The Lowell College Counseling Center

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.

thumbnail of flyer for essay day

 

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.).

Flyer for the College Essay Review Service

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. 

    LINK TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

    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 the Alumni Bio page

    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.

    LINK to the Slide deck is HERE.

    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
    When: Wednesday,  April 7, 2022, from  3 - 4pm & 4 - 5pm.

    Get help completing Summer '22 and Fall '22 term new applications. Students who have attended CCSF are required to apply again. 
    **Expect CCSF ID# withinin 48 hours (begins with "@" or "W").

    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
    When: April 21, 22, & 25, 2022

    Meet with a CCSF counselor to discuss your schedule for summer or FALL. This step is required to register.   
    Sign up at http://bit.ly/LowellCCSFcounseling

    • Late sign-ups are accepted, but appointments are given only if there are spaces.
    • Application and orientation must be completed before your appointment.
    • Have unofficial copies (pdf) of SAT, ACT, and/or AP scores (may be needed).
    • Counseling will also be available during FRISCO Week: May 3 - May 6.

     

    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.

    Learn more at the link here.

    Contact information for the Lowell HS College and Career Center: lowellvicci@gmail.com

    This page was last updated on May 24, 2023