College Planning

Waubonsee Community College | Posted 1/29/24
Attention Seniors: Are you planning to attend Waubonsee Community College in the fall? If so, you need to see Mrs. McAnally ASAP. Waubonsee has changed the cost you will be charged and you will no longer be able to attend for in-district price unless you register for a summer course. Please see Mrs. McAnally for more information so you can make an informed choice about attending Waubonsee.

Free Online Webinar: Secrets of College Admissions | Posted 10/24/22
Xello has partnered with Collegewise, to bring students an exclusive opportunity to get straight answers about what college admissions committees really look for and how they ultimately decide who gets in. This Wednesday, 10/26, join former MIT admissions officer and college counselor, Brenna Heintz, and former Northwestern assistant director of admissions and college counselor, Lizzie Leonard, as they help separate admissions fact from fiction.

Topic: Secrets of College Admissions
Time: Wednesday, October 26th at 5:00 pm PDT / 8:00 pm EDT
Format: Free online webinar + live Q&A with experts
What's Covered: Grades, test scores, activities, and everything else colleges evaluate.

Online Webinar Invite link: https://tinyurl.com/yaexjzfy

JJC & WCC College Nights | Posted 10/14/22
Attention students: Interested in possibly attending college after you graduate high school? Have any idea where you may want to attend? Want a first opportunity to shop around to learn more about colleges and what they have to offer? JJC will be hosting a College Night on October 19. Over 100 colleges will be in attendance! This is a great opportunity to talk to college reps and learn what these colleges have to offer. This is an informal table format where you can collect brochures, ask questions about majors and activities on campus, learn the costs, and so much more. This opportunity is open to freshmen through seniors and is a great way to research options. Can't attend the JJC College Night? Waubonsee Community College is also hosting a college night on October 25 in the same format. Have questions about which colleges will be in attendance? See Mrs. Mac for more information.

College Visit for Jrs & Srs to Aurora University | Posted 10/14/22
Attention juniors and seniors: Mrs. Mac is taking interested juniors and seniors on a college visit to Aurora University on October 24. If you are interested in attending this college visit, please sign up on Mrs. Mac's bulletin board asap and then stop by her office for an anticipated absence form.

College Visit for Jrs & Srs to Waubonsee Community College | Posted 10/14/22
Attention juniors and seniors: Mrs. Mac is taking interested juniors and seniors to Waubonsee Community College on November 14. If you are interested in attending Waubonsee, you should attend this field trip. Please sign up on Mrs. Mac's bulletin board and pick up an anticipated absence form asap.

College Visit for Jrs & Srs to Joliet Junior College | Posted 10/14/22
Attention Juniors and Seniors: Mrs. Mac is taking students who are interested in attending JJC on a college visit on November 21. Please sign up on Mrs. Mac's bulletin board asap if you'd like to attend this visit and stop by her office to pick up an anticipated absence form.

Western IL University free application | Posted 10/6/22
Attention Seniors: Western IL University in Macomb is having a free application month through October 31. Western is a great state university with a small hometown feel. It's athletics are Division I NCAA. Western has a great scholarship program that makes going to college very affordable! If you visit Western, they will give you $1,000 to attend for being from Newark. In addition, we have a principal's scholarship for another $1,000. To learn more, go to www.wiu.edu.

Spring is for Visiting Colleges | Posted 3/12/22
Sophomores and Juniors, now is the time to visit colleges and figure out what type of college you are most interested in. Is it a large urban or suburban university, a small private university, a trade or technical school? Visiting is key to make sure you understand which type of school will be a good fit. College applications are due early in the fall of the senior year, so visiting and narrowing your choices to 3-5 colleges to apply to is what you should be working on. For assistance with choosing schools and scheduling visits, please ask Mrs. McAnally.

College Visits and SAT/ACT Test Scores | Posted 12/15/21

This is a reminder that all juniors and seniors get two college days per year. These days do not count against your attendance if you follow the procedures outlined in the handbook and bring back the appropriate paperwork. College days are an opportunity for you to take a 1⁄2 day or a whole day to visit a college campus. Many colleges offer individual visits during the week where you can meet with admissions, tour the campus, eat the dorm food, and sit in on a class. To schedule a visit, most colleges have a sign-up form on their undergraduate admissions page.

Many colleges also offer open houses at various times of the year. The next open house for most colleges is in February around President’s Day. This is an opportunity for students to visit campus with other students. An open house opportunity is a great way to get a first visit. Then, if you are truly interested in attending that school, schedule an individual visit so you can ask questions and learn more about the programs you are interested in. If you need assistance in scheduling a college visit, please see Mrs. McAnally. She is happy to help!

Juniors should visit colleges during the junior year, and develop a list of colleges to apply to by the end of the summer before the senior year. College applications are due in the fall of the senior year, so it’s important to have visits taken care of during the junior year so you are ready to apply when we return to school in August.

While many schools have gone test-optional throughout Covid, many still require high test scores to receive scholarship money. Therefore, it’s important to do your best on the SAT and ACT. All juniors will take the SAT in April, and scores will be available by the end of the school year. However, most SAT and ACT tests are only given during the school year. This means that if you take the test for the first time in April and you do not score as high as you would like, you will have very little opportunity to retake the test before college applications are due. Because we test so late in the year, it is important for juniors to consider testing on a national test date before April. Typically, students who test twice score higher the second time. For a list of national test dates for the SAT, please visit collegeboard.org. If you think you might score better on an ACT, please visit actstudent.org for national test dates and more information. The SAT consists of two English/Reading tests and two Math tests, one with and one without calculator. Each has ve or six math problems that require you to nd your own answer. The rest are multiple choice. The ACT consists of one English test, one Math test (all with calculator and all multiple choice), one Reading test, and one Science Reasoning test. Students who feel they are better at English/ Reading than math tend to score better on an ACT over the SAT. Any student who plans to enter a teacher education program MUST take the optional writing portion of the SAT or ACT in order to be accepted into a teacher education program. Schools in the state of IL require a 22 on the ACT or SAT equivalent score and at least a 6 on the writing portion for admission into teacher education programs.

It is very important to prepare for the SAT and ACT. You should not expect to walk into one of these testing situations and score well without prior preparation. To prepare for the SAT, please use Khan Academy. A diagnostic test is available to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie. It will then design a study plan for you to improve on your weaknesses. For the ACT and SAT, Mrs. McAnally has books you can check out that provide study guides and complete practice exams. To learn more, see Mrs. McAnally.

Graduate Loan Free | Posted 10/14/21
All state universities in IL are offering the ability to graduate without debt if a student's family makes on average $65,000 or less per year. Some state schools have a slightly higher amount for their threshold. Many private universities are also offering this opportunity for students whose family makes less than $75,000 per year. These students would receive enough grants and scholarships to cover the cost of attending college, even at those really expensive private schools. For more info, see Mrs. McAnally.

Information for College-Bound Seniors | Posted 9/17/21

Seniors planning to attend a four-year college/university should visit colleges this fall, attend virtual visits, and narrow their choices to at least 3-5 colleges. Once the list is decided, it’s time to apply! Most applications have deadlines for priority decision between Oct 1 and Dec 1. It’s important to know the deadline for each school you are interested in and make sure you have all application materials submitted before the deadline. Application materials typically needed: application, essay, letters of recommendation, transcript, test scores, and counselor form. Please ask your teachers for recommendation letters well in advance. Two weeks is a good time frame. It’s also really nice if you give them a resume’ to refer to, as well as what classes you’ve taken with them. If you need better test scores to get into a college of your choice or to be eligible for scholarships, now is the time to register. Please refer to the list of test dates in your agenda and in this newsletter. Seats disappear quickly, so please register before the deadline. The FAFSA will become available October 1. You will need to fill this out October 1 or shortly after in order for colleges to put together your financial aid package. You CAN’T fill it out before October 1. Please plan to attend Financial Aid Night on Sept 29 to learn everything you need to know for applying for financial aid. Need help? Please set up an individual appointment with me.

For seniors who plan to attend the community college, the timeline isn’t as tight. The application period for the community college is typically mid-November-March. Applications become available mid-November and do not require an essay. Scholarships become available October/November – January. Financial aid should be filed on or after October 1. Classes are typically selected in the late spring. This timeline is the same whether you plan to do a transfer program to a four-year school, earn an Associate Degree or Applied Associate Degree, or earn a certificate. For more information or help, please set up an individual appointment. We will also cover all this information in College and Career class.

FAFSA Completion | Posted 12/4/20
The State Board of Education and the Illinois Legislature passed a law in 2020 that starting with the 20-21 school year, all seniors must file a FAFSA in order to receive a high school diploma. Several of our seniors have already filed their FAFSA, but there are still several who need to do so. The law provides an option to fill out a FAFSA non-participation form if the student plans to enter directly into the workforce or enlist in the military. According to the law, parents who choose the non-participation form must meet with the school counselor to discuss all options before signing and submitting the form. If your student is not planning to attend a college, technical, or trade school, and you would like to file the non-participation form, please contact Mrs. McAnally at mmcanally@nchs18.org to set up an individual meeting.

Seniors planning to attend a 4-year college next year | Posted 3/31/20
You should have received your financial aid packages from all the colleges you applied to. Do you understand them? The deadline to let schools know you are accepting their admission offer and pay your deposit is May 1. If you don't do this by May 1, you lose your admissions offer. You also need to let the rest of the colleges you were accepted to know you are not coming. You can do this by sending back the card you received, marking that you turn down your acceptance, or you can contact admissions to let them know your decision. This frees up seats for those students sitting on a waiting list. I am available for online meetings to help explain your award letters to you and your parents or just answer any questions you may have. Please contact me via email at mmcanally@nchs18.org to set up a virtual meeting time.

College Visits | Posted 11/26/19

All juniors are allowed two college visits per year. Juniors should be taking advantage of these visit days, as the senior year will be here before you know it! College application season is the fall of the senior year, so now is the time to narrow down those choices to 3-5 colleges. It is highly important for juniors to visit and see a school first hand. Things to do on a visit:

• Meet with an admissions representative;
• Talk with a financial aid advisor;
• Sit in on a class (either gen ed class or class in your major);
• Eat the dorm food;
• Stay all night in the dorm (some colleges allow this!);
• Walk around campus to see if you feel safe.

Visiting a school is imperative to the decision-making process. If a school feels right, it probably is. If it doesn’t feel right, trust your gut, it probably isn’t. There’s no better way to find out than by visiting and seeing and experiencing the campus first-hand. Need help arranging a visit? See Mrs. Mac.

College Information for Seniors | Posted 10/31/18

It’s college application time!!! Most of our seniors plan to attend school in some fashion after graduation, therefore now is the time to apply whether that be a four-year university, community college, or trade school. Confused about the process? Need help with that application? Don’t know how to get started or what to do next? Mrs. McAnally is here to help you every step of the way. She has been meeting with seniors about their post-secondary plans and will continue to do so throughout the next two weeks.

Not planning to further your education in some way after high school? Do you plan to enlist in the military? Please let Mrs. McAnally know so she can contact a recruiter. You must be 17 years of age to talk with a recruiter. You can either meet with a recruiter during lunch or SRT.

Thinking of applying for a union position? The Painters and Allied Trades District 30 accepts applications year-round. Applicants must have graduated high school before applying. This is a 3-year apprenticeship program. The Illinois Laborer’s Union accepts applications the first Tuesday of every month at any local laborer’s office. Again, applicants must have graduated from high school. This is also a three-year apprenticeship program. Other locals provide information about application periods throughout the year. Some apprenticeships are four-year or five-year apprenticeships. Some qualifications are the same no matter the union:

• High school diploma;
• Valid driver license;
• C or above in two semesters of Algebra;
• Recommendation letters;
• Drug test.

For more information about which unions are taking applications and to find out the specific qualifications so you can be ready to apply upon high school graduation, see Mrs. McAnally.

12 Reasons to Stay in Illinois | Posted 10/18/18
The following publication provides current information about each state university, while the accompanying chart presents comparative admission, cost, curricula, and other relevant information about the state universities.
12 Reasons to Stay in Illinois (PDF)

State Universities at a Glance | Posted 10/18/18
The following At-A-Glance charts present comparative admission, cost, curricula and other relevant information about the state universities.
2018-2019 State Universities at a Glance (PDF)

Which Community College District is Our Home District? | Posted 10/5/17

Did you know that Newark High School students can attend both JJC and WCC for in-district tuition? Joliet Junior College is our home community college district, but Newark High School students can attend IVVC which is in Waubonsee’s district. Newark High School is also a member district of VALEES, our regional vocational education system for employment. Because of IVVC and VALEES, Newark High School students receive a tuition discount at Waubonsee Community College that is equal to in-district tuition. This is a great advantage for many of our students, as the Newark High School District covers over 100 square miles, with many of our students living closer to WCC campuses than JJC campuses. Both schools offer excellent programs, so it’s great that our students can bene t from two community colleges instead of just one. The only drawback to attending WCC is that if a student wishes to enroll in a program that requires a separate admission application, such as nursing, our students are not considered in-district students in the selection process. This may mean students choosing a career field such as nursing might be put on a waitlist, as all in-district students will be served first. For more information, please see Mrs. McAnally.