Academics

School counselors benefit from new Schreyer Honors College website

Dedicated area provides key information and links

Schreyer Honors College launched a dedicated area on its website for school counselors, located at shc.psu.edu/counselors, to provide direct access to information needed to assist high-ability students with their applications to Penn State University and the SHC. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A dedicated area of the Schreyer Honors College (SHC) website, launched earlier this year, provides school counselors with the information they need to assist high-ability students with their applications to Penn State and SHC. Located at shc.psu.edu/counselors, the site integrates Schreyer Honors College-specific materials, deadlines and important University links and is optimized for viewing on multiple devices. A focus group of high school counselors from Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and North Carolina offered insights and submitted suggestions during the conceptual stage to help make this new area of the website as straight forward and effective as possible.

Before a student has considered his or her choices for college, school counselors often provide invaluable services in academic and career planning and goal setting. As counselors handle these and many other roles, the admissions staff of Schreyer Honors College wanted to create a resource that provided them with timely and concise information for all stages of college search process.

“School counselors are important partners for us as we work with high school students considering the Schreyer Honors College,” said Associate Dean for Student Affairs Michele “Mitch” Kirsch. “This website provides the counselors with direct access to the most up-to-date and accurate information so they can best advise their students. The channels of communication between us are critical and as we receive feedback from counselors, we can quickly respond with additional online resources.”

Answers to key questions regarding the admissions timeline, admissions criteria and the Schreyer Honors College evaluation process are available on the main counselor page with links to cost of attendance, student aid and scholarship information, and honors housing.

Counselors also can view the online edition of the Schreyer Honors College prospective student handbook, read about current Schreyer Scholars and recent graduates and their experiences, and request a visit with a Schreyer Honors College staff member at University Park or locally. Tips for making the most of an on-campus tour and dates of visitation events are also available for counselors to send to prospective students and parents as they navigate the college selection process.

Not only does the new section on the Schreyer Honors College website streamline the information-gathering process for counselors, the functionality of the site allows additional features and links to be quickly updated or added in response to suggestions and requests. National judges took notice of the SHC website redesign and format last year and presented with the top national Education Digital Marketing Award for its category.

Applications for the Penn State and SHC Class of 2020 open on Sept. 1. Counselors can find the essay questions required for the Schreyer Honors College application beginning on July 15. Students who apply to Penn State by the Nov. 30 priority application date typically receive a decision by Jan. 31, 2016, and those who apply to SHC by that same date are eligible to request an interview as part of their Schreyer Honors College application.

Acceptance decisions for Schreyer Honors College are released by mid-March. This past year, SHC received its highest ever number of applications for its Class of 2019 with 3,721 and will welcome 305 Scholars this fall.

Schreyer Honors College promotes academic excellence with integrity, the building of a global perspective and creation of opportunities for leadership and civic engagement. Schreyer Honors Scholars, including Gateway Scholars admitted after their first year of enrollment, total more than 1,800 students at University Park and six Commonwealth campuses. They represent the top 2 percent of students at Penn State who perform well academically and lead on campus.

Last Updated May 12, 2016

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