Grade 12

It's finally here - Senior Year!!!  The transition to the next phase of your life is a few months away. To aid with this important step, the School Counselors will be giving the seniors extra attention throughout the school year.  In addition, the Counseling Office will send out emails periodically with important information for seniors and their parents.  

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:

Counselors will verify that each senior will meet the following PHS graduation requirements:

COLLEGE (4-Year) APPLICATION PROCESS:

• As a general rule, applications should be submitted by winter break.
• Application fee is required for each application.
• Students must request their high school transcript through Xello.  Directions on how to create an account and request a transcript are in the Counseling Office or on the "Transcript" webpage.
• Student housing is at a premium at many UW campuses, so apply early!

All UW System colleges require an ACT Test score for admissions (exception during COVID-19 pandemic).  Your ACT Test score is printed on your transcript.  If a score report was not sent to the college when you took the ACT Test, a report can be requested from ACT at www.actstudent.org/scores/send/index.html

COLLEGE ADMISSION TESTS:

The ACT Test is conducted nationwide in September, October, December, February, April, June and July.  Wisconsin requires all 11th grade students take the ACT Test in late February or early March.  ACT Test scores are accepted by UW Colleges, Madison College, and most private colleges/universities.

COLLEGE CAMPUS VISITS:

In order to increase the likelihood of a good college/student match, seniors and their parents should visit college campuses that they are interested in attending.  A poor match contributes significantly to the nation's 27% drop-out rate among college freshman.  Students who would like to visit a college or technical school campus must make those reservations themselves using the college's website.  Once you receive an email confirmation from the college, students may obtain a green "Advanced Absence" form (shows as a "school absence" instead of an "excused absence" on attendance) from the Counseling Office.  See "Campus Visit Questions" in the right column for recommended questions to ask during your campus tour.  

QUALIFYING FOR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS:

All UW Colleges require new freshman to have completed a minimum of 17 high school credits - 13 of these credits must be "college preparatory" from the following areas of study:

In addition to the above core college preparatory credits, students may need to complete a minimum of four elective credits from the following areas:  foreign language, fine arts, computer science and other academic areas (two years of a single foreign language is strongly recommended but is not required for admission to most colleges).  All students are encouraged to exceed the minimum number of college preparatory credits required for admission.  Students who choose a rigorous high school course load are, in most cases, more successful in college.  

MADISON COLLEGE:

Madison College begins accepting applications on September 1.  Applications are accepted/considered on a first-come, first-serve basis.  The Counseling Office has a complete list of programs available at Madison College and other Wisconsin Technical College campuses.  NOTE:  Madison College requires the ACT Test be submitted prior to application for many programs.  A listing of testing dates and times are available at www.madisoncollege.edu.

STUDENT ATHLETES:

If a student is planning to participate in college athletics, they will need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/.  

APPRENTICESHIP:

Students who are interested in construction, plumbing, electrician, etc., need to speak to their school counselor about apprenticeship application and testing deadlines.

MONEY FOR COLLEGE:

School Counselors will be giving a "Scholarship Search" presentation in September for seniors and their parents.  We also encourage families to attend College Goal Wisconsin events to submit their FAFSA application starting October 1.  Go to https://collegegoalwi.org/ to register online and for locations of workshops.  These workshops will assist you to begin the scholarship and financial aid process by acquiring letters of recommendation and creating a resume.  

Scholarship Database - A list of county, regional, state and national scholarships is available on the Counseling Office webpage.  The local scholarship book will be available to seniors at a meeting scheduled during the first or second week of January.   

Parents and students may contact the Counseling Office at any time during the school year to have their questions answered by our staff.