All juniors are required to take American History and to pass the constitution test administered by the teacher. Students continue to take courses to meet graduation requirements and prepare them for college.

Standardized Tests

All juniors are expected to take the ACT. The ACT is offered at Mater Dei in April. The ACT is also administered in September, October, December, February, and June at other locations. Many students choose to take the December or February test as a practice before the April testing.

The ACT can be taken more than once. Many students improve their score on the second, third, or even fourth attempt. In some cases, raising the composite score one or two points can increase scholarship opportunities and dollar amounts.

Mater Dei offers an ACT Prep class for interested students. Information about this class will be given to the students and will be in the Mater Dei newsletter at sign-up time.

Information Nights

Plan to attend the College Fair held at Mater Dei in October. More than thirty colleges participate in the fair which provides an opportunity for students and parents to speak directly with representatives from the schools.

Parents of juniors may also want to attend the Financial Aid Night at Mater Dei in October to get a feel for the types of financial aid available. This might be valuable information to have before going on college visits.

College Visits

It is recommended that students begin visiting colleges of interest during the summer after their junior year. Call the college admissions office to schedule a visit. When you make your appointment, ask if you may meet with the chairman or a teacher in your academic area of interest. This is sometimes possible. If you are interested in playing a sport, try to make an appointment with the coach of that sport.

Many colleges have scheduled college visit days for prospective students. These days usually include a general information session about the academic programs, housing, yearly costs, and types of financial aid and concludes with a tour of the campus.

Class Advisor

The class advisor continues to monitor the students’ academic progress and assists the students in registering for classes for senior year.

Dual Credit Classes

A number of dual credit classes are available to seniors. These classes include Sociology, Psychology, English Comp 101, English Comp 102, Networking, Accounting, Advanced Computer Applications, Speech, Physics Honors, Chem II, Building Trades and Marketing (with Small Business Management).

Guidance Department

Students will meet with the guidance counselor to review their four-year program and make changes as necessary. The students and counselor will discuss tech school, community college, and four-year college possibilities. Students will discuss possible careers and be given the opportunity to review curriculum guides indicating the types of courses taken for a specific career field.