College Planning

FAFSA is Now Open! | Posted 12/10/24
Attention seniors who plan to attend college: The FAFSA is now open! You will need your parents 2023 Taxes and W-2s along with your 2023 Taxes and W-2s to fill it out. Colleges hand out money on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's important that you complete your FAFSA as soon as possible so you don't lose out. If you need assistance, please make an appointment with Mrs. Mac. She is happy to help you!

Greenville University Rep Visit | Posted 10/10/24
The Greenville University rep will be at NCHS on Oct 17 during SRT in the library. Sign up on Mrs. Mac's board by Oct 16 to meet with the rep and learn more. Greenville is a 4-year private university in Central IL, about an hour from St. Louis, and is a Division III NCAA school. Popular majors include Education, Business, Criminal Justice, and Liberal Arts. More info on the school's website or Xello.

WCC College Night | Posted 9/19/24
Waubonsee Community College will host a college fair on Monday, October 7, from 6-8 pm at the Sugar Grove campus in the Academic and Professional Building (APC) on the north side of campus. Over 100 colleges and universities will be present for you to meet with to learn about their campus, majors, and scholarships. There will also be presentations on choosing a college, choosing a major, and financial aid. Please plan to attend this informative night. This is a great way to learn about colleges and narrow your focus. Questions? Please see Mrs. Mac

JJC Nursing Info Sessions | Posted 9/19/24
Interested in a career in nursing? Joliet Junior College will host info sessions about admission to their nursing program on October 16 from 1-2 pm and on November 19 from 4-5 pm. Info sessions will be held in the JJC Auditorium in the U Building. Students must apply to JJC and then apply to the nursing program for admission. There are very specific requirements to apply. This meeting will go over those requirements and have time for a Q & A session. You do not need to register in advance. For more information, please see Mrs. Mac.

Spring is for Visiting Colleges
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

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.

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.