Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!  I hope that you are helping your parents by handing out candy to the little kids in your neighborhood as they come through for trick-or-treating.  (And enjoying a few bites of candy for yourself too.)

I am biased, but this is the cutest little devil I have ever seen...

This is my 5-year-old nephew, Brady, who saw a devil costume in one of his Disney Halloween shows and ran excitedly to tell my sister that he "wanted to dress up like the red duck."  So, a devil he is.

I also wanted to mention (especially after talking about volunteering yesterday) that I am proud of all of you who volunteered your time this evening to go trick-or-canning to help gather food for the Worthington Food Bank.  You made a difference to many people because of your efforts tonight!

Volunteering

When I was in high school my mom encouraged us to volunteer at a local hospital. We’d go every week and put in the hours and it was a fine experience – something I was glad to do – and to be able to list on my applications, but there wasn’t anything particularly unique or memorable about the experience. For example, my main memory from my days of volunteering was the job of refilling the water jugs in patient rooms… and how my sister would skip the rooms of anyone moaning… who’d have thought she’d end up becoming a nurse?! (My sister would NOT be happy with me for telling this story!) But that was it – no great epiphany or story beyond the fact that I had volunteered.

As you begin applying to college and for scholarships there are many times that questions come up about what community service experiences you have had. And, even if not asked directly, if you had memorable experiences they can often be used to support your essay responses.

No need to panic! Your volunteer work doesn’t have to be a huge project or consist of thousands of hours of time – what is important is to get involved!  No matter what year you are, now is a great time to start working on volunteering – the experiences will help you in the long run.

Community service opportunities are as different as each individual who decides they want to help make a difference in the world around them. The sky is the limit and I encourage you to find something that inspires you.

Some volunteer ideas that could help get you started could include – community beautification projects (cleaning up parks or areas of the city), helping elderly neighbors, visiting nursing homes to perform music or talk with residents, homeless outreach, helping at the library, packing groceries for a food bank, assisting at the humane society or other animal shelters, wrapping and handing out gifts to those less fortunate, organizing and attending holiday parties for kids or the poor that would usually have nothing to celebrate, serving in a project for those who are disabled or ill (such as Make a Wish, Adventures for Wish Kids, or the Special Olympics), fundraising or recruitment events, becoming the champion for a cause and helping with awareness (Diabetes, Cancer, Organ Donation), and the list literally goes on and on. Also, don’t forget that there are several co-curricular groups at WKHS that focus on community service such as Interact Club, REACH club, Project MORE and Wolves for Cubs and you are encouraged to look into those opportunities as well.  Also, if you are trying to volunteer during the school day at WKHS, don't forget that every semester we are looking for office workers to help out in the Counseling Center.

I am anxious to hear your community service stories and the ways you are working to make a difference!

Application Details

Wednesday is November 1st! This is one of the significant deadlines for many colleges and so over the last few weeks seniors have been scrambling to try to get their applications finished up. As you get ready to hit submit, I'd like to remind you to double check every aspect of your application before you turn in your application! 

Make sure you didn't skip over an area planning to come back to it later. Many students leave activities or honors lists empty intending to return to update that information later. Also, be sure that you have provided accurate information about yourself and your parents. For example, when you mess up your social security number, it can be difficult for the college to match your information together and it takes a lot longer to get everything straightened out with your application. (Ideally, please have your parent review every page of your application as well to provide another set of eyes.)

If your application required an essay, make sure that you put the right essay with the appropriate application. (In other words, don't submit an essay supplement to Cincinnati answering OU's question and vice versa.) Also, be sure that your essay is within the specified word count. Hopefully it goes without saying, but since it is all about details, please make sure that you upload the final version of your college essay rather than a draft version. 

For those students who are applying to schools which utilize the Common Application, you have some additional details to pay attention to with your applications. It is essential that you print preview your application before you submit it to be certain that everything looks exactly like you want it to appear. The way it looks when you hit print preview is the way it will look for your college. A hint of what you should be looking for when you print preview the page would include making sure that nothing is being cut off. For example, double check the essay as well as the general application text boxes to make sure your information isn't being cut off. If your application isn't appearing exactly how you wanted it to look, then you need to make changes to your application so that it does look how you wanted it to appear. Also, when using the Common Application, double check that you have truly submitted your application. This includes submitting the main application, paying the fee for the application (if the college charges an application fee) and submitting any supplements that the college requires. You will also want to verify that all of your school forms have been submitted. (You will be able to see this on the school forms tab of the Common Application.) The school forms area will include the transcript being submitted by me and, when applicable, the teacher or counselor recommendation letters. If you notice that one of your school forms/ recommendation letters has not been submitted, but you had previously asked a teacher for a rec letter, please go and see the teacher and ask nicely what the status of your recommendation letter is and ask if they need you to resend them the common application recommendation link. Try to keep in mind that they are helping you by writing your recommendation letter, so be sure to approach the contact with gratitude and kindness rather than being upset about the fact that you have to ask them again about your recommendation letter. 

If you need any last second help with your applications, feel free to stop down and see me tomorrow.  And for all of you with later deadlines, be happy that you aren't in this last second stress, but keep working every day on your applications so that when your deadline approaches you aren't experiencing this same stress.

Deadlines

Deadlines are real! Often times I worry that the tendency we have in high school to set a deadline and then extend it or accept late materials creates a major problem when it comes to college applications and the rest of the world. The reality is that outside of high school, deadlines are real. If they say you need to have something done by a particular day, then it is essential that you have it done by that day. College applications and financial aid forms fit into this strict rule so this is your friendly reminder to watch your deadlines!

It is really important that you stay organized and submit all application materials to colleges prior to their designated deadlines. There are several schools that have scholarship deadlines of November 1st. (This means that if you want to be considered for the maximum scholarship offering that you need to apply by November 1st.) Other schools have November 15th, December 1st, December 15th, or even later deadlines, but because every school is different it is really important that you stay on top of this and meet the requirements with plenty of time. 

I'd like to remind you that college applications is just 1 piece of my job as a high school counselor (and how I am spending this entire weekend). I am more than happy to help you by writing recommendation letters if they are needed by your school, but you need to give me at least 30 days notice before you have to have the letter! Being able to outline, draft, edit and revise each letter is important so that I can share all the great things you will bring to the college. 

Don't forget, it also takes us 3-5 days at WKHS to process your transcript release and get it submitted to the colleges you have selected. Some schools (like OSU) hold firm to the requirement that their deadline doesn't just mean that the application has been received by that date, but that all supporting documentation is also in their hands by that particular date. This means that they also need to have your transcript and official ACT/ SAT test scores prior to the deadline date.

With the FAFSA now being based on the 2016 tax returns (for this year's seniors) the FAFSA is now open and ready for you and your parents to complete.  Be sure to do this and submit it to all of your colleges prior to the earliest FAFSA deadline.  Many colleges in Ohio have December 1st deadlines while others might not have deadlines until January or even February.  Just like with college application deadlines, each school gets to set their own FAFSA deadlines and you will need to watch the deadlines carefully so that you do not miss out on your chance to try to qualify for grants or loans.

If you are having trouble figuring out any of the deadlines, stop by to see me and we can look it up together.

Activities

At WKHS you are blessed to have a wide range of activities that you can choose to be involved with based upon your interests. Whether it is athletics, music groups, theater, clubs, or community service outreach opportunities, every student can find a place where they can contribute and belong. And, in the off chance that there is not a group that you are interested in, it is also possible that you can work with a staff member to establish your own group.

You can stop by the co-curricular office at WKHS to be able to see a list of all of the different activities available and the advisers of each group.  There is also an option to be able to fill out a slip to leave for the adviser to express your interest in joining the group.

Sometimes students or parents will talk about their belief that colleges want to see students who are involved in a ton of activities. What is more important than just being a part of a lot of activities is that students find areas of passion and pursue those areas with focus and long term dedication.

As you are considering your areas of involvement and how you can get involved, remember it is far more important that you are involved because it is meaningful to you rather than because it will "look good" on a college application!

Why THIS College

Why do you like a particular college?  What is it about the school that made it stand out to you and left you with the impression that this would be a good place for you to spend your collegiate years?

Hopefully, you have an idea about what you'd answer for both of those questions for each school that you are including on your list of schools where you are going to apply.  And, let me clear - you should like something about every college that you are considering and you should feel good about each of the schools if you are applying there!

In addition to mattering for deciding where you are going to apply, your answers to these questions are essential when you are trying to answer college-specific essay questions.  Some colleges will ask applicants to answer supplemental essay questions and often one of these questions relates to what you like about their school.  They may phrase it in different ways, but the bottom line is that they are trying to determine why you believe their school is a good fit for you.

Remember, the admissions officers who work for the school already think their school is great and they know about the wonderful opportunities available so you need to take it beyond saying that they have a great location, outstanding professors, and wonderful weather.  You need to take it to the next level by identifying specific aspects at the school where you can see yourself contributing to the school and offerings that you plan to take advantage of while you are in college.

Good luck in searching for the right college fit for you and for conveying why it's a good fit in your essays.

Sports in College

In high school, participating in sports is very common for students.  Think about it - consider your own life or that of some of your friends and classmates - chances are that you have friends who participate in a range of different sports.  Perhaps you even know someone who is striving for the 12 Seasons of Greatness award by competing in 3 sports all 4 years of high school.

While this level of athletic participation is common at the high school level, only a small number of students will be able to compete at the varsity level in college.  Students planning to participate at the varsity level in college, will be looking at NCAA or NAIA colleges.  Athletic scholarships can be offered to students attending NCAA Division I or Division II colleges and NAIA colleges.  NCAA Division III colleges do not offer athletic scholarships for participation.

But that doesn't mean that athletic participation is over if you are not recruited to play a varsity sport in the future!  If sports are a significant aspect of your life, you do not have to give up on the joy of competing and playing.  Most colleges offer a variety of different ways that students can still have sports as a part of their lives in college even if they are not competing at the varsity level. 

Intramurals and Club sports are the two most common ways that most students will continue participating in athletics in college.  Intramurals are a lot like intramural basketball at Kilbourne - they provide a fun, light-hearted, chance to play.  Some schools will have a ton of intramural options such as lots of different sports (even including non-sports such as ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, quidditch, and inner-tube water polo) and other schools may have varying levels of competitiveness in the sports (such as a relaxed, a moderate, and a competitive basketball league).  Club sports are typically in between the competitiveness of intramurals and varsity sports.  Club teams typically have a coach, travel and compete against other teams at surrounding colleges.  There are lots of benefits to continuing your involvement in athletics in college such as allowing you to get exercise, make friends, relax and have fun. 

If being able to continue participating in a sport is important to you in college or if you are interested in exploring new athletic opportunities in college, be sure to include this as one of the factors you are considering when you explore schools.

DACC & Career Exploration

Today during English classes the Sophomores had a chance to hear a presentation about the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC).  It was interesting to hear about all of the different programs that are available for students to explore. There are some unique experiences and opportunities available that can really stand out to colleges such as the in-depth research through the Zoo School.

Sophomores – if you are interested in participating in the field trip to the DACC, please be sure to bring in the permission slip signed by your parents and give it to one of the secretaries in the Counseling Center. She will also give you a teacher permission slip that must be completed before you can attend. The field trip is Friday, November 17th. 

No matter your grade, exploring careers that might appeal to you is an important process for high school students.  The Ohio Means Jobs website features a student section to engage students in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade to start thinking about their careers.  

If you go to the Ohio Means Jobs website you can take a guided tour on the site.  I encourage you to create an account so that you can save your information and refer back to it in one place in the future.  For example, if you complete career interest inventories or other assessments, the information is all saved in your “backpack” on the site.  All of your information on the site is saved for you so you can access and reference it throughout your high school years.

In addition to the career search information, there are cool features on the site including the opportunity to create a budget including rent or house payment, grocery costs and utilities.  The site also helps you know if the job areas you have indicated that you are considering will be adequate enough to meet your budget.

The site allows you to find out which colleges in Ohio offer majors in your areas of interest.  So, for example, if you are interested in studying architecture, you can get a list of all of the colleges which offer architecture.

There are practice tests for ACT, SAT, Compass, ASVAB and AP tests along with areas to help with your current classes.

It is a fun site to get on and explore and can help spark areas that might interest you in your career exploration.

Transcript Release Reminder

I wanted to remind everyone that if you are in the process of applying to college you need to make sure you come in and fill out a transcript release card.  This process must be completed for EVERY college where you are applying!  The blue transcript release cards are located in Mrs. McDaniel's office in the Counseling Center.

If you are applying to schools utilizing the Common Application or Send EDU, your transcript will be submitted electronically.  You will need to report me as your school counselor on the School Forms page so that I am assigned the transcript data responsibility and given access to submit them on your behalf.  If you are unsure how to do this, bring your common app username and password to school with you after you have completed the majority of your application and we will fill out the assignment component together.  Transcripts uploaded to Common App and Send EDU are free of charge because we are not charged to use those systems.

If you are applying to schools that don't use the Common Application or Send EDU, we will send your transcript through an electronic system or by regular mail (depending on if they are a college that will accept them electronically or not).  There is a $1.00 fee for each of these transcripts you have requested.  

Some students have asked me if you have to be done with your applications to request your transcript and the short answer is no, but hopefully you will be close.  The one time that it doesn't matter if you are close or not is when we get close to winter break (which, believe it or not, is approaching quickly).  Remember, we are not at school over Christmas either, so if you are applying to colleges with a December 31st or January 1st deadline, you need to make sure that you have requested your transcript no later than December 8th to give us enough time to process and mail it in before your college application deadline.

Articles of Interest

I have a folder in my email account that I save all the articles I come across that I think you might be interested in reading or learning more about.  I opened that folder a few weeks ago and realized that I had nearly 200 saved messages… and the majority of those include multiple links to several articles that I had found.  So, needless to say, I have lots of articles to share with you.  (Full disclaimer, it is possible that I have shared some of these articles in the past, but if blogs or other resources re-post articles again and it is something I think is still applicable and helpful then I have saved it again.)  And I will acknowledge that I did NOT include all of the articles that I have saved because seriously, you have work to do, and I have been working on this post for days now and I had to draw the line somewhere.

Also, on a separate note – this weekend my parents came to town and my (step)dad and I walked at Highbanks each day of the long weekend.  While there I saw a LOT of kids taking senior pictures.  If you are a senior, don’t forget that at some point you will want to arrange to have senior pictures taken.  I believe Mrs. Mullen prefers to have them by January, but I know she will accept them later.  However, this is a good reminder that it is important to plan ahead and arrange to get your picture taken soon.

Here are the articles... and I tried to group them in a few different categories to make sorting through them easier.

Academics:

3 considerations before enrolling in first IB course

4 ways to help high school freshmen succeed

Before you study, ask for help

17+ Best time management apps and tools to keep you on track

A proven way to learn anything according to neuroscience

The downside of checking kids grades constantly

3 summer fixes for bad high school grades

How to make your kids smarter: 10 steps backed by science

How to learn smart and become a quick learner

10 apps that can help you ace your finals

6 strategies for taking high quality notes

3 things top performing students know that their peers miss

If you smoke a lot of pot, your grades can take a hit

Career

Majoring in construction gets more popular

37 questions to help you select a major or career

Want a job when you graduate?  Major in these areas

Struggling to pick (or keep) a major?  Here’s your solution

20 fun jobs that pay well (and you may never have imagined)

Achieve a rewarding career without a bachelor’s degree

Roadtrip Nation: roadmap to careers

5 best jobs for people with ADD and ADHD

Students rely on least reliable source for advice on college majors

The jobs that will be in demand when your teen graduates

New study shows majors that are most valuable for your students

Athletics:

How college athletes are fighting the stigma of mental illness

Know the recruiting rules: what is NCAA contact period

4 myths about athletic scholarships

How college coaches evaluate parents

Sleep:

All you have to do is sleep better

This simple sleep habit might be the secret to better grades

Sharpen your brain and fall asleep faster with before bed brain dump

Mobile phones in the bedroom

College Related:

The College Admissions Essay about Papa John’s Pizza that Yale loved

Top college officials share notes on great application essays

Learn how to differentiate your college application

The ultimate guide to writing a personal statement

Turn a bad experience into a winning college admissions essay

10 tips for writing the college application essay

Learn how to impress college admissions counselors

You have a story to tell. Colleges want to hear it.

Write about these 3 things in your college essay (even if you think you shouldn’t)

Submitting a solid application

10 tips students should avoid when writing their college admissions essay

What college admissions readers are actually looking for

Powerful essays open admissions opportunities

3 college essay clichés you should avoid

Parents don’t write that college essay (Here’s how to help instead)

7 tips for writing a killer college essay

Will my college essay get me into the Ivy League?

How to write a great college admissions essay

How to answer the “Why this college” essay question

Why you should ignore U.S. News college list

Explore 7 types of college campus visits

Graduates from these colleges earn the highest salaries in every state

US News Best Colleges

Find the best college for your major

The problem with the 2018 US News Rankings: Junk In Junk Out

Early decision shouldn’t be an easy decision

College Admissions: Strategies for ADD, ADHD, and LD students

America’s top colleges 2017

The benefits of attending a less selective college

Dreamers don’t give up on college

The science behind selective colleges

College Corner: a primer on prioritizing your college list

10 things to know about early college admissions

Early Decision college applications: what you should know

College advice I wish I’d taken

US News Data: Explore admissions trends at top public colleges

What Vanderbilt, Northwestern and other elite colleges don’t say about acceptance rates

Pet Peeves: college admissions officers reveal what bugs them most

How to survive the college application season

What are the right choices in college admissions

Colleges make a fortune from saying No to applications –here’s how much

Why is college admissions getting more competitive?

College Corner: Get all your questions answered on college visits

College Interviews

8 college stats that will help you find the right school

When it comes to college admissions, demonstrated interest is key

Finding the perfect college(s)

Impress colleges with STEM education and personalized dancing

7 steps to nailing a college admissions interview

3 tips to help your students complete college applications on time

10 ways to excel in college admissions interviews

Building college list like buying a house

Tell colleges you love them

Starting a college admissions search – here are a professors tips

3 tips for college visits

Are college visits worth it

An open letter to college bound daughters, including my own

Personal/ Social:

Suicide in teens and young adults

7 ways to effectively cope with emotional stress

Study reveals the best music we should listen to at different times of a day

10 tips for emotional healing

Sexting, teen dating, and parents’ role in protecting kids

Combating teen dating violence

How neuroplasticity hurts and helps your mental health

The real campus scourge (Thanks to Worthington Board of Education Member, Julie Keegan, for finding this article for me!)

3 ways students with mental illness can prepare for college

When a loved one is in need: how to navigate conversations about mental health

For the sake of our kids mental health, we must teach them to innovate

Making the college admissions process healthy for teenagers

Why are more American teenagers than ever suffering from severe anxiety

6 reasons to visit your school counselor

How to seek help if you’re in an abusive relationship

Teens and domestic violence

Why making more friends only makes you even more lonely

Do you think anxiety is a serious problem among young people

Testing Related:

Does free mean better for students choosing SAT Prep courses

America’s top colleges and the SAT scores they expect

Should you take the ACT, SAT or Both?

Use questions to answer SAT command of evidence items

ACT, SAT Test prep tips from a family with 3 perfect scores

Financial Aid Related:

Mistakes to avoid when filling out CSS Profile for college financial aid

46 best colleges for getting big merit scholarships

3 myths about Army ROTC scholarships

Use video game scholarships to pay for college

Maximizing financial aid: Beware of mistakes

FAFSA student aid form available, along with IRS Data Retrieval Tool

Scholarships for women abound

Paying for college: surprising ways to get scholarships

5 tips for scoring college scholarships

Parents

3 things high school parents should stop worrying about and what to focus on instead

Share this college to do list with your high school junior

Everything parents should know about college mental health,but don’t

Parents and students beware of these common college scams

How to foster your child’s resilience to survive in this chaotic world

Things parents do unconsciously that make their kids become co-dependent

What parents should know about teen depression

I know that was a lot to read.  Hopefully you found some articles that interested you.  As crazy as it may seem, I promise I really did cut out a ton of other articles and I have quite a large number that I determined were "timeless" and can use later.  :-)  Looking forward to seeing you all back at school tomorrow and to hear about what you did over the long weekend!

Pre-ACT

Pre-ACT Test Date: Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Location: WKHS Gym
Time: 7:30am (check-in) beginning promptly at 7:45am
Cost: $12.00 (checks payable to WKHS)

The Pre-ACT is the practice test for the ACT. This test is an option for freshmen, sophomores or juniors.  The content of the Pre-ACT is closely tied to that of the ACT achievement test, which is used for college entrance and placement decisions. It covers the same subjects and gives you estimated ACT scores.

The Pre-ACT has many benefits. It can help you get started in thinking about and planning for life after high school. It will show you areas where you may want to seek extra help. The results can also be used to help focus your test preparation to improve your ACT scores. Additionally, one of the other valuable aspects is that the Pre-ACT test includes a career component that helps identify career interests and possible career fields. For all of the students who have no idea what they might want to do some day this is one way to help come up with some ideas.

It is only a practice test; therefore, your score will not appear on your transcript.

Students can register for the test in the WKHS Counseling and Career Center beginning on Monday and through November 3rd.

End of 1st Quarter

Do you feel like this school year is going unbelievably fast?  Yesterday marked the end of the first quarter.  This is an important point for you to pause and reflect.  Remember, quarter grades are not included on your transcript - just semester grades.  This means that you have reached the half-way point in earning the grades that will be on your transcript.  Some of the questions you should ask yourself include: Are you where you want to be?  If you are not, what do you need to do different to turn things around?  If you need ideas for how you can improve your grades, I strongly encourage you to meet individually with your teacher.  You should also take advantage of the help available from the academic assistants in the Teaching and Learning Center (which is located in room 209).  You are also welcome to stop by and talk to me and we can try to brainstorm some ideas to help.  If you are happy with your current progress, congratulations!  Make sure you think about what you have done that has been helpful to your success and continue to put forward those same actions.

Also, a reminder to you and your parents - report cards are not printed and sent home - you will be able to access your report cards on Infinite Campus as of the middle of next week.

Holistic Admissions

When I was preparing for the College Information Night presentation I recalled seeing an article about how colleges evaluate applicants.  I went back and found it and wished that the time of the evening would have allowed me to be able to show it, but that just wasn't feasible with everything else we had planned.

Hopefully those of you who attended the presentation were able to get an idea of the factors that can plan into a college application evaluation by the admissions officers who are completing a holistic admissions review.  And for those of you who were not there - the bottom line is that it can be anything.

Holistic admissions review means that the colleges will evaluate students based upon a wide range of factors and not just grades and test scores.  Strength of academic schedule, essays, leadership, community service, activities students are involved with, demonstrated interest, recommendation letters, and interviews are examples of the components colleges may consider when evaluating applicants.

This is a link to the evaluation processing page that one college uses (and a good idea of what many colleges will do) to take your application and convert it over to a one-page form to have a quick snapshot of you.  Be sure to check on the different areas to get a description of what each means.

There were two articles connected to this evaluation page that helped give additional information about how the evaluation of applications is carried out.  Although they were from several years ago, I believe you will still find the content helpful and informative.

How one college evaluates a transcript

Shedding further light on how one college decides

College Admissions Interviews

Some colleges require all prospective students to participate in an interview with an admissions counselor or an alumni representative as a component of the application process. If you are applying to a school which requires an interview – don’t panic!

It is important to relax and be yourself. This is your opportunity to shine. Display your personality and allow your interests and passions to be expressed.

In addition to answering their questions, don’t be afraid to ask any questions you have about the school. Be sure to complete some research ahead of time so that you are not asking questions you easily could have found by visiting their website.

If there is anything about yourself that you want to be sure that the admissions representatives understand – unique circumstances, experiences, or special traits that they might not ask about don’t hesitate to offer up this information. This is your one opportunity to actually discuss these areas with a real person. By bringing up these topics, it may spur them to ask additional questions that you will be able to answer.

And, hopefully it goes without saying, but remember that first impressions are important – so be polite, smile, dress appropriately and arrive on time for your interview!

Oh The Places You'll Go

With the long weekend ahead, perhaps you are taking advantage of Friday's day off to make a visit to a college.  With so many colleges right here in central Ohio, you don't have to go far just to explore campuses and see what they offer.  Remember, it is easier to figure out what you actually like or don't like when you have something to compare it to so even if you want to go somewhere far away for college, there is still value in visiting schools locally so that you become a smarter consumer when you make the trip to see those far away colleges.

Don't forget to take a picture on every college campus that you step foot on - even if it is a school you are not seriously considering for your future! We would love to see the pictures, plus, every interaction you have with a college shapes your views on what you are looking for in the future.

I am excited about the pictures I have received already, but I also know that many of you have recently taken or are soon planning college visits and we'd like to continue to build on our picture display! (Plus I can't even begin to count the number of people who have promised to send me their photo...)  As a reminder, the picture can be of you anywhere at the college - a pretty place, in front of a cool building or an area where you expect to spend a lot of time, or, as seems to be the biggest hit - in front of a sign featuring the name of the college.

Sam Biglin gets the recognition for giving me the first picture for the class of 2018.

Mr. Thomas & Mrs. Goodwin get the recognition for giving me the picture from the college that is the greatest distance from WKHS. (Rice)  Michael Fischer was a close runner-up missing out by just 34 miles.  (2 Fly Airbourne Flight School)

Maggie Crozier gets the recognition for giving me the most pictures to date. (4 colleges)

Thanks again to everyone that has helped with this project by taking pictures! Please continue taking pictures - I love seeing them when you bring them back and hearing more about your visit to the school!

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Is there a question that instills more paralyzing uncertainty for most high school students than "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  I doubt it.  

The reality is that most high school students are so caught up in the moments of today that it is hard to imagine what you will do for the rest of your lives.  Additionally, you don't always know all of the different types of careers that are out there that you can consider - for many of you, the careers you will some day have may not even exist today.  So, please, don't worry if you have no clue what you'd like to do some day.

However not knowing yet doesn't mean that it isn't important and helpful to start exploring different career fields and considering different jobs that might be a good fit with your strengths, needs, and interests.

Here are 2 great websites with information about different careers that are great places to begin your exploration about career options available:

Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

O*Net (Occupational Information Network): source providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. This site also includes a Skills Search section for students to complete as a self-assessment.

Enjoy exploring these different sites and learning about careers and opportunities available in your future!