College & Career Center

Last Updated on Monday, Mar. 4, 2013 9:50pm Written by Newton North High School

Newton North's College & Career Center is staffed by specialized counselors who provide career and college counseling. Students are welcome to make College & Career Center appointments beginning at the start of the third term (late January) of Junior year. Parents may also participate in the College & Career Center meetings. These meetings focus on specific post-secondary educational plans and how they fit with career and life objectives.

The Center houses an excellent collection of reference materials for educational and career planning. Materials include: information on occupations, directories of two and four year colleges and specialized programs, directories of private secondary schools, directories of college programs for learning disabled students, information about summer programs, and sources of financial aid. In addition, the Center contains a large collection of college catalogs.

Students and parents are welcome to drop by the College & Career Center, which is in Room 110 on the first floor of NNHS, or call or email the College & Career Center Counselors. The College & Career Center is open during school hours.

Guides

file iconDefinitions of Admission Options in Higher Education

file iconHow is College Different From High School?

file iconApplying to College with an IEP or 504 Plan

file iconThe Difference in Disability Rights Between College and High School

Jobs and Volunteer Opportunities

Job and volunteer opportunities for students are posted on Naviance (see description and guest access info to the right).

If you are an employer or have a volunteer opportunity for a high school student, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

About the College & Career Center Counselors

Bradford R. MacGowan, Ed.D.
Room 110A
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(617) 559-6349

Brad MacGowan has been a Counselor for more than twenty five years. This is his 16th year as Career Center Counselor/Director. He visits colleges throughout the country and regularly attends conferences on college admissions. Brad has also presented on various topics related to college admissions at regional and national conferences. His articles on college admission issues have been published in the Journal of College Admission, Professional School Counseling, the NACAC Bulletin, and College Counseling Connections. His dissertation is titled "By chance or by design: Structures of opportunity for college bound African Americans." He is a Past-President of the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC).

Sarah Hoffman
Room 110B
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(617) 559-6348

Sarah Hoffman is in her second year at NNHS. She brings a wealth of experience in college counseling to the Career Center. Sarah has a Master’s Degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She was an Assistant Director of Admission at Smith College from 1986 to 1994, and a College counselor at Northfield Mount Hermon School from 1994 to 2009.

Melissa Brodie Hanenberger, Ed.M.
Room 110
(617) 559-6347
Melissa Hanenberger has been a College and Career Center Aide since 2012. She was a Guidance Counselor at T.A. Blake Middle School in Medfield from 1994-1998 and an Assistant Principal at Novi Middle School in Novi, Michigan from 1999-2000. Melissa graduated from Princeton University with a major in Psychology and a certificate in the Teacher Preparation Program. She also has Masters’ Degrees in Counseling Psychology from Boston College and in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She currently serves on the Princeton University Alumni Schools Committee.

Naviance

(guest access password: tiger)

Newton North uses a web-based tool for post-high school planning called Naviance. This program contains data on colleges throughout the country and keeps track of recent NNHS college applications, student statistics and admissions decisions. Naviance is accessible to counselors, students and parents (with a NNHS approved registration code) from any computer with web access. Guest access is available by using the password: tiger