My College Options has put together some practice advice on how to apply for and secure scholarships for college. There are three practical skills: establish a routine, create an essay bank, and pay close attention to the rules. [watch video]
Colleges
Jane Manley
February 20, 2013
Many colleges/universities post March 1 as the Priority Deadline for financial aid. This designation usually means that the college has limited funds however they will usually be able to meet those established needs if all paperwork including the FAFSA are completed prior to the priority deadline. Applications for aid are usually filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Federal Student Aid has put together a video to help students and parents what happens after the FAFSA has been filed. [watch video]
Jane Manley
February 19, 2013
There has been a lot of press recently citing FairTest’s list of 800+ colleges/universities that do not require SAT/ACT testing for admission purposes. Top Score, a test preparation service in North Carolina, has analysed the list and has found some very interesting issues.
“School after school turned out to be, upon closer examination, a school of the arts, a theological seminary or a for-profit institution…It seems that some schools are willing to let you opt out of submitting SAT or ACT scores if you submit your SAT II, AP or IB test scores instead…Let’s remove from the list those schools that are not “selective” …This leaves us with 20 or so schools. ” [read more]
Jane Manley
February 19, 2013
Recent information provided by PayScale, a outsourced company that issues paychecks for millions of American workers, provides a window into the earnings of graduates from colleges and universities across the country. So which colleges yield the highest post graduate salaries? Anna Prior and Matthew Heimer of the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch examined that questions.
“In an era of dubious economic milestones, it was yet another low-light. This spring, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Americans’ total student-loan debt ballooned to more than $900 billion — higher than their total credit-card debt. And no wonder the debt is piling up: Over the past two decades, the price of tuition has risen 20 times as fast as the average college grad’s wages… Georgia Institute of Technology … deserves a higher profile — and some bragging rights. After all, it’s offering the best academic deal in America.” [read more]
Jane Manley
February 18, 2013
The college visit can be extremely helpful to both the student as well as the parent in the search process. Try to visit only 1-2 colleges in a single day so that you have to time to visit with other professionals besides those who you will meet on the college tour and by attending informational sessions. Make an appointment with an academic adviser, eat lunch on campus and take note of the students, visit with someone in the career services office to identify the programs that they offer to help the students decide on a major/career as well the mechanisms in place for securing suitable employment following graduation, etc. [read more]
Jane Manley
February 14, 2013
In the State of the Union Adderss, President Obama called for a “college scorecard” to help parents and students learn to figure out how to get “the most bang for Your educational buck.”
The Whitehouse launches a new website designed to help the public see colleges in a more transparentmethod. US News provides some helpful links. [read more]
Jane Manley
February 14, 2013
Check out College Week Live for virtual tours of 300+ colleges and universities from across the US. There are regular seminars hosted by admissions offices with the ability to ask questions through croom features. Additional seminars or special group sessions are commonly available?
Jane Manley
February 13, 2013
Financial Aid priority deadlines are fast-approaching at many colleges and universities across the country. Frank Palmasani, writing for College Countdown, posted a useful article detailing the seven most common mistakes people make when filing the FAFSA form. The most common mistakes include listing income in the wrong area, double listing income, listing non-required assets, waiting until the income tax forms have been filed, and not listing all dependents. If you need help with the form, be sure to watch the video at the end of the article. [read more]
Jane Manley
February 13, 2013
Many seniors are seeking information about scholarship opportunities above and beyond those that have been sent to you by your counselor. Take advantage of the fact that there are multiple sites on the internet that provide a free scholarship search service for you. Among some of the services you might consider are the following:
- Fastweb
- Scholarship America
- Scholarship Experts
- Scholarships.com
- Student Scholarship Search
- Comprehensive list of scholarship databases
Here are a small group of scholarships you might consider:
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The Vegetarian Resource Group – 2 $5000 scholarships – must be vegetarian – deadline Feb. 20.
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Buick Achievers Scholarship Program – 1100 scholarships – long list of majors – deadline Feb. 28.
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Lowe’s Scholarship Program – $600,000 in awards – community service – deadline Feb. 28.
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Blue Wolf Technology Scholarship – multiple awards – technology – deadline March 1.
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Spirit of Anne Frank Award – $10,000 – essay and letters of recommendation – community service – deadline March 1.
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Visine Students with Vision – 10 $5000 awards – essay or video – leadership and vision – deadline March 1.
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Religious Liberty Essay Competition – 3 awards $250-$2000 – essay – deadline March 1.
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Life Lessons Scholarship – 24 awards $2000-15,000 – essay or video – loss of a parent – March 31.
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Dixie Baseball Scholarship – several awards $1250 each – played Dixie Baseball – deadline April 1.
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Vera Yip Memorial Scholarship – Cancer – loss of parent at young age or has fought cancer as a student – Deadline April 1.
Jane Manley
February 12, 2013
FairTest, otherwise known as the National Center for Fair & Open Testing “works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers and schools is fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial…FairTest also works to end the misuses and flaws of testing practices that impede those goals.” This organization is committed to affecting a change in testing biases such as racial, class, gender, and cultural barriers that affect a student’s assessment, particularly with tests that affect enrollment in college or specialized programs.
FairTest has led the charge challenging colleges and universities to consider ACT/SAT scores optional in the college admissions process. To date more than 800 colleges and universities have taken on that charge and they are referred to as TEST OPTIONAL SCHOOLS. Here is an up-to-date list of TEST-OPTIONAL SCHOOLS.