Highland Students and Families,
Small-Town; Rural Students (STARS) College Fair: May 21 in Pocatello
Sophomores and juniors, look in your Google classrooms! There is a network of college
admissions counselors who look to recruit students from small / rural towns. Idaho is
fortunate to have a broad array of post-secondary options, but if you are considering
East Coast colleges, private colleges, flagship or research universities in other states,
please MARK YOUR CALENDAR. On Tuesday, May 21st , from 6 to 8:30 pm, at the
Mountain View Event Center in Pocatello, there will be admissions reps from 20
different colleges, including Brown, Barnard, Case Western, Tufts, Rice, University of
Notre Dame, University of Wyoming, and Yale, among others. The STAR network of
counselors is offering a rare opportunity to talk to college staff from these far-flung
colleges and universities. Check it out!
Juniors – Looking Ahead, Think about Scholarships, Financial Aid NOW
Prestigious, national scholarships – some are general; some are directed to certain
populations of students (STEM, first-generation, high-achieving, minority) – are
available (often with lots of money) to high school juniors. But those scholarships have
1) extensive applications, and 2) early deadlines.
Talk to the CCAs before you leave for the summer if you think you might want to pursue
some of these opportunities. We can give you some information, the names of some of
these scholarships, some websites, and some things to consider over the summer
months.
Intent to Enroll = Seniors
Planning to attend any college, university, or training program this fall? Please please
please let your college know you Intend to Enroll – for all kinds of important reasons: it
saves your place in a class, you get notified about new-student orientation, you are told
about housing options, and you establish a school account where important information
can be found. On the website of the school you plan to attend, type in “intent to enroll” in
the search bar and do as instructed about your next steps. It is our advice that seniors
make a college or training decision by May 15th .
If you have applied to, and been accepted at, Idaho State University, you will go here:
Bengal Bridge = Seniors
Bengal Bridge is a terrific summer bridge program offered at Idaho State that occurs
over 7 weeks in June and July. Students can earn up to 9 college credits that chip away
at general education requirements at a fraction of the usual per-credit cost. Students
get an important introduction to college, make a soft landing, make friends, become
familiar with campus / staff / resources. Follow the URL below for more information. But
don’t delay; the deadline to apply will close soon. The CCAs can tell you more about
Bengal Bridge if you have any questions.
Know When Your Orientation Is = Seniors
If you plan to attend two or four years of college or training, BE SURE you know when
your new-students orientation is. Some colleges will have orientations throughout the
summer (ISU’s first new-student orientation is May 8!) and some will have a new-
student orientation right before the start of school. In order to make a strong and smooth
transition to college, is it important to fully attend a new-student orientation. Please do
your homework to find out when yours is.
Ordering your College Transcripts for Transfer Credit
If you have earned dual credits during high school, it is important that you send official
transcripts to your college of choice so that those credits can be evaluated and added to
your college transcript.
If you are attending ISU, and you earned dual credit through ISU, they already have
your classes and your grades. If you earned dual credits through ISU, but you are
attending elsewhere, you need to have your ISU transcripts sent for evaluation.
Here’s the deal.
You will need a credit or debit card.
You will need to know either your student ID # for the college where you earned
dual credit or you have to know your full Social Security number. Or both.
You will go the National Clearinghouse, the Transcript section. Look for the
spinning tree. It is a HUGE website, so please follow this URL:
https://tsorder.studentclearinghouse.org/school/select
You want to order and have transcripts sent when grades are posted.
Just visit the CCAs if you have any questions.
Plan to Defer? = Seniors
Some seniors have been accepted to college or training, and plan to attend, but need to
defer because of military enlistment, necessary medical care, or religious service. If
your situation is thus, please inquire about deferral policies. Some colleges / training
programs in Idaho ask you to fill out a simple online form; other Idaho colleges will not
defer and you’ll have to reapply ☹. At any rate, be sure that the college or training
program of your choice knows that you will be deferring your start date. If you are at all
unsure about what is needed, just call the Admissions Office – or stop by and ask the
CCAs.
As always, be careful out there.
Alice & Sarah / CCAs
.jpeg)
.png)
