Thursday, October 16, 2014

2014 Shawnee Mission College Clinic a Success!

Shawnee Mission College Clinic
The 2014 Shawnee Mission College Clinic was a great success all around!  Representatives from over 200 colleges and universities participated.  Approximately 1,700 students attended, arriving throughout the two hour event.  Total attendance of students and parents is estimated at approximately 3,800 - 4,000.

The Royals sure helped with excitement and attendance by wrapping up the win of the American League Championship about 20 minutes before the SM College Clinic started!

SM College Clinic volunteers welcomed representatives starting at 4:30 pm.

Reps started arriving at 4:30 to set up their displays.
After setting up their displays, college reps enjoyed a hot dinner in the school cafeteria while watching the end of the Royals game.

The doors opened promptly at 6:30 p.m.  It did not take long for the gyms to fill up with students and parents who were eager to talk to college representatives.






The Shawnee Mission College Clinic is hosted by the SM East High School PTA and SM East High School.  Many thanks to the many people and organizations who helped make the SM College Clinic possible:  SM East High School Staff, Lenexa Rotary Club, Russell Stover Candies, American Century Investments, Shawnee Mission School District, numerous SM East parent volunteers and many helpful SM East students.

Thank you to the college representatives who participated in the event!  We look forward to seeing you again next year.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Are You Ready for the Shawnee Mission College Clinic? Wed., Oct. 15th @ SM East High School

It's almost time for the Shawnee Mission College Clinic!

Over 200 colleges and universities from around the country have pre-registered to attend.  These representatives are looking forward to meeting students from all over the Kansas City region.

Make time to attend so that you can gather important information to help you plan for the next step in your educational journey!

If you have never attended the SM College Clinic before, you might have a lot of questions about the event.  Click here for a downloadable document that should answer questions about location, time, and how to prepare for the College Clinic.  It also includes a one page list of the 200 colleges pre-registered to attend.

Click here to download flyer about SM College Clinic.

When you attend the SM College Clinic you will receive a copy of the eight page Shawnee Mission College Clinic Guide.  This booklet is packed with valuable information!  The guide includes all the details about the College Clinic event, a chart showing basic information about each of the 200 pre-registered colleges, tips on the college search process, suggested college information resources and much more.  Click here to view the 2014 Shawnee Mission College Guide.

Click here to preview the 2014 SM College Clinic Guide.

Remember, this event is open to ALL high school students!  It does not matter what high school you go to or what grade you are in.  All are welcome!

Juniors & Seniors: It's time to make a plan for what you will do after high school.  Be there!

Freshman and Sophomores: It is never too early to start the college search process!

See you on Wednesday, October 15th at the SM College Clinic! 

Monday, September 22, 2014

High School Students - Save Time at the College Clinic - Register at GoToCollegeFairs.com

Attention High School Students:

Before you attend the Shawnee Mission College Clinic, you are encouraged to pre-register your personal contact information at gotocollegefairs.com.  Click on the orange "register now" button, complete the information survey, then print the personalized bar code (or keep it on your smart phone) and bring it to the SM College Clinic. 

If you aren't familiar with this service, a national company called College Fair Automation provides this data collection service which helps both students and participating colleges.

Colleges which participate in the system will have scanners on hand which allow representatives to receive data through an individual bar code that each student brings with them to the fair.  

Instead of students completing multiple information cards and spending valuable time re-writing the same information over and over again, the students can now have more quality time with the college representatives.  This also allows colleges to receive clean, readable data (accurate spelling of names, addresses, etc.).   Most importantly, the college representatives can spend more time answering questions and getting to know students. 


Students, here's some time saving reasons to sign up through gotocollegefairs.com

1. Provide information one time through a simple, online registration page...instead of dozens of times on paper at college fairs.

2. Personal information will only be passed on to colleges that you visit at the SM College Clinic and allow your bar code to be scanned. 

3. Personal contact information is shared accurately and securely.  (No one will have to figure out your handwriting!)

4. Increase face-to-face time with college representatives.  You will have more time to ask questions and have a conversation with college representatives.

5. The service is free.

College Fair Automation has been around for a few years now and is becoming more popular each year.  College representatives are getting more used to this type of information delivery.  Not all colleges participate in this service, but we expect that a majority of schools will have scanners available and in use at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic. 

The more students who pre-register at gotocollegefairs.com and bring their bar code to the Shawnee Mission College Clinic, the more useful this system will be for everyone involved.



Sunday, September 14, 2014

High School Student Athletes: Learn about the NAIA at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic

NEW at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic this year....the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will be on hand to provide information and answer questions regarding the thousands of opportunities to play your sport at smaller four-year universities that belong to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). 


Did you know that of all the students who play sports in high school, about 7% will go on to play in college, but only 1% will play for an NCAA Division I school? 

Playing at an NAIA school is a great way to earn an athletics scholarship and get an excellent college education. NAIA member schools provide more than 60,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $500 million in scholarships and compete in 23 national championships each year.

How do you know if you’ll be eligible to play in the NAIA? You’ll need to have your eligibility determined by the NAIA Eligibility Center. It’s easy to register at the website PlayNAIA.org. The NAIA Eligibility Center is completely separate from the NCAA’s clearinghouse, so if you’re exploring sports in college, you need to be sure to register with both.

NAIA eligibility rules are straightforward. There are no core courses, and you only have to meet two criteria after high school graduation: 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale; an 18 ACT or 860 Critical Reading and Math SAT; and graduation in the top 50% of your class. As long as you meet any two of these criteria after high school graduation, you’re eligible to compete in the NAIA your freshman year. The NAIA Eligibility Center also has options for getting an early eligibility decision before you graduate from high school. Early decisions are great for recruiting because it tells an NAIA coach that you’re eligible and ready to start playing immediately when you arrive on campus.


You can find out more about Early Decisions, NAIA sports and schools and much more at PlayNAIA.org.

Attend the Shawnee Mission College Clinic on Wednesday, Oct. 15th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Shawnee Mission East High School.  NAIA representatives will have a presentation room where you can stop in for 20 minute information sessions throughout the evening.  They will provide lots of information and answer your questions.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Get Information in Person - Make Connections!

These days it is really easy to think that you can find all the information you need to know about colleges and universities online.  There is abundant information available on each school's website. You can find all kinds of ranking lists that rate colleges on areas of study and a variety of characteristics.  

However, there is still tremendous value in obtaining information in person and making a connection with a college representative face-to-face.  

If you aren't convinced, consider this story...

A high school counselor had a student who was very interested in a particular school.  The counselor and student realized that this was a "reach" school for the student (the student's grades and test scores were lower that the average students accepted at this particular school).  

The student did a lot of research on the school, made notes and a list of questions.  When the student attended the Shawnee Mission College Clinic she was prepared and asked the representative of her dream college a lot of questions.  They had a meaningful conversation and the college representative was very impressed by the student.  

The student was accepted to the school...her first choice for college.  

The counselor reports that the personal connection with the college representative made a significant impact on the student gaining acceptance.   

High school students....whether you have a list of favorite schools you would love to attend or you have no idea where you want to college, attend the College Clinic.  

Do a little research ahead of time.  Make a list of questions.  Be prepared to have conversations with college representatives. They want to talk to you.  They want to answer questions. 

The college representatives look forward to meeting you on October 15th!



Tuesday, September 9, 2014

What is the Shawnee Mission College Clinic?

If you are new to the college planning process you might be wondering...what is the Shawnee Mission College Clinic?  

It is a one evening college information fair open to all high school students and their parents. Representatives from over 200 colleges and universities from throughout the country attend each year.  

Any student planning to continue their education after high school is encouraged to attend and get information about many colleges and universities all in one place.  Meet representatives and ask questions face-to-face.  

Whether you are planning to attend a community college, a nearby state university or are curious about one of many out-of-state colleges and universities....you will find a wide variety of schools represented at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic.  Come take a look.  You might discover a school you had not considered before now.

See the "Colleges Attending" tab above for the current list of colleges registered to attend.  Additional schools register each day so check back closer to the event for a more up to date list!  (A couple of popular local schools may not show up on this list right now but rest assured that we are working to connect with those schools and confirm their reservation!)

Join us on Wednesday, October 15th at Shawnee Mission East High School.  Doors open promptly at 6:30 p.m.  




Saturday, August 23, 2014

Make Plans to Attend the 52nd Annual Shawnee Mission College Clinic

Make plans to attend the Shawnee Mission College Clinic on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Shawnee Mission East High School.  

If you are a high school student planning to continue your education after graduation, don’t miss this college fair!   Representatives from more than 200 colleges & universities throughout the country will be on hand to talk with high school students and their parents. 

 All high school students and parents are encouraged to attend and talk with college representatives face to face.  This is a great opportunity to ask questions and collect information first hand!

Students from any high school are invited to attend.  The event is free.  Tell your friends!

As of August 22nd, more than 130 colleges and universities have registered to participate in this year's college clinic.  Based on prior year's attendance, we expect to have more than 200 schools represented at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic.  To see the current list of schools planning to attend click here.

To keep up to date on the latest announcements, check back on this blog and connect with Shawnee Mission College Clinic on social media:

Instagram:  SMCollegeClinic

The Shawnee Mission College Clinic is sponsored and organized by the Shawnee Mission East PTA.