A sense of panic fills the air as seniors rush to fill out their applications before the deadline catches up to them. With time running out, there’s a cry for help from those individuals, as they’re not sure what to do. Yet they all could have been having a much easier time if they had sought the help that is available.
“Some students who are the first in their family may need more support from their high school counselor, The counselors are available to help with whatever a student needs” Beth Cammiso, counselor, said.
College bound students often don’t utilize the multitude of resources, for instance the college visits.
“The Student Services department sponsored a college visit to UIC last fall and will be taking students to NIU, Illinois Wesleyan University, and ISU in April,” Cammiso said.
The school also has the naviance/family connection, a system that allows for a much easier time for students to send out their transcripts to multiple colleges. This system is touched on with seniors during their study halls. However, many students don’t realize the importance of what they are learning during that time.
“Naviance allows students to apply for colleges, request letters of recommendation, send transcripts, and search for scholarships all in one place,” Cammiso said.
The Naviance program also has a scholarship tab, giving a multitude of scholarship opportunities, many of which go unclaimed each year.
“Right now there are almost 30 scholarships available to our students and the list is updated weekly,” Cammiso said.
Another program is college step by step application night in September, which explains the application processes. Those who go to it are glad that they went, but those who missed it can still see the PowerPoint online through the school’s website.
“There was this thing that I went to last year, and it had greatly helped me understand the application process for colleges,” Noah Culberth, previous senior, said.
There are many programs to help students with this major point in their life, but they need to take the initiative and search for them.