More Information
MSSM Teacher Recommendation Requests
This form is used for college, scholarship and various other applications. The process can be confusing. Below are step-by-step instructions describing how these forms should be handled:
Meet with your college counselor to discuss the two or three teachers who would be most appropriate to write a letter of recommendation.
After you have selected your teachers, you should contact them and ask if they would be willing to write you a good letter. At this time you should have the teacher complete the Teacher Recommendation Request Signature Page and then return it to Ms. Jortberg.
Your teacher will then complete any forms and submit letters to the office in a timely manner in order to accompany the remainder of your completed application. Teacher letters will be uploaded into Naviance.
Remember to share your completed Teacher Recommendation Request Information Sheet with both the Registrar and the College Counselor so they know you have submitted your forms and will help you keep track of your progress.
Student Brag Sheet
The brag sheet is designed to help students outline their accomplishments, goals and activities involved in throughout high school. This sheet will provide useful information and adjectives for your college counselor to use when she writes your letter of recommendation.
Family Questionnaire
This form, which may be submitted either electronically or by mail and is tremendously useful to your college counselor. Families and parents are uniquely suited to provide information about aspects of the student's life away from school that the student may forget or feel are irrelevant.
Standardized Testing
Colleges and universities utilize standardized tests as one part of the application process, as well as for scholarship competition and placement. The SAT and ACT are used by colleges to help them compare students from different educational systems. MSSM is a testing site for PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP exams.
Fees for national testing programs vary and are assessed by the individual agencies. Parents/legal guardians are required to pay the fees for SAT I, SAT II, ACT, and AP tests. A limited number of fee waivers are available from the College Counseling Office. No student should let finances keep him/her from testing. The College Counselor should be advised of any financial hardships or special situations. Please remember that some testing opportunities take place when MSSM is not in session. If students choose to test when MSSM is not in session, they should select the site closest to their homes.
PSAT
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is co-sponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). The PSAT/NMSQT measures the critical reading, math problem solving, and writing skills that students have developed throughout their lives. MSSM requires all juniors to participate in the PSAT testing program. Testing for sophomores is optional and fees are paid by families.
SAT
The SAT is a globally recognized college admissions test that enables students to demonstrate their reading, writing, and mathematics skills to colleges. Most students take the test more than once during their junior or senior year. The SAT program also has subject tests which allow students to show their mastery of a given subject area. Students may take up to three (3) tests during a testing day. Some highly selective colleges require that students submit scores for two or three subject tests. Ideally, the subject tests should be taken as close to completion of a course as possible, regardless of a student’s year of graduation. Fee waivers are available to students whose families qualify for free or reduced lunch.
ACT
The ACT is the test of choice in the Midwest. It is subject-based, measuring skills in English, Math, Science, reading and an optional writing test. The ACT may sometimes be substituted for the SAT or the SAT Subject Tests, but policies vary from college to college. The ACT test with writing is highly recommended for students who may not be satisfied with their SAT scores or who believe they might benefit from a different testing format.
Maine State Assessments
MSSM Juniors will participate in the Maine State Assessments for Math, English and Science.
Registering for Tests
In order to register to take the SAT or ACT tests (described above) at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, students will need the following codes:
In addition to Naviance, you might find the following sites helpful in your search:
- Princeton Review
- Peterson's
- Index of American Universities
- Campus Tours
- College Board's My Road
- Colleges That Change Lives
For online registrations and testing information:
Financial Aid and Scholarship Information:
- FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
- http://studentaid.ed.gov/
- http://www.fastweb.com/
- http://www.finaid.org/
- https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp
- http://www.scholarships.com/
- http://www.smartscholar.com/
- https://universityhq.org/paying-for-college/schola...
Online applications: