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!

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

**Want to earn money and learn about CLC's October Manufacturing Career Pathways Program? Scroll to the bottom under Career/Job Opportunities to learn how!

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

Have a wonderful 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.

WTHS is excited to announce the roll out of our new college & career readiness platform, SchooLinks. This comprehensive tool can help families navigate their post-secondary planning throughout high school.

Our Senior Class of 2025 was introduced to the platform last spring.

For students, simply click "log in with Google" using your WTHS credentials.

Our Junior Class of 2026 will need to complete the onboarding process in order to view and sign-up for our upcoming college visits. The Counselors anticipate training the Juniors in the near future. Juniors are encouraged to view the tutorial below to complete the onboarding in the meantime. As always, please stop into the College & Career Center in the main office if you would like additional help.

VIDEO tutorial

SLIDES tutorial

**NOTE: Parents/Guardians are now able create a shadow account to view the college information, view upcoming college visits (under Events) and more! See this communication.

Thank you to all who attended our Paying for College on 9/12! We hope you found the information helpful as you progress through the college application process.

If you were not able to attend, please review the following resources:
Paying for College Presentation

Shared Folder of Resources

As always, please contact your counselor or Mrs. McGahan with questions.

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 SchooLinks --> Events.

Students are expected to sign-up in SchooLinks for the visit by clicking on the events --> Register for the Event.

**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 17th

• Period 2: Saint Norbert's College
• Period 3: University of Maine, Claremont McKenna College
• Period 4: The George Washington University
• Period 6: University of Missouri, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Missouri State University, University of Utah

Thursday, September 19th

• Period 2: University of Kansas
• Period 6: University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Period 7: Boston University

Tuesday, September 24th

• Period 2: Bradley University

Thursday, September 26th

• Period 1: Princeton University
• Period 3: Michigan Technological University
• Period 4: Grand Canyon University
• Period 6: Northern Illinois University

Cornell University, Emory University, Pomona College, Rice University and Washington University in St. Louis are proud to present LAUNCH (Linking Access, Unity, Networking, Collaboration and Higher Education). They invite you to join LAUNCH partners in a city near you to meet admission officers from all five institutions and learn more about what unites them. Register HERE. Chicago location is September 15th.

Harvard, Princeton, the University of Virginia, Wellesley, and Yale would like to spend some time with you. Learn what it takes to attend these schools and hear more about the opportunities, scholarships and more from admissions officers of each. Webinar dates are Sept 15 and October 6. For additional information and to register, click here.

First Gen students will receive a pass to remind them to attend. Students can be cleared out of an academic class to attend as long as they are passing that class and receive teacher permission.

On Tuesday, September 17th, WTHS will host Mr. Uriel Gonzalez, former WTHS Schuler Scholar Director and College Counselor at 7pm in Room 211 at the Almond Campus 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.

LFA will welcome over 100 colleges and universities onto campus on Tuesday, September 17th, between 6:30 and 8:00 pm.

A couple of important things to note:

• Strive Scan. This application is where students register and receive a personal QR code that colleges will then scan to get students' personal information at the fair (most Illinois regional fairs use this software). Please register in advance at: https://app.strivescan.com/students
• Parking. On-campus parking will be reserved for the college representatives in attendance, and there will be campus safety officers monitoring this traffic. Students and parents park at either the Townline Road lot (Route 60 across the street from the LFA entrance) or Christ Church (located at the corner of Route 60 and Waukegan Road). Multiple shuttle buses will be back and forth between campus and these lots throughout the event.
• Event will be held at:
• Lake Forest Academy
  1500 W Kennedy Rd
  Lake Forest, IL 60045
  United States
  

Click for a list of colleges in attendance:https://www.lfanet.org/college-counseling/college-night

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 17! Click links below for more info and to register (registration is required).

9/15 NACAC Virtual College Fair, 12 - 5 pm

9/17 Lake Forest Academy, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

10/5 NACAC National College Fair in Chicago, 11 am - 3 pm

10/6 NACAC National College Fair in Milwaukee, 12 - 3 pm

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

10/13 NACAC Virtual College Fair, 12 - 5 pm

10/16 Christian College Fair in Elmhurst, 6 - 8 pm
10/17 Regional College Fair at the College of Lake County, 6 - 8 pm

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

11/3 NACAC Virtual College Fair, 12 - 5 pm

Latinx/e Campus Life & Community

Wednesday, September 18 @ 5:00 p.m. CDT

Attend an admissions staff-moderated panel featuring current Latinx/e students who have firsthand experience with Northwestern campus life. Discover the diverse range of student experiences, resources, and communidad that shape their journeys.

Academics Through a Latinx/e Lens

Thursday, September 19 @ 5:00 p.m. CDT
Engage a panel of current Latinx/e students moderated by an admissions staff member alongside a special guest from the Latina and Latino Studies Program. Gain a deeper dive into academics at Northwestern and learn how Latinx/e perspectives are integrated into the academic community at Northwestern.

Instagram Takeover w/ Live Q&A

Friday, September 20 @ 4:00 p.m. CDT
Head over to our Instagram (@northwesternadmissions) for a student takeover. Throughout the day, a current Latinx/e Northwestern undergrad will document a day in their life on our story. Then from 4-5 p.m. CDT there will be a live Q&A where they will answer all your burning questions!

If you’re not able to attend Hispanic Heritage Month programming, visit our YouTube Channel (@NorthwesternAdmissions) where you can watch a student panel or even take a campus tour.

This workshop is geared for Senior and Junior Early Grads. Students can sign-up in SchooLinks under Events (look for 9/20).

The Class of 2026 and 2027 are experiencing the biggest changes to the ACT & SAT in a century with the digital, adaptive PSAT and SAT and shifting landscape of the ACT.

With the State of Illinois now requiring the Class of 2026 and beyond students to complete an ACT to graduate from a public high school, this is one presentation you won't want to miss!

On October 1st at 7pm in the O'Plaine Auditorium, hear from the experts at Compass Education Group as they lead a pragmatic discussion of how to navigate this change. Please REGISTER in advance.

With the recent ISBE contract change from SAT to ACT Illinois students will now be preparing for the ACT. Get ready to achieve your best score on the ACT! Engage in practice tests and cover the four topic areas of Reading Mathematics English and Science. Practice algebra geometry advanced algebra and basic mathematical refreshers to polish your math skills. Discover helpful ways to remember grammatical rules and effective strategies to help you approach reading passages and questions confidently. Be prepared for the upcoming fall ACT test dates of October 26 and December 14, 2024. Students should bring to each class the required textbook (book info TBA soon), as well as paper, a pencil, pen and highlighter. The textbook can be purchased online or at the CLC bookstore. Classes meet 9/14-10/19 from 9am-12pm or 10/26-12/7 from 9am-12pm. Cost is $275. Register HERE.

Learn about careers in engineering and computer science and meet with representatives from area engineering schools on Wednesday, October 2 at CLC from 5:30 - 8 pm. This event is free and open to high-school students and their parents. Pre-Registration is highly encouraged.

Attendees can expect to:

• Learn about various engineering professions and majors (civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, computer science, aerospace, etc.) from practicing engineers
• Get an overview of the college search process for engineering (how to research engineering schools, the application process, college costs, choosing an engineering major, etc.)
  
• Tour the CLC Baxter Innovation Lab, a makerspace/fab lab for CLC students and the Lake County community
  
• Get info on CLC's guaranteed engineering admission partnerships with UIUC (Engineering Pathways), UIC, and NIU

Universities with Engineering programs will also be in attendance, including Illinois Tech (IIT), Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), Northern Illinois University (NIU), MTU, UW-Milwaukee, Iowa State, Southern Illinois University (SIU), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

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 Office of Undergraduate Admission would like to cordially invite first-generation college students and their families to spend a day on campus and see what it’s like to be a Northwestern student—from the perspective of a first-generation college student.

At our Exploring Northwestern event families will hear from a panel of current first-generation college students who will talk candidly about their Northwestern experience, answer students' questions about how they navigated the admissions process, and share how they adjusted to campus and student life. Families will also receive an overview of our admission and financial aid process, attend a essay writing workshop, enjoy lunch on campus, and can go on a campus tour. Please note: while we cannot offer travel assistance, lunch will be provided.

Exploring Northwestern

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Norris University Center, 2nd floor, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL

First-gen students and families should RSVP by September 25, 2024. Online registration is required and space is limited: REGISTER HERE

Questions? Please e-mail ugadmissionoutreach@northwestern.edu .

WTHS is once again facilitating a FREE practice, optional ACT test for our Sophomore and Junior students virtually on Saturday, November 9th-Sunday, November 10th. Compass Educational Group will be virtually proctoring the practice ACT that morning. Click HERE to review the details & to register. Deadline to register is November 4th at 5pm CST.

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 (11/11) and distributed at the follow-up event. Open to anyone in grades 11-12. Register here.

CLC is proud to host their Manufacturing Month Apprenticeship Awareness programs. The programs will be held Oct. 14, 16 or 17th, 4:30 -5:30 pm on the College of Lake County Grayslake Campus or the CLC Advanced Technology Campus (ATC) in Gurnee. Students may choose ONE of the five sessions to learn more about that program and have some hands-on experience during the session. They strongly encourage parents/guardians to attend the session with their student if at all possible. The number of students in each session will be limited, so registration will be on a first come first served basis.

These are the offered programs:

• Automation, Robotics, Mechatronics
  
• Precision Machining Technology
  
• Industrial Technology
• Welding and Fabrication
• HVAC

The program is October 14, 16 or 17 (depending on your choice of session) from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Enrollment is limited so don't wait to register (click for the application)! Deadline to register is October 7th!

Event Highlights:

• For Students: A fantastic opportunity for middle and high school students interested in healthcare careers (aligned with the College and Career Pathway Endorsements for Health Sciences and Technology).
• For Adults: Ideal for those considering a career change to healthcare.
• Variety of Careers: Featuring both clinical and non-clinical positions with various educational requirements.
• Work Now Opportunities: Positions available for those looking to start working immediately after high school.
• Career Paths and Educational Assistance: Talent Acquisition and Workforce Development teams will be available to answer questions about career paths and educational assistance within our organization.
• College Representatives: Meet representatives from colleges with healthcare-focused programs.
• Event Updates: Access event updates via a QR code or link provided on the flyer.

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.

The Discovery Program takes place at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital one Saturday a month from November-June

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 is highly competitive (only 30 students per Chapter).

The deadline to apply is September 30, 2024. Click for additional information on their website.

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 2024-2025 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 30th.

Registration is required

Questions? email esie.sweillinois@gmail.com

The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition that encourages students to learn science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills by coding their own app for any digital device. This challenge is open to all middle and high school students who live or attend school in the Tenth District. Students can choose to participate individually or as part of a team of up to four students, if two of the team members meet eligibility requirements. To enter, participants must upload a video showcasing their app and an explanation of what they learned throughout the app-making process. Click here to register by November 1, 2024 (registration indicates your intent to compete).

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.

To date, www.fairtest.org as published over 1,800 colleges and universities which are allowing Fall 2025 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