On Monday, Sept. 12, a small handful of parents and students gathered in the Huntley Library´s program room to discuss life after high school.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission sends out representatives across Cook, and  McHenry counties to educate eighth through 10th graders on how vital a college education is and but how affordable it can be.

With a simple slideshow attendees were shown the basics of time management, financial aid, and how club involvement can make college acceptance easier.

Throughout the presentation, recent college graduate, Representative Archita Madhusudanan who began working with ISAC back in June, explained her opinions on involvement and expressed her own high school experience outside the states.

¨I went to school in India,¨ Madhusudanan said. ¨The education system is so different. I wish we had this. It´s always useful for someone around the high school age to give advice.¨

According to Madhusudanan, schools in India don´t find after school activities important. So when she came here, it was a huge culture shock.

¨Here extracurriculars are important,¨ Madhusudanan said. ¨Colleges want you to be well-rounded. We didn´t have this when I was in high school. I didn´t know about scholarships or anything like this.”¨

Madhusudanan isn´t the only one who had a culture shock by their teen years. For freshman Tanner Pitcher, HHS is a whole new world.

¨I was homeschooled for five years,¨ Pitcher said. ¨I think this is a great program. I´m already looking at colleges.¨

Starting early is best, and Pitcher and Madhusudanan can agree with that.

¨The more things you do, the more impressed universities will be,¨ Madhusudanan said. ¨It shows your ability to balance everything out.¨

The program let out at 7:50 p.. If you are interested in attending meetings like this, you can go to https://www.isac.org/ to look for dates. Similarly, on Sept. 19 Kevin, another ISAC representative, will be at the Huntley Library to discuss financial aid.