Sophomore Postsecondary Planning Night

Glenbrook South

• Educate students about postsecondary options
• Support students in identifying academic, social and financial “best fit” postsecondary options
• Inform students about postsecondary planning resources

Who We Are

What We Do

John Klasen

Director of College Counseling

847-486-4541

jklasen@glenbrook225.org

Kalene Heaton

College Counselor

847-486-4638

kheaton@glenbrook225.org

Jennifer Swanson

Executive College Assistant

847-485-4548

jswanson@glenbrook225.org

• Impose a predetermined postsecondary path
• Provide a “back door” to getting accepted to a college or university

Success

Involvement

Engagement

Maximize Your GBS Experience

Attendance

Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.

• Chris Grosser

• Determine intended postsecondary path
• Navigate the application process
• College applications, Financial aid applications, Job applications, etc.

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• Research careers/career clusters of interest
• Test the waters!
• Take classes and try extracurriculars related to your interests

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Postsecondary Planning

• Identify interests
• Assess strengths and weaknesses
• Determine likes and dislikes

Self Awareness

Postsecondary

Exploration

Postsecondary Preparation

Freshmen year

Graduation

Postsecondary Options

College

Apprenticeship

Military

Gap year

An institution of higher education that awards a postsecondary degree or credential

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An intentional period of time devoted to personal growth and exploration through experiential learning opportunities

Service in a branch of the U.S. armed forces: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, Space Force

Paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction to prepare workers for highly-skilled careers

Workforce

Entering directly into a career or paid work post high school

• Require students to complete a 4 year program in a specific discipline
• Train students to enter a specific field - many professional careers require a Bachelor’s

Graduate

College

Certificate

Associate Degree

Bachelor’s Degree

Undergraduate

6 mo - 2 yrs

2 yrs

4 yrs

2-3 yrs

Post Bachelor’s

• Can be transferred to a 4 year program or be used to enter directly into the workforce
• Typically offered at community colleges, technical colleges and career colleges

3-8 yrs

Post Bachelor’s

• Demonstrates a student has completed practical training and gained experience and a specific skill set in a certain field

Master’s Degree

Professional Degree

Doctorate Degree

• An advanced degree that a student pursues after earning their Bachelor’s
• Allows a student to deepen their knowledge of a field and/or narrow their focus of study

• A doctorate degree is a research-oriented degree focused on scholarly development

• A professional degree prepares students for a specific working position

Associate of Arts (AA),

Associate of Sciences (AS),

Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS)

Bachelor of Arts (BA),

Bachelor of Sciences (BS), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

Master of Arts (MA),

Master of Sciences (MS),

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Automotive Technology Certificate,

Massage Therapy Certificate

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Doctor of Medicine (MD),

Juris Doctor (JD)

Gap Year Association

AmeriCorps

Gap Year. ≠ A “YEAR OFF”

Gap Year

“A semester or year of experiential learning, typically taken after high school and [before] career or post-secondary education, [to] deepen one’s practical, professional, and personal awareness”

Structured GAP Year Programs

• Research structured gap year programs
• Have a plan
• Don’t put off applying to colleges!

- The Gap Year Association

Thinking about a Gap Year?

Air Force

Army

Coast Guard

Marine Corps

Navy

National Guard

Space Force

Military

• Discuss with parent(s)/guardian(s)
• Connect with a recruiter
• Take the ASVAB
• Pass a physical test
• Pass a health screening
• Sign a contract

Learn more.

Considering Enlisting?

Branches of the US Armed Forces:

Apprenticeships

Paid job

Education

Credential

Earn a competitive wage from day one

Gain knowledge from on the job learning and job related classroom training

Earn a portable credential within your industry

Apprenticeship Industries

CNC Manufacturing

Agriculture

Construction

Cyber Security

Education

Energy

Financial Services

Healthcare

Hospitality

Information Technology

Telecom

Transportation

Want to learn more about apprenticeships?

Apprenticeship USA

Illinois WorkNet

GBS Postsecondary Options

Postsecondary Planning with SchooLinks

• Postsecondary planning platform used for:
• College & career exploration & resources
• Course scheduling
• College application management
• Students login with their GBS email using Google single-sign on
• D225 SchooLinks Guide

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www. app.schoolinks.com

Navigating SchooLinks

Section menu

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Subsections (tabs within each section)

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Settings/notifications/messages/help

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March 2026

Available Oct. 25, 2025

Reality Check & Goal Setting

Safety option

A school where admission is highly likely or guaranteed based on your student profile and/or the college's acceptance rate

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How do things look for Tommy?

Reality Check & Goal Setting

Target option

A school where your student profile aligns with the average admitted students' profile, making it likely that you will be admitted

How do things look for Tommy?

Reality Check & Goal Setting

Reach option

A school that will be difficult to be admitted to either because of your student profile or the college's acceptance rate

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How do things look for Tommy?

When Planning for next year, Ask yourself:

• How am I handling the rigor of my current coursework?
• Will I be able to sustain my extracurricular involvement and obligations?
• How will this impact my postsecondary plans?

...It’s All About Balance

GBS Graduation Requirements

• The minimum coursework needed to graduate with a high school diploma from GBS
• Admissions requirements at colleges often exceed graduation requirements!

Core academics:

• 5 core subjects: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Language
• Typically viewed as more rigorous coursework

Electives:

• An opportunity for career/interest exploration
• Provides balance to a transcript
• Can relate to intended program of study

The Transcript

• Your HS transcript can impact the postsecondary opportunities available to you
• It’s not just colleges that care about your transcript...
• Apprenticeships
• Internship opportunities
• Scholarship opportunities
• Employment opportunities
• Don‘t panic. There is still time!

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Review and consider:

• Grades earned
• Rigor of coursework
• Related coursework to field of study/career of interest

What does your transcript say about you?

Strengthening Your Transcript

One bad grade (or semester) won’t “ruin” your transcript, focus on an upward trajectory!

Still Unsure?

it’s okay not to know what you want to be at 16...

Undecided

Unprepared

A student that has not engaged in self discovery or postsecondary exploration and, as a result, does not have a postsecondary plan

A student that has engaged in self discovery and postsecondary exploration but is unsure of which postsecondary path to pursue

An instructional agreement between a HS and partnering college. Upon successful completion of the college -level course, the student concurrently earns college credit and high school credit

Early College Credit Opportunities

Advanced Placement (AP) Courses

Dual Credit Courses

Seal of Biliteracy

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• All IL public universities must accept a 3 or higher for college credit

College level coursework. Students have the option to take an exam at the end of the course to receive college credit.

An award given to high school graduates that appears as a seal on their diploma and is included on the official transcript to certify that the student is biliterate in English and one or more languages

• Can be earned multiple ways
• All IL public colleges must award credit for the Seal of Biliteracy

Not all colleges accept early credit. Be sure to check with each institution you are considering!

• Must earn a “C” or higher to receive college credit

Testing

• All juniors will take the ACT at school in April, no registration required
• Students may take the ACT and/or SAT multiple times
• Students in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program can get a fee waiver to register for 2 tests and reduced price test prep
• Colleges will take the best score(s) the student submits
• Some colleges accept Superscores
• Test policies vary by school and may change from year to year

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Explore career interests through:

• Coursework
• Extracurriculars
• Athletics
• Volunteering
• Internships
• Paid work
• Summer programs

Explore your Interests

Prioritize quality over quantity!

Focus on depth

• Level of contribution and commitment in extracurriculars is more important than sheer quantity

Explore your interests

• Extracurricular involvement provides another opportunity to explore your career interests/intended field of study

Think beyond GBS

• Paid work/part-time jobs, volunteering, religious involvement, civic engagement, home obligations, club sports/intramurals, summer programs, etc.

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Extracurriculars

Get involved!

• Junior Groups/Junior Parent Night
• Junior Course Registration
• Choices Fair
• Gap Year Fair
• College Colloquium
• College Fair

College & Career Programing

• College Essay Writing Workshop
• Common Application Webinar
• Senior Groups/Senior Parent Night
• Senior College Finance Night
• FAFSA Completion Workshop
• Senior Exit Interviews

Individual postsecondary counseling appointments available beginning second semester of Junior year!

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• Explore college & career options on SchooLinks
• Get involved
• Review your transcript
• Reality check & goal set
• College visits -prioritize seeing different types of institutions!
• ACT/SAT Practice Tests

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Postsecondary Planning Action Items

Next steps

Thank you!

Please take a moment to complete the brief exit survey below

Your Input is Important to Us!

Questions?