
COUNSELING SERVICES
Contact our school counselor here for more information.
COUNSELOR CORNER – weekly updates from our arts high school counselor – april 17, 2025
MCA MATH EXAM – April 22 for all juniors
MCA SCIENCE EXAM – April 30 for select students
If you would like to opt out of this test (it will not affect your ability to graduate) please complete the form at the bottom of the web page and return it to Carol.
MINNESOTA GOES TO COLLEGE – APRIL 22
Parents/guardians with a high school senior heading to college this fall are invited to join Minnesota Goes to College virtually on Tuesday, April 22nd from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. to learn more about how to best prepare their child for their next educational journey. This session will cover some of the key conversations to have with their child before they start college. From understanding finances, to navigating a college campus, to making sure their child knows how to do their laundry, we will help them feel prepared to send their child to college! To register, visit: https://ecmc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QWdtBmEpRbGgi3LzM-Mdtw#/registration.
MN PRIVATE COLLEGES WEEK – JUNE 23 – 27, 2025
Find out what Minnesota private colleges and universities have to offer! Come on your own, with friends or with your parents. These free, low-pressure introductory campus tours and informational meetings can serve as a first step to help you discover just what you’re looking for in a college — especially if you are early in your search. Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and run either two or three hours, depending on the campus.
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE LETTERS & FINANCIAL AID PACKAGES
Seniors and families! Let me know if you want to talk over anything in regards to making the final choice with college. It can be a tough process – especially the (often confusing) financial aid letters.
FAFSA OPENED DECEMBER 1!
Refer to the Financial Aid recording below to hear details on how to fill out the FAFSA. Everyone who is planning to attend college next year should fill out a FAFSA! For parents completing the FAFSA form, review FAFSA tips for parents. If you’re having trouble resetting your password, finding your username, or unlocking your account, you can recover your account. If none of these tips work, contact FAFSA at 1-800-433-3243 for assistance. FAFSA Help Topics
FINANCIAL AID PRESENTATION
On November 12th, Susan Ant, Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships at Normandale Community College, presented on the ins and outs of paying for college.
Please schedule a “junior meeting” with me soon! During this meeting, we will catch up or get to know each other, talk about your classes, grades, credits – AND we can talk about life after graduation. Can’t wait to see you!
Sign up on my appointment calendar via the QR codes around the building OR I put a link at the bottom of any email I send out.
A series of virtual college and financial aid events, beginning in October, free to students and families. Sponsored by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
Need help understanding the financial aid options for college? Attend free virtual sessions for high school students and families offered by a collaborative of financial aid experts starting October 1. All sessions will have interpretation in Spanish, Somali, and Hmong. Students who attend any of the sessions will be entered into a $1,000 scholarship drawing. For session dates, topics, and to register, click here. Contact tpribnow@ecmc.org with any questions.
FREE COLLEGE
The North Star Promise program is a fairly new program that covers the full cost of tuition and fees for eligible Minnesotans at public institutions and tribal colleges in the state. It began in fall of 2024. Residents with an Adjusted Gross Income of below $80,000 can receive support towards fulfilling their undergraduate degree. North Dakota State University has recently announced they will also be honoring this!
List of Test Optional/Test Blind Colleges (ACT/SAT)
INFORMATIVE Webinar for Seniors (and guardians) interested in applying to Selective Colleges/Universities click here
INTERESTING ARTICLES/PODCASTS/VIDEOS I FOUND AND THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY
- Raising the New Normal Teen
- From Apprenticeships to Microcredentials, Why Alternatives to College Are Gaining Popularity
- College Financial Aid: The Art Of The Appeal
- As Some High Schoolers Fret Over College Costs, These Majors Earn Students $100K
- How To Find The Net Price Of College And What You’ll Pay
- Here’s how to maximize your college financial aid offer — experts break it down
- Typical mistakes parents make during campus visits, and how to avoid them
- How To Find College Scholarships
- Ready, Set, Visit: Making the Most of Campus Visits
- More Than Money: The Life Skills Teens Gain From Being An Entrepreneur
- Ready, Set, Visit: Making the Most of Campus Visits
- The Schools Reviving Shop Class As a Hedge Against the AI Future
- How to Know If You’ve Found Your College Fit
- 11 Apps to Help High Schoolers Organize Their College Search
- College Application Essay Ideas: Tips on Picking a Great Topic
- 5 Myths About Parent Information on the FAFSA
- Despite ever-higher sticker prices, the real cost of getting a degree has been going down.
- How Gen Z uses the internet to self diagnose and get help
- Debunking five common myths about paying for college
- A guide to what the U.S. Education Department does (and doesn’t) do
- Why You Should Fill Out The FAFSA Even If You Don’t Think You’ll Receive Aid
- How to Write a College Essay
- Understanding Financial Aid for College: A Guide
- How Parents Can Help Teens Overcome College Admissions Rejection
- The trades’ growing appeal
- Parental Blindspots: How Misunderstanding Mental Health Hurts Kids
- Parenting teenagers – 8 tips from a mom of 5
- How to Get Accepted Into College With a Low GPA
- How to help your child with the college admissions process without being overbearing
- How to Use College Admissions Tours to Unlock Hidden Insights
- Why did I get waitlisted or deferred? (and what should I do?)
- U.S. Teen Drug, Alcohol Use Remains at Low Levels
- Do’s and Don’ts for High School Juniors
- How to Write a Successful College Admissions Deferral Letter – YouTube video for those of you who have been deferred from a college you applied to.
- Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement (a book for those who worry that you, or your student, aren’t “far enough along”.) There is a scientific explanation for why so many of us bloom later in life. The executive function of our brains doesn’t mature until age twenty-five, and later for some. In fact, our brain’s capabilities peak at different ages. We actually experience multiple periods of blooming in our lives. Moreover, late bloomers enjoy hidden strengths because they take their time to discover their way in life—strengths coveted by many employers and partners—including curiosity, insight, compassion, resilience, and wisdom.
- Finding Peace: Helping Teens Manage Stress and Anxiety Over the Holidays
- What’s after high school? Start a career with these college alternatives.
- 5 Reasons to fill out the FAFSA
- Conflict resolution skills for teens
- Does it matter where you get your degree?
- Calls to LGBTQ Teen Suicide Hotlines Spike
- A Beginners Guide to College Applications – Video
- Screen time and the connection to anxiety and depression
- Cliche college essay topics to avoid
- Ten Things Juniors Need to Know About College
- How music therapy is quietly — and sometimes loudly — fighting the teen mental health crisis
- What’s Behind the Most Common Stressors?
- 8 College Application Myths Debunked
- Don’t helicopter-parent your kids into college. Let them take the lead
- How to write a college essay
- How to answer the “Why this college…” question on college applications
- Freakonomics Radio is a weekly podcast that currently has a college series – check out episodes 500, 501, and/or 503
- This is what admissions officers really want to read in a college essay
- Telling your story through your college essay
- Managing Senior Year Stress – Parent Guide
- Most college seniors believe their degree helped them land a better paying job
- How to start the college admissions process
- How to Defer College Admission
- How to curate a college list
COLLEGE INFO LINKS
SCHOLARSHIPS
- Scholarships website
- Ethel Curry American Indian Leadership Scholarship – Deadline: May 31 (for Native American students sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education)
- Andrew A. Lindberg Memorial Foundation Scholarship (for students from an agricultural background) – Deadline: June 30
Links to several resources you may find useful. The content of these websites is not controlled by Perpich Arts High School.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Move Forward Minnesota (formerly Teens Alone)
myHealth for Teens & Young Adults (formerly West Suburban Teen Clinic)