Wheeler High School Guidance Office

College Application Week is September 22 - 26. Select Indiana colleges and universities waiver application fees during this week. The Common Application doesn't allow you to take advantage of these waived fees. Students HAVE to use each institutions university created application in order to get the benefit of the waived fees. Click the image above to see an enlarged list of the colleges offering waived fees. Pro Tip: If you would like to apply to IU Bloomington you can get the $65 application fee waived by using the Apply IU Application and also selecting the Indianapolis or Fort Wayne campus. Use the College Application fee code for the Indianapolis or Fort Wayne campus and it will take off the Bloomington application fee. Please note that students who receive free/reduced lunch have waived applications at any time. Students who receive free/reduced lunch should see the Guidance Office for application fee waivers.

We will be hosting our annual College & Career Fair on October 1 in the Field House from 12 - 1pm during lunches and homeroom/resources. Students will have the opportunity to visit with representatives from colleges, businesses, and community organizations. Our list is still growing! If you have a career you'd like to share with our students please email Kim Dobson at kdobson@union.k12.in.us We'd love to have you!!!!!

On Wednesday, October 8, 8th & 9th graders will be taking the PSAT 8/9. 10th & 11th graders will be taking the PSAT NMSQT. 12th graders who signed up will be taking the SAT.

Seniors who are NOT signed up to take the SAT should find something productive to do with your day. Examples: College visits, union apprenticeship visits, college applications, community service, etc. Parents of seniors who are NOT testing need to fill out this form so that your students absence from school will be counted as excused. Seniors on PSAT Day

Seniors who are taking the SAT on October should use Khan Academy to prepare. Khan Academy is the official partner to the College Board for SAT practice.

What's so important about the PSAT for our younger students?

The PSAT is the practice for the SAT college admissions test. SAT test scores are part of the college admissions process but can ALSO fulfill graduation requirements for your student's high school diploma. Indiana's "passing" SAT score for high school graduation purposes is SAT English 480 and SAT Math 530. Studies show that students perform better on standardized test with more exposure to the test format and test questions. What is a good SAT score?

PSAT scores from 11th grade are used for participation in the National Merit Scholarship program. Students who score in the top 3% of all test takers are recognized as Commended Scholars. Students who score higher can be selected to move on in the scholarship competition as semi-finalists and finalists. Additionally, students who don't score as high as the top 3% or better but have strong scores can be pulled into scholarship competitions from companies that have chosen to participate in this program. More information is available here National Merit Scholarship Program

PSAT scores from 10th and 11th grade are also used as part of student applications to our Porter County Career & Technical Center programs. PSAT scores can be used to fulfill Ivy Tech prerequisites for many of our Ivy Tech dual credit courses in place of your student having to take yet ANOTHER test.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Awareness ribbons, bracelets, and stickers are available in Mrs. Dobson's office.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, support is available 24/7.

• Call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

• Chat with the Lifeline online at 988lifeline.org.

WeBuildNWI.com is a resource for students interested in union trade careers. This website links to all the union apprenticeship programs so you can check out application dates and deadlines, union trade descriptions, and program requirements. Did you know many of the apprenticeship programs offer an associate's degree from Ivy Tech in partnership with your training?? You can walk out of your apprenticeship program as a trained union worker WITH a degree!

Step 1: Apply

Large universities such as Ball State, IU Bloomington, Butler, Purdue West Lafayette, etc have an early admission deadline of November 1. This is the deadline you want to meet if you would like to have the best chance of being offered admission to the program of your choice and to be considered for school based merit scholarships based on your GPA and test scores. Some programs could have earlier deadlines so be sure to check on your college websites.

Local colleges such as PNW and IUN have a deadline of December 1 to be considered for school based merit scholarships but be sure to check the college websites!

The Common Application is the only application that Purdue University West Lafayette will accept but most colleges have the option of using the Common Application OR their own school based application. School based applications are often shorter and less complicated. The Common Application makes sense if you are a student who is applying to several schools who use it AND/OR Purdue West Lafayette that requires it but the school based application might make more sense for you if the Common Application won't save you time.

Be sure to pay the application fee. Larger schools are usually around $65. Students on free/reduced lunch should ask their counselor for a fee waiver application.

Step 2: Check to see if your school requires letters of recommendation. Be sure to ask recommenders early to give them enough time to write a great letter! It is helpful for them to have something to look at from you that describes you in a nutshell. You can use this the Wheeler High School College Recommendation Guide We have paper copies in the Guidance Office.

Step 3:

Send your SAT score reports if you are including them in your application package. Many schools are now test optional. Purdue West Lafayette still requires test scores. You have to log into your account at www.collegeboard.org to send your scores officially. Click on the send scores tab in your score report dashboard. The cost is $15 per score report if you are ordering scores after the 9 day window from your test date. You get 4 score reports for free if ordered during test registration or within 9 days from the date you tested. Students who receive free/reduced lunch qualify for a fee waiver. Student on free/reduced lunch should see their counselor if the College Board website is showing a fee to send score reports.

Step 4: Send your transcripts. If you are using the Common Application the transcript is sent from the counselor as a PDF attachment with your school report so no action is needed on your end.

If you are using the school based application then you will need to order your transcript from Parchment. The invitation to register for your Parchment account is in your Wheeler High School email.

Colleges will take about 7-10 Business days to update your application status to show they have your materials once you have sent them in. Check your application portals and/or call to check on your application package 7 - 10 Business days after submission to ensure that the college has everything they need from you.

Student athletes who are interested in playing their sport in college must register with the athletic eligibility association that governs that school. NCAA would like their prospective athletes registered by the end of junior year at the latest. NAIA is more flexible with registration. Many students wait until they are sure they are playing for an NAIA school before they register.

NCAA: Register Cost $100 The NCAA has very specific academic eligibility requirements based on what division you plan to play in. Please see the Academic Eligibility Brochure

NAIA: Register Cost $100 Students with a 2.3 GPA are eligible or must meet 2 of these 3 requirements:

• 2.0 GPA
• Class rank top 50%
• 970 SAT score or 18 ACT score

Your student can submit athletic interest forms or prospective athlete questionnaires to colleges they would like to play for. This gets your students name out to the coaches for the programs.

You can find these forms by visiting the college's athletic page and entering Prospective Athlete or Interest Form in the search bar. These forms can sometimes be hard to find so reach out if you have trouble!

Registration is available at the links

IUN Open House October 18, 2025

Preview PNW October 18, 2025

Explore Engineering Day Valparaiso University October 4, 2025

You don't have to wait for an open house to visit a college! You can schedule an official college visit by going to the college website and clicking on the visit tab.

Exploring Engineering at Purdue October 20, 2025 Program for high school juniors, seniors, and their parents

Introduce Engineering Day at Purdue February 21, 2026 Program for 9th & 10th grade students interested in careers in Engineering

Purdue University Youth Programs

Purdue Summer Courses for High School Students Application opens in December

Boiler Vet Camp

Seminar for Top Engineering Prospects (STEP) Purdue This program is for the summer between junior and senior year. Application will open in January

Saturday Morning Astrophysics from Purdue Learn about astrophysics topics from home!

Purdue University Northwest Summer Camps This list will update in the spring

IUN Arts on Campus IUN hosts art shows and theatre productions. Upcoming events are listed here

Valparaiso University Summer Camps Camps for youth and high school students