Lowell College Counseling Center
College Essay Day!
On Saturday, August 12th from 10:30am - 1pm the Lowell College Center is offering their first summer, in-person "College Essay Day!" Need help starting your essay? Want a second or third opinion? Can't figure out an ending? This is the event for you!
Ask any recent Lowell graduate and they will tell you getting a jumpstart on your college essays the summer before your Senior year is the single smartest thing you can do to help minimize stress during the College Application process. Download event flyer HERE.
The Lowell College Center Volunteers
Thank you to the Lowell College Center Volunteers! The parent volunteers work with students to help them start the college search process, coordinate the College Rep visits, review hundreds of essays, keep the scholarship lists up to date and of course answer tons of questions big and small. #GoCardinals
Ms Aguirre the Lowell College Counselor
Question from 'The Lowell' Student News Site: What is one thing you wish students knew about the Lowell College Counseling Center?
Ms. Aguirre: It’s really just a safe place where students should feel comfortable.
Reporters: Shannon Chang and Allister Xu
Photo credit: Nathan Yee
Lowell college resources
The Lowell Counseling Center is open:
- Mon, Tues, Thurs: 9:00 am-4:30 am
- Wed, Fri: 8:00 am-3:30 pm
A big thank you to the dozens of Parent Volunteers that help keep the college center open all day. Want to volunteer? Email: lowellviccisf@gmail.com
College representative visits are back in person this year
We have over 90+ college visits scheduled at Lowell this year, almost all in person. Please check out the schedule and see who is visiting this week.
Get help with researching schools, filling out applications, proofing essays, finding scholarships
You don't need to make an appointment, students are always welcome to drop in and ask for help.
Lowell Scholarship Winners!
Quick Links
Summer 2023: 3 College Essay Resources for Rising Seniors!
Ask any recent Lowell graduate and they will tell you getting a jumpstart on your college essays the summer before your Senior year is the single smartest thing you can do to help minimize stress during the College Application process.
1. College Essay Day! In-person event, August 12, 2023 for all rising Seniors
The Lowell College Center is offering their first summer, in-person College Essay Day! event for rising Seniors. Need help starting an essay? Want a second or third opinion?
Can't figure out an ending? This is the event for you! RSVP today and let us know you are coming!
What to expect: One-on-one essay feedback with our experienced and trained volunteers, brainstorming workshops led by the Lowell College Center plus general essay support.
- Date: Saturday, August 12, 2023, RSVP required
- Download the event flyer HERE
- Time: 10:30am - 1pm (the event starts promptly at 10:30am)
- Location: Lowell High School library
- Snacks and Lunch will be provided for all attendees courtesy of the LPTSA
- This event is organized by the Lowell College Counseling Center, the Lowell VICCI Volunteers with financial support provided by Lowell PTSA.
- RSVP via the Google Form HERE
Ask any recent Lowell graduate and they will tell you getting a jumpstart on your college essays the summer before your Senior year is the single smartest thing you can do to help minimize stress during the College Application process.
This event is for Lowell Seniors only. Wherever you are in the writing process, there is support here for you.
2. (Online) Lowell College Essay Review Service
During the 2022-2023 college application cycle, the Lowell College Essay Review Service read and provided feedback on over 300+ student essays. We are excited to announce that we have extending this service to our rising seniors who are working on College Essays during the summer!
How does it work? Through this service, a Lowell student submits their essay online, a reader (an adult from the Lowell Community including Alumni and Parents/Guardians of current and recently graduated students) is assigned to review the essay and provides feedback to the student. Communication between the student and the reader is primarily through comments on the essay (via Google Docs) and in email. Readers are not allowed to meet (in person or virtually) with students unless Ms. Aguirre is present.
Sign up for the College Essay Review Service LINK HERE.
Note: You will also be required to submit a Permission Form signed by a parent/guardian to use this service.
Essay readers are adults from the Lowell community (Alumni, Parents/Guardians of recent graduates, etc.).
3. Trying to figure out where to start?
Need a little help getting started on your Common App essay or the Personal Insight Questions for the UC applications? We recommend checking out these resources from The College Essay Guy (Author of the book College Essay Essentials) and his youtube channel.
1. How to Write Great UC Personal Insight Questions / Essays [CRASH COURSE]
And this corresponding Blog Post: How to Write the UC Essay Prompts 2022/2023 (+ Examples)
2. How to Write an OUTSTANDING Personal Statement for College: A Crash Course
3. And for your Supplemental Essays How to Combine Your College Essay Prompts (To Save 20+ Writing Hours)
4. How to Write Your UC Activities List
And for those looking for help starting their college lists the College Center Volunteers recommend checking out CollegeVine and Cappex and of course reviewing all the admissions data on the actual websites of the schools you are considering.
College Center Resources
Spring is a busy time in the College Counseling Center. Click below to learn about our upcoming events.
Spring 2023: Lowell College Center Programs
All programs are held in the College Counseling Center.
Starting your College List:
Wondering how to start planning for college? Just a few criteria can help jumpstart your brainstorming, so you can build a list to research over the summer.
- Tuesday 4/11, 12:20pm (B lunch)
- Wednesday 4/12, 2:30pm (after school)
- Tuesday 4/18, 12:20pm (B lunch)
- Monday 4/24, 11:45am (A lunch)
- Tuesday 5/2, 12:20pm (B lunch)
- Monday 5/9, 11:45am (A lunch)
Starting your Common App:
No college list yet? No problem. Learn to navigate the Common App portal to help manage your timelines, finances (application fees), supplemental essays, and more.
- Wednesday 4/19, 2:30PM (after school)
Getting started on your College Essays:
Session 1: Your first look at the UC Personal Insight Questions and Common App Essay prompts.
- A Peek at the Prompts, A Brainstorming Session: Wednesday, 4/26, 2:30PM (after school)
Session 2: An opportunity to review questions, discuss topics, and read sample essays.
- A Peek at the Prompts, Part 2: Wednesday, May 3, 2:30PM (after school)
Schedule a One-on-One appointment with a College Center Volunteer
Looking for One-on-One help starting the College search process? Please make an appointment with one of our College Center Volunteers.
Volunteers can help with:
- Working with students to help build a College List
- Understanding the UC Application and Common App
- Working with students on college essays (at any part in the writing process)
- Working on formatting student Activities Lists
Lowell Seniors: January 2023 Newsletter UPDATED 2/26/23
You can find a copy of the Lowell Senior College Center Newsletter LINK HERE.
Lowell Juniors: January 2023 Newsletter UPDATED 2/7/23
Programs specifically for Lowell Juniors and their families.
Critical dates, key resources and more.
Click to check out the January 2023 newsletter from Ms. Aguirre.
SFUSD Website Resources, College & Career Readiness
Archived Resource: April 15, 2023: Lowell College Kick-Off Day
Please join us at Lowell College Kick-Off Day 2023! We are thrilled to have so many College Representatives and Lowell Alumni presenting.
LINK to the Event Program with Presenters and Room Numbers
LINK to "20 questions to Ask a College Rep" page
LINK to download a copy of the flyer
Thank you to the Lowell PTSA and Lowell Alumni Association for sponsoring our event. Additional thanks to our many volunteers including our college counselor Maria Aguirre, event organizers Cece Kaufman and Jen Wana, the Shield and Scroll Honor and Service Society, and the amazing Lowell parents.
Remember to check the Lowell College Counseling Center webpage starting in early September 2023 for the schedule of College Representative visits. (Scroll down the page for the College Rep Visit Google calendar.)
Archived Resource: Cash for College Workshop 2022
California Student Aid Commission presented a workshop on "Cash for College" which included information about the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and California Dream Act applications for the 2023-2024 school year.
Archived Resource: College Admissions Panel Event, Spring 2022
March 3, 2022: Virtual event featuring college admission counselors from UCLA, SF State University, University of San Francisco and City College of San Francisco
Watch the webinar recording using the following timestamps:
- Introductions: 9:00
- College System Introductions: 16:26
- College Presentations: 19:25
- Lowell Alumni Speakers: 1:23:10
Archived Resource: City College of San Francisco Webinar, Registration Process
Complete your application & orientation, assessment/placement, and a counseling appointment to get priority registration!
| Parent's Night, March 15, 2022 |
Learn why CCSF is an excellent option for one's educational goals. Learn steps to register and transfer to a university and hear from Lowell alumni, current CCSF students in the process of transferring. |
| Application & Orientation Workshop, April 7, 2022 |
Where: Lowell College Center, room 116 Get help completing Summer '22 and Fall '22 term new applications. Students who have attended CCSF are required to apply again. Virtual help counter offered every Wednesday from 3pm-5pm via Zoom: tinyurl.com/CCSFDROPIN |
| Assessment/Placement |
English/math placements are based on high school data entered on your application. Higher placements may be given via SAT/ACT/AP scores
|
| Counseling Appointments, April 21, 22 & 25, 2022 |
Where: Lowell College Center, room 116 Meet with a CCSF counselor to discuss your schedule for summer or FALL. This step is required to register.
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Lowell College Center Calendars
College Rep. Visit Calendar
College Center Workshops
Information for College Reps wishing to visit Lowell
We are happy to announce that we will be hosting in-person as well as virtual college visits during the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.
We are continuing to use the SCOIR platform to book in-person and virtual visits. Please use this registration link to choose a time slot from those made available on our SCOIR calendar. If you do not have access to SCOIR, please join the platform. It’s free and only takes a few seconds to register.
Contact information for the Lowell HS College and Career Center: lowellvicci@gmail.com
This page was last updated on May 24, 2023