Counselor's Desk

A NOTE FROM THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR – Mrs. Nelson

As the year progresses, there are some important dates and deadlines to be aware of. This is the time
of year that college applications become available, so students need to be applying.
We have created a Google Classroom for seniors to easily access college and career readiness
resources. If the student has not already joined, the class code is effgncej – only students are able to
access this Google Classroom.

Important Information for Seniors:

• Idaho Campus Choice – pre-admitted to attend college in Idaho:
  In 2015, Idaho’s Public College Presidents and State Board members embarked on a first-of-its-kind
  admissions policy – admitting ALL Idaho high-school graduates. They wanted every high school senior to
  know they were college material and to remove all the stress from the admissions process. As a result,
  Board Policy IIIQ – Direct Admissions was established. According to the policy, a Board-approved
  benchmark determines a student’s admission eligibility. (See ID SBOE policy 3Q.)

Idaho Campus Choice streamlines college admissions by letting student’s know which Idaho schools
they’re pre-admitted to before they even apply. This is for all graduating Idaho high school seniors. With
Idaho Campus Choice, they have the opportunity to be pre-admitted to 8 different colleges across the
state of Idaho. To take advantage of Idaho Campus Choice, students need to complete the Apply Idaho
application. For more information, follow this link: https://nextsteps.idaho.gov/campus-choice

•  Apply Idaho - Single Application to Idaho Public Colleges:
  Apply Idaho opens on October 1st, 2026. This is a free, online application that allows students to apply
  to as many as 10 in-state colleges in as little as 10 minutes. Students can utilize 8th hour (the last 89
  minutes of school on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and zero hour (the first 20 minutes every morning) to
  work on college applications. https://nextsteps.idaho.gov/apply-idaho
  If your student knows for sure what college they plan to attend or they are planning to attend outside of
  Idaho, they do not need to use Apply Idaho application. They can go to that college website or use
  commonapp (https://www.commonapp.org/).
  Some students qualify for fee waivers, which waives the application fee at participating colleges. Fee
  waiver codes can be obtained from the school counselor. If you are unsure if you qualify, please reach
  out to Mrs. Nelson.

• FAFSA Night is Wednesday, October 14, 2026!
  Please note this is the same night as Parent/Teacher Conferences
  • We will meet in Mrs. Burch’s classroom, Room 223, from 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
  • There will be a couple of Financial Aide reps. from the University of Idaho present to
    guide you with the process of filling out the FAFSA and answer any questions.
  • Both parent and student will need an FSA ID. Apply for this before you come to FAFSA
    night.
  • Students should come with parents if possible. This is something they will need to do for every year of college.
  • Please let us know if you and your student will be coming to FAFSA night. Thank you!
         

• Parent/Teacher Conferences: October 13 & 14 3:30pm – 7:30pm in THS Gym

• World-Changers in Engineering Day: October 10 8:15am-2:00pm at Idaho
  Central Credit Union Arena Moscow, ID
  Explore how your existing skills and creative mindset can help you become a successful engineer or
  computer scientist! World-Changers in Engineering (WIE) Day is a free workshop for 5th through 12th
  grade students designed to help you learn how engineers work together to help people, solve problems
  and change the world. For more info and registration: https://www.uidaho.edu/engineering/news-
  events/world-changers?utm_source=engr-marketing-wie-2026-sem-educator-
  3&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=engr-marketing&utm_content=engr-marketing-wie-2026-sem-
  educator-3

• College assigned email address
  Students should regularly check their university assigned email address for any school that they are
  admitted to. Official school-specific communications are almost exclusively sent to these email
  addresses and will contain important information that is often time sensitive. If students need help
  accessing these emails, please visit with Mrs. Nelson.

• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) College Fair:
  October 13
  Spokane Convention Center (334 W Spokane Falls Blvd Spokane, WA 99201) will be hosting a college
  fair. This is a free event for students and parents to connect with representatives from hundreds of
  colleges and universities from the US and around the globe to learn about admissions, financial aid, and
  college life. For more information and to register, follow this link:
  https://www.nacacattend.org/26Spokane

•  Not interested in college? Looking for resources for next steps for a career? Here
  are some ideas/resources to look at:
  - O*NET Interest Profiler (https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip): This is a free website that
  helps you explore jobs. You can look up what different careers do, what skills and education
  they need, how much they usually pay, and whether those jobs are growing. You can take an
  interest survey and it will suggest careers that might be a good fit for your personality,
  strengths, and interests.
  
  - CareerOneStop Career Explorer (https://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/explore-
  careers.aspx?frd=true): This is a free tool from the U.S. Department of Labor. It will answer
  
  questions about your skills, interests, and experience, and it matches you with careers that
  
  might fit you. This will also connect you with local training programs, apprenticeships, and job
  openings.
  - Idaho Works (https://idahoworks.gov/): Explore jobs, resumes, or training programs in our area
  - NextSteps Idaho (https://nextsteps.idaho.gov/browse-careers/intro)

Ashley Nelson