The Counselor's Corner
September 10, 2025
The Senior year is often the most stressful - both for parents and students. But, it can also be exciting! Planning and organization can make the difference between a stressful year and an exciting one. I'm hoping this newsletter will be helpful. If you'd like to make an appointment with me to discuss your specific situation or to answer specific questions, please email me at smith@byron.k12.mi.us.
- Applying to Colleges - October is a great time to apply to colleges. October is College Application Month and many colleges have waived their application fees. This Google doc has the most up-to-date information for Michigan colleges.
- Requesting Letters of Recommendation - Get at least two (from teachers or employers). Even if you don't use them for college applications, you may need them for scholarship applications and you will need them for your senior exit project. I have a worksheet on my website that will make it easier for recommenders to write one for you - click here.
- Start researching scholarships - There are scholarships for colleges and trade schools. The best outside resources are BigFuture and Fastweb. I will also keep a running list of scholarships on my website - while there aren't any there right now, there will be several local ones once those come across my desk.
- Financial Aid - The 2026/27 FAFSA should be released October 1. While we are waiting for that, you should be creating FSA IDs if you don't already have one. Both a parent (both parents if married, filing separately) and the student need to have one. It takes a couple of days for it to be finalized in the system so you definitely want to do that ahead of time. Here is the website for that. This form is essential for accessing various federal financial aid programs, including grants, loans and work-study, and should be filled out as early as possible.
- Create a pros and cons list - This can be for comparing colleges or for comparing different careers. Here is a website that talks about what to look for and what questions to ask yourself.
- Pros and cons - between different post-secondary options - click here
These are for 2 year or 4 year colleges or university AS WELL AS trade schools! Please read the information on their website.
There are virtual information sessions about the community college guarantee, MAS eligibility requirements, award amounts, action items and additional resources. Click here to register for one of those.
Many Michigan colleges are now part of the Common App. This means that you can complete one application and have it sent to multiple school. That may not be the best idea, especially if one of those schools offers a free application or application fee waiver. However, it can save time. A couple of schools require you to use the Common App - MSU and UM Ann Arbor are 2 of them. Here is where you go get help on completing your Common App.