Now that Quarter One has ended, it is important to make sure students are preparing for next year.  Here are some important dates and deadlines to be aware of.  Here is a quick look at several items to take note of and put on your calendar. 

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

  Federal Student Aid is changing the FAFSA for the 2024-25 academic year.

   5 Things to Know about the FAFSA Changes:
• The FAFSA will not open until December 2023.
• Both students and parents must create an FSA ID before completing the form. The FSA ID can take up to 3 days to be verified.
• If parents are divorced or separated, the parent who provided the most financial support in the last calendar year will now complete the form.
• All persons contributing information on the FAFSA must consent to have their federal tax information transferred from the IRS, even non-filers.
• The number of students a family has enrolled in college will no longer factor into the FAFSA calculation.

**The University of Idaho will be hosting a Virtual Financial Aid Night on Wednesday, November 8 at 6:00pm. The main focus of this event is to introduce the FAFSA and learn the step-by-step process of creating your FSA ID. For more information and to register for this event, follow this link: https://futurevandals.uidaho.edu/register/fafsa-nov8

• College Visits

  Admissions Representatives from Lewis-Clark State College, University of Idaho, Washington State University and Boise State University will be coming to visit our school at the end of October. If your student is interested in attending one of these schools, this would be a good time to chat with the rep, learn more about what they offer, and get some questions answered. If your student is hoping to attend a different school then one mentioned above, November would be a good time to reach out to those interested schools and schedule a visit. 

• Envision at University of Idaho – Saturday November 4, 2023

  At Envision, students will have the chance to explore campus, learn about student life and discover signature research and learning programs at U of I. Envision is University of Idaho's preview day for high school juniors and seniors as well as prospective transfer students. Family and friends are also invited to join! For more information and to sign up, follow this link: https://www.uidaho.edu/events/envision 

   Discovery Day at Lewis-Clark State College – Friday, November 3, 2023

• Join LCSC to see what the Warrior Way is all about! Meet fellow future Warriors, talk with professors, explore campus, learn more about programs student’s are interested in, and discover everything LC State has to offer! For more information and to sign up, follow this link: https://www.lcsc.edu/visit/events/discovery-day 

  • College Application Deadlines

    Please be aware that college application deadlines vary.  For example, University of Idaho applications with priority consideration for scholarships are due Dec. 1, 2023 and Lewis-Clark State College is March 1, 2024.  Check each college website to find the deadlines for your college of choice.    

    • Single Application to Idaho Public Colleges:

      Apply Idaho opened on October 2nd, 2023. It allows Idaho students to submit a free application to 10 in-state public colleges and universities. Students can utilize 8^th hour (the last 89 minutes of school on Mondays and Wednesdays) to work on college applications and/or post-secondary plans.
       

      If your student knows for sure what college they plan to attend, they can go to that college website and apply instead of using Apply Idaho. 
      
    • Scholarships

    Current scholarship lists are now available and are posted in Mrs. Nelson’s office and Mrs. Burch’s classroom. Please encourage your student to check monthly for an updated list. Scholarship information can also be found online at the school website https://ths.troysd287.org/counselordesk in the Academics section under “Counselor’s Desk.” The scholarship list is attached to this email and is also sent in an email to the students. 

     

    • Scholarship Application Time

      Students can utilize 8th hour (the last 89 minutes of school on Mondays and Wednesdays) to work on scholarship applications and post-secondary plans. Please check with your student to see if they are using this time wisely to prepare for the coming year. 

       
    • ACT/SAT for Seniors

    If students need to take or retake the ACT or SAT assessment, these college entrance exams are given every couple of months.  For the ACT you can find more information at www.act.org and for the SAT at www.collegeboard.org. For student’s expecting to continue their higher education Fall 2024, these tests need to be completed sooner rather than later.

     

  • PSAT for Juniors

    Juniors took the PSAT in October. They should get their results online within 4-6 weeks after the test administration. I will be sharing those with the students as soon as we receive them. This was a practice assessment for the SAT in April. 

  • SAT School Day for Juniors

    The in-school SAT will be given in the Spring to all juniors (official date to come soon). This is a Troy High School graduation requirement and all Juniors must take this college entrance exam. Students can start preparing now by going to https://www.khanacademy.org/satand setting up a study program.  The PSAT results can be linked to Khan Academy to individualize the study program for the SAT.  Juniors have the opportunity to study for the SAT during 8^th period (89 minutes twice/week).

  • College and Career Choices

For students who are unsure of what they want to do in the future, whether that is making the decision to continue their education, take a gap year, or join the workforce, they should come visit with me.  There are resources at https://nextsteps.idaho.govthat can help them in searching for careers.