LOFT assisting teens with college prep

By Ciara McManus, GCC college and career readiness coordinator

Applying for college can be overwhelming, and sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. Every Wednesday after school, the LOFT High School College and Career Coaching program seeks to help teens break down this process into manageable steps. For many, this process begins junior year with the stressful task of taking the ACT standardized test.

Even though many colleges no longer require ACT scores, the test is important to students — and it can be overwhelming. At Goodman, we are offering ACT prep that is individualized for the student needs, taking it one step at a time.

As application season ramps up, seniors are beginning to feel the pressure, and they can also take part in our College and Career Coaching sessions. High school seniors come in to work with staff to complete applications before their deadlines. Whether they need help with essay writing, applying for federal student aid or scholarship applications, we are here to provide support.

In addition to testing and application assistance, hands-on experience is often one of the best motivators. On Saturday, Oct. 14, a group of high school juniors and seniors had the opportunity to visit the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They met a group of current UW-M students, learned about academics, saw an example of dorm life and more.

Getting to visit a school and speak with current students is one of the most important first steps in getting ready to go to college, and the LOFT Program plans to do future tours to more schools in the area, such as University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (Nov. 30) and University of Wisconsin-Madison.