College Planning 

SchooLinks
SchooLinks is Lake Park's college and career planning platform. As part of the PaCE Framework, students will use SchooLinks each year to explore interests, research career pathways, and take the next steps in their post-secondary planning journey.  Each student has individual access to SchooLinks. Click here to login. Students at each grade level will complete assessments and log experiences through SchooLinks. Parents also have access to SchooLinks to view their student's progress. This should be all students' first stop in their college and career planning!

College Planning Timelines:
Below are links to sample timelines from the College Board to help guide you in your college planning:

• 9th and 10th grade

• 11th Grade

• 12th Grade 

College Planning for Freshmen and Sophomores:

• Click here to see a presentation about factors in choosing a college to apply to. It is a great starting point for our underclassmen!

• For students and families that want more detailed information about the college application process, click on this link!

Local College and University Information
Information about the twelve public universities in Illinois:

• 12 Reasons to Stay in Illinois 2023-2024

• State Universities in Illinois – At a Glance 2022-2023

• State Universities in Illinois – At a Glance Majors 2022-2023

College Search Information
The following are websites that provide information and resources for the college search process. This is not an exhaustive list, but can help get you started:

• SchooLinks

  • Lake Park's post-secondary planning tool. ALL students will use SchooLinks and counselors will meet with each grade level for post-secondary planning lessons each year. 

• BigFuture by the College Board   

  • Flyer with additional information about BigFuture

• Cappex 

  • A lot of great resources for college and financial aid

  • This link is a list of colleges that are "need-blind" in the admission process.

• Collegevine

  • Discover schools, understand your chances for admission, and get personalized guidance for every step of the admissions process.

• ISAC Student Portal Resources

  • The Illinois Student Assistance Commission has a wide variety of college research and financial aid resources.

  • Lake Park has our own ISAC representative who comes to the College & Career Center to assist students with their post-secondary planning.

• Chicago Area Regional Representatives (CARR) 

  • CARR has many useful videos for both juniors and seniors regarding the college search process.