College-Bound Students
College-Bound Students
Graduation Requirements
The graduation requirements listed in this section are the state generated requirements that PHS students must meet. You must have 22 credits to graduate in certain content areas as explained in this guide. This section will also help you know what you must do to obtain a Regents diploma.
High School 4-year plan 
This is a document that will help you to break down course planning and future career/college planning by year in school. This four year plan is a guideline to use to make sure that you accomplish relevant tasks needed to graduate and easily pursue future career/college goals.
CAP Courses for college credit
This is a link to information about a variety of courses you can take for college credit, in your junior and senior years. You may need to take an entrance exam to qualify to take the course for college credit.
College Entrance Exam Information
In this section you will be provided links to the websites for each college entrance exam. You will want to pay close attention to testing dates and registration dates. The PSAT and ACT are administered at PHS. Ideally, the PSAT is offered during school hours in the fall of your Junior year. The ACT and SAT should be taken prior to the time you begin applying to college in mid to late fall of your senior year. Please see if your counselor if you have further questions about college entrance exams.
- General SAT and ACT exam information
- PSAT quick facts
- PSAT info from College Board
Finding the right college for you
This section offers online and print resources for you to explore that will aid you in choosing a college. You may want to use the worksheet below to navigate the many choices you may have.
Choosing Your College Major or Career
As difficult as it is to choose a college to attend, it is even more difficult to choose a college major. Some students have a clear idea about what they would like to go to college for. The first section of this page offers you a variety of career exploration websites. Some of those websites offer self-assessments of interests, values, personality, and work preferences. The second section of this page offers books and websites that help students choose a college major. A worksheet is provided below the help you plan out some ideas for a college major.
College Application Process
This link will provide you with a brief overview of the steps you will need to consider when completing college applications. Below you will find some helpful links that may aid you in successfully completing an application.
- Tips for writing college entrance essays
- Tips for writing college entrance resumés
- College application do’s and don’ts
- Tips for college visits
- Teacher Recommendation Form
- Transcript Release Form
- What Are Colleges Looking For in an Applicant?
Scholarships
This is a link to the list of scholarships offered by the PHS School Counseling (Guidance) Department. You will be able to access background information about these scholarships and download applications online. Other online scholarship search engines are provided in this link as well.
Financial Aid
In this link you will find a general overview of options you might consider when partaking in financial planning for college. Online resources and links to helpful information are also provided so that you can learn more about the many options that are available to you to help pay for your college education.