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Miles Toppings
November 6th, 2025
As the leaves turn colors and the temperature drops, it's about time for students to look toward college. Lucky for WHS students, the guidance office and counselors offer numerous ways to plan, including college trips and websites designed to categorize colleges based on students' interests and needs. No matter what time of the year it is, WHS students will always be able to speak to their counselors. But what can you do to plan?The college trips are meetings with college representatives in the guidance office or sometimes in the library computer labs. This year's colleges include Missouri University, the University of Louisville, Missouri State University, St. Louis Community College, and Illinois Wesleyan. During these meetings, the representatives will answer any questions students have about the majors that their college offers. Students are given packets that include all of the majors that are provided, along with opportunities for scholarships. Some other information they will cover is how to apply to their college and how their system itself works, and information about housing and the living conditions are covered. But that's not the only program students can learn about. Students can learn about sports opportunities, the training facilities, and team standards at certain universities, including nutritionists, sports complexes, and even the current athletic hope for their college. But just because the college trips are only for juniors and seniors doesn't mean these are the only options the guidance office has. On the guidance website, there are links to college-searching websites. Such as Xello and Big Future. On BigFuture, students are able to adjust filters to fit students' college needs. From affordability to degrees and majors, students are able to select what works best for them, and BigFuture will suggest a perfect match. Xello, another college planning website, has special articles that are written for students, parents, and even educators to learn why planning for the future is necessary. Students can form an online portfolio full of their academic success and career, which colleges can use during their selection process. Xello simplifies the application process for students by guiding them throughout the process. Students can also take quizzes to best match them to college majors and careers. Overall, both Xello and BigFuture are great ways to get ahead and plan for college. No matter what classes students are in, they will always be able to check in with the guidance counselors. The counselors at WHS offer so many different techniques for college, so students should take advantage of them. So don’t be afraid to sign up for a college visit, or do some research online, and don’t hesitate to talk to a counselor and take a trip into the future.
Meet the Author
Meet the Author
Miles Toppings
Miles is a junior from Waterloo High School and this is his first year in journalism. He joined because he loves the creativity that goes into journalism. His favorite topic is pop culture and international news. He is very talkative and outgoing he tries to help as much as he can. He is apart of the Waterloo Speech and Debate team as well as in the drama club, in his spare time he enjoys listening to music and watching movies.
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