Upper Cumberland guidance counselors encouraging students to get a head start on college applications and scholarship applications.
Upperman High School Counselor Lindsey Van Winkle said deadlines are coming quickly, so students need to start thinking about their next steps. Van Winkle said counselors are discussing options, including the Tennessee Promise scholarship.
“That is their first two years at a community college for free or technical school for free,” Van Winkle said. “And many parents and students don’t even know about the opportunity that if you apply, ad if you meet the qualifications throughout the year for that, that’s free tuition for you.”
DeKalb County High School 11th and 12th Grade Counselor Lori Myrick said it is important for families to be involved in their students’ next steps. Myrick said parents may have better insight because unlike their kids, they deal with adult responsibilities such as paying bills.
“[Students] may not have an understanding of how much college costs or how that could be a burden to them,” Myrick said. They may not understand that just yet. So it’s important to have the family on board, to have parents say, ‘Hey, this deadline’s coming up.'”
Myrick said a key role of family in the college application process comes with the FAFSA, since parents have to fill out a separate piece of the documentation than the students.
Van Winkle said the qualifications for Tennessee Promise include community service, attendance at a meeting, and completing the FAFSA on time. Van Winkle said this opportunity is great for low income families or those who may not receive any additional aid.
Van Winkle said guidance counselors often have to facilitate the discussion with students and families through events like financial aid nights. Van Winkle said there are also individual discussions with students voicing support and the importance of completing their application.
Van Winkle said sometimes, students get to their senior year without a clear plan for their next steps. Van Winkle said this is more common than one might think, and there is a specific way she approaches those conversations.
“A lot of times we kind of backpedal and just kind of see, ‘What do you see yourself?'” Van Winkle said. “‘What kind of life do you want to have?’ And trying to backpedal from there. At least tell me what kind of home you want to have, what kind of car you want to drive, things that they want out of life in general. Then we kind of backpedal into what their interests may be, what kind of jobs might fit into some of those interests.”
Van Winkle said she may also take into account a student’s favorite high school classes and skill set to help point them toward the right path. Van Winkle said this information helps her introduce students to potential schools or programs they can apply for.
Myrick said she encourages students to start thinking about their college or career choice as early as their eighth grade year. Myrick said she visits students in class early in the year to get them thinking ahead. The school also holds an annual college night that students of all ages are welcome to attend.
“We send out communications to the younger students because it’s a lot to take in if students have not been exposed to that information or parents have not been exposed to that information prior to their senior year,” Myrick said.
September is Tennessee College Application and Exploration Month. Myrick said in addition to general preparedness, the observation may have some financial benefits for students who apply soon.
“September is the month when many of our colleges in Tennessee offer free application days and weeks,” Myrick said. “So students can save themselves a lot of money if they pay attention to that.”
Myrick said the state sent a list of those dates to guidance counselors early this year.
