Oregon Goes to College

In a recent coordinator newsletter, we recommended that you widely distribute your schedule of CAW events among students and staff. Doing so ensures that everyone in the building knows what to expect and can plan to participate in the event at a time that works for them and their schedule. We spotted this schedule on Twitter:

Several schools host assemblies as part of their CAW events. Some assemblies happen before the event and are designed to build excitement and increase participation. Others plie students with information about local colleges, about career options, or about the application process itself. And this year we have a great idea for an end-of-the-week assembly from Lowell Jr/Sr High School:

Coordinators have been calling and emailing with great questions in the last few days. I suspect that others who haven't contacted us have similar questions, so for everyone's sake, here are some of those questions/answers. And don't forget to also review the questions/answers on the coordinator training post.

Many schools and organizations participating in Oregon College Application Week work with students who are undocumented. You may or may not know which of your students are undocumented, and it is important that you are prepared to support all of your students, regardless of their immigration status. Therefore, we're offering the following information and sharing how some schools are planning to serve this population of students during their CAW event.

Completing the application form is a critical part of applying to college, but it's not the only thing a student needs to do. In most cases, they'll need to submit supplemental credentials as well: transcripts, letters of recommendation, test scores. We've provided a one-page sheet we call "I Applied ... Now What?" that offers students a list of next steps, including a reminder to get those supplemental materials sent off to colleges as soon as possible.

Here's an excellent reminder that comes in the form of a tip from David Douglas High School (Portland):

If you've got an existing and upcoming activity in which all of your seniors will participate, use it to promote your CAW event. This year, DDHS is holding their schoolwide PSAT a couple of weeks before CAW. While the 9th-11th graders are in testing, the seniors will be gathered for an event when other senior-only activities (i.e. Josten's will be there) are taking place. They'll be talking up CAW and making sure students know what they need to do to prepare.

As you know, Oregon College Application Week is part of the American College Application Campaign, an initiative that has grown so dramatically all 50 states are participating this year! The national network of state coordinators is a collaborative group, and we all keep an eye on the innovative and fun ideas that are happening around the country so we can share them with you. Tennessee High School in Bristol, TN, is in the midst of their CAW event (they do theirs quite a bit earlier than we do!), and I'm excited about a few of their ideas. Check these out!

College Application Week is a fantastic time to celebrate your students' success. Two ideas of ways to do this come from schools in Lincoln County -

Straight from Lincoln City's Taft 7-12 comes the idea to build a spirit week around your CAW event. Possible costume themes include

• Profession Day
• College Spirit day
• College Mascot Day

Bonus! Student leaders can plan this event for you.

Double bonus! It's not just for seniors, so this is a GREAT way to build excitement and awareness among your younger students.