Montini Catholic - Guidance Counseling

Miss Joan Zilkow	Mr. Robert Johnston	Mrs. Danielle Monroe

630-627-6930 x166 Email Miss Zilkow	630-627-6930 x167 Email Mr. Johnston	630-627-6930 x165 Email Mrs. Monroe
Education & Experience: -B. S. P.E. DePaul University -MED. in Guidance and Counseling Loyola University -Counselor - 19 years Madonna High School -8th year at Montini Catholic	Director of Guidance *Co-curricular Involvement:* -Assistant Golf Coach *Education & Experience:* - B.A. - English - Loyola University - M.Ed. - Guidance and Counseling Loyola University - 8 years English teacher - St. Patrick H.S. - 2 years Counselor - St. Patrick H.S. - 25 years Counselor - Riverside Brookfield H.S. , including Guidance Director for 9 years - 6th year at Montini Catholic	*Co-curricular Involvement:* -Friends Helping Friends -Transfer Student Group *Education & Experience:* -School Counseling Certification Concordia University -MS in Counseling Psychology Benedictine University -BA in Psychology Northeastern Illinois University -Therapist in Community Mental Health for 10 years -Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor - 5th year at Montini Catholic

Test Dates

ACT | SAT

PARENTS & STUDENTS: You need to register with ACT and SAT either through the internet by clicking on the hypertext word above and following the instuctions or seeing your counselor for a registration folder.

Students with disabilities should click on "Support Services" at the top of this page for further information.

ACT SAT Comparison:

At-a-Glance	SAT	ACT
Test Sections	Critical Reading Math Writing	Reading English Math Science Writing (Optional)
Time	3 hours, 45 minutes (including a 25-minute experimental section)	2 hours, 55 minutes (plus a 30 minute optional writing test)
Scoring	3 scores of 200-800 for each test section. Two subscores of 20-80 for the writing multiple choice section and 2-12 for the essay.	5 scores of 1-36 for each test section and the total composite. A score of 2-12 for the optional writing test.
Send Scores	If you take the SAT more than once, your entire score history will be sent to schools.	If you take the ACT more than once, you can choose which set of scores to send to schools

Other Test Information

Advanced Placement Tests

Explore - Explanation

PLAN - Explanation

PSAT - Explanation

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Upcoming Events

CORRECTION

Juniors and seniors received “College Planning Packets” with wrong information on one of the monthly calendars included in the packet. October 12 there will be NO CLASSES.

FINANCIAL AID FOR COLLEGE

Parents should look at our College Financial Aid speaker Frank Palmasani’s web page at http://managingcollegecost.com/ This provides information about all facets of financial aid in a 18 short presentations. We also have provided links to “Fastweb”, a free scholarship database and the FAFSA the free need based federal student aid form that needs to be completed after January 1^st of senior year. Scholarships that we receive where attendance at a specific college is not required are located in the “Scholarship” section below. Check this list out in January through March when it grows quite large.

St. Mary University Scholarship

St. Mary University is a Lasallian University that is offering a special full ride scholarship to 15 students of Lasallian high schools in the Chicago Area. St. Mary’s First Generation Scholarship is now being offered to those seniors whose parents did not complete a Bachelor’s Degree in college. Seniors interested in attending St. Mary’s and applying for this scholarship should see their counselor for details.

Lewis University

Lewis University is offering $2500 grants to students who graduated from Lasallian high schools and choose to enroll at Lewis. Students will be able to increase the amount considerably by qualifying for an academic scholarship as well.

Discover DUKE

There is an information session for parents and student interested in Duke University on Monday, October 4, 2010 at the Chicago Mariott Oak Brook at 7:30 PM

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College Counseling

College Fairs

1. Montini College Fair for Juniors April 15, 2011- Periods 9 & 10
2. National College Fair- October 23, 2010 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Navy Pier. See linked
    Website for spring dates
3. Triton College Fair -9/23/10 – 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM @ Triton’s Campus in River Grove , IL
4. COD College fair -10/14/10 – 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM @ The Physical Education and
    Community Recreation Center on COD’s campus

College Search

The following programs on the web ar helpful in narrowing your college search:
1. College Matchmaker
2. Majors.com

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Planning a campus visit

"Questions to Ask College Representatives"

1. How many students are there? How many graduate students? What is the
     male/female ratio?
2. What is the campus like? (ie., size, location to nearest city, downtown area)
3. What is the makeup of the student body? (ie. from what states, commuter vs.
     residential, religious backgrounds, most populated majors)
4. What is the housing situation? Where can freshmen live? What are the
    dorms like?
5. What percentage of students returns for their sophomore year? Remain to graduate?
6. What are the strong majors at your college? Do you have my major?
7. What is the size of classes? Do professors or graduate students teach them?
8. What opportunity is there for research, independent study, and study abroad?
9. Are there internships or co-ops?
10. What kinds of clubs and activities are there? Is there a Greek system or other
       social sororities/fraternities?
11. Do you have an honors program?
12. How is the job placement? Will I get assistance? How about placement in graduate,
      medical, or law school?
13. Do you have career planning?
14. ls the sports program large and diverse? Are you known for a particular
       sport? What division? ..
15. How popular are the intramurals?
16.Are there special facilities in your interest area? (i.e. radio station, computer access)
17. What are your admissions standards? What kind of student are you looking for?
18. What are the tuition, room and board, and fees of this school?
19. What kind of financial aid is available? How about scholarships not based on need?
20. What arrangements must I make to visit the campus?
21.Are there admission deadlines I need to be aware of?
22. What makes this school special?

Letters of Recommendation

If your college application or scholarship requires a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor, make sure you give them plenty of time to write it. The following should be completed by the student and given to the teacher or counselor.

PERSONAL PROFILE

When requesting letters of recommendation, provide a copy of this completed information sheet to the person writing the letter of recommendation on your behalf. Colleges look favorably upon letters of recommendation that use details, give concrete examples, and provide insight into the individual.

In order to help your counselor/teachers write your college letters of recommendation, complete the items below:

Possible college major

Extra curricular activities in which you participated:

Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior

List out of school activities and indicate the one that is most rewarding

I am most proud of…….

Please do a self evaluation on the following qualities with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest:

Intellectual Promise	____	Creativity	____
Motivation	____	Initiative	____
Maturity	____	Leadership	____
Integrity	____	Capacity for Growth	____
Independence	____	Enthusiasm	____
Concern for Others	____

I am looking for qualities that make you distinctive as an applicant. In what way have you contributed to your community?

Please list the qualities that you think are your strongest and give me two specific situations that will allow me to show how you have demonstrated these qualities. Examples include but are not limited to those listed in question 5. You may use the back.

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College Financial Aid

1. Financial Aid checklist

-Find out from the colleges you are applying to which financial aid forms you need to complete.

-Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This form is available in the guidance center or at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Depending on where you apply to college this may be the only financial aid form you need to complete. The FAFSA is necessary to apply for all federal student aid.

-File the PROFILE if needed. Some colleges, universities, state and private agencies require
that you complete the PROFILE.

-Make sure your FAFSA and PROFILE are fully and correctly filled out. They should be sent in
as soon after January 1 as possible. Keep copies of everything!

-You may have to fill out additional financial aid applications as determined by each college.
Some colleges have their own separate form.

-Investigate other scholarship and aid programs. Some suggestions follow:

                                      -Guidance office
                                     -Local library
                                      -Parents’ employers, professional organizations, and labor unions
                                      -Community, civic, and religious organizations
                                      -Local businesses and corporations
                                      -Fraternal groups and veterans’ posts

-In response to your FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR includes
your federally calculated estimated family contribution which schools will use to determine
your eligibility for financial aid.

-Review the SAR to make sure no corrections need to be made.

Send photocopies of your SAR to schools you were unable to list on your FAFSA.

-In mid-spring, colleges will begin to send out financial aid award letters. These are usually
estimates of the financial aid package being offered. Exact figures are sent out over the
summer if estimates are received in the spring.

2. College Zone Financial Aid

3. FAFSA Link

4. Montini Financial Aid Meeting –

October 18, 2010
7:00 PM
At Montini Catholic HS
Frank Palmasani – Financial Aid Counselor - presenting

2010 FREE FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOP

Thursday, February 17, 2011
Student Resource Center
7 to 9 PM
College of DuPage
SRC 2800
Glen Ellyn, IL

Free assistance for those families who need help completing their 2009-2010 FAFSA

College Scholarships

1. Fastweb.com

Scholarships.com

2. Local Scholarships

The following scholarships and/or contests have been mailed to Montini Catholic H.S. See your counselor or the website indicated for details.

NAME	REQUIREMENTS	AMOUNT	DEADLINE
Gates Millennium Scholarship	Minority – Pell Grant Eligible – 3.3 GPA-Leadership through school or community service- accredited college or University-Citizen or legal permanent resident	Based on need – Tuition fees books	1/10/11

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NCAA Clearinghouse

1. NCAA Approved Courses & Eligibility page

2. NCAA Clearinghouse

3.NCAA Initial Web Site

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Career Exploration
1. Occupational Outlook Handbook online

2. Career Information System
This has career interest inventory, job values and career definitions

3. Dictionary of Occupational Titles

4. Interest Inventory

5. O Net online

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Support Services

1. Friends helping friends :
A support group for students dealing with issues of death, divorce or separation.
For further information contact Mrs. Monroe

2. Transfer student group
New Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors are helped with transitioning to Montini
For further information contact Mrs. Monroe

3. Academic tutoring (National Honor Society)
    Students who need tutoring assistance should first see their teachers. If appropriate, the
    teacher will issue the student a NHS tutoring form and the student can request assistance
    from National Honor Society volunteer tutors.

4. ACT services for disabilities

5. SAT services for disabilities

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Walk-a-thon
2010