Almond College & Career Center News

And just like that, we are four weeks into our school year!

Students are settling into their classes, beginning to juggle extra-curriculars with coursework, and frequenting our College and Career Center. Stay on top of your assignments, prepare for your assessments and reach out to your teachers, study table resource after school or counselors if you need assistance. Proactive, early engagement is best!

Over the next couple of weeks, counselors will visit our Senior English classes to share helpful tips about progressing through first semester in our Fall Senior Seminar.

*Deadlines are approaching quickly, so Seniors be sure to communicate with your counselor your college application intentions and stay organized through the process.

College Application Fee Waiver Codes

• University of Nebraska application (use code HUSKER until 9/17/23)
• Miami University of Ohio has free application until 11/1 (select Miami Fee Waiver on application)

We have several events coming up these next few weeks, so scroll below to be informed!

Have a wonderful upcoming week!

Mrs. McGahan, Post-Secondary Counselor

If you would like to make an appointment to meet with your Almond Campus Counselor please email them or stop down to Student Services in the main office to submit a request form. If you would like to meet with Mrs. McGahan, please scan the QR code to the right or click HERE. Book an appointment during your free period.

If you're planning to attend college and neither of your parents completed Bachelor's degree in college, then YOU are considered First-Generation or First-Gen! Did you know many of our Warren teachers are first-gen? Nationwide, about half of all college students are first-gen.

All first-gen Almond students are invited to attend our next I'm First Club meeting on 9/11 at 2:20 p.m. in the Almond CCC. Email Mrs. McGahan (cmcgahan@wths.net) if you are first-gen and would like more college/career info, including our upcoming meetings!

College Reps will begin to visit with our Almond Campus students starting in September! Meeting with these reps is an excellent way to gather information about your college of interest, answer questions you may have and make that personal connection. Juniors and Seniors are welcome to attend in the College and Career Center!

Students can view the upcoming college visits in Maia Learning --> Events.

Students are expected to sign-up in Maia Learning for the visit by clicking on Actions --> Attend.

**Students are allowed to attend 3 college visits per semester if they are missing an academic class. Students attending during a lunch or study hall period will not count towards the 3 visits. If you are not able to attend, but would like the information from the institution, please email Mrs. McGahan (cmcgahan@wths.net).

Tuesday, September 12th

• Period 3: Grand Canyon University
• Period 4: Hofstra University
  
• Period 5: Boston University
• Period 6: Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
• Period 7: Arizona State University

Wednesday, September 13th

• Period 1: University of Richmond (in Room 205)

Thursday, September 14th

• Period 2: University of Iowa, Iowa State, University of Northern Iowa
  
• Period 3: University of Minnesota
• Period 4: Augustana College
• Period 5: Stony Brook University
• Period 6: Dominican University
• Period 7: Lawrence University

Tuesday, September 19th

• Period 2: Carroll University, St. Norbert College, Ripon College, Carthage College
• Period 3: Northwestern University
• Period 4: National Louis University, Illinois Institute of Technology

Wednesday, September 20th

• Period 0: Valparaiso University

Thursday, September 21st

• Period 3: University of St. Francis
• Period 5: DePauw University

Tuesday, September 26th

• Period 2: Michigan State University, University of Michigan
• Period 4: University of Mississippi & University of Alabama
• Period 6: Western Michigan University, Wayne State University, Michigan Tech University
• Period 7: Lake Forest College

Thursday, September 28th

• Period 2: Marquette University, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, Xavier University
• Period 6: Northern Arizona University

This vlog series launching Tuesday, September 12th from 6-7pm will feature Northwestern's admission directors talking through drafting your College Admission Essay as well as other topics. The vlogs are not specific to Northwestern - they're designed to give you more general advice as you navigate the coming months (and years!). Register to access.

Hear from admission officers from these prestigious schools about their academics, campus life, financial aid, the admission process and more! Click links below for more info and to register.

Harvard, Princeton, University of Virginia, Wellesley, & Yale: 9/10, 10/1 & 10/15

Columbia, University of Chicago, Univ. of Texas - Austin, University of Michigan & Yale: 7 pm on 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 10/24

Claremont McKenna College, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Grinnell College, Haverford College, Kenyon College, Macalester College & Sarah Lawrence College: 9/10 & 9/17

Cornell University, Emory University, Pomona College, Rice University & Washington University in St. Louis: 9/17 & 9/27

While visiting college campuses is an important part of the college search process, college fairs are free and a great way for students and their families to visit with many colleges at once. See list below for some upcoming fairs in our area, including the college fair at CLC on October 12! Click links below for more info and to register (registration is required).

9/10 NACAC Virtual College Fair, 12 - 5 pm

9/12 Lake Forest Academy, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

9/21 Virtual College Fair: Professional Certificate Programs (Live), 12 - 2 & 6:30 - 9:30 pm - registration opens 9/6

9/30 NACAC National College Fair in Chicago, 11 am - 3 pm

10/1 NACAC National College Fair in Milwaukee, 3 - 6 pm

10/4 Virtual College Fair: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (Live), 12 - 2 & 6:30 - 9:30 pm - registration opens 9/6

10/10 Choices: For College-Bound Students with Learning Differences at Vernon Hills High School, 6 - 8:30 pm

10/12 Regional College Fair at the College of Lake County, 6 - 8 pm

10/12 Christian College Fair in Elmhurst, 6 - 8 pm

10/12 Virtual College Fair: Learning Differences (Live), 12 - 2 & 6:30 - 9:30 pm - registration opens 9/6

10/15 NACAC Virtual College Fair, 12 - 5 pm

10/19 Christian College Fair in Northfield, 6 - 8 pm

10/25 Virtual College Fair: First-Generation (Live), 12 - 2 & 6:30 - 9:30 pm - registration opens 9/6

11/12 NACAC Virtual College Fair, 12 - 5 pm

For students interested in learning more about the U.S. Military, representatives from the following branches will be located at the front of the Almond Cafeteria. Stop by their table to receive additional information!

Air Force -- 4th Thursday of the month

Army Reserve – 3rd Tuesday of the month

Army National Guard -- 1st Tuesday of the month

Army – 2nd Tuesday of the month

Navy – 4th Tuesday of the month

Marines – 3rd Thursday of the month

The STEAM Scholar Program aims to connect highly motivated students interested in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics with hands-on learning experiences throughout our district.

Students selected to participate in the STEAM Scholars program will have the opportunity to visit four STEAM-related businesses and facilities during the 2023-2024 school year. On these visits, students will have the chance to participate in discussions with local employees, business owners, and educators, and learn more about the STEAM career opportunities in our backyard.

This program is open to all rising Sophomores and Juniors who live in or attend high schools located within Illinois’s Tenth Congressional District. Due to space constraints, we will only be selecting two applicants per high school for participation in this competitive program.

How do I apply?

The application is available here.

The deadline to apply is September 16th.

ALPFA is the sole Latino business organization in the College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Their goal as an organization is to encourage and empower Latino students to pursue higher education. The purpose of our high school outreach program is to invite high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in attending UIUC, interested in pursuing a business major and would like a head start in finding their community on campus.

Participants will have the opportunity to interact with our members as well as participate in leadership panels and learn more about applying to the College of Business. They will also be able to take a tour around campus and participate in a series of workshops.

Applications are due no later than Sunday, September 17th at Midnight.

For additional details, click HERE.

On Tuesday, September 19th, WTHS will host a college representative at 7pm in the O'Plaine Auditorium to meet with our Junior and Senior Spanish speaking families and share helpful tips about navigating college admissions, financial aid, and answer any questions our families may have. The presentation will be entirely in Spanish. More information coming soon!

Take a timed practice SAT or ACT test, sponsored by the Huntington Learning Center of Grayslake. Check-in starts at 9:15am for the 9:30 am test start time. The test will begin promptly at 9:30 am, so please don’t be late. Students should bring a #2 pencil and a non-phone calculator (ideally a graphing calculator). Tests will be graded by Monday (9/25) and distributed at the follow-up event. Open to anyone in grades 11-12. Register here.

Girls in Aviation Day

Come join us for a fun-filled day at Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK)!

We're celebrating Girls in Aviation and empowering young women to soar high in the sky.

This in-person event will take place at Pyott Road, Lake in the Hills, IL, USA.

Get ready to explore the exciting world of aviation through interactive activities, inspiring talks, and hands-on experiences.

Whether you dream of becoming a pilot, engineer, or air traffic controller, this event is for you!

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to connect with like-minded girls and discover the endless possibilities in aviation.

Girls ages 11-21 are invited.

They will receive a T-shirt, swag bag with fun aviation goodies, and lunch.

REGISTRATION CLOSES SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

NW Medicine’s mission is to “create a pathway for the next generation of healthcare leaders”.

Through this program, chosen students are exposed to a broad range of healthcare careers through tours, guest speakers, group discussions, and hands-on projects.

This is geared toward students at least 15 years old, current sophomore or junior, and highly interested in a career in the healthcare field.

This program takes place in Lake Forest and is highly competitive (only 30 students per Chapter).

The deadline to apply is September 29, 2023. Click for additional information on their website.

This program is open to any 14 to 21-year-old interested in learning more about law enforcement careers. Students will help the community as well as learn about careers in law enforcement and learn foundational policing skills. For additional information see their website.

Click HERE to access and explore 170+ careers with videos and information. By participating, you will gain a better understanding of the variety of industries and positions. Some employers may also have possible internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing and/or employment opportunities for our students! For those of you who may not know what you want to do, there’s a career assessment included that will help you narrow down a career cluster to further research. At the end, please complete the exit survey to reflect and provide feedback so we can continue to assist you with your post-high school plans.

WTHS has in-person Study Tables on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:20-3:00 p.m. in the Almond Campus Library for English, Math, Science and Social Studies. Students who need bus transportation home are able to take the shuttle from Almond to O'Plaine and take the O'Plaine busses home.

For a list of our WTHS academic tutors, please click HERE.

Maia Learning is a college and career readiness platform that engages students in planning their futures. It allow students to develop profiles, explore careers that fit those profiles, and build academic, college, and career plans. It helps them manage college applications, and build portfolios that will gain them admission. It helps counselors manage student progress, and keeps families involved in the process.

Click here for a brief tutorial on accessing Maia Learning or click here for a shared folder which houses several helpful video tutorials and resources on the college search and application process.

The Paying for College Resource delivers free, easy to understand information and resources, so your family is confident you have everything you need to figure out how to pay for school.

To date, www.fairtest.org as published over 1,800 colleges and universities which are allowing Fall 2024 applicants to apply test-optional. Many institutions are stating students are at no disadvantage of applying test-optional. But it is good diligence on your part to verify the institution will still distribute merit, academic scholarships, be considered for direct-entry, competitive majors and Honors College consideration.

Almond Post-Secondary Counselor

Instagram @wthsccc

(847) 548-6709

Email: cmcgahan@wths.net
Website: https://www.d121.org/Page/313
Phone: (847) 548-6709
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wthsccc