Ms. Rachael Manraj
College Center Counselor
rmanraj@houstonisd.org
713-295-3856
Welcome to the Bellaire College Center! Here you will find information about applying to college, searching for scholarships, ACT/ SAT testing, recommendation letters and more!
Follow me on Twitter! @BHSCollege
College Center Hours
Monday- Friday 8:15- 4:15 or by appointment
Look Where Our Seniors are Headed!
“Class of 2013 Destinations”
Naviance Log In:
- Limited access: log in as a Guest using the guest password –Bellaire
- Full access: Parents & students may come to the College Center at lunch or after school to receive log-in codes
Helpful Documents and Links:
Bellaire High School’s College Planning Guide(PDF)
Houston ISD College and Career Readiness
College Application Checklist 4A
Shrinking the Cost of College by Lynn O’Shaughnessy
College Center FAQ:
How do I get a Naviance code?
Naviance is our main way of communicating so parents and students please stop by the College Center and pick up your initial registration code. If you forgot your password, click on the “forgot password” link to reset your code.
Where do I sign up for the SAT/ ACT test?
SAT http://www.collegeboard.org/
ACT http://www.actstudent.org/
How do I get a waiver for the SAT/ ACT?
If you on free or reduced lunch, you can see Mrs. Lede in the counseling office during lunch or after school to pick the waiver up. If you need to apply for free or reduced lunch you can see Mr. Thornhill in the library.
Where do I apply for The Presidential Volunteer Service Award?
1. Students need to be a U.S. Citizen
2. You need to enter your hours into the log at the website http://presidentialserviceawards.gov/
3. While on that website you need to go to the profile section and link your profile to BHS using the key: DCH-27925
4. You need to make copies of all the letters verifying your hours and bring in those COPIES to the counseling center for Ms. Bishop- Smith (she is here every other Thursday). Do not bring in the originals.
5. Attach a note summarizing the total number of hours for each year (this is not a calendar year or academic year, the start of the year is determined when you begin your hours.
6. Make sure the letters include the activities you performed while volunteering.
Where and when do I get my class rank?
You will get this information on your first and fourth report cards of senior year.
Where do I get a copy of my transcript?
You can request transcripts in the Registrar’s office during lunch or after school after September 17th. The cost is $2. For the Common Application you need to request this on Naviance as well. Under Colleges I’m Applying To, click on request transcripts.
How do I get a mid-year transcript?
Mid-year transcript must be requested separately. The Registrar will announce in January when they will begin accepting those requests.
Final transcripts will also have to be requested separately. The Registrar will announce in May when those requests will be accepted. Students can have up to 3 final transcripts with no fee. No transcripts will be mailed to student homes. These transcripts are only for colleges, NCAA Clearinghouse, and financial aid.
How do students who are taking dual credit classes get a copy of their HCC transcript?
They must request it directly from HCC.
What is the process for obtaining letters of recommendations?
For counselors (and most teachers) you will need to first fill out a Senior Brag sheet (located under document library in Naviance) and return this to Mrs. Farmer (for counselors) at least 30 days prior to the recommendation deadline.
On Naviance: Scroll down to Teacher Recommendations. Click on Add/cancel requests. Select the name of the teacher(s) you want complete your recommendation and an email request will come to them. BE SURE YOU ASK YOUR TEACHER(S) BEFORE SELECTING THEM TO COMPLETE YOUR RECOMMENDATION. Click on Update Request. Under Status, you can track the progress of your request.
Where do I go to fill out the FASFA?
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Be sure you wait for January 1st of your graduating year to apply or tax information will be incorrect.
How do I choose a college?
1. Family connection has multiple college search tools. Click on the Colleges tab and choose College Lookup if you want information on a specific college. Click on College Search to look for schools that meet requirements important to you such as programs, costs, and campus surroundings.
2. SUPERMATCH allows you to select from a list of decision factors and rank their importance to you. College lists selected for you will appear with information on why the school is a good match for you.|
3. COLLEGE MATCH uses colleges on Lists that you are interested in and Lists that you are applying to and will give you new colleges to explore that other students have selected that may be similar to those on your list.
4. COLLEGE COMPARE allows you to pick colleges and compare admission scores to others who have applied.
5. COLLEGE VISITS: Admission reps visit Bellaire all year. Adding colleges to your list via Colleges I’m thinking about will trigger an auto notice to you about their visit. Dates and times are on Family Connection in the COLLEGE tab in the My College section. Select View all upcoming visits.
Where do I find scholarship information?
Scholarship information is on the COLLEGES tab in 3 areas:
1. SCHOLARSHIP MATCH shows a list of scholarships that are suitable for you based on a match of your GPA, SAT, gender ethnicity, etc. Other scholarships are listed without restrictions.
2. SCHOLARSHIP LIST has all scholarships in our database. You can filter or sort the list.
3. NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH is a free search service through Sallie Mae.
4. SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION list can be maintained under Edit My Scholarships
Where can I get career information?
1. FIND YOUR CAREER: Three career inventories are available to help you find a good match, based on your interests, personal qualities, and subjects you enjoy.
a. For grades 9, 10, 11 & 12, select CLUSTER FINDER to find the top 3 clusters based on your preferences.
b. For grades 9, 10, 11 & 12, select CAREEER INTEREST PROFILER to find careers based on the things you like doing the most.
c. For grades 11 & 12, select the PERSONALITY TYPE link to give you information based on the Myers-Briggs inventory to suggest careers based on your answers.
2. CAREER SEARCH: Groups/clusters of careers can be investigated by clicking on “explore careers & clusters”. Once you find a career, tabs will appear to further explore descriptions, related college majors, and wage/salary information. You can also type in a specific career in the SEARCH FOR CAREER box and go directly to the same information.
3. BUILDING YOUR CAREER LIST: Once you find a career you are interested in, add that to your list of favorites. Click on Add this career/cluster to your list.
How do I write a resume?
Family Connection helps you build a resume that can be formatted and printed. You can begin it at any time and update it at any time.
1. Click on the tab ABOUT ME and navigate to resume.
2. Select Build Resume Sections and add new entry and select a section from the drop down menu.
3. Enter the appropriate information into the fields
4. To print, click on Customize Your Printable Resumes. Select Create a new print format. Name the resume and select the format style. To select sections you want in your resume, check the box next to the section. You may rearrange by dragging and dropping. Once you rate satisfied, click SAVE AND CLOSE. Your resume will be available on the Customize Your Printable Resumes tab to edit, print, or delete.
How can I get help with my essays?
Come by the College Center and we will give you a list of volunteers that are willing to help you with your essays.
