Counseling News
Regent Reporter October 2017
12th GRADE STUDENTS
Applying to College
Parents of seniors: We hope your student is in the process of making their post high school plans. If those plans include attending college, your child should be filling out applications and sending them in NOW! Most colleges prefer online applications. Please have them meet with their counselor if they have not already done so.
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Second Fall 2018 Notification: Application Deadline: February 1 (Decision End of March)
University of Minnesota
Please encourage your students to apply early! The priority freshman application deadline is November 1, 2017 (notified by 1/31) . Regular deadline January 1, 2018 (notified by 3/31).
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Financial Aid Night: October 16, 2017 @ 6:30 in the West High Auditorium.
There are many different sources of financial aid, including federal grants or loans, loans from private lending organizations, state scholarships and grants, and other scholarships. A Financial Aid workshop will be announced shortly. Regularly review the information posted in “Scholarship Scoops” which we email students throughout the year and check into the other scholarship resources available in the Counseling Office. The FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov - and can be filed as of October 1st.
The Midwest Higher Education Compact (MHEC)
Parents! Wisconsin students are now eligible for tuition breaks at designated colleges, universities and technical schools in Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota. Go to the Midwestern Higher Education Compact website at: www.mhec.org for more information.
Who Offers Free Help Completing Financial Aid Forms?
Some private companies charge a fee for help completing these forms. You can get free help from the Federal Student Aid Information Center, the UW Help Office, or the campus financial aid office on the campus you plan to attend. Contact information for all UW System financial aid offices is available in the “Introduction to the UW System” booklet. "College Goal Sunday" Madison Area Events: LaFollette HS, Wed. Oct. 11th @ 6:00 pm and Memorial HS, Wed. Nov. 8th @6:00 pm. You can receive free assistance completing the FAFSA. The FAFSA is the form you must complete to be considered for grants and loans to help pay for college. Also, West has a representative from DPI come and help families fill out the FAFSA by appointment only, these dates are yet to be determined and will be advertised in the next Regent Reporter.
Talent Incentive Program (TIP) Grant:
The TIP grant program is available for low income Wisconsin college freshmen. The TIP Grant is for $600 to $1,800 per year, available for 10 consecutive semesters at a Wisconsin technical, private or UW campus. Funding is allocated on a first come, first served basis, to Wisconsin residents only. More information is available at http://dpi.wi.gov/weop/tipgrt.html.
11th GRADE STUDENTS
Futurepaths Speaker Program
Tuesday, October 17th, 6:30 pm, Auditorium
The West High Counseling Department will host the Futurepaths Speaker Program for 11th grade students and their families the evening of October 17th. Presenters will speak on a range of post high school opportunities including: UW-Madison, UW-System schools, Private Colleges, University of Minnesota, Peck School of the Arts at UW-Milwaukee, Madison College (MATC), IEP Goes to College, Apprenticeship Programs and Military Options. There will be a presentation on Financial Aid in the Auditorium after the program introduction at 6:30, followed by the above sectionals from 7:05 to 7:45 and repeated 7:50 to 8:30 so families can attend two presentations as well as receive the financial aid information. This is an important program for juniors and their families. Seniors who are interested in attending the presentation to obtain more information on their post-secondary options are also welcome to attend! A Program Agenda of the presentations with room locations will be emailed ahead of the event.December - January
Juniors will be asked to make an appointment with their counselor for their Junior Conference. During this conference Counselors review the following items with students; credits, courses for senior year, resume, career interests, interests after high school and culminating in a plan to reach their individual goal after high school.
UW System Admission Requirements
All University of Wisconsin System institutions require a minimum of 17 high school credits (one credit is equal to one year of study) distributed as follows:
Core College Preparatory Credits:
English 4 credits Mathematics 3 credits Natural Science 3 credits
Social Science 3 credits Elective Credits 4 credits
Students are encouraged to check the course requirements for a specific campus in the booklet Introduction to the University of Wisconsin System, available in the Counseling Office or at www.uwhelp.wisconsin.edu to compare requirements that may exceed the minimum required courses. If you have questions about acceptability of a specific high school course, contact the admissions office of the campus you plan to attend, or call the HELP office at 1-800-442-6459.
Additional Admission Requirements
Foreign Language: A minimum of 2 years of the same foreign language are required for UW-Madison and UW-Eau Claire only. As of this writing, the other UW schools do not require a foreign language for admission.
10th GRADE STUDENTS
December/January
The sophomores will come to the Counseling Office with their Social Studies classes to review scheduling information for junior year and learn about employability skills. Counselors will also speak with students about getting involved in activities at West or outside of school like volunteering and working.
9th GRADE STUDENTS
Counselors will be meeting with 9th grade students in individual and small group conferences. The objective of these conferences is to get to know our 9th grade students and further assist them with the transition to high schools. All students will have a conference with their counselor.