By Lora Oehlberg

Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier

Town Crier Editorial Intern

At 17, most high school seniors don’t have a specific plan on what they will do after graduation. Some intend to begin working, and others are already beginning to fill out college applications. Luckily, Mountain View and Los Altos high schools provide College and Career Centers to help students apply for college and prepare for life outside of high school.

“We have counselors who work with students on the academic program. They’re responsible for so many students that it helps to have someone who’s responsible for the college projects,” said Laurel Brock, the new College and Career Center coordinator at Mountain View High School. “I maintain all these resources, but students can come here and access all these resources without coming to me. It’s like a college information library, and I’m the librarian.”

Brock conducts interviews with students to discuss college plans on a regular basis. As the application process continues for seniors, the coordinators are available to help students accumulate application materials, including recommendations and the personal statement. After the college applications have been turned in, the centers work with sophomores and freshmen on their college plans.

The centers encourage students to use the available computers to aid in their college search by providing Web addresses for scholarship searches, specific college Web sites, and test registration.

The College and Career Centers stock pamphlets with test registration information for the TOEFL, ACT and SAT programs. Shelves of test preparation books are also available for students and parents, to use in the center or to check out. At the beginning of the year, the center at Los Altos High School hosts ‘The Edge’ SAT test preparation program, but contact information for other test preparation programs is also available year-round.

To help students choose a college, the College and Career Centers’ resources include catalogs, view books and videos from colleges throughout California and across the country. College index books are also available as a quick guide to every college in the nation.

“I try to make information about colleges and careers available to students, things that they don’t normally have. I try to present as much information as possible so they can make good choices,” said Kristin Joseph, College and Career Center coordinator at Los Altos High School.

Another unique feature of the centers is the visits by admissions officers. Juniors and seniors can be excused from class to listen to an admissions officer from a college they are interested in applying to. Such information sessions allow students to ask specific questions regarding the particular college’s campus and application.

“I’m a liaison with some of the colleges, since I do have relationships with some of the admissions people since they call here. If students have questions, I can call the people directly and ask questions of them,” Joseph said.

Representatives from military programs and partnership programs also visit and speak with students. According to Joseph, the Los Altos College and Career Center has parent volunteers come in to talk about their careers, how they chose their careers and what education they needed.

Both College and Career centers offer evening programs for parents and students about college and career decisions. Mountain View High School will host a college night for students and parents tomorrow to discuss various college issues. Los Altos High School will host a financial aid night Nov. 27, guiding parents through the FAFSA form.

On April 10, Los Altos High School will host a college fair that includes representatives from about 80 colleges around the country.

The College and Career centers are largely funded by the Mountain View-Los Altos High School Foundation, whose donations from its annual phon-a-thon go toward “keeping the doors open, and supplying us with new books and materials,” Joseph said. “We also get volunteers from parents who come in and help out. It’s a wonderful asset. The community gets very involved in the Career Center.”