The class 2024 will be exiting THS soon and heading out onto different paths of life. However, before seniors start to celebrate their departure they need to make sure they are on the right path to graduate on time and have their post-high school plans sorted out. 

Mrs. Sandi Rossman is the guidance counselor for the senior class and she has been working with college advisor Ms. Rachel Mininger to visit students classrooms to provide vital information to seniors. They will both be scheduling 1:1 meetings with all seniors in the upcoming weeks. 

Rossman and Mininger are both here to help seniors through their final year and make this stressful time not so intimidating. Mininger explains that she wants seniors to, “Understand that your world is about to change very drastically, so just take it one step at a time. Also, it is all going to be okay and you are worthy of great things in life.” 

Rossman and Mininger have been posting announcements with important information on the senior Canvas classroom. Information on upcoming scholarships opportunities, SAT and ACT registration, graduation requirements, applying to college, and much more can be found on the Canvas page. There is also an Instagram page called @tunstallcollegeadvising and a newsletter that is sent to student’s emails and posted on Canvas. 

Seniors need to have a personal calendar of what they need to have done over the next few months. SAT and ACT testing should be completed before the end of the fall semester so they can be sent to colleges. College applications are typically sent in before Christmas break while scholarships opportunities are more prominent in the spring time. 

This time in the semester should be spent finalizing future plans and working on applications. College essays should be a work in progress at this point in the year. Always make sure to have a teacher or peer read through a college essay before submitting it. 

Seniors also need to be thinking about college and scholarship recommendations. Now would be a good time to start thinking about who you will be asking for letters of recommendation and create a resume to send when requesting a recommendation letter. Always give the person you are asking for a recommendation from at least two weeks to get it done, so knowing the deadline of these recommendations is important. 

If you will be using the Common App to apply to colleges then you should create an account as soon as possible if you have not already done so and make sure to not use your school email. Also senior dues are $10 and need to be turned into Mrs. Scott as soon as possible in room F111. 

A final word of advice from Rossman is, “Explore all of your options. Take advantage of the opportunities offered to you such as meeting with college reps when they come to Tunstall. Do your research to learn about all of the different programs offered at the many colleges across the state. Talk with your teachers. Listen to their stories about their college paths. Some of them have military experience, too. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! This is your future!”