SJHS Counseling

The Class of 2027 is off to a great start! We have had so much fun beginning the individual senior meetings in our offices last week and continuing through the next few weeks. Students are at all different places in the application process and it's been amazing to hear about their dreams and aspirations. Can't wait to see where they all land in a few short months.

Please continue reaching out to us with any questions. Let's go, Class of 2027!

With excitement,

The SJHS Counselors

It was so great to see so many of you at Back to School Night! Below is the presentation. Please note that Jostens - see below - was with us and there are items you must order (cap & gown) and other possibly items for purchase like announcement, class apparel, and more.

This can get confusing because it's a multi-step process so please note the following:

- Caps and gowns are part of your graduation fees but you must ORDER it from Jostens. The total will be $0. We ask that you order this by November 1, 2026.

- If you order anything else, there will be a fee. If you order BEFORE September 3, 2026, most items will be available at the Jostens celebration during lunches on September 21, 2026.

Here is the link for only the cap & gown.

Here is the link (https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/catalogBrowse/1072376/SAINT-JOSEPH-HIGH-SCHOOL/Graduation/3488825037/CATALOG_REPOSITORY) to look through other items.

Representatives from Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) are visiting our school to hold On-Site Admission Day. That means you can submit your application, get an instant admission decision, and ask any questions about programs and campus life—all without leaving school. Eligible students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0+ will also be offered an exclusive $750 Titan Onsite Scholarship.

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, September 10th.

• Time: 9am - 12pm (only 15 min!)

• Location: Counseling Office Conference Room

What You Need to Do:

1. Reserve a Spot: Sign up in the Counseling Office through Mrs. Hernandez by September 10 at 8:30am.

2. Apply Ahead of Time: Complete the online IUSB application at least 48hrs prior to the event. Link: Apply to undergraduate programs at Indiana University It takes about 10-15 minutes and may require parent or guardian assistance.

3. Show up to your Onsite Admissions Meeting!

Please remember to RSVP for college visits that are outside the lunch hours in a timely manner (at least 24 hours in advance). We cannot guarantee passes for anyone who registers the day of. It is impossible to run all the passes on short notice. We appreciate your understanding.

Upcoming Visits (Please visit your Scoir accounts to see the most updated list)

Tuesday, September 1 - Holy Cross College - Lunch visit

Wednesday, September 2 - Villanova University - Lunch visit

Wednesday, September 9 - Indiana University Bloomington - Black Box 11:00am - RSVP required

Monday, September 14 - University of Alabama - Lunch visit

Tuesday, September 15 - Butler University - Lunch visit

Tuesday, September 15 - Western Michigan University - Lunch visit

Wednesday, September 16 - University of Chicago - Lunch visit

Monday, September 21 - University of Notre Dame - Black Box 10:30am - RSVP required

Monday, September 21 - John Carroll University - Counseling Office 10am - RSVP required

Monday, September 21 - Loyola University Chicago - Lunch visit

Tuesday, September 29 - University of Dayton - Counseling Office 10:30am - RSVP required

Tuesday, September 29 - DePauw University - Counseling Office 11am, RSVP required

Tuesday, September 29 - Marian University (Indiana) - Lunch visit

Tuesday, September 29 - Wabash College - Lunch visit

Tuesday, September 29 - Miami University (Ohio) - Counseling Office 1:45pm, RSVP required

Wednesday, September 30 - Indiana University Indianapolis - Lunch visit

Wednesday, September 30 - Calvin University - Lunch visit

We are going to do our best this year to include notes from scheduled college visits (ones with a presentation and not during lunch). Registered students will receive an email with notes and we will include them in the newsletters that follow the visit.

#WhyApply Day is on September 18, 2026, and kicks off the beginning of the Indiana College GO! Campaign. Participating institutions around the state waive their application fees, allowing students to apply for free. College Application Week will run from September 21-25, 2026. The list of participating institutions is LIVE! This year, over 30 institutions around the state are participating in College Application Week (see below)!

SJHS also participates in Indiana's Pre-Admissions: Your Path to College. Because of this students will soon receive a list of institutions to which they have been pre-admitted to. Once they receive their list, they can take the time to start the application process for those schools!

Please don't forget about this useful resource. There is so much information and webinars are still going! Here are some great resources from this website.

School Specific Supplemental Support

Personal Statement Examples & Analysis

Certain majors at colleges have different requirements than just applying to admissions. IT IS CRITICAL STUDENTS PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AND LOOK AHEAD! This is not something our office can advise on if we don't know a student is interested (thousands of college with unique criteria isn't an easy task to track). One popular program we know about is IU's Kelley School of Business.

Students seeking direct admission to the Kelley School of Business (https://kelley.iu.edu/undergraduate/admissions/first-year-students/index.html) must complete the following steps:

1. Indicate a Kelley business major on your IU Bloomington application (Common Application or Apply IU).
2. Complete the Kelley Prospect Inventory (KPI) through the IU Admissions Portal.

There are no criteria for automatic direct admission for fall 2027. All students who submit the KPI will undergo a comprehensive academic review by the Kelley Admissions Committee. This review will consider factors such as high school performance, rigor of high school coursework, academic achievements, and potential for success at the Kelley School.

** PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO SEE A VIDEO AND GET MORE INFO!

Timelines are CRITICAL!

November 1: IU Admission Early Action Deadline

November 15: Kelley Direct Admission Priority Deadline
Students who apply to Indiana University Bloomington by the early action deadline of November 1 and submit their KPI by November 15 will receive a response from IU Office of Admission regarding admission status with IU by January 15.

If admitted to IU, students will also receive a direct admission decision from Kelley—categorized as admitted, waitlisted, or pre-business. Students placed on the Kelley direct admission waitlist can expect a final decision no later than April 16.

February 1: IU Regular Decision Deadline

February 15: Kelley Direct Admission Regular Deadline
Students who complete their KPI by this date will learn about their Kelley direct admission status by April 16.Direct admission offers will be made on a rolling basis from January 15 through April 16. Because Kelley is a limited-capacity program, offers will be extended based on academic merit and the availability of space in the incoming direct admit class.

WE HAVE NOTIFIED QUALIFIED STUDENTS ALREADY. If you did not receive notification, please reach out to your school counselor.

Lilly Scholarship (https://cfsjc.org/lilly-endowment-community-scholarship-program/)

This incredible scholarship opportunity covers 100% tuition to an Indiana college or university and provides an annual book stipend.

Current juniors who reside in St. Joseph County and have a minimum 3.8 GPA by the end of six semesters will be eligible to apply. The application will go live by July 1 and will be due September 15.

If you don't, please check with your local community foundation for scholarship opportunities near you.

The Community Foundation gave a short presentation to qualifying students in May. Here are some notes from that meeting:

• Each county in Indiana has its own Community Foundation. If students/families don't live in St. Joseph county they can look for the Community Foundation in their county to see what scholarships are available
• The scholarship covers full tuition and fees plus $900 for books and supplies to any Indiana college.
• There are 4 scholarships available each year. It opens on July 1 and closes on Sept 15. Last year there were 144 applicants. Typically 10 make it to the interview stage. If any of the initial 4 awards are declined they are offered to the next qualifying students.
• Many aspects of the application are also aspects of other scholarship and/or college applications. Students should keep track of the activities, extracurriculars, athletics and service they do and be able to explain why those things are meaningful to them.
• There are typically 4 essay questions. When responding to the essays and thinking about preparing for possible interviews students should answer questions authentically and genuinely. These are reflections of themselves. Why was that experience chosen and what was learned from the experience versus details about what the experience entailed. Do not use AI/Chat GPT. Check work for spelling and grammar errors.
• Use Google Docs/Word/another writing program to write the response to the essay then paste it in the application and review it to make sure there aren't any formatting, spelling, grammar errors. Have others review your responses.
• The Community Foundation also has many other scholarships available. Some require completion of the FAFSA. Many open on Dec 1.
• If a student is called in for an interview there are a few things that are highly recommended.
• Take advantage of the practice interview opportunities offered by previous winners (The Community Foundation helps set these up).

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program (https://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/apply/) scholarship is an achievement-based scholarship awarded to students in their final year of high school. Students are recognized for their capacity to lead and serve, as well as their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities. With the addition of the 2026 class, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation will have provided more than 7,200 Coke Scholars nationwide with over $90 million in scholarships as it celebrates 40 years of impact since its founding in 1986. 150 Coca-Cola Scholars are selected each year to receive this $20,000 scholarship.The 2027 application (for high school students graduating in the 2026-2027 academic year) will open on August 1, 2026.

The Gates Scholarship (TGS) (https://www.thegatesscholarship.org/scholarship) is a highly selective, last-dollar scholarship for outstanding high school seniors from low-income households. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to exceptional student leaders, with the intent of helping them realize their maximum potential.

To apply, students must be:

• A high school senior
• Pell-eligible
• A US citizen or permanent resident
• In a good academic standing with a minimum cumulative weighted GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent)
• Application deadline: Phase I of the application opened Wednesday, July 15, with a submission deadline of Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 2:00 PM PT.
• Additionally, a student must plan to enroll full-time, in a four-year degree program, at a US accredited, not-for-profit, private or public college or university.

Application is here (https://www.elks.org/scholars/scholarships/mvs.cfm)

Eligibility:

• Current high school seniors, or the equivalent, who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply.
• Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks.
• High school graduates are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are submitted; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.
• Scholarships are available only to students who enroll in four-year undergraduate degree programs at accredited U.S. American colleges or universities.

Awards:

• The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year scholarships.

• Male and female students compete separately.

• Ranging from $1,000 per year to $7,500 per year, Most Valuable Student scholarships are for students pursuing a four-year degree, on a full-time basis (minimum of 12 semester hours), in a U.S. college or university. All scholarships are in the form of certificates of award conditional upon the full-time enrollment of the winner in an accredited U.S. college or university.

This college and scholarship application connects high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds with full four-year scholarships to top colleges and lifelong opportunities through QuestBridge.

Award: Full tuition to any college/university

Application here (https://www.questbridge.org/)

Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Application (https://www.jkcf.org/)

Each award is intended to cover a significant share of the student’s educational expenses – including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees – for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor’s degree. Awards vary by individual, based on the cost of tuition as well as other grants or scholarships they may receive.

This highly competitive scholarship includes:

• The opportunity to graduate with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years to complete a bachelor’s degree at any accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the U.S.
• Ability to pursue any area of study
• Personal advising about selecting a college and navigating financial aid
• Multifaceted advising about how to transition to a four-year college and maximize the student experience
• Opportunity to apply for the Internship Stipend program, Conference and Travel Stipend, and Graduate Scholarship

Model Search 2027 (https://www.louiestuxshop.com/model-search) $1,000 Scholarship

• ONLINE VOTING BEGINS SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
• Entries can be made until 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, October 11, 2026
• You must be enrolled in high school and at least 15 years old at the time of the photo shoot on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
• Must live in Indiana, Ohio or Michigan and within 40 miles of a Louie's Tux Shop location.
• Images must meet quality standards. We hold the right to reject any image for any reason.
• Image should not contain any watermarks or text
• Professional images are recommended - Avoid Selfies - No Modified Images or Filters
• Placeholder size is 315 x 430 pixels and image size cannot exceed 1MB
• Only individual entering Model Search may be in the photo - No couples, groups or animals
• Non tasteful, inappropriate, filtered or silly submissions will not be posted. Don't bother.

We know many of you are always looking for scholarship opportunities. There are so many out there that it can be overwhelming. The Coca-Cola Scholarship Program has identified these are credible options (link here - https://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/apply/)

• American Indian College Fund – Provides Native American students with scholarships and financial support for the nation’s 33 accredited tribal colleges and universities.
• American Indian Graduate Center & AIGCS - The largest scholarship providers to Native students in the United States, awarding $15 million in scholarships annually and more than $200 million since inception. For almost 50 years, AIGC has funded students pursing undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in any field of study at any accredited institution of choice, working with over 500 tribes in all 50 states.
• Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund – The nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted to providing college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
• Cappex – A free website where you can learn which colleges want you, before you apply and learn about more than $11 billion in merit aid scholarships.
• CashCourse – Information that helps college students stay financially informed.
• Chegg – A place to connect with scholarships and learn about colleges.
• The College Board Opportunity Scholarships - The program guides juniors and seniors through the college planning process and offers the chance to earn scholarships, from $500 to $40,000, for every action that students complete.
• Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation – Educational and scholarship opportunities for students of all levels.
• Dell Scholars Program – Recognizes academic potential and determination in students that have a definite need for financial assistance.
• Fastweb – Create a profile and let fastweb do the research on scholarships, internships colleges and more for you.
• Going Merry - A free, one-stop scholarships platform. It matches you with scholarships and then helps you apply directly. It has both local and national scholarships and you can bulk-apply for multiple scholarships, which share similar essay prompts, using one application.
• Goizueta Legacy Scholarship - Provides scholarships for the children of Coca-Cola employees.
• HS Finder (Hispanic Scholarship Fund) – Scholarship information for Latino students.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation - A national scholarship provider dedicated to advancing the education of promising students who have financial need. Open to high-achieving high school seniors who seek to attend and graduate from some of the nation's best four-year college and universities.
• KnowHow2GO – Complete information on college prep, whether in middle school or seniors.
• The NSHSS Foundation - The NSHSS Foundation fosters the growth of students pursuing the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), business, economics, public policy, and environmental science and sustainability fields. The NSHSS Foundation connects young scholars with additional opportunities to advance their education, personal growth and career interests.
• Peerlift - Proven scholarships, internships, summer programs, and more gathered by fellow students like you. (Founded by a team of 2017 Coca-Cola Scholars!) Learn more about the creation of Peerlift.
• Reagan Foundation Scholarships - Scholarship opportunities for outstanding student leaders.
• Ruth Cheatham Foundation - Supports teen and young adult cancer survivors financially via scholarships to ensure access to higher education, as well as through supportive services to ensure college graduation.
• Scholar Snapp - A free, simple to use data standard that allows students to reuse their application information - including contact information, essays, transcripts, etc. - from one scholarship application to another thereby streamlining the college scholarship application process.
• Scholarships.com– A free college scholarship search and financial aid information.
• Scholarship America – Provides information and resources for your scholarship search.
• Scholly – A mobile app that provides students with a fast and simple way to find scholarships for college. (Created by Christopher Gray, a Coca-Cola Scholar!)
• Thurgood Marshall College Fund – Provides scholarships, programmatic and capacity building support to the 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
• UNCF – Awards 10,000 students each year through 400 scholarship and internship programs so that students from low- and moderate-income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board
• Finding scholarships, Opens in new tab: This resource provides tips to guide your scholarship search.
• BigFuture, Opens in new tab: Explore scholarships by education level, academic criteria, or personal interests. They also offer scholarships for completing steps in the college application process, like building your college list or submitting applications.
• CareerOneStop, Opens in new tab: Explore scholarships by state, including state grants. State grants are funds offered by your state government to make college more affordable.
• EduPass, Opens in new tab: Find scholarships for international students.
• TheDream.US, Opens in new tab: This program can help you find scholarships for undocumented students. They help students who are living in the U.S. without an active visa who are not permanent residents or U.S. citizens.