Scout Destinations - Fall 2022

LFHS Educational Services is proud to share the latest edition of Scout Destinations. This edition has numerous articles and blog posts with current information and advice for families navigating the college admissions and/or post-LFHS career landscape. Our Counselors highlight some schools worth a look, and important upcoming events are listed. We always welcome reader feedback. You can share comments with Dr. Patrick Sassen, Associate Principal of Educational Services (psassen@lfschools.net).

• In the News
• Schools Worth a Look

• University of St. Thomas

• Bucknell University

• Michigan State University
• Kansas State University
  
• Nuts and Bolts
• Admission Decisions
• Mid-year Opt-out Form
• FAFSA Completion or Waiver Form
  
• Scholarship Information
• Notable Events
• Alumni Panel - November 22,2022
  
• Upcoming Events
• Junior Seminars
  
• Registration
  
• Open Doors: February 17, 2023
  
• Ask the Experts Virtual Presentation: March 13, 2023
  

Why Your Interests Matter in the College Admissions Process

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Ways to Show a College Demonstrated Interest

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Best Colleges for Business Majors

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The 21 Best Colleges for Students With Learning Disabilities

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More Than 80% Of Four-Year Colleges Won’t Require Standardized Tests For Fall 2023 Admissions

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Holistic Admissions: Your Child Is More Than Their Grades and Test Scores

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Common App Expands Program That Offers Automatic Admission to Students

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Why so Many Colleges Have Been Resetting Their Tuition

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What’s the Point of Knowing Your EFC?

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What is the Difference Between Weighted and Unweighted GPA?

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6 Great Alternatives to Traditional 4-Year College

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What Does Early Admissions Mean?

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People and Places: Why Size and Location Are Important in the College Search

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ACT College Admission Test Scores Drop To 30-Year Low As Effects Of Covid-Era Online Learning Play Out

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What to Do if You’ve Been Deferred

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How to Handle Getting an Early Action/ Early Decision Deferral or Denial

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Rejected by a Safety School? Here are Some Possible Reasons Why

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Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

Size: Medium (6000 undergraduate students)

School Type: Private

Acceptance Rate: 87%

Average Accepted ACT Range: 24 to 29 (Test-Optional)

Popular Majors: Finance, Marketing, Business, Mechanical Engineering, Liberal Arts and Humanities, Biology, Accounting, Communications

Students Receiving Financial Aid: 98%

Location: Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Size: Small (3700 undergraduate students)

School Type: Private

Acceptance Rate: 33%

Average Accepted ACT Range: 29 to 33 (Test-Optional)

Popular Majors: Economics, Political Science and Government, Biology, Accounting, Psychology, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Marketing

Students Receiving Financial Aid: 60%

Location: East Lansing, Michigan

Size: X-Large (39,000 undergraduate students)

School Type: Public

Acceptance Rate: 76%

Average Accepted ACT Range: 23 to 29 (Test-Optional)

Popular Majors: Advertising, Communications, Biology, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Psychology, Finance, Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Economics

Students Receiving Financial Aid: 71%

Location: Manhattan, Kansas

Size: Large (15,000 undergraduate students)

School Type: Public

Acceptance Rate: 94%

Average Accepted ACT Range: 22 to 28 (Test-Optional)

Popular Majors: Animal Sciences, Business, Mechanical Engineering, Marketing, Finance, Elementary Education, Exercise Physiology, Journalism

Students Receiving Financial Aid: 88%

Seniors that applied to colleges using Early Action or Early Decision will be receiving admission decisions in the next few weeks. Decisions will be one of three possibilities: admit, deny or defer. A deferral means that a college is still considering an application, and they are going to review the application again in the regular round of decisions. Colleges may want additional information such as 7th semester grades. They will sometimes take new information as well, such as an award that has been received since the original application was submitted, or a new standardized test score. Sometimes a college is very specific in outlining that they do not want any additional information at all. Students should determine what a college is requesting, and heed those requirements.

As part of the college application process, LFHS has historically sent mid-year transcripts to each college to which a student has applied. New this year, seniors can opt-out of having their mid-year transcripts sent to a college or colleges that they have applied to. Note that most colleges do require a mid-year transcript to be sent as part of the application process. Students must be aware of each college's policy regarding mid-year transcripts should they decide to withhold them. In order to withhold the mid-year transcript from a particular school, this form will need to be completed no later than Friday, January 6th.

The State of Illinois is now requiring families of seniors to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) OR a waiver form. If families will not be filing the FAFSA, please click here to access the waiver form. Either the FAFSA or this form must be completed prior to graduation. If you will be completing the waiver, please return that form to Gail Moesta, gmoesta@lfschools.net.

Looking for scholarships to help offset the cost of attending college? Be sure to check out the latest edition of the Scholarship Scoop. Note: the Local Scholarships will be coming out in January. Information regarding these local scholarships will be communicated to students via email as well as posted in the Schoology announcements. Deadlines to apply for the local scholarships are typically in mid-March. Watch for more information coming soon.

Taking advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday, eleven LFHS alumni were invited to share their “transition from high school” stories as part of a panel discussion for current students. Moderator. Brume Ogufere, posed questions ranging from “What advice would you give your high school self?” to “What is the best thing about college?” Panelists thoughtfully shared honest answers and stories about their personal journey. They shared cautionary tales regarding time management and self care, as well as feeling very prepared for their next step thanks to their time at Lake Forest High School.

Alumni Panelists:

Mackenzie Mick Class of 2014

Will Steck Class of 2018

Anna Aquino Class of 2019

Isabel Arevalo Class of 2020

Laine Gamrath Class of 2020

Caroline Zeeman Class of 2020

Peter Elliott Class of 2021

Will Elliott Class of 2021

Tierney Sassen Class of 2021

Isabella Kohout Class of 2022

Joey Nassar Class of 2022

Jahari Scott Class of 2022

Counselors will be meeting with juniors on January 11 and 12. Juniors will complete a career assessment and counselors will also be going over the college search timeline.

The registration process for students will begin on January 18th and will continue through the end of February. More information will be communicated soon. As always, students are advised to choose classes that will challenge them while also allowing for time to balance outside activities. Teachers will be making recommendations to students for future class options.

This career event will take place in February and offers students the opportunity to shadow a career professional for part of a day. This is a valuable experience for students to learn more about what duties and responsibilities are required for certain careers. More information will be posted in the Schoology announcements as the date approaches.

Join us on March 13 at 7:00 pm for a virtual panel presentation of college admission professionals who will answer questions supplied by the audience. This is a great way to learn more about the admission process and gain a better understanding of what colleges are looking for as they evaluate applicants.