Students focus on post-high school

Published 9:12 pm Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Frank James Crews III accepted his diploma from Dr. Vicie Larkin at the Dallas County High School graduation. File photo

With only four months left of school, students who have not yet figured out what they will do after high school are now getting serious.

Dallas County High School counselor Joanna Miller said she encourages her students to be done with the applications process, but “that obviously doesn’t always happen.”

Counselors work with senior students and lower classmen helping them to figure out the best school for them.

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“Some of what we do is attend college fairs like the ones at Wallace Community College,” said Miller.

“We also bring in schools to them so they can chose the best possible school.”

According to Miller, two years ago the school began a program called an advisory period that gets students closer to recruiters from schools and other options.

“I think that has been something that has been working well,” said Miller. “It allows recruiters from colleges, career techs and military recruiters the chance to really get into what they have to offer. When you do school fairs like the one at Wallace, sometimes all a kid sees is a pamphlet and that’s it.”

Miller said her role as counselor has changed since the Internet.

“It is definitely different now than when we went to school,” said Miller. “Now everything is done online. I haven’t seen a paper application in a long time. Even the FAFSA and ACT are applied for online. That has been something that has been the biggest difference.”

Even though time is running out, students can still get them in.

“They have time,” said Miller. “There’s always a little bit of time.”