoroughly prepare your applications, allowing sufficient time to gather all of your materials in order to meet the college’s application deadlines. 

1. Log on to the college's website and go to the admissions page. Most colleges will have a button that says "Apply Now." Once you have completed each step, review the application before submitting it. If you need to quit and come back before submitting, make sure you save your information. When applying online, application fees must be paid with a credit card.
2. Request letters of recommendation (if needed).
3. Communicate with your counselor to finalize your transcript submission. NOTE: If you do not complete this step, your application file will remain incomplete at the college.

Financial Aid is a broad term for money to help pay for college or technical school. It includes grants, scholarships, loans and work-study. While financial aid is a critical piece of paying for education, you and your family should invest time in the college search process to create a list of colleges and universities for which you are a great fit. It is important that at least one of the schools is a “financial safety” school, or a school where you can afford to attend with little to no financial aid.

You are encouraged to speak with admission officers about how merit aid is distributed within the institution, and tools to assist families in understanding what sort of financial aid they could expect. Further, any institution that distributes federal monies is required by federal law to provide students with a “Net Price Calculator,” a tool that provides an institution-specific financial aid estimate.

Required by many colleges, universities and scholarship committees, letters of recommendation allow readers to develop a deeper, fuller understanding of the applicant. There are different types of letters of recommendation that serve different purposes:

Academic/Teacher Letter of Recommendation 

Typically written by core subject teachers from your junior or senior year, academic letters of recommendation describe you in the context of the classroom. They discuss your intellectual curiosity, student leadership, engagement, group work and response to challenges. 

Counselor Letter of Recommendation

The role of the counselor letter of recommendation is to describe you in context of the entire school and larger community. In addition to assisting readers in understanding what a “typical” student at the school looks like and how you compare, counselors can describe trends on your transcript, extra-curricular and familial obligations and special circumstances. 

Employer, Coach or Religious Leader Letter of Recommendation

You may consider including additional letters of recommendation if you feel that your application is lacking an important piece of information. In this case, you may consider getting a letter of recommendation from an employer, coach or religious leader. These letters of recommendation should be considered as supplemental and DO NOT replace a teacher or counselor letter of recommendation. You should speak with your counselor about how and when to use this option. 

Asking for Letters of Recommendation

Prior to asking for a letter, it is important that you know how many letters you will need, the type of letters required and the application deadline. With this information you are ready to request a letter of recommendation. Follow this process when you ask:

RHS/RCEP Teachers

• When to ask: One month prior to the earliest deadline where a letter is required.
• How to ask:
  • Ask in person.
  • Request via Naviance (see instructions below).
  • Send a follow-up reminder one week before the deadline.
  • Send a thank you note after completed.
• What to provide: Complete “Request for Recommendation” survey on Naviance
• How is the letter to be sent to the college? The letter will be loaded on Naviance and sent electronically.
• Do you get a copy? Most recommenders will not share their letter with the student.
• Once you have spoken with your teacher, you will need to submit an electronic request via Naviance. See below for information on how to do so.

PSEO Teachers

• When to ask: One month prior to the earliest deadline where a letter is required.
• How to ask:
  • Ask in person, if possible.
  • Request via email, including the college's guidance on what information is needed.
  • Send a follow-up reminder one week before the deadline.
  • Send a thank you note after completed.
• What to provide: Provide details about the information requested by the college. If no guidance is provided, take a moment to let them know what you really liked about their course, the most challenging parts, etc. 
• How is the letter to be sent to the college? You should provide the teacher with the email address of the admission officer or office.
• Do you get a copy? Most recommenders will not share their letter with the student.

Employer, Coach, or Religious Leader

• When to ask: One month prior to the earliest deadline where a letter is required.
• How to ask:
  • Ask in person, if possible.
  • Request via email, including the college's guidance on what information is needed.
  • Send a follow-up reminder one week before the deadline.
  • Send a thank you note after completed.
• What to provide: Let them know what you are hoping they will highlight for you. 
• How is the letter to be sent to the college? You should provide them with the email address of the admission officer or office.
• Do you get a copy? Most recommenders will not share their letter with the student.

How to Request a Teacher Letter of Recommendation Through Naviance

1. Complete Request for Recommendation survey.
   • This survey is used by your counselor and teachers when writing you a letter of recommendation. Thoroughly completing this survey is strongly recommended. 
   • Click on “About Me” in the right top corner of the screen and select “My Surveys."  If you have never started a Request for Recommendation survey you will find it under “Surveys Not Started”. Otherwise you can return to it under “Surveys in Progress." 
   • Many teachers find the background information you provide in this survey to be extremely helpful to them as they write your letter.
2. Request teacher on Naviance. 
   • Under “Colleges,” click on “Colleges Home," then click on “Letters of Recommendation” and then click on “Add Request.” 
   • The teacher will get an email within 24 hours notifying them of your request. Remember, requests for letters of recommendation should be made one month prior to the due date.

What do colleges look for in the essay?

• Creativity: Innovation, imagination
• Intellectual orientation: Enthusiasm for learning
• Exceptional recognition: Prestigious or unusual honors, awards, citations
• Hardship: Economic, educational, physical, familial; degree of hardship and ability to overcome it
• Initiative/motivation: Going far beyond normal expectations in academics and/or extracurricular activities
• Leadership: Guiding, directing, taking responsibility and following through
• Persistence: Tenacity
• Special spark: Extraordinary attribute(s) not described elsewhere on the list (could be unusual insight or maturity)
• Substantial experience with other racial/cultural groups: Experience in or with another culture, resulting in distinguishable personal growth or insight
• Rare talents: Uncommon ability in the arts, sports, and academics

Visit your counselor for additional tips on writing your essay, including how to select an essay question if completing the Common App.