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College, Career & Scholarship

Career preparation should start in high school or before, but it shouldn’t end with graduation: Most occupations require some type of training or education after high school. On-the-job training, apprenticeships, non-degree awards, and various levels of college degrees are typically required for entry-level jobs.

Which type of training you need depends on the career you want to pursue.  The St. Charles School District offers technical training in many fields at Lewis & Clark.  Testing for Lewis & Clark takes place during your Sophomore year.  

Many students choose to begin their college career at St. Charles Community College. This gives them the opportunity to take general ed classes while continuing to explore all options for a career.  

Those students who are headed to a 4 year university need to make sure their high school schedule reflects the classes universities are seeking.  College level and AP classes need to be highly considered if you plan on attending a 4 year university.

Getting a solid education is an important foundation for any career. Workers in many occupations use problem-solving, communication, research, and other skills that they first learned in high school. By doing well in classes and taking part in career-training or college-preparation programs, you demonstrate that you’re ready to put these skills into action.   

College Info Night

College Info Night to be held in the spring. Check back for more information.

Freshman Year

As a freshman, you may not yet know or have even thought about what you will do after high school graduation.  While you don’t need to decide today, you should begin thinking about your options.  How are you preparing for your future?  What will be your plan?

  • 4 year university
  • 2 year community college
  • 2 year college or technical training
  • Military Service
  • Skilled Apprenticeship Training

Make choices each year that will keep your options open for opportunities after high school.  Your Guidance Counselors are here to assist you. 

At this stage in the game, you’re laying the foundation for your high school career. This is a time to establish your academic and extracurricular credentials.  You should also begin to explore options for your career or further education. 

Sophomore Year

Congratulations! You made your way through 9th grade, and now you're probably wondering what to expect your sophomore year in high school. It's not as nerve-wracking as your Freshman year, where everything is new. Instead, being a Sophomore means knowing enough to start your focus on college and/or your career path after high school. Being a 10th grader means taking things a little more seriously while being more comfortable in your surroundings.

Junior Year

You've made it through two years of high school…only two more to go. There is so much to expect your junior year, and sometimes it can seem so overwhelming. If you think back to your sophomore year, you watched the Juniors run around like crazy at times. It's a fairly stressful year, so knowing what to expect your junior year means being able to plan ahead to make your way through it unscathed.

While you have all the pressure of tests coming up (PSAT, ACT, SAT) you also have harder classes. You didn't think your teachers would let you off the hook just because you're prepping for college, right? This means Juniors have the greatest need for good time management skills. You need to balance a lot of school work with the rest of your life. Homework skills are important here. A good planner, helpful in most other years of school, is now a necessity in your junior year.

During your sophomore year, you'll hear a lot of college talk. However, it's during your junior year that the talk gets really serious. You have colleges coming to talk to students. You'll start getting brochures and start thinking of where you actually want to go. You may even start going on college visits to explore your options. This is also the year when you'll decide if you want to go to college. You may decide college isn't for you, so you may look at trade school or just going straight into the workforce. There's a lot of decisions to be made.

Be sure to check in with your counselor as questions arise.  They are here to help you make informative choices about your future.

Senior Year

You're at the top of the high school hierarchy. Knowing what to expect your senior year of high school can help you make your way through one of the most emotional and crazy years of your life. It's a year of reflection and looking toward the future.

Scholarships

FAFSA

The FAFSA asks for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) your student and about your families financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, when you filed taxes or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the FAFSA:

  • Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA!)
  • Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student
  • Your driver’s license number if you have one
  • Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen
  • Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
    • IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ
    • Foreign tax return, or
    • Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federal States of Micronesia, or Palau
  • Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
  • Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate but not including the home in which you live; and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

FSA ID - Username and Password area needed to complete the FAFSA on the Internet.
- Go to fsaid.ed.gov and click on the "Create an FSA ID" tab.

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