College & Career Center

The College and Career Counselors meet individually with each student and his or her family to discuss course planning for high school and steps that will guide them throughout their journey at AHA. The Freshman Family Meeting is scheduled during the first or second trimester of the freshmen year. This meeting helps students and parents understand what each student should be registering to take each year of their time at AHA, as well as how to be prepared for their future.

College and Career Counselors meet in a classroom setting in January to discuss the course registration process for sophomore year.  Students are also invited to attend our Career and College Speakers throughout the year in the College and Career Center. We have college representatives from across the country and alumni, parents and friends that come back to discuss careers of interest with our students.

College and Career Counselors administer a personality/career assessment titled Personality that is based on the Myers Briggs. This program will match a student's personality and interests to potential careers and college majors. We also offer other career assessment resources titled Career Interest Profiler, Skills and StrengthsExplorer that takes into account a student's career interests and strengths to match them to particular careers using John Holland's Codes of Career Interest and their Top 3 Strength Theme Indicators. Students are also invited to attend our Career Speakers throughout the year in the College and Career Center. We have AHA alumni, parents and friends that come back to discuss careers of interest with our students.

In the fall, we offer an event called, College Planning Night, where we offer a variety of college speakers in different topics.  Students and parents can choose to attend the sessions that are most valuable to them:  financing college, highly selective college admission, large public schools, Catholic colleges, etc.  Sophomore students and their parents will have their own Sophomore College Night where we outline the college and career plan for our students junior through senior year.  It helps parents and students understand all the resources available to them before they need them.  We find that our families really appreciate the information in advance.  In April of the sophomore year, we host a college fair in conjunction with Saint Thomas Academy and Visitation School where we have about 120 colleges from across the country available to answer questions from our students and parents.  We invite all sophomores and their parents to this event.

Families meet individually with their College and Career Counselor during the winter and spring of their junior year to discuss post-secondary planning. Juniors also participate in annual events such as College Planning Night, Financial Aid Night, and AHA’s college fair. Jumpstart Your College Planning Day is a required, full day event for juniors that features a different college planning topic session each hour of the school day instead of their normal courses. They are also required to complete a college planning portfolio that includes a college essay, resume of activities, college search activity, a job shadow or interview and more.  This portfolio will help them be ready for all the information they are required to provide for their college applications. Our goal is to help students be a little less stressed in the fall application season of their senior year.

The College Counselors meet individually with students to discuss post-secondary planning and they work with the students to help them understand the college application process.  Counselors assist students and parents through the college application, financial aid, and scholarship processes, and assist students in making the final college choice decision.

The Academy of Holy Angels provides a comprehensive college and career planning Web tool, Naviance, to each student. In this Web site, students can research colleges, apply to colleges and request their transcripts for their college applications. Students will also be able to get personality and career information individual to them. It also includes an embedded online ACT and SAT test preparation program.  This has been a valuable resource for our students and families and they are excited about gaining valuable college admission information at their fingertips.

Click on the tabs to the right and below to find more resources.

Trying to figure out what you might qualify for in financial aid or not sure if completing the FAFSA is going to be worthwhile for your family, complete a Financial Aid Estimator Tool. As always, see you college counselor with any questions.

Here are some additional files:

College Financial Aid Night

College Planning Timeline

Sophomore College Planning Meeting

Not able to attend our College Planning Night?  Here are some of the presentations from the evening program:

Athletics in College

Make the Most of Your College Visit

I'm New; Where do I begin?

 

 

The Academy of Holy Angels prepares students for success in post-secondary education and in the adult world; 100 percent of the class of 2024 earned diplomas; 97 percent are enrolled in college. This list includes post-secondary schools where AHA graduates are enrolled or have been accepted in the years from 2020-2024.

(Colleges in bold type are schools in which AHA graduates are enrolled.)

Adams State University

Adelphi University

Agnes Scott College

Allegheny College

American University

American University in Paris

Anoka Technical College

Appalachian State University

Aquinas College

Arizona State University

Auburn University
Augsburg University
Augustana College

Augustana University (South Dakota)

Austin College
Baldwin Wallace University
Barnard College

Barry University

Baylor University

Belmont University
Beloit College
Bemidji State University

Benedictine College

Benedictine University

Bentley University

Bethany Lutheran College
Bethel University

Bethune-Cookman University

Binghampton University

Biola University

Bloomfield College of Montclair State University

Bond University

Boston College
Boston University

Bowling Green State University

Bradley University

Brown University

Bucknell University

Buena Vista University
Butler University

California Baptist University
California Lutheran University

California Polytechnic State University

California State University, San Marcos

Calvin University

Carleton College

Carroll College (Montana)

Carroll University (Wisconsin)
Carthage College
Case Western Reserve University
Catholic University of America

Century College

Chaminade University of Honolulu
Chapman University

Charleston Southern University

Clark Atlanta University

Clark University

Clarke University

Clarkson University

Clemson University

Cleveland State University

Coastal Carolina University

Coconino Community College

Coe College

Colby College

Colgate University

College of Charleston

College of Saint Benedict
College of St. Scholastica
College of the Holy Cross

College of Wooster

Colorado College

Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University
Columbia College Chicago

Columbia University

Concordia College - Moorhead
Concordia University - Irvine
Concordia University - St. Paul

Coppin State University

Cornell College
Creighton University

Crown College
Dakota County Technical College

Dallas Baptist University

Davidson College
DePaul University

DePauw University

Dickinson College

Dordt University

Dougherty Family College at University of St. Thomas
Drake University

Drew University

Drexel University

Dunwoody College of Technology

Duquesne University

East Carolina University

Eastern Michigan University

Eckerd College

Elon University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach

Emerson College

Emory University

Fairfield University

Ferris State University

Fisk University

Flagler College

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida Institute of Technology

Florida International University

Florida Southern College

Florida State University
Fordham University

Fort Lewis College
Franklin and Marshall College

Franklin University, Switzerland

Full Sail University

Furman University

George Mason University
George Washington University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia State University

Gonzaga University

Grand Canyon University

Grand View University
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamline University

Hampton University

Harvard University

Haverford College

Hawaii Pacific University

Hennepin Technical College

High Point University

Hobart William Smith College
Hofstra University

Holy Cross College

Holy Family College

Houghton College

Howard University

Hunter College of the CUNY

Illinois Institute of Technology

Illinois Wesleyan University

Indiana State University

Indiana University at Bloomington

Inver Hills Community College

Iowa Central Community College
Iowa State University

Iowa Western Community College

James Madison University
John Carroll University

Johns Hopkins University

Johnson & Wales University (Providence)

Kalamazoo College

Kansas State University
Kenyon College

King's College

Kirkwood Community College

LaSalle University
Lake Forest College

Lake Region State College
Lawrence University

LeMoyne College

Lees-McRae College
Lehigh University

Lindenwood University

Longwood University

Loras College
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Maryland
Luther College
Lynn University
Macalester College

Manhattan College
Marist College
Marquette University
Marymount Manhattan College

Maryville University of Saint Louis

McGill University

Menlo College

Merrimack College

Mesabi Range College

Metropolitan State University

Metropolitan State University of Denver
Miami University, Oxford
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Moorhead

Missouri Western State University

Monash University
Montana State University, Bozeman

Morgan State University

Mount Mercy University

Mount St. Mary's University

Mount Saint Mary's University (Chalon)

New England College

New School - All Divisions
New York University

Newberry College
Normandale Community College
North Carolina State University

North Central College
North Dakota State College of Science
North Dakota State University

North Hennepin Community College

North Park University
Northeastern University
Northern Arizona University

Northern Illinois University
Northern Michigan University

Northern State University
Northland College

Norwich University

Nova Southeastern University

NYU Shanghai
Ohio State University
Old Dominion University

Oregon State University

PACE University

Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania State University, Berks

Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg

Pennsylvania State University, Lehigh Valley
Pepperdine University

Point Loma Nazarene University

Prairie View A & M University
Pratt Institute
Providence College
Purdue University

Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Purdue University, Northwest

Queens University

Quincy University

Quinnipiac University

Reed College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rice University
Richmond, The American International College in London

Rider University

Ringling College of Art and Design
Ripon College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rockhurst University

Roger Williams University

Rollins College

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Sacred Heart University

Saint Cloud State University

Saint John's University (MN)
Saint Leo University
Saint Louis University
Saint Mary's College

Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Saint Michael's College
Saint Paul College
Saint Xavier University

Salve Regina University

San Diego State University

San Jose State University

Santa Ana College

Santa Clara University

Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
School of Visual Arts

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle University
Seton Hall University

Simmons University

Skidmore College

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

South Dakota State University

Southern Methodist University

Southern New Hampshire University

Southwest Minnesota State University

Southwestern Community College

St. Bonaventure University
St. Catherine University - St. Paul

St. Cloud Technical and Community College

St. Francis College
St. John's University - Queens Campus
St. Norbert College
St. Olaf College

Stetson University
Stonehill College
Stony Brook University
Suffolk University

SUNY Albany

SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
SUNY Plattsburgh

Syracuse University

Temple University

Texas A&M University, College Station
Texas Christian University

The College of Saint Rose

The Evergreen State College

The University of Texas, Dallas

Trinity College

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity Washington University

Truman State University
Tulane University

Universita Bocconi

Universidad de Navarra
University at Buffalo The State University of New York
University of Alabama
University of Arizona
University of California at Davis
University of California at Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Riverside
University of California at San Diego
University of California at Santa Barbara
University of California at Santa Cruz

University of Central Florida

University of Chicago
University of Colorado at Boulder

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

University of Colorado at Denver
University of Connecticut
University of Dallas
University of Dayton

University of Delaware
University of Denver

University of Dubuque

University of Edinburgh

University of Hawaii at Manoa

University of Idaho
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne
University of Iowa
University of Jamestown
University of Kansas

University of Kentucky

University of Maine, Augusta

University of Manitoba
University of Mary
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Massachusetts, Boston

University of Massachusetts, Lowell
University of Miami
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota, Crookston
University of Minnesota, Duluth
University of Minnesota, Morris

University of Minnesota, Rochester
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

University of Mississippi
University of Missouri Columbia

University of Missouri, St. Louis

University of Mobile

University of Montana
University of Nebraska at Lincoln

University of Nebraska, Omaha

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

University of Nevada, Reno
University of New Hampshire at Durham

University of New Mexico

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

University of North Carolina, Greensboro

University of North Dakota

University of Northern Colorado

University of Northern Iowa

University of Northwestern
University of Notre Dame

University of Oklahoma
University of Oregon

University of Ottawa

University of Pittsburgh
University of Portland
University of Puget Sound
University of Richmond
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Sioux Falls

University of Southern Alabama

University of South Carolina
University of South Dakota
University of Southern California
University of St. Thomas (MN)

University of Tampa

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

University of the Pacific
University of Utah
University of Vermont

University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

University of Wisconsin, Platteville
University of Wisconsin, River Falls
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin, Stout

University of Wisconsin, Superior

Upper Iowa University

Utah State University

Valencia College

Valley City State University

Vassar College
Villanova University
Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Military Institute

Virginia State University
Viterbo University

Washington College
Washington University in St. Louis

Webster University

Wesleyan University

Western Illinois University
Western Michigan University

Whitman College

Whittier College

Wichita State University

Willamette University

Wingate University
Winona State University

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Xavier University

Xavier University of Louisian4

Advice from your College Counselors regarding Advanced Placement and/or PACC Credits

Advanced Placement (AP): Advanced Placement exams are administered by the College Board and graded on a 1-5 scale.  In order to receive college credit for your AP exams, you will direct the College Board to send your scores to the college you decide to attend.  Most colleges have a list of AP courses they will accept and the score required to obtain credit and these are usually on their website.  Most schools require a 4 or 5 to receive college credit though some colleges will also give credit for a score of 3.  As you visit colleges, be prepared to ask the Admission Counselor about how your AP classes might transfer. In some cases, the AP course might meet a curriculum requirement at the college or may count as elective credit.  You can contact colleges NOW to find out how your AP scores might transfer to their school.

At an Information Session presented by Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, Duke and Stanford, the admission representatives indicated that whether a college accepts the credit or not, the expectation at highly selective schools is that students have taken AP courses and the corresponding tests because these are the best ways to prepare for the rigors of the freshman year in college.

PACC Credit through Saint Mary’s University, MN: The Program for Advanced College Credit (PACC) at Saint Mary’s University offers college courses taught at Academy of Holy Angels. There are the same expectations, workload, learning activities, projects, and exams as the courses taught to first-year students at Saint Mary's University.

If you take a course for PACC credit, you will need to request Saint Mary’s University send a transcript to the college you decide to attend.  In most cases, the college will review the transcript and determine what, if any, credit they will award for the course. You can call the college to inquire how they might handle your PACC credit but most colleges handle this on a case by case basis and likely will not be able to tell you immediately if you will get credit for the class.

Here is more information from the Saint Mary’s University website: Colleges and universities can recognize coursework taken at other institutions in several ways. Based on the student's transcript, which is proof that he or she has completed college coursework, institutions can transfer the credit hours into a student's program of study, reducing the number of courses the student has to complete on campus to graduate.

They can also offer the student the option of using transferred courses to gain exemption from specific course requirements. These might include courses that fulfill distribution or general education requirements, introductory writing courses, and courses required within a major or minor course of study.

Finally, colleges and universities can allow the student to use transfer courses to fulfill prerequisite course requirements for more advanced study by granting placement in a higher level of a course sequence. All of these forms of recognition may be granted individually or in combination.

Please be aware that some colleges may transfer not only the class/credit you receive from Saint Mary’s to your program of study at their college, but also will transfer the grade into your college GPA.  Be aware you want to do your best possible academically in these courses, if you are trying to gain credit for PACC at your college of choice.

 

PACC at AHA

The Program for Advanced College Credit [PACC] is a program offered by St. Mary’s University in Winona that awards college credit to several advanced and Advanced Placement courses at Holy Angels.   Students who are taking the approved courses may register as a PACC student and gain either 3 or 4 credits for the year –long classes.  They must maintain a C average in the class in order to receive the credits at the end of Trimester III.  After grades are finalized in June, you may obtain a transcript from St. Mary’s.

PACC credit does not take the place of the AP exams taken in May, and some schools accept both PACC credits and AP scores.  The College and Career Center has prepared a detailed explanation of the choices your student has before him or her.  Please look at this document as you make your decision.

Courses that are approved for PACC are as follows: AP Spanish IV (6 credits), AP Biology (4 credits), AP English Literature (3 credits), and AP English Language (3 credits) .

Registration will take place in September.  Students will receive information from their PACC course teachers on how to register when their classes begin in the fall.  Mr. Schuman will take registration information.  The registration forms must have a parent/guardian signature and the student’s Social Security number.  On the day they register, students will need to have a check for the full amount payable to AHA.  One check is all that is needed.

For further information, visit the St. Mary’s website at: https://www.smumn.edu/admission/undergraduate/college-credit-in-high-school/pacc/.

AHA PACC coordinator:  Mr. Jake Schuman at jschuman@ahastars.org or 612-798-2638