FAFSA Completion Night
A representative from ICAN will be at the high school sometime in October to help seniors with FAFSA (Financial Aid Forms) – watch for more info once scheduled. If any junior parents want to come listen to the presentation so you know what to be looking for in the upcoming year you are welcome to do so! They are a great resource for all college information! Be sure to check out their website for additional planning information as well!
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
As you get to your junior year your high school days are numbered. It is time to start thinking ahead to what you want to do with the rest of your life after high school. For some this will include college at some level, some might opt to enter the military, while yet others will go immediately out into the work force.
NOW is the time to start preparing yourself to be successful in your future, no matter what that entails.
We strongly suggest you start yourself a resume. Do some research on how to write a good resume first. Then list all of your experiences in both the world of work as well as all of your community service hours. Many scholarships are based off of community service or work experience, it’s not all about academics. Employers also like to see community service as well as job experience on a resume when making a hire. Be sure you don’t forget something, start your list early and keep it up to date as you approach graduation.
EXPLORE COLLEGE OPTIONS
We strongly recommend that juniors who plan on going on to college take the ACT exam in October of their junior year. This allows them to get a set of scores and see where they might have some deficiencies. It allows you to concentrate harder on those areas, and to possibly change your semester 2 schedule or your senior schedule to focus on those. You would then take the test again either in the spring of your junior year or the fall of your senior year in plenty of time for college acceptance.
Be sure to give some thought to who you will ask for letters of reference, both inside and outside of the high school. Be sure when the time comes that you ask that person face-to-face, never email them a request for a letter of recommendation. You will want to ask the people who can best speak to your abilities and your experiences, someone who knows you, knows what you have done and what you want to do. If you don’t know them that well, be sure to ask if they have time to sit down and discuss these things.
Once you start the scholarship hunt, be sure to save each essay you write, often times these can be changed just a little to be used for the next scholarship you apply for. Don’t reinvent the wheel, just use the basic information about yourself and change the details to slant towards the areas you’re applying for. If needed, ask one of the English instructors or Mrs. Guenther to read your essay and give you pointers.
Always be sure to fill out any application forms using a computer or typewriter if possible, next best option is writing very legibly using a black ink pen. Never complete one using pencil.
WORLD OF WORK
We strongly recommend students start exploring career options early. Sometimes there are awesome jobs that students here in rural Iowa never even think about. It is never too early to explore and the internet can bring all of the career fields to your fingertips.
The Iowa College Access Network has a great resource for career exploration: https://www.icansucceed.org/career-planning
If you go on the internet and just type in career search it will give you many different career search engines to try. Find one that you feel comfortable with and do some searching in your spare time. Make good use of technology, then you can tell your parents you were using it constructively.
Try to get yourself set up with a job shadow or internship in an area that interests you, this might help you find out YES I want to go this route, or NO I need to find something else. It’s definitely cheaper to find it out before you start your post-high school education.
GALLON GRAD PROGRAM
The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center recognizes seniors who donate blood 8 times prior to graduation. Student would receive a red cord to wear at graduation.
To participate contact the HS office as well as Sharee at shoegerl@mvrbc.org or call 563-823-4128 so we can get all of the details ironed out with you. GallonGradPoster.pdf”>Gallon Grad Informational Poster
JOB SHADOW INFORMATION
If any juniors or seniors are interested in a job shadow or internship they should meet with the principal or guidance counselor.
Workplace Learning Connection will be at Midland to help students set these up.
86,000 hours of your life will be invested in your future career! Make a wise investment in your future career today by exploring career options through the Workplace Learning Connection job shadow and student internship programs. These experiences can help you make those important future education and career decisions.
www.workplace-learning.org
Program Coordinator: Laurie Worden, phone 319-398-1040
Scholarships
There are a handful of scholarships available for juniors, be sure to keep your eyes open for these at Scholarship Information for updated listing for scholarships as they become available.
Scholarship searches should NOT charge you money to help you, if they do find another one!
fastweb.com is a free search service for locating scholarship opportunities. They ask questions of both the student and parent and try to match you up with scholarships that you might qualify for. Their database contains over 1.5 million scholarships valued at $3.4 billion. Their website has a lot of good information.
Watch scholarship dates closely, try to get your scholarship applications mailed in early if at all possible. Those received late will generally not be considered.