Note: This story by David Snow with the Paducah Sun is based on an interview with PTHS Guidance Counselor Casaundra Newsome
by David Snow
The Paducah Sun
October 6, 2021
Used with permission.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the standard routine that high school students take in gathering information about attending college. Now that students are back in school five days a week, those thinking about attending college should start talking with their guidance counselors.
Guidance counselor Casaundra Newsome of Paducah Tilghman High School said seniors and juniors should be in the process of gathering information at this point in the school year.
“A lot of colleges are allowing for early application,” she said. “Many, many of our (students) have already been accepted, so they are in the process of filling out those applications and getting them in.”
Newsome said the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA, opened on Friday.
FAFSA information available at studentaid.gov indicates that students should plan on how to pay for college before applying. That can be done by garnering information about local, state and federal scholarships and grants.
“Your college uses your FAFSA data to determine your federal aid eligibility,” according to the website. “Many states and colleges use FAFSA data to award their own aid. After submission, you’ll receive your Student Aid Report.”
Newsome said applying through FAFSA is all part of the college process.
“There are a lot of websites that are available that I send the kids to for other scholarships,” she said. “They can find other national-type scholarships — maybe for being a twin, maybe if they have some kind of disability, maybe if they’re left-handed — there are a lot of specific scholarships like that out there that are available. They just have to search for them.”
Newsome said students often retake the ACT to improve their application stature. A higher score would help students get into a better application bracket or get more scholarship money.
The ACT will be offered on Oct. 23, but it is too late to register for that test date. The next ACT will be given on Dec. 11. Students can register for that test by Nov. 5, with a late registration deadline of Nov. 19.
Students often begin taking the ACT in their freshman year, if not before that, with plans of retaking it to improve on that score.
“Most kids do take it numerous times,” Newsome said. “I would say a majority of the students do. They just do it the one time as a junior, but it’s free through the school. Of course, if they qualify for free or reduced lunches, based on income, they can take it free two more times during their junior or senior year. A lot of students are taking advantage of that.”
Students should also begin asking for letters of recommendation, as several scholarship applications require at least one such letter.
“The local scholarships — I really start kicking those out about January and February,” Newsome said. “I’m encouraging the kids to go ahead and get ahead of the game and start with their personal statements, get their essays ready and start requesting their letters of recommendation, which means they’ve got to have their resume, too.
“If a student comes to me and asks me for a letter of recommendation, the first thing I’m going to say is, ‘Where’s your resume?’ I would refer to that as I’m writing their letter.”
A student resume contains a listing of the student’s honors, achievements and extracurricular activities. It may also include the student’s grade-point average and ranking in the class.
Those achievements or honors may include academic or athletic honors through the media, including the Paducah Bank Teen of the Week or AGC of Western Kentucky Technical Center Student of the Week features in The Paducah Sun, or the Performance of the Week sports feature through WPSD Local 6.
Newsome said juniors should start making a list of the colleges and universities they’re interested in.
“They should start out with a good-sized list, and they can narrow it down as they do research,” she said. “And seniors, I encourage them to be sure and have that dream college — maybe ‘I don’t know if I can get into this college, but gosh, I sure would love to go there; I don’t know if I can afford it, but I sure would love to give it a try’ — and then, have that college that you’re pretty comfortable about — ‘I know I can do this one.’ And then, always have a fallback plan as well.
“I do make sure that all of my students are registered to go to WKCTC, even if they don’t think that’s where they’re going to go. You just never know, and (the students are) ready, just in case things don’t go according to their original plan.”
High school students of any age — perhaps even middle school students — who are considering going to college should contact their school counselor for guidance and information to make plans leading up to graduation day.
“That’s what I ask my kids here to do — come and let me know — because I’ve got so many resources at my fingertips that I can hook them up with,” Newsome said. “I’ve got all kinds of handouts with different websites that they can go to, I’ve got checklists for them so they can keep track and make sure they’re doing the right thing.”
The last school day of the 2021-22 school calendar for local schools is May 13 for Community Christian Academy, May 19 for McCracken County students, May 20 for St. Mary School System students and May 26 for Paducah Independent students.