Seniors

• Individual Plan of Study 

  • This is the “roadmap” that helps us understand how to help our students accomplish their goals after high school. 

  • The IPS exists as a Google Sheet that each student has access to. There are a number of college/career resources located in this document. Students can use this resource to document progress toward their unique college and career exploration activities. Students and parents should look at this resource together at least twice a year. 

  • XELLO - This is Marion High School’s main college and career exploration resource. Students can explore interests, discover careers, and explore college options all in one place. 

  • ONET Online - ONET is a career exploration tool and job analysis database that provides a wealth of information about each job/career. 

• Student-led Conference

  • This year at student-led conferences seniors will be tasked with creating a checklist of important deadlines and activities to accomplish during their senior year. The purpose of this is to ensure parents/guardians are aware of their roles and responsibilities during the college admissions process.

  • Seniors will cover a number of topics including:

    • Interests/Skills

    • Plans and Preferences

    • Experiences 

    • Important dates and deadlines for college admissions

    • FAFSA

    • Scholarship Opportunities

    • College applications

    • Cost analysis of potential colleges to attend

    • Budget analysis based on potential earnings

• College applications are a very important part of the early admission process. Students can easily find a college application on the college’s website. I am available to help with applications but I encourage parents/guardians to be a part of the application process as well. Parent demographic information is almost always a requirement on the college application. 

  • In October, some colleges in Kansas participate in the free application month. 

    • Community/tech colleges generally have free applications all year.

  • If you are on free/reduced lunch please visit Mr. Venable when applying to college. If there is an application fee, I can request to have it waived.

Many college applications, scholarship committees, and future employers will require a letter of recommendation from a professional contact. Seniors should start thinking about the adults in their lives who can provide a solid recommendation on their behalf. I will gladly write a letter for my students. Please give anyone who you are asking for a recommendation a reasonable amount of time to complete their letter for you. 

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• This is a big one for students and parents. Americans collectively owe close to 2 TRILLION dollars in student debt. In-state tuition is 2,580% more expensive than it was 50 years ago and a student has to work 6x the amount of hours to cover the cost of tuition alone compared to students in 1970. 

• The big idea is that college is generally expensive. It is very important for students to understand the responsibility they assume by attending college. I strive to ensure that each student is fully aware of the costs associated with the schools they are interested in. This information can be difficult to understand fully for both students and parents. This is why I want students to share their findings on college costs with parents at student-led conferences. (More about options and costs later) 

• FAFSA

  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Opens October 1st) - This is a process that students and parents need to complete together. Through FAFSA, the student becomes eligible for student aid for college. This is based on a number of factors but mostly the parent’s tax return from two years ago. 

  • Students are eligible for aid in the following ways:

    • Grants - “Free” money for college based on need

    • Subsidized Loans - Loans that do not accrue interest until 6 months after the student completes college

    • Unsubsidized Loans - Loans that accrue interest at a rate determined by the market for the life of the loan. Generally between 3% and 8%

    • Work Study - Money that can be earned through on-campus work and applied directly to tuition. 

  • FAFSA Information Night 

    • We will have a FAFSA information night in September to help students and parents learn more about FAFSA and how to complete it. 

  • FAFSA Completion Night 

    • If there is enough interest, we will hold a FAFSA completion night later in the fall to help families complete their FAFSA. 

  • FAFSA Completion Video - Link - This is a comprehensive overview of how to complete the FAFSA step by step. 

• Check out this financial planning resource from ACT for senior year! - https://www.act.org/content/act/en/students-and-parents/college-planning-resources/paying-for-college.html

• Scholarships are available to students in a variety of sources.

  • Local Scholarships/Community Foundations

  • Government and Institutional Scholarships

  • Scholarship Search Engines

• Local Scholarships

  • Our local scholarships become available to the seniors in the spring semester. Many of them have deadlines ranging from late March to early May. 

    • These scholarships will be sent to you via email 

    • They will be available to print in Mr. Venable’s office 

    • You can find a digital copy of each scholarship with requirements and deadlines on the following link - Scholarship Organizer  (Local scholarships are highlighted in gold)

    • I will be exploring a platform this year to more effectively organize our local scholarships. More about this later

  • Government and Institutional Scholarships

    • Federal Student Aid

    • Kansas Board of Regents Grant Programs

    • College or University Scholarship pages (GPA/ACT requirements usually)

  • Scholarship Search Engine Resources and Other Sources

    • 1. Fastweb: A widely-used scholarship search engine that matches you with scholarships based on your profile and interests.

    • 2. Scholarships.com: Similar to Fastweb, this platform offers a comprehensive database of scholarships and financial aid options.

    • 3. College Board's Scholarship Search: Provides a personalized scholarship search based on your background, interests, and planned college major.

    • 4. Cappex: Offers scholarship matches, along with college search tools and reviews.

    • 5. Peterson's Scholarship Search: Features a searchable database of scholarships and grants for students.

    • 6. Niche: Formerly known as College Prowler, Niche provides scholarship listings, college rankings, and reviews.

    • 7. Chegg Scholarships: Offers a variety of scholarship opportunities and resources for students.

    • 8. UNIGO: Provides scholarships, internships, college reviews, and other educational resources.

    • 9. Professional and Affiliation Organizations: Many organizations related to your intended field of study or extracurricular interests offer scholarships.

    • 10. Online Scholarship Databases: Websites like ScholarshipMonkey, Scholarships360, and CollegeScholarships.org provide additional scholarship resources.

• Students need to complete a form available in Mr. Venable’s office in order to request a college visit.

  • All of their teachers must sign the form as well

  • This form must be turned in to Mr. Venable’s office at least two days prior to the college visit. 

• Students are encouraged to visit several colleges or programs they are interested in. 

• Parents are also encouraged to attend. 

• I am available to help set up college visits. However, most visits can be scheduled on a college’s website.

Transcripts are available in both hard copy and electronic versions through Mr. Venable’s office. They will be required for college applications, scholarships, etc. Please contact Mr. Venable about requesting a transcript. If applicable, send Mr. Venable the contact information of who the transcript needs to be sent to. 

Butler County Transcripts - https://www.parchment.com/students/order-status/ (See Parent Page for Flyer)

The ACT is offered monthly throughout the school year at a number of locations within an hour of Marion. We will not offer the ACT to seniors this year. We strongly encourage students to take the ACT again as seniors. It is an important measure that colleges and scholarship organizations look at when awarding scholarships. In other words, a better ACT means better scholarship opportunities! See the ACT page for information on test dates and how to sign up. 

• Students need to be aware of student housing application dates and deadlines. 

• If a student is having issues with a housing application, I am available to help.

Depending on the college/university, a student may be able to enroll in their fall classes while still in high school. I am available to support the student 

• Senior year is an important time for students to develop and practice healthy habits necessary for success after high school. 

• We screen for SEL competency through Satchel-Pulse. This identifies strengths and weaknesses across 5 areas of SEL. These are skills that are valuable in the workplace and are a part of healthy personal development. 

  • Self-Awareness

  • Self-Management

  • Social Awareness

  • Relationship Skills

  • Responsible Decision-Making

• Mr. Venable is available for individual counseling to help with academic, career, and social/emotional development. Referrals for additional services can be facilitated by Mr. Venable as well.