Counselor's Desk

October 2025

 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 utlmg6kd – 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, 2025. 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 8^th 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. 

    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 Tuesday, October 14, 2025!

      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 14 & 15 3:30pm – 7:30pm in THS Gym

   

• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) College Fair: October 16

  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/25Spokane 

   

• Lewiston High School College Fair: October 16 7:00-9:00pm

  Admissions officers and college representatives will be present at Lewiston High School to provide information about their institutions. You can gather brochures, program details, and information about the admissions process and financial aid. The event is a chance to ask questions and get a feel for what college life is like at different institutions. 

• College Within Reach Event – October 18 12:00pm – 5:00pm

  The purpose of this unique event is to help middle and high school families find money to put college within reach. Whether you want to learn about college options, scholarships, financial aid, savings, financial planning, or alternatives to college, we’ve got great guests attending to share information with you! Middle school and high school families are all welcome to attend. There will be gas gift cards available for attendees coming from outside of Moscow. For more information: https://www.palousepathways.org/events/college-within-reach-paying-for-college-fair

   

• 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)

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