Almond College & Career Center News

Have a safe and fun weekend and Halloween week!

SENIORS

• We're coming up on the last few days of October and IF you have a November 1st deadline (not all colleges have that as a priority deadline), please don't wait until the last minute to submit your application. You should submit whenever you are ready, regardless if your letters of rec and counselor forms are submitted. Teachers and counselors send those in separately, so there's no need to wait. Click HERE to reference the final reminders that were emailed last week. We're in the final stretch for those early app deadlines. You can do it!

JUNIORS

• Once November 1st turns over, we begin to focus more of our attention to our Junior families! Lots of key events coming up this month:

  • See this email for additional opportunities for post-secondary planning
  • Nov 7: College Planning for Juniors
  • 3pm in Room 211 at Almond
  • 7pm in the O'Plaine Auditorium
  • Nov 9: FREE Practice, Virtual ACT Test
    
  • 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.

BOTH JUNIORS & SENIORS

College of Lake County Events

• October 29th, 7pm via Zoom, CLC Informational Webinar:
  • Interested WTHS families are welcome to join Ms. Quinnlyn Meadowcroft, our CLC College & Career Navigator, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom to learn more about the opportunities at CLC. Register HERE or see the flier.
  • Zoom access: https://clcillinois.zoom.us/j/8502366304?omn=94241132444

College Application Fee Waiver Codes

• Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (free application until 11/1)
• • Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (free application until 12/1)
  • Western Illinois University (free application until 11/1)
  • Northern Illinois University (always free)
  • Eastern Illinois University (always free)
  • University of Illinois-Springfield (free application until 12/1)
  • Miami University of Ohio has free application until 12/1 (select Miami Fee Waiver on application)
  • Ripon College (free until 1/15)
  • Lawrence Tech (month of October): enter October1932
  • Kent State (free application until 10/31)
  • Bowling Green State University (free application until 10/31 with code BGSU)
  • Central Michigan University (free application until 10/31 on their website or using code FireUp2025 in the Common App)
  • University of Cincinatti (must apply between 11/1-11/15 on their website or select code Free Application Days November 1-14 on Common App)

  
  

  Colleges that have Free Applications:

  • There are many!!! Click HERE for a list of 2,500+ you can narrow down.

Here is the contact information for Student Services.

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.

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. Juniors are encouraged to view the tutorial below. 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 UPDATED communication.

• Interested WTHS families are welcome to join Ms. Quinnlyn Meadowcroft, our CLC College & Career Navigator, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom to learn more about the opportunities at CLC. Register HERE or see the flier.
• Zoom access: https://clcillinois.zoom.us/j/8502366304?omn=94241132444

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, October 29th

• Period 2: Hofstra University
• Period 5: University of Arizona

Thursday, October 31st

• Period 3: University of Illinois-Springfield
  
• Period 5: Arizona State University
  
• Period 6: Butler University
• Period 7: Marquette University

Thursday, November 7th

• Period 3: National Louis University
• Period 4: University of Alabama

Thursday, November 14th

• Period 7: Columbia College Chicago

Students who aspire to attend the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) are required to apply for a congressional nomination for appointment.

Attending a service academy is a tremendous honor, and it entails a commitment to serve in the military for at least five years after graduation.

For more detailed information, click the link and review the Frequently Asked Questions page for those seeking a Military Academy Nomination. https://schneider.house.gov/services/military-academy-nominations/military-academy-nominations-faq

Applicants should ensure that all materials for the academy classes of 2029 are submitted before 5:00 p.m. on October 31, 2024.

We will carefully review these materials in our office and subsequently reach out to students to schedule an interview with our Service Academy Nomination Board in December.

Should you have any questions during the application process, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at 847-383-4870 or via email at Patrice.Campbell@mail.house.gov.

The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign is hosting several webinar opportunities for families to hear from several Colleges about their academic programs. Click HERE for additional information.

UIUC is hosting upcoming virtual application workshops to get all the tips students need to submit a strong application. Their admissions counselors will walk them through the process and answer any questions you have about Illinois or applying.

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

This presentation will be offered to junior families on Thursday, November 7th at 3:00 p.m. in room 211 at the Almond Campus and at 7:00pm in the Auditorium at the O'Plaine Campus. At the 7:00 p.m., we welcome the Manager of Illinois Recruitment, Sylvia Hernandez, from Michigan State University to present to students and families on the college search process.

If you are the first in your family to seek to earn a college degree, you are FIRST GEN! Email Mrs. McGahan at cmcgahan@wths.net to be added to our First Gen group! We send email and text communication to invite students to our monthly workshop and other events.

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.

Are you thinking about starting your college education and CLC and later transferring to earn a Bachelor’s degree? Not sure about how this works? Join Ms. Meadowcroft, our CLC Navigator, in the College & Career Center during your lunch period on Tuesday, November 12th to learn more!

SoFi is hosting a Preparing for College Webinar Series for high school counselors and the parents of college-bound students. This three part series will help prepare your family with the information, insights and tools necessary to navigate college financing, and get ready to complete the FAFSA.

Register for one or all of the upcoming events:

Breaking Down the Basics of College Financing

Tuesday, November 12, 2024
7pm

Figuring Out Your FAFSA®
Tuesday, December 03, 2024
7pm

Can’t join? Register via the link above and they will send you a copy of the recordings.

Juniors interested in taking a course at the Lake County Technology Campus next year as seniors, need to apply early as programs fill up quickly and the application is already open!

Students can review all available Tech Campus programs here. Juniors, click here and then click "apply" at the top to access the application. See your Counselor if you need assistance completing it.

All interested families are invited to also attend the Tech Campus Open House on November 14 from 4:30 - 7:30 pm. The best way to learn more about the offerings at Tech is to go check it out for yourself! Interested students are highly encouraged to attend the Open House with their families. Some of the benefits of attending Tech include taking classes in line with your interest, learn essential skills and training to become skilled in a specific trade, qualify to take the State Board Exam to work upon graduation, the opportunity to earn high school and college credit at no cost and much more !

Would you like to learn more about careers within the Construction field? Swing by the CCC either 6th or 7th period on Thursday, November 21st to hear from a 2018 WTHS Grad about his experience and career tips! To attend, please register in SchooLinks under Events.

The University of Dayton is hosting Explore Engineering on November 9th. This FREE event is where students can learn about a career in engineering and what makes a University of Dayton engineering degree unique. Students will participate in hands-on activities in our labs, meet faculty and current students, and tour campus and engineering facilities. Registration deadline is November 1st: register today! You can also download this flyer.

Vanderbilt University's PTY has just announced courses for the Spring 2025 cohort of Mentor Immersion: A Virtual Research Experience, a virtual program for 10th-12th grade students.

• This is a five-month program in which students participate in an application process for a placement in a mentorship focused on a specific academic area of interest.

• Information about application components and placement process, including the test score or educator recommendation option, can be found here.

• Participating students will be paired with a mentor in an academic field and participate in weekly live meetings for 2.5 hours with their mentor and 2-9 other students with similar interests who are working with the same mentor. An office hour is available for student support.

• The mentorship experience culminates with a final project that reflects work in the field of the mentorship.

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).

Beginning October 1, through February 28, the Lake County Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee will begin accepting applications for both the five-year electrical construction and the four-year telecommunication apprenticeship programs.

· Students must be 18 by June 30, 2025

· High school graduate

· One full-year HS algebra

· Valid driver's license by 1/31/2025

· Minimum score of 4 on NJATC Aptitude Test

· Pass physical exam, background check & drug screen (hair follicle)

https://lakecountyjatc.org/howtoapply/

Electrical Construction Apprenticeship Program - Inside Wireman

· Five-year program

· $17.72+ per hour to start

o Raises at specified times throughout 5-year program

· Journeyman pay rate upon graduation approximately $44.30+ per hour

Telecommunication & Data Apprenticeship Program

· Four-year program

· $18.54+ per hour to start

o Raises at specified times throughout 4-year program

· Journeyman pay rate is approximately $41.20+ per hour

The Golden Apple Scholarship Application is now open! High school students graduating in 2025 or first- and second-year college students can apply to become a Scholar by clicking here. Priority applications close on December 1, 2024. Final deadline is April 1, 2025. See flier for more information.

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