School Code: 052327
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About Us
The College Center is a student-centered office. We are open (almost) all the time; before school, during the day, after school, sometimes in the evening and during the summer. We help students prepare and plan for college (college search, testing, essays, applications, recommendations, transcripts, etc.); if it's college-related, the College Center is the place to come. We are here to help students through the high points - and the low points - of the college application process, dispensing advice, hugs, high fives, sometimes a shoulder to cry on.

95-97% of Palisades graduates go on to attend two and four-year colleges and universities, at public and private institutions across the country. Assisting our students in their college preparations is a dedicated College Center staff, supplemented by many volunteers, including independent college counselors, who work with students on college research and selection, essay writing, testing schedule, career exploration and more.

collegecenter@palihigh.org - (310) 230-6643 - fax: (310) 230-7288

General College Center Services

Library of college guides, test prep and financial aid books
Use of computers, photocopier, fax and telephone for college-related matters
Registration materials and fee waivers for SAT and ACT
Advising regarding testing schedule and registration procedures
Grade-appropriate mailings about College Center events and services
College planning workshop presented in Spanish
Bulletin boards in A Building with information about testing and college events
Information about summer programs (academic, community service, internship, etc.)
Scholarship and program nominations (Posse Foundation, Links, HOBY, Gates, etc.)
AP examination registration and administration

Online Services

College Center page on school website; go to www.palihigh.org and click on “Offices"
College Center events and college visits posted on Family Connection.
For student athletes, visit www.corecoursegpa.com, See College Center for access code.
Email: You can reach us at collegecenter@palihigh.org; we answer email daily.

Services for Seniors

Family Connection – web-based college planning and application management system, free online SAT prep course
Summer college planning appointments available one-on-one with College Center staff (contingent on availability of funding)
Fall college planning appointments available one-on-one with volunteer counselors
Fall senior college planning workshops (day and evening) for seniors and parents
Writing coach available for help with college essays and SAT Writing section
University of California and Cal State outreach representatives available
Santa Monica College representative visits once a month during lunch
College visits; dozens of college reps visit in the fall semester during the school day
UC and CSU application workshops
Senior and parent questionnaires to facilitate recommendation writing
Counselor recommendation letters and forms prepared and sent to colleges
Midyear grades and final transcripts sent to colleges
Information about national and local scholarships posted to Family Connection
Financial aid workshops presented in November and January by financial aid advisor
One-on-one appointments available for students and parents with financial aid advisor

Services for Juniors

PSAT registration and administration in October
Spring college planning appointments available one-on-one with volunteer counselors
Spring junior college planning workshops (day and evening) for juniors and parents
Junior parents invited to senior financial aid workshop
Spring visits by College Center staff to all U.S. History classes for college advising
Family Connection – web-based college planning and application management system
Free on-line SAT prep course available through Family Connection
Classroom-based SAT prep course (scholarships for students in lunch program, fee-based for others)

Services for Sophomores

PSAT registration and administration in October
Spring sophomore college planning workshops for sophomores and parents
Spring visits by College Center staff to all World History classes for college advising
Family Connection – web-based college planning and application management system, access codes distributed in spring class visits
Free on-line SAT prep course available through Family Connection

Links

Use the following links to access information of interest to you. Please note that you are leaving the Pali website when you do so, and that we are not responsible for the content of those sites.

For information about the Eligibility Index for UC, go to www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/scholarshipreq
To research admissions requirements and procedures for California State University, go to www.csumentor.edu
To access information about the UC A-G Course Lists, go to http://www.ucop.edu/doorways
To register for the SAT, go to www.collegeboard.com
To register for the ACT, go to www.actstudent.org
For Santa Monica College course information, go to www.smc.edu
For information about collegiate athletics, go to www.ncaa.org
To track your eligibility to compete in NCAA athletics, go to www.corecoursegpa.com (School ID 052327, School Code 726988255)
Class of 2016: to access your Family Connection account, go to https://connection.naviance.com/pchs. If you need your access code, come to the College Center, or contact us by email at palicollege@aol.com
For scholarship search, go to www.fastweb.com
To complete the FAFSA for financial aid, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov

Available for Download
10 Steps to a Successful College Application Process
UC Personal Insight Questions
Top 10 Tips - UC Admissions
SAT/ACT Fee Waiver Information
Getting the Most Out of a College Fair
NCAA Eligibility - List of Approved Core Courses
Common Mistakes Students and Parents Make in the Athletic Recruitment Process
Questions to Ask Athletic Recruiters

COLLEGE CENTER STAFF

Ruth Grubb
Melisssa Rangel
Karen Ellis
Diana Hurst

All volunteer counselors have completed the UCLA College Counseling Certificate Program.

Phone: (310) 230-6643
Fax: (310) 230-7288
collegecenter@palihigh.org

COLLEGE VISITS

This school year, admissions representatives from the following colleges and universities visited Pali.

(partial list)
Amherst College
Arizona State University
Bard College
Bennington College
Boston College
Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
Chapman University
Colgate University
Cornell College
Drexel University
Emory College
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles
George Mason University
Grinnell College
Indiana University-Bloomington
Ithaca College
Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola Marymount University
Menlo College
Mills College
Mount St. Mary's College
New York University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Santa Monica College
Seattle University
Smith College
Syracuse University
Tufts University
UC Santa Barbara
UCLA
University of Alabama
University of Chicago
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of Denver
University of Illinois-Urbana
University of La Verne
University of Michigan
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of South Carolina
University of Vermont
Univeristy of Washington
Vassar College
Wellesley College