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Counselor's Corner

Rockford Lutheran's Guidance Office works diligently to aid students in crafting a schedule that not only serves their current interests, but also one that aids them in building their academic portfolio. By utilizing the services that the Guidance Office provides, students can have access to helpful tools and instrumental resources when it comes time to prepare and apply for high education. Visit our guidance office for your career and college planning needs today!

 

Meet Your Director of Guidance and Advising

Kelly Champion comes with more than 20 years of teaching experience at both the secondary and university level, leading her to be a primary source of college planning information. Her passion for education expands beyond College Counseling and into the classroom, where you can find her as an instructor for Dual Credit Psych and Sociology.

champion@rockfordlutheran.org 

Resources

CommonApp.org

Great resources to support your college search

 

HOW TO CHOOSE A COLLEGE

Step-by-step guide to choosing a college

 

MYMAJORS

Take the initiative to explore possible college majors

 

O*NET INTEREST PROFILER AT MY NEXT MOVE

Further explore where interests and majors intersect

 

BIGFUTURE.COLLEGEBOARD.ORG

A comprehensive college planning site from The College Board 

CAREER INFORMATION SYSTEM

A comprehensive site that provides help concerning:

What do I want to do with my future?

Interest inventories to discover what I’d like to do for a career
Skill inventories to discover what I am good at.
Career cluster inventories to see what career areas suite me.
What careers will my interests and abilities lead me to?

What education do I need for that career?
What can I expect to make as an income in that career?
What are the future job opportunities in that career?
How do I find a college that provides what I am looking for?
Find Online Teat Prep programs for ACT / SAT and more. Free for LHS students.
CAREER INTERESTS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT
Find your career area and favorite work environment.

For information on test prep and registration, click here.

Use the following helpful links in your college planning process. Check back frequently. Many items will be updated on a regular basis. Other items will be added as they become available. 

 
Rockford Lutheran Guidance Office Facebook Page. 

We post numerous scholarships that come our way, as well as information on upcoming college fairs, and other items of college information 

 

National Scholarship Directory. 

Find unique college scholarships, grants, internships, college tips and more – 100% free!



FAFSA4caster 

Use this link to try FAFSA4caster if you’re not ready to apply for federal student aid, but you’d like an estimate of how much financial aid you might get. Free.


College Affordability and Transparency Center 

A great tool for comparing college costs, majors, size, etc.  Free.


Collegegreenlight.com  

Resources for first generation and under-represented students. Free.


Fastweb 

The “Monster.com” of scholarship searches. Free.


Financial Planning For College 

Tools from Thrivent Financial to assist your college planning process. Free.


Going Merry 

Like a “Commonapp” for scholarships.  Apply for dozens of scholarships at a time. Free.


Hispanic Scholarship Fund 

Scholarships for Hispanic students. Free.


Northern Illinois Community Foundation Scholarships

Hundreds of thousands of local dollars are available through this site.


Rock Valley Foundation Scholarships

Rock Valley College.


Scholarships – Northern Illinois

Scholarships specific to students in the Northern Illinois area.


Scholarships.com

This site provides a variety of free college scholarship searches as well as  financial aid and college information resources.


Smart Scholar

Browse for available scholarships by field or interest.


United Negro College Fund 

The nations largest minority education organization Free.


The Complete Guide To Scholarships And Financial Resources For College Students

Great resources from MoneyGeek


What about 529 Plans? 

Information about 529 Plans, special tools for saving for college that include tax breaks.


College Illinois! 529 Prepaid Tuition Plan

This plan helps to freeze the cost of college by allowing Illinois families to prepay for future tuition at today’s current contract price.


Bright Start

This is a Section 529 education savings program created and administered by the state of Illinois.  It allows you to save money toward your future student’s education in a Bright Start account and pay no taxes on any earnings.


Managing your Money before and during College.     

Helpful suggestions about money management in college from Wells Fargo.


Tax Tips 

Financial tips for the college bound

 

FAFSA Application

The place to start for completing your FAFSA. (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). A requirement for virtually all colleges and universities.  Free.

 

 

Dual Credit Brochure

A quick glance at the number of Universities that accept our Dual Credit Courses.

Obtaining Transcripts

All Rockford Lutheran transcripts are processed through our custom school page at  Parchment.com
 

  • All seniors should set up a Parchment account at the beginning of their senior year. Please keep track of your login credentials!
  • After you sign in, you will choose “Place an order” and follow the instructions on that page.
  • There is a Parchment K12 QuickByte Video Playlist where you can access to the most up-to-date videos. It is a helpful place for questions on “How to Create a Parchment Account” or “How Do I Edit/Change my Email in my Parchment Account“.


Dual Credit Transcripts:
These must be requested from the college from which you received the credit and sent directly to your college of choice.  Use the following
links:
Concordia University Chicago  Request transcripts from Concordia University Chicago for your Dual Credit English classes.

Concordia University Nebraska   You may request a CUNE transcript for your dual credit courses from Concordia University Nebraska to be sent to your future college or university by following the instructions.  Dual credit students do not have an official CUNE login, so click the link to request transcripts for users who login without a username/password and then create an account. (Grades take roughly two weeks to post from the end of your school’s semester, so be sure to select the option to “hold for grades” if you just finished class). Your transcript will be released as soon as your grades post for this term. Also, be sure to have the right recipient information: transcripts typically need to be sent directly to your institution’s registrar’s office or office of student advising. The cost is $5.00 for an electronic transcript and $10.00 for a paper copy.  Classes include Government, Economics, Biology II, Chemistry II, Spanish, Psychology.

College Recommendation Letters

Teacher/Counselor Recommendations:
If you need a recommendation from a teacher, the Principal, or the Director of Guidance and Advising, please complete these forms and provide it to that person with the link or website they need to submit the recommendation.  A resume is also helpful.