Guidance News (September 11, 2013)
Welcome to this first edition of “Guidance News” for the school year. The
Guidance Department will post news of interest to students at Sheldon High
School on a monthly basis. Please watch for news in regard to college,
scholarship, career, or other opportunities.
Opportunities
The College of Engineering at Iowa State University is hosting “Engineer’s Week
(E-Week)”. E-Week’s Senior Visitation Day will be Friday, Sept 20 for those
interested in pursuing an engineering degree at ISU. Students and parents will
spend the day touring campus, learning about engineering programs, and meeting
engineering faculty and students. Register at www.engineering.iastate.edu/srvis.
There is no cost for the program.
Saturday Explore Engineering @Iowa Program dates: Oct 12, Nov 16, Feb 8,
Mar 1, April 5.
Exploring College Options – Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, and Stanford
Student/Parent Information Sessions
Omaha – Tuesday, Sept 24 at 7:30 p.m. Hilton Omaha
Sioux Falls – Wednesday, Sept 25 at 7:30 p.m. Sioux Falls Convention Center
Taking the Road Less Traveled Career Conference for female students will be held
on campus at ISU in Ames, Iowa on October 17. It is sponsored by ISU’s Program
for Women in Science and Engineering. The goal is to expose females to career
paths within science, technology, engineering, and math. The cost per participant
is $10. You may register at www.pwse.iastate.edu/trlt.html.
Iowa General Assembly 2014 Iowa Senate, House of Representatives, and
Legislative Services Agency Page Program applications are now available at
http://www.legis.iowa.gov/Agencies/pageInfo.aspx. The deadline for receipt of
applications is October 4.
United States Senate Youth Program applications are also available. Applicants
must be serving in an elected position in the SLT. Applications are due October 2.
Students must also take a qualifying exam at the NWAEA in Sioux Center or Sioux
City. Students chosen receive a $5000 scholarship and must attend an all-expense
paid week in Washington D.C. March 8-15.
Our school may nominate one student for the Prudential Spirit of Community
Award. If you have a strong record of community service, please provide a
resume to Mrs. Zeutenhorst by early October.
The Governor’s Bullying Prevention Summit will be held Nov 4 at Hy-Vee Hall in
Des Moines. There is also the opportunity of a bullying video contest. All details
may be found at https://preventbullying.iowa.gov/. All videos must be submitted
by Oct 10.
College Representatives that plan to visit SHS
Sept. 18 – Western Iowa Tech (Sioux City) - 11:25
Sept. 24 – Dordt College (Sioux Center) – 11:25
Sept. 30 – Iowa Central C. C. (Ft Dodge) – 11:25
Oct. 3 – UNI (Cedar Falls) – 11:30
Oct. 7 – U of IOWA (Iowa City) – 9:00
Oct. 9 – NCC – 11:25
Oct. 23 – La’James (Mason City) – 2:30
Oct. 30 – Cornell College (Mt. Vernon) – 11:25
Nov. 20 – Buena Vista University (Storm Lake) – 9:00
ACT Test Dates for 2013-14 (all given at SHS)
September 21
Registration date has past
October 26
Register by September 27 to avoid a late fee.
December 14
Register by November 8 to avoid a late fee.
February 8
Register by January 10 to avoid a late fee.
April 12
Register by March 7 to avoid a late fee.
June 14
Register by May 9 to avoid a late fee.
COMPASS Testing (held at NCC )
Entrance exam for NCC and other Community Colleges
(Individual appointments may be made)
Students must pre-register by calling NCC at 324-5061.
ACT Prep Class
ACT offers online assistance at their website. There are free practice tips as well as
the opportunity to answer test questions with immediate feedback. There is also
the option of enrolling in their online test prep course at $19.95 for one year. Go
to www.actstudent.org to register.
Free test prep is available at www.number2.com. (ACT, SAT, GRE)
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is sponsoring a
reduced rate for ACT or SAT study programs. Usually these programs are $250,
but through this program the cost is $19.99 which covers licensing, registration,
customer support, shipping, and online access fees. Go to
http://www.eknowledge.com/NFHS. This online program or DVD can be
ordered using a credit card or check.
Helpful websites:
www.actstudent.org (register for ACT Test, ACT test prep)
www.fastweb.com (scholarship search)
www.schoolsoup.com (scholarship, careers, college and university information)
www.ihaveaplaniowa.gov (Iowa’s state-wide career information system.
Contains interest, skills, and values surveys, career, college and university
information, as well as scholarship search)
www.iastate.edu (Iowa State University)
www.uni.edu (University of Northern Iowa)
www.uiowa.edu (University of Iowa)
www.sdstate.edu (South Dakota State University)
www.usd.edu (University of South Dakota)
Iowa College Access Network (ICAN)
New office located on the campus of Northwestern College
Hours: Monday, Thursday, Friday – 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Free assistance with college search, college application, financial aid, and other
issues pertinent to post-secondary education
College Information:
The public universities in Iowa (ISU, UNI, and U IOWA) will use the RAI (Regent
Admission Index) for admission purposes. The RAI is:
2 x ACT composite score
1 x percentile high school rank
20 x high school gpa
5 x number of high school core courses
Regent Admission Index Score
The RAI must be 245 or higher for automatic admission to the Regent universities.
Core courses include Language Arts, mathematics, science, social studies, foreign
language, and most college courses.
Admission to South Dakota public universities includes Students must meet one of the following criteria:
ACT composite score of 18 or above OR
Graduate in top 60% of graduating class OR
Earn cumulative gpa of 2.6 or higher
College visits are an important part of the college decision. We encourage 2-3
college visits during the senior year while colleges are in session. It is much easier
to visit in the fall before winter makes driving difficult. If you would like
assistance in scheduling a college visit, please call the guidance office.
Seniors may apply to colleges anytime after the completion of the junior year. If
students apply online, please request the guidance office to mail the transcript. If
applying by the paper version, we request that students hand the application and
fee to the guidance office and we will mail everything in together with the
transcript.
A website was developed by the State of Iowa Board of Regents and the Iowa
Department of Education to allow students to know whether an Iowa community
college course will transfer to an Iowa state university and how it will transfer.
The website is www.TransferInIowa.org.
Over 150 colleges and universities will be represented at the Golden Circle College
Fair in Des Moines on Sunday, September 29 from 12:30 – 3:00 p.m. at the Iowa
Events Center HyVee Hall in downtown Des Moines.
Potential Division I and II athletes: You will need to register at the NCAA
Clearinghouse website. After registering, hand the guidance office the transcript
release form so that we may release the transcript to the Clearinghouse for review.
Go to www.eligibilitycenter.org “NCAA College Bound Student Athletes”. Our
high school code is 163995. Division I and II both require the completion of 16
core courses. ACT and gpa will also be important factors.
Potential NAIA athletes: You will need to register at www.playnaia.org. Athletes
must meet two of the three requirements: earn an 18 composite ACT score,
achieve a minimum 2.0 cum gpa, or graduate in the top half of your class.
Scholarship Information:
It is extremely important to proofread, proofread, and proofread scholarship
applications!! Remember, students are selling themselves on paper! Neatness
counts!!!
Please see the SHS website for a current listing of scholarships which are made
available to our guidance office. Local scholarships are included as well.
Students should also check the college or university they plan to attend. Look at
the Admissions and Financial Aid home pages as well as the College or
department. For example, if a student plans to be a teacher, he should look at the
College of Education’s home page for freshman scholarships.
The Wendy’s High School Heisman award program applications are now being
accepted at www.wendyshighschoolheisman.com. Applicants must have a least a
“B” average and participate in at least one school-sponsored sport. Application
deadline is October 2.