College & Career Center
The Homestead College & Career Center, located in the back of the GSS building is available to students of all grade levels as they navigate high school. In addition to organizing college representative visits and planning workshops for students, the College and Career Advisor works with students to help with summer programs, scholarships, part-time jobs, and college planning. The College and Career Advisor and School Counselors work closely with one another to provide information and resources to families.
Questions? Stop by the College & Career Center and speak with Ms. Bellamy. We are here to help all students!
- Application Deadlines
- 2-Year and 4-Year College Information
- Community Service Award for Seniors
- Presentations
- Community College Night
Application Deadlines
Be sure check your student Schoology and school email where you will receive the most up-to-date information, such as special events, college representative visits and special programs relating to college and careers, internships, scholarships, summer programs and part-time job opportunities.
If you are applying to Common Application Schools which require counselor letters, complete your “Brag Sheet" and "Parent Questionnaire" under About Me tab in Naviance.
Class of 2023: Complete your SSR/Application Deadline Form in Schoology under HHS_Guidance: Class of 2023, according to your first college application due date. This is only for colleges requiring a transcript, counselor or teacher letter. Please add all schools you are applying to on Naviance.
| College Application Deadline | Homestead Deadline |
|---|---|
| Early Application, Early Decision or Priority Deadline: Before or on November 1 | Wednesday, September 21 |
| Between December 1 and January 1 | Wednesday, October 26 |
| After January 2 | Wednesday, November 23 |
| Last day to make changes to your college list | December 7 |
* IMPORTANT: If you have any changes to your college list after you submit your folder, notify the College & Career Advisor. Remember to change your college list in Naviance as well.
2-Year and 4-Year College Information
Community Service Award for Seniors
Community service activities must be described on the Community Service Award application google form and the student must obtain a verifying signature and phone number of the supervising adult.
Students may obtain the Community Service Award application form in their school's College & Career Center or on the Community Service Award webpage. Information about the types of activities that qualify for the eighty hours of volunteer work are described on the form. If you choose the paper form,the completed Community Service Award application must be submitted to the College & Career Center by the due date listed on the form.
Presentations
Community College Night
College/Career Information
- College & University Systems Admissions Information
- College Admissions Testing
- Additional College Information
- Additional Post High School Options
College & University Systems Admissions Information
College Admissions Testing
TEST OPTIONAL COLLEGES
SAT REASONING & SAT SUBJECT(S) TESTS
SAT Reasoning
The SAT is one of the Standardized tests required by colleges. It measures three skill categories: critical reading, mathematics and writing. Each section is worth 800 points, with a total of 1600 points. The SAT test has 4 sections, and writing is optional.
SAT Subject(s)
The SAT Subject(s) Test is required by several private colleges. Check their websites. It is not required by the UCs, but it is recommended if you are an engineering major. The test measures a student's knowledge in a particular subject area. Each test is worth 800 points. A student can take up to three subject tests in one sitting. The subject areas include languages, history, science, english and mathematics.
PSAT/NMSQT
The PSAT (Preliminary SAT) is a standardized test that provides practice for the SAT. Juniors who take the test can qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The PSAT has three sections: critical reading, math and writing skills. It is offered once a year in October.
AP Tests
Advanced-Placement (AP) are considered to be college-level courses students can take while in high school. Students usually take the AP test in their course's subject matter. AP tests are administered in May.
Advanced-Placement (AP) are considered to be college-level courses students can take while in high school. Students usually take the AP test in their course's subject matter. AP tests are administered in May and the score ranges from 0 to 5, with 5 as the highest. Three is considered the minimum passing score.
Unlike honors courses, students may earn college credit, depending on their AP test scores and the college's requirements. To find out more about AP tests, please visit the CollegeBoard website.
TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is occassionally required by colleges for students who are (or have been) enrolled in an English Learner course in high school. In some cases this test is dependent on a student's residency. We recommend that students check out the testing requirements of the colleges that they are interested in.
FREE ONLINE TEST PREPARATION
- CollegeBoard
- Khan Academy
- University of California College Prep
- Max The Test!
- Number2.com
- Vocabulary.com
ACT
The ACT is one of the standardized tests required by colleges. It has five categories: english, mathematics, reading, science and an optional writing section. Each section is scored separately and combined together for a composite score. The highest score a student can receive is 36.
Additional College Information
General College Information
- ACT - ACT online registration and information
- Athletic Aid - information for student athletes about the recruiting process
- Best Colleges by Career - BestCollege.com has rankings of best school by career
- Best College Degree and Majors Guide Description of majors, colleges by state, and general college information.
- College Board - SAT information and registration, CSS Profile information (see Financial Aid), a variety of other college resources
- College Navigator - college search site sponsored by National Center for Educational Statistics
- College Quest - the Peterson's site, with tips, advice, college search
- CollegeSource On-line - more than 14,000 online college catalogs
- Colleges That Change Lives - information about the colleges featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives
- The Common Application - online and downloadable Common Application site
- COVID-19 & College
- Guide to Engineering Schools
- The Education Conservancy - site dedicated to the return of sanity in the college admission process; a must-read for students and parents
- Khan Academy SAT prep - free online SAT preparation
- NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association site; information about registration for students who are capable of playing NCAA sports in college
- The Princeton Review - tips, advice, college search
- Nursing Career Information
Nursing eduation series
Nursing Program Overview
LPN/LVN Degree Fundamentals
RN Degree Fundamentals
College Information - Specific Colleges
To find specific college websites, try www. (type in the name of the college).edu; in some cases, the name of the college may be abbreviated, but your computer's search engine will find it for you.
- ASSIST - statewide student transfer information for California students
- CaliforniaCollege.edu - information about all types of colleges within California, plus financial aid and more
- CSUMentor - California State University information (links to individual campuses)
- Foothill - De Anza
- National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
- UC Berkeley
- UC Davis
- UC Irvine
- UCLA
- UC Merced
- UC Riverside
- UC San Diego
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Santa Cruz
- University of California
- UTours - information of Canadian Universities
- San Mateo County Community College District (Cañada, College of San Mateo, Skyline)
Scholarships & Financial Aid
- College Board - information about the CSS Profile student financial aid application for many private colleges; online calculator to determine Expected Family Contribution
- CollegeData - a great deal of info about what it will actually cost to go to college; provided by a bank, so you will find offers for credit cards, etc., but you can ignore them!
- FinAid! - comprehensive financial aid information
- GoingMerry - one app for all your scholarships
- CalGrants.org - information about Cal Grants
- EdFund - information about student loans
- FAFSA.gov - free Application for Federal Student Aid
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund - scholarship information for Hispanic students
- MALDEF - Mexican American Legal Defense Fund site; includes information about scholarships for undocumented students
- ParentPLUSLoans.com - information about the federal PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students) program
- Ron Brown Scholar Program - minority scholarship information
- Sallie Mae - information about student loans and financial services for education, link to scholarship search
- Scholarships by Month
- StaffordLoan.com - information about the federal Stafford Loan program
- StudentsScholarshipSearch.com - free scholarship search program sponsored by student loan program
- Engineering Scholarships
- General Scholarships by State
Careers & Jobs
- Bridges Transitions Inc. - planning for your future; check in the Career Center for info about how M-A users can get more out of this website
- Education Online Search - information about career programs and online classes
- Resume and Cover Letters - for students who have limited work experience
Summer Programs & Time Off
- AmeriCorps - sponsored by the Corp. for National and Community Service
- City Year - sponsored by the National Youth Corps
- Dynamy - information about an internship program
- gapyear.com - creative ways to take time off
- Global Service Corps - adventures and volunteer projects abroad to make a better world
- Landmark Volunteers - a summer service organization for high school students
- NOLS - sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School, an organization that develops outdoor and leadership skills
- Outward Bound - expeditions as learning and adventure education
- SCA - Student Conservation Association - service and internship opportunities in conservation
- Seamester - academic voyages for high school grads and college students
- Semester at Sea - voyage opportunities for undergrads
- Study Abroad - country, college, and course advice for students who wish to study abroad
- takingtimeoff.com - a companion Web site to the book of the same title
- Where There Be Dragons - learning opportunities through "rugged, creative, and engaging" expeditions off the beaten path
- YFU - Youth for Understanding International Exchange (opportunities abroad for high school students)
MISCELLANEOUS
- Apex Learning - links with information about online courses
Additional Post High School Options
- AmeriCorps - sponsored by the Corp. for National and Community Service
- APPRENTICESHIP Programs
- California Conservation Corps - Work hard protecting and restoring California's environment and responding to disasters
- CITY YEAR - Unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them skills and opportunities to change the world
- City Year - sponsored by the National Youth Corps
- Corporation for National and Community Service - Federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.
- The Cornerstone Summer Institute is a week-long summer camp at the University of Virginia where high school students learn about slavery and its legacies by exploring the University, Charlottesville, and area landmarks.
- Dynamy - information about an internship program
- gapyear.com - creative ways to take time off
- Global Service Corps - adventures and volunteer projects abroad to make a better world
- Inspire AI - Developed and taught by Stanford Alumni for high school students
- Landmark Volunteers - a summer service organization for high school students
- LEAPNOW - Offers GAP Year-for-Credit alternative college programs
- NOLS - sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School, an organization that develops outdoor and leadership skills
- Outward Bound - expeditions as learning and adventure education
- PG&E
- Pioneer Academics. Research opportunities during the summer.
- Questbridge College Prep Scholar, for low income, high achieving rising seniors.
- San Jose Water
- SCA - Student Conservation Association - service and internship opportunities in conservation
- Seamester - academic voyages for high school grads and college students
- Semester at Sea - voyage opportunities for undergrads
- Study Abroad - country, college, and course advice for students who wish to study abroad
- takingtimeoff.com - a companion Web site to the book of the same title
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Verto Education offers an affordable (low cost of attendance, FAFSA, scholarships available), full credit-bearing freshman semester or year abroad with guaranteed transfer to our 30+ partner colleges.
- Where There Be Dragons - learning opportunities through "rugged, creative, and engaging" expeditions off the beaten path
- YFU - Youth for Understanding International Exchange (opportunities abroad for high school students)
Internship/Work Opportunities
Summer Programs
Due to the number of requests we receive, if you plan to apply to a summer program which requires a letter of recommendation from your School Counselor be sure to give at least three (3) weeks notice.
There are many different kinds of summer programs out there. We have listed and linked some that might be of interest to you, depending on your desired field/area/region/interest. Please note that these programs have not been investigated for their quality or reputation. Homestead High School does not endorse these programs; this list is simply a resource with which you can begin your search. It is important that you do additional research before choosing any program.
FINDING THE RIGHT SUMMER PROGRAM
- Consider your goals;
- Consider your budget;
- Consider your schedule;
- Get an early start on your research;
- Understand selectivity;
- Don't assume attending will help you gain college admission;
- Beware of invitations to leadership programs; and
- Think twice before paying extra to earn college credit.
Internships
Some thoughts before you begin: College representatives consistently advise us that, as far as college admissions go, summer programs are only “worth” what they are worth to the individual participant. In other words, only you determine value. Colleges are looking for students who use summers to push themselves out of their comfort zones and pursue genuine interests. There are many productive things a student can do with a summer break—there is value in travel, reading for pleasure, getting a job, volunteering, taking up a new hobby, etc. Focus in on something that is really important or interesting to you.
Many summer programs are offered by for-profit companies and can be quite expensive. While many of these programs are well run and valuable, please carefully research a company before you sign up. Not all summer programs that are held at universities are run by the university; many companies merely lease space from the university.
Please note these programs are not endorsed by Homestead. Students and parents should investigate thoroughly prior to applying or attending. Ms. Bellamy keeps a binder of Summer Programs/Jobs in the College & Career Center.
- Bank of America Leaders Program will arrange 8-week paid internship at a nonprofit/charitable organization and a week- long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC to gain valuable civic, social and business leadership skills to interested juniors or seniors.
- Chevron Summer Camp: Very selective, for rising Juniors and Seniors
- City Of Cupertino's Park and Recreation Department has postings for jobs and volunteer opportunities
- COSMO Program offered by the University of California provides an opportunity for students who wish to learn advanced mathematics and science, and prepare for careers in these areas. Four campuses serve as hosts: Davis, Irvine, San Diego and Santa Cruz.
- DUKE SUMMER ACADEMY
- Google Docs STEM Programs
- iD Tech: At iD Tech, ages 7-18 learn to code, design video games, mod Minecraft, create with Roblox, engineer robots, print 3D characters, work with AI and machine learning, build laptops, learn about cybersecurity, and more! Held at Stanford, SJSU, Santa Clara, and 150+ prestigious locations nationwide.
- McGill Summer Institute
- Middlebury Interactive Language Programs
- Mindspark-Learn How to Code
- NASA’s DEVELOP Summer Internship Program for juniors and seniors with an interest in Computer Science, Mathematics, Geographic Information Systems or Remote Sensing. This is a paid, full-time, 10 week program located at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View.
- Pioneer Research Program Pioneer Research Program, an organization that allows students from around the world to conduct research online with professors from top US colleges and universities. Our students come from over 20 countries and do individual research on 23 different research areas.
- Santa Clara Library Volunteers All libraries in the Santa Clara County Library District welcome volunteers and appreciate their contributions of time and talent to assist library staff in delivering services more efficiently and effectively.
- Santa Clara Young Scholars Program Available for High School Sophomores and Juniors
- STEM Summer Camp by Foothill College Science Learning Institute. Leads you to a list of opportunities, with more links.
- Summer Discovery Pre-College Enrichment
- Summer Internships Programs You need to create a profile with this website.
- UC Davis Young Scholars Program Six week research program
- Yosemite Institute is a non-profit organization that offers educational programs to high school students entering grade 11. Students can join park scientists and professional scientists in field research on biodiversity and ecosystems. College credit and scholarships are available.
Jobs
- Bridges Transitions Inc. - planning for your future; check in the Career Center for info about how M-A users can get more out of this website
- Education Online Search - information about career programs and online classes
- Resume and Cover Letters - for students who have limited work experience
- Zip Recruiter - high school jobs; must create a profile
Volunteer Opportunities
- Bay Area Teen Volunteer
- Multiple Volunteer Opportunities (via Homestead High School's Virtual Website)
- Santa Clara County Parks
- Volunteer Match Sunnyvale
Contact Information
Shay Bellamy
College & Career Advisor
(408) 522-2521
Office Hours
GSS Building
M-F: 7:45 am to 4:00 pm