Indiana College GO!

College GO! Week is an annual, statewide event to promote enrollment in two- and four-year colleges across Indiana.

BRIEF SUMMARY

College GO! Week is an annual, statewide event to promote enrollment in two- and four-year colleges across Indiana. Schools are encouraged to promote enrollment in college with a weekly scheduled of events, based on this theme, such as having presentations by college admissions representatives, trivia contests, and daily announcements.

KEY POINTS

  • College Go! Week is part of “College Go!” which takes place each August-November with information and resources designed to help Indiana students plan for education beyond high school. The official “College GO!” kick-off is always the last full week of September (September 25-29, 2023), and is known as “College Go! Week,” but you can incorporate College GO! activities and events whenever they fit into your calendar.  Some schools select their own week during this time period to do their “College Go! Week” so that it better fits into their school calendar.
  • The definition of college for College GO! Week includes other postsecondary options, such as apprenticeship programs.
  • There is a recommended focus for activities at each grade level: Elementary level recommendations focus on college awareness and why college is important. Middle level recommendations focus on high school diplomas, college degrees and career goals.  High school level recommendations focus on programs of study, finding the right school/program and the application process.
  • Learn More Indiana (http://www.learnmoreindiana.org/) provides many resources, activities, and a suggested schedule of events for College Go! Week.

RESOURCES

  • (Added 9/16/24, Hilary Deardorff, CHE):  The eagerly anticipated Learn More Indiana shipments are on their way to you! We hope you enjoy this year’s updated content. Shipments are still being sent and should arrive within a week or two. Based on your feedback last year, this year’s shipment will contain updated handouts, 21st Century Scholars Guides in the new form of a postcard, and the addition of Educator Guides. These guides are equipped with worksheets and classroom activities that can be used to encourage career and college preparation and are perfect to utilize during Indiana’s College GO! Campaign and College Application Week, which runs from September 23 to 27.  There is a QR Code located on the shipment label that will direct you to a quick survey. Fill out the survey for a chance to win some additional Learn More Indiana swag!
  • (Added 8/26/24, Hilary Deardorff, CHE):  Learn More Indiana hopes you are having a great start to your school year! We are excited to announce that it’s time for Indiana College GO! Campaign 2024! The Indiana College GO! Campaign was created for schools across the state to take time to support students and encourage career and college preparedness. During September, we encourage schools K-12 to highlight options available to students after high school whether it is a trade, college, or heading directly to the workforce.
    • #WhyApply Day will be kicking off the campaign on September 20, 2024. Join us in celebrating #WhyApply Day by sharing your reason for applying to college. You can use this printout, to write your “Why” and post a picture of you holding your “Why” to social media with the hashtags #WhyApply and #CollegeGO. Don’t forget to tag us! – Facebook: @LearnMoreIN – X: @LearnMoreIN – Instagram: @LearnMoreIndiana
    • The following week starts College Application Week (September 23)! College Application Week is part of College GO! And is a national initiative of the American College Application Campaign (ACAC). The goal is to help high school seniors navigate the college admissions process and ensure each student submits at least one admissions application.  Many Indiana universities join in the celebration by removing their college application fees for a week or longer so that students can apply for free.  For a full list of schools participating visit: https://learnmoreindiana.org/college-discovery/college-go-initiative/#:~:text=Toolkit%20and%20Example-,College%20Application%20Week,-SEPTEMBER%2023%2D27
    • Indiana will also be participating in ACAC’s School of Excellence Award again! Starting in 2023, Indiana began to recognize one high school to be the recipient of the American College Application Campaign’s (ACAC) School of Excellence Award. This award is given to a school that serves grades nine through twelve and demonstrates a commitment to student success. Nominations for this award are based on College GO! involvement and college applications submitted during the campaign. The winning school excels in providing students with college and career preparation activities and college application support. The winning school is then recognized by ACAC and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. For additional information visit: https://learnmoreindiana.org/college-discovery/college-go-initiative/#:~:text=of%20Participating%20Institutions-,School%20of%20Excellence%20Award,-Starting%20in%202023  To sign your school up as a participating school, complete the following survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7932908/2024-College-GO-and-College-Application-Week-K-12-Site-Survey
    • Interested in learning more about the campaign and how to get involved? Check out the 2024 College GO! Starter Guide. The 2024 Starter Guide is your one-stop-shop for all things College GO!. Equipped with engagement ideas, background info, and helpful links, this guide will make sure your 2024 College GO! campaign is a success! Click here to review the guide: https://learnmoreindiana.org/college-discovery/college-go-initiative/#:~:text=our%20resources%20below.-,Starter%20Guide,-Social%20Media%20Toolkit
  • (Added 9/25/23):Indiana Participates in National College Application Week, Sept. 25-29 High school seniors can apply to participating Indiana institutions for free: The Indiana Commission for Higher Education announces 35 Indiana colleges are participating in Indiana’s College Application Week, September 25-29. During this week, students can apply to all participating colleges and universities for free. This annual effort encourages students to apply to Indiana colleges before early application deadlines, allowing students a greater chance of receiving institutionally-awarded financial aid. College Application Week is part of Learn More Indiana’s annual College GO! initiative that takes place each August through November with information and resources designed to help Hoosier K-12 students explore and plan for education beyond high school. The official kick-off to College GO! is the last full week in September (Sept. 25-29), coinciding with College Application Week. Friday, Sept. 22, is #WhyApply Day which is a social media campaign encouraging the public to share why it’s important to apply to college.“College GO! gives students of all ages the opportunity to discover their path for continuing education after high school,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery. “We are pleased to partner with a number of Hoosier colleges and universities to create greater access for high school seniors to apply to Indiana’s outstanding institutions. I encourage all Hoosier students take advantage of the opportunity waiving hundreds of dollars in fees.”You can view the list of participating colleges and supporting resources online.College Application Week is sponsored in partnership by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the American College Application Campaign (ACAC) to increase the number of first-generation and low-income students who pursue education beyond high school.#WhyApply Day
    Friday, Sept. 22, 2023
    Join us in telling students and peers why it’s important to apply to college, whether it’s a certificate program, two-year or four-year degree, by writing a reason for applying on this printout and taking a selfie with it. #WhyApply Day celebrates the college application season by sharing supportive and motivating messages on social media about the importance of applying to college – a critical and necessary step on the journey to postsecondary education.For more information, visit https://learnmoreindiana.org/collegego.
  • (Added 9/18/23): College Go Fee Waivers 2023
  • (Added 9/11/23 Hilary Deardorff, CHE): Indiana’s College GO! is coming up! Here are some important details.
    • You can access printable classroom materials on Learn More Indiana’s website here.
    • Shipments to schools containing Indiana college posters are set to begin shipping on September 15. However, if you’d like to print the posters yourself in the meantime, you can here and here.
    • If you school is participating in College GO!, please let us know by completing our short survey if you haven’t already
    • If you have any questions about College GO! or your school’s shipments, please contact Kayla Walke at mwalke@che.in.gov.
    • Here are key dates:
      • September 22: #WhyApply Day
      • September 25-29: College Application Week. We will send a list in CounselorTalk of schools participating in College Application Week once it’s been finalized.
    • Make sure you’re subscribed to receive updates regarding the Commission’s latest initiatives.
  • (Added 8/28/23): Indiana College GO! Materials
    • (Michelle Ashcraft, CHE): College Application Week is September 25-29, 2023, and Why Apply Day is September 22, 2023. I recently shared that our higher education institutions have until September 8, 2023 to indicate if they will participate in College Application Week. At that time https://learnmoreindiana.org/college-discovery/college-go-initiative/ will be populated with the list of institutional participants.
  • College GO! Week College Pennants
  • College mascot matching activity with accompanying worksheet
  • College GO trivia and College GO trivia answers
  • College Go Week Trivia
  • college terms
  • Famous Indiana Graduates trivia
  • True/False College Trivia

SHARED WISDOM

  • Q: If you ask college-related trivia questions, can you please share what you ask?
    • A: In the past, I asked the staff where they attended college, then I made trivia questions based on that. For example: “This ACTIVE staff member attended Ball State where he learned how to run from class to class.” The students had to email me the answer and the first correct one received a prize from the “college prize table.” The answer was our PE teacher. Then I gave 3 facts about Ball State.
    • There are trivia questions and match the mascot sheets on counselor stop (below).
  • To have a fun, successful and energizing College GO! Week, it is best to plan in advance (even asking college admissions representatives months before hand to come and speak to students that week and asking them to send posters and pennants for your school-wide decoration), publicize the week and schedule of events by announcing in school newsletters and other school media and get the help of school staff and the school community in launching and planning your events.  For instance, getting teachers involved in door decoration contests, art students and/or student council members can make their own college posters, student groups can decorate and maintain a hallway or area of the school for the week, the school administration can read college related trivia over the announcements each day, etc.  Your PTO could help by hosting a parent information night on college admissions, scholarships, etc. or yo could ask your 21st Century Scholars representative to speak at a parent night and/or during student classes.
  • College GO spirit days:
    • Monday-Dress for success; dress for your future career
    • Tuesday-Military Appreciation Day; dress up in anything camouflage.
    • Wednesday- Hats off to higher education; wear your favorite hat.
    • Thursday- Off to college; wear your favorite college gear
    • Friday-Our future starts here; Support your Cougars by wearing orange & blue!
    • In the past we have done favorite college sweatshirt day, favorite college hat day, dress for success day- students intended career.  Students (and staff) love dress up days.
  •  There is usually an essay contest for a student scholarship during College Go! Week and it is best to get the word out about the topic, requirements, and deadline, well in advance.  There is also usually a grant that schools can apply for to further their college-going promotion efforts.  Both are sponsored by Learn More Indiana.
  • I have fun, college trivia questions over the announcements.  We have spirit days and kids participating get added to a drawing for free college swag.  I call many local, state colleges and ask for free swag (t-shirts, water bottles, lanyards, pencils, etc.)
  • I also had teachers put up a piece of paper with their picture, the college(s) they attended, and what they studied. This way, students can get to know their teachers better and if they were interested in whatever their teacher studied, it can be an opportunity for them to talk about that major with them and get a better feel for it. They could also talk about their college/university they attended with students that were interested in those places as well!
  • I create a bulletin board and have faculty/staff complete a template with their picture and where they attended so all students are exposed to that.
  •  We also made signs for each teacher’s door that had the name of the college they attended. We asked our first period teachers to talk 5 minutes about their college and what they liked. We had “wear your favorite college shirt” day as well.
  • We then did trivia contests on mascot names for Indiana colleges.
  •  We did a school-wide scavenger hunt one year.  Kids had to travel by homeroom to find clues (one grade level per day) to get to school locations and find the answers to info about colleges.  Their last “location” was the Guidance office.  The first class to finish with right answers got college prizes (pencils or pens).
  •  I did a door decorating scavenger hunt one year that the high school students loved.  The door was decorated with their teachers school background, and then I created random questions from the door and the kids were released the last day for 10 minutes to answer questions.  It was a hit at our school.  We are a small school so releasing them to walk the halls wasn’t an issue.  That could be difficult for large schools.
  • Last year I chose three days of the week and assigned students to random lunch tables. When they got to their table one day they had been admitted to a college, another day they had been given a job (entry level with not much training) and the last day they had enlisted in the military. Each sheet had information about that college/job/branch of the military and then students had to complete (as a table) a short questionnaire. Once they turned in their questionnaire I then chose winners at random to be given college swag or candy! I thought it was a lot of fun – the only thing the kids didn’t like was sitting at random tables with random people.
  • We’re doing school wide trivia, and college checklist bingo within classrooms this year. We also always enter students names into a raffle who participate by wear college swag (tshirt & jeans).
  • We are going to do a door decorating contest.  I will have the homeroom draw a college out of a hat and their door has to decorated related to that college/university.  We will have judges judge at the end of the week.  I will act two trivia questions over the intercom in the morning and I will collect the answer ballots after each morning. The 1st period, and homeroom, that win will receive a prize.
  • I find if you personalize announcements, they have more impact.One year I asked staff what it took for them to finish their college education.  I got a lot of responses and grouped them together into categories, such as focus, perseverance, determination, hard work, etc.  Then I put together announcements to share what teachers shared, such” Mrs. Bayliss said that it took a lot of perseverance to finish her college degree.  It took her 10 years, but she never gave up.  She is a teacher today because she had perseverance.”  Then I made a bulletin board with this same theme.I highlight a staff member each morning who has had an interesting path to their education career. For example this year I am highlighting a military vet, a teacher in transition who has his MBA in finance and a chemical engineering degree, a teacher from Kenya, a coach, and a teacher who owns her own business on the side. I think it is pretty interesting!We are spotlighting a grad who has completed their degree and moved into their career field each day.
  • For those who have inquired about bingo, here are the cards that were created through myfreebingocards.com: College Checklist Bingo.9.14.2018

CONTENT FEEDBACK

If you have suggestions, feedback, or resources, please email counselor1stop@inspiresuccess.org and let us know.