It is the End of the School Year!
CFHS Counseling Updates!
CFHS Counseling Office Updates- June 2023
Please check out the following information:
- Counselor Summer Availability
- Senior Transcript Information
- FAFSA Help Available
- 2023-34 Schedule Adjustment Information
- 2023-34 Important Dates
- CFHS Counseling Department Changes for 2023-24
- ACT Registration for July 15th
- Career and College Planning
CFHS Counselor Summer Availability
The CFHS counselors will ONLY be available on the following Tuesday mornings during the summer from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. One of the school counselors will be in the office and able to assist with questions about college and career exploration, college applications, transcripts, ACT prep, etc. We will also be scheduling new students. Counselors will NOT be able to make schedule adjustments during this time. Please call 319-553-2515 or make an appointment by clicking on this link for the CFHSCounseling Office You Can Book Me Link.
June 6th
June 13th
June 20th
June 27th
July 4th-NO Counselor available
July 11th-NO Counselor available
July 18th
July 25th
August 1st
2023-24 Schedule Adjustment Information
The school counselors are NOT able to make adjustments during the summer to student schedules. Please wait until the following dates to make requests for any adjustments. We appreciate your support in not emailing and asking for changes to be made during the summer.
- Friday, August 11, from 11:30 to 3:30 for SENIORS ONLY
- Monday, August 14th, from 8:00 AM to 12 PM for JUNIORS AND SOPHOMORES
- Students are also allowed to make schedule changes during the first three days of the 1st semester. More information will be sent out closer to the date.
Class of 2023 Senior Transcripts
Every Senior met with their school counselor for a Senior Exit Interview in May. At that time, students shared what their post-secondary plans included and requested where to send their final transcripts. Please note that transcripts will not be ready to send until the second week of June. The final transcript is free of charge. If you decide to attend a different school than requested, please call 553-2515 or 553-2501 to let us know of the change.
- Seniors who took Hawkeye Concurrent classes or PSEO classes are responsible for REQUESTING AND SENDING TRANSCRIPTS to the college they are attending. Please contact Hawkeye and/or UNI to request a transcript with the information below.
HAWKEYE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
All requests for transcripts are made through the National Student Clearinghouse. You will need to follow the steps below to order your transcript. There is a fee of $5.20 that you will need to pay via credit or debit card while ordering. You will also need your Hawkeye ID or Social Security Number.
Go to Hawkeye’s website at www.hawkeyecollege.edu
Write Request a Transcript in the search box or click on the link.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA
Please check out the Requesting an Official Transcript website at https://registrar.uni.edu/students/transcript-requests
2023-24 Important Dates/Events
- CFHS Registration: Friday, August 4th, from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and Monday, August 7th, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
- Senior Parent Meeting: Monday, September 11th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- College Fair at McLeod Center: Tuesday, September 12th, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY!
- FAFSA Meeting with ICAN, Monday, October 30th at 6;00 p.m.
- Career/College Planning Meeting for 10th/11th graders: January 29th at 5:30 p.m.
CFHS Counseling Department Changes
It has been a great pleasure to work at CFHS. Good luck to all of you!!
ACT Registration
Many colleges are going "Test Optional" for admission. Please check the college website for more information. However, an ACT score could help with more scholarship funding. If you have questions, please contact the admissions office at the schools you are interested in attending. Taking the ACT in July lets your students focus on what matters — themselves. Having a clear focus and a runway without school-year responsibilities like homework and clubs can help their ACT performance soar. Their college destination is waiting and they’re cleared for take-off. Let’s go!
Register by June 16 for the ACT® test on July 15.
There will also be a September 9th date that students will need to register by August 4th
Career and College Planning
The juniors were all given a survey this spring to help us determine their interests after high school. We then invited students into small groups and talked about the next steps to prepare for their senior year.
Summer is a great time to do some college and career exploration. Students should access their Xello accounts to take assessments, explore colleges and careers, check out scholarships, build resumes, and much more. Xello is a GREAT resource. Please take advantage of it!!
Planning for College
Here is some helpful information for students who shared they were interested in college after graduation. Please check out these things you can be doing this summer or early in the fall to prepare for your senior year.
- Check out the websites of the colleges you are interested in. If possible to take an in-person visit, see what the options are for what college you are interested in. Many colleges are also offering virtual visits right now, which is a pretty good option if you are not able to visit in person.
- Make sure you check the requirements of the college you are interested in attending. Some of the out-of-state colleges have different requirements including world language and fine arts classes. The official website will have the requirements listed and you want to make sure you have everything you need on your schedule for next year.
- Check out what the college testing requirement will be for next year. Many colleges are going "test-optional" since it has been difficult for students to take the ACT or SAT. If you have questions about this, talk to your counselor and we can also visit with the admission counselor from the college to figure out what is your best option. If you need to take the ACT this summer, there is a test on July 15th. Register HERE for the July test. There will also be a September test with an August deadline that is before school starts.
- Look at the cost of the college you are interested in. Some out-of-state colleges cost more but also might have scholarship options available. Have a discussion with your parents about the cost of college and make plans for how you might pay for it. Also, plan to fill out the FAFSA. There will be some changes to the FAFSA. It looks like December 1st will be when it will open for the Class of 2024.
- Many competitive colleges use the Common Application, so students can fill out one application for several colleges. You might want to check out what the Common Application includes for the college you are interested in. Some applications need letters of recommendation, and you may want to be thinking of who you would like to ask to write a letter for you.
- Many colleges that use the Common Application also require essays. There are specific PROMPTS that you also might want to look at to be thinking about what you will include in your essay. One piece of advice that many college admissions counselors have shared for the essay is to let them know you have researched the college and include something about your visit or what you are looking forward to. The other piece of advice is to try and make your essay unique. Make sure you include something that will make your essay stand out. Let us know if you need ideas for your essays.
The more you can explore this summer, the more prepared you will be in the fall! Let us know if you have any questions!!