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What is the AHS College & Career Center?

The College & Career Center is located in the AHS Library. Students can get help exploring post high school education and career pathways by dropping in or reaching out to our AHS College & Career Specialist, Jen Marsden. She is available to help all students (and their families) explore post high school education and career options, and to assist in navigating the college admissions and financial aid process. Please reach out to her with questions or to schedule an appointment at jennifer.marsden@ashland.k12.or.us.

All AHS students explore career and college pathways in various classes, as well as in grade level meetings. AHS seniors take a College & Career Readiness (CCR) class, where they get extensive support on planning for post high school education and/or career options. Junior and senior students are strongly encouraged to attend College & Career Pathways Information Sessions, learn about our ASPIRE program and check out the AHS College Handbook – please see below for more info on these and other resources! You can also find recordings of past information sessions on the AHS YouTube Channel.

The AHS College & Career Center hosts visits by representatives from community colleges, four year colleges and universities, professional career schools, branches of the military, Job Corps, gap year programs and more! Please check out the current calendar and check back for updates as more events are scheduled.

AHS College & Career Pathways Information Sessions

All of these information sessions will take place in the AHS Library from 5:30-6:30 pm. If you are unable to attend, you may want to check out recordings of last spring’s info sessions posted on the AHS YouTube Channel.

Thursday, September 26 – College Pathways 101: Finding an educational pathway that is a good fit takes some planning. AHS Counseling Department staff will present information on college pathways, specifically geared toward junior and senior students and their families. Topics covered will include a general overview of the process of applying to both community colleges and four-year universities, ACT/SAT testing, and how to access financial aid/scholarships.

Thursday, October 10– Financial Aid 101: Learn about the ways to access financial aid and scholarships! We will discuss the process for completing  the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), an online application which qualifies students to receive the Federal Pell Grant, the Oregon Opportunity Grant, the Oregon Promise Grant, government loans, and grants/scholarships from many private colleges. This year the 2025-26 FAFSA will go live for seniors on December 1 and use income and tax information from 2023. We will also cover the ORSAA (Oregon Student Aid Application) for students eligible for the OOG and OPG, who cannot complete the FAFSA, and the CSS Profile, an additional financial aid application required by some private colleges.

Thursday, October 24 - Four Year Colleges & Universities - Navigating the Search and Application Process: AHS Counseling Department staff will present information on how to make the most of the college search process, how to apply to both public and private four-year colleges and universities, ACT/SAT testing, and how to access financial aid/scholarships.

Thursday, November 7 - Community College Opportunities, Professional Trade School & Apprenticeship Pathways: Community colleges offer an extensive array of professional training programs in fields such as Mechanics, Electronics, Culinary Arts, Massage Therapy, Dental Hygiene, Physical Therapy, Graphic Design and more! Students can also complete general education credits at a community college, receive a two-year A.A or A.S degree and then transfer to a four-year university to complete a bachelor’s degree. We will also discuss professional career schools, apprenticeship programs, and the Oregon Promise, our state’s grant to make community college affordable for all Oregon grads.

Thursday, November 21: Scholarships 101 and Financial Aid 101 Recap: AHS counseling staff will provide information on scholarship opportunities for AHS seniors, including tips on how to complete the online OSAC Scholarships E-app and the AHS Local Scholarships applications. Scholarship information will be presented first, and then staff will review and answer questions about financial aid applications, including FAFSA, ORSAA and CSS completion, for parent/guardians and students who would like to stay.

AHS College Handbook

Spend time exploring the AHS College Handbook, which contains useful information for all students planning to pursue post high school education. Topics covered include how to find an educational pathway that’s a good fit for you, information on applying to community colleges and four-year public & private universities, ACT/SAT information, how to access financial aid & scholarships, and many other helpful resources. Hard copies of the handbook are available in the College & Career Center and the AHS Main Office.

ACT and SAT Updates

Students planning on applying to four year colleges usually take ACT/SAT tests in spring of junior year and/or fall of senior year. Many colleges are now “test optional” and Oregon’s public universities no longer require ACT/SAT test results for admission, but some do for eligibility for honors colleges or merit scholarships. Check individual universities for current guidelines.

Students register for the ACT and SAT online and those who qualify for free/reduced lunch are eligible for fee waivers for both tests. Please contact karyn.barats@ashland.k12.or.us  to obtain a fee waiver.

2024-2025 Test Dates (registration deadlines are about one month before the test dates; please check ACT/SAT websites to confirm):

SAT (offered at AHS): October 5, November 2, December 7, March 8, May 3, June 7

ACT (not offered at AHS): September 14, October 26, December 14, February 8, April 5, June 14

Oregon Community Colleges and the Oregon Promise Grant

Oregon community colleges offer a large variety of professional training in fields such as Graphic Design, Mechanics, Culinary Arts, Dental Hygiene, Physical Therapy Assisting and more! Students can get the skills they need in a year or two, and graduate ready to enter the job market. Students may also complete their general education credits at a community college and then transfer to a four year university. Tuition can be significantly less at a community college and the Oregon Promise Grant (OPG) offers qualifying high school graduates the opportunity to have the majority of their community college tuition covered by federal and state grants. Learn more about the OPG here.

And here are a few more great resources: Oregon Goes to College, Rogue Community College CTE Programs, Colleges that Change Lives

ASPIRE at AHS

ASPIRE’s trained volunteer mentors help students explore education and career pathways available to them after high school. Mentors assist students in researching colleges, preparing admissions and scholarship applications, understanding the financial aid process, and many other aspects of the road to post high school education and careers. Students who want to learn more about ASPIRE or sign up for a mentor can contact jennifer.marsden@ashland.k12.or.us.

Become an ASPIRE Mentor!

The heart of ASPIRE are the many dedicated volunteers who work with our students. ASPIRE mentors at AHS include parents, retirees, professionals, and college students. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTYXTTpnxow&feature=youtu.be to learn more about the ASPIRE program and the role of ASPIRE mentors. For more information about becoming an ASPIRE mentor, please contact jennifer.marsden@ashland.k12.or.us.

College Visits and Info Calendar.pdf