Counseling Dept. News and Information

Breaking News

	College Goal Wisconsin. College Goal Wisconsin is a national event that provides free information and assistance to families who are filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the federally required form for students seeking financial aid, such and grants and loans. Completing the FAFSA is the first and most important step in qualifying for aid. In Wisconsin, College Goal Wisconsin will take place on February 18-19, 2012 at locations throughout the state. Students should attend with a parent or guardian, if possible. They should bring specific materials. If parents are unable to attend, students may attend alone and bring these materials. Independent students may bring their own income and asset information.
	ACT Seminar to be held at Big Foot on Saturday, March 24 from 9:00 am-3:00 pm. Cost is $75, and includes the following: 5 hour test preparation seminar A comprehensive study guide 6 practice tests per subject Register online at www.zaps.com, or call toll-free at 877-927-8378.
	Career Pathways www.WICareerPathways.org provide a framework for seamless education. They are the core of workforce and economic development in our state.
	Students.gov http://www.students.gov/STUGOVWebApp/Public is an official U.S. government web site designed for college students and their families. Their mission is to provide you with easy access to information and resources from the U.S. government – all the info you need, in one place, from all parts of the government.

Testing and Preparing for college admission

	College Preparation checklist from the U.S. Dept. of Education. An excellent checklist for parents and students of all ages. To see a copy go to: http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/checklist.jsp
	PLAN (pre-ACT) test site. Visit http://www.actstudent.org/plan/ for additional information after you have received your scores.
	ACT/SAT Test Preparation. Free test prep site at www.KnowHow2GOWisconsin.org.
	ACT Student Site: Register online here for the ACT! Use this link for information about the ACT test, including registration, information about scores, and college/career planning.
	Do I need to take the ACT writing test? Some schools require or recommend that you take the writing test if you plan to apply. To check the requirements for individual schools, visit the following link: http://www.actstudent.org/writing/index.html.
	ACT test dates http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html
	SAT Student Site: Register online for the SAT. Plan and search for colleges and careers. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/index.html?student
	SAT test schedule http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html

Getting to know your prospective college

	College Preview Days. Every campus in the UW-System sponsors "Campus Preview Days". These provide great opportunities to make formal visits to colleges that you are considering. For a complete listing of the dates and contact information, visit the UW-System Help website at http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/preparing/campustours.aspx
	The Wisconsin Technical College System information for each campus can be accessed at http://www.witechcolleges.com.
	Gateway Tech "High School Corner". Easy access for high school students to explore Gateway Technical College and it's many programs at http://www.gtc.edu/HSCorner.asp
	Wisconsin Education Fairs. Offered around the state ach fall, allowing students and parents easy geographic access at numerous locations. http://wefs.org/
	Approved Schools and Programs. Choosing a school and program of study is an important decision. You will be investing time and money for an education and you expect that education will lead to employment, career enhancement and/or a career change. To assist with investigating the options available to you, the following link provides several ways to help you find the school and program that best fits your needs. http://eab.state.wi.us/resources/schoolsprograms.asp
	Find a national college. Visit http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/#WI for a listing by state of colleges and universities.

Applying to College

	Apply online to UW-System universities at http://apply.wisconsin.edu.
	Apply online to WI private 4-year colleges at https://secure.privatecollegezone.org/home.aspx
	Wisconsin Technical College admissions at http://www.witechcolleges.org/
	The Common Application is an admission application that students may submit to any of 391 member schools. See if your school is on the list at https://www.commonapp.org

Paying for College

	Official site for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can fill out an application online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
	Federal & non-federal sources. For most students, the big question is, "Where can I find free money for college?" There are a number of sources, including these: http://www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/clcf/freemoney.html
	Outside scholarship opportunities are updated weekly, beginning in October, and emailed to all seniors. You can also access this listing directly at Outside Scholarships
	Searching for scholarships? Try www.scholarshiproadmap.com
	Attention Juniors & Seniors! Sign up today for free scholarship database search services at www.fastweb.com and www.scholarships.com.
	Wisconsin Reciprocity Agreement. Pay Wisconsin tuition at Minnesota schools. The form is available in April at: http://heab.state.wi.us/reciprocity
	The Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) is a multi-state tuition reciprocity program, including the states of Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Go to http://www.mhec.org for specific details.
	UW-Madison scholarship website. Visit http://scholarships.wisc.edu

Career News / Youth Options

WISCareers. Big Foot subscribes to a comprehensive career planning and development website. You can access it at http://wiscareers.wisc.edu. This site is available to students, their parents, and the staff of Big Foot. Each student will need to create their own account on the website. Contact Bob Sullivan at 394-4415 for the access code.

Youth Options. The Youth Options program allows all public high school juniors and seniors who meet certain requirements to take post-secondary courses at a Wisconsin technical college or institution of higher education. The deadline for the fall semester is March 1 of the previous spring; October 1 is the deadline for the following spring semester. For more information on the state Youth Options program visit http://dpi.wi.gov/youthoptions/index.html. If you will be taking a class at UW-Whitewater, see UW-YO Requirements2011.pdf for specific registration information. For courses taken at Gateway, see http://www.gtc.edu/page.asp?q=467 and scroll to Youth Options at the bottom of the page.

Testing Schedules

Advanced Placement (AP) test schedule can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/cal/cal2.html

Test Grade When/Where
2011-12
Duration

WKCE 10 Test dates are Nov 7, 10 & 14 in the morning. Special schedule for all other students at http://www.bigfoot.k12.wi.us/ 6 hrs

PLAN 10 December 15 (Thurs). Time TBD. 3.5 hrs

PSAT 11 Oct 12 (Wed) in the morning at BFHS 3

ACT 11-12 6 national test dates. Go to: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html Testing dates at Big Foot this year include: Oct 22, 2011, Feb 11, 2012, and April 14, 2012. 4-5 hrs

SAT 11-12 6 national test dates. Go to: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html 4-5 hrs

District Terra Nova Math test 9-12 TBD. Usually held in the spring of the year. 1.5-3 hrs

Military & Governmental

Selective Service Registration. If you're a male U.S. citizen, age 18 through 25, and are living INSIDE the United States or its territories, you must register for selective service. You can't get financial aid for college or get a government job if you're not registered. It takes only one minute online, and can be accessed at www.sss.gov.

What happens in the school counseling department? (pdf)

Sponsor: Bob Sullivan ● Created: 10/15/03 ● Updated: 02/02/12