Senior Guidance Notes
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Senior Guidance Notes October 30, 2007
Every year we establish a deadline for students to turn in completed applications which they wish to have mailed before Christmas vacation. The deadline for this year is December 14 December 14 December 14 December 14 December 14. Did you get that date? O.K. This means that your part of the application and teacher recommendations (lf they are required) must be completed and given to me. You must also give me any parts of the application which I must complete by December 14 and then I will put everything together with your official transcript and mall the completed application before Christmas vacation begins which is December 21st at 1:45.
As always, please read through these notes carefully and then give them to your parents to look through. If you would like more information about any of these scholarships, just write your name at the top of page 1, put an 'X' next to any items you would like to know more about, then give me the Notes and I will get the information for you. Remember that the Notes are also posted on the guidance section of the Newark Catholic website.
If you're looking for other scholarship information, why not check out the Newark catholic web site at www.newarkcatholic.org ? All you need to do is click on Guidance, then any of the following lines: College Financial Aid, College/Career Preparation, FAFSA online application and information, Licking County Foundation, and Fastweb's free scholarship search and college search. On the NC Home Page you can also access www.schoolsoup.com which contains a lot of scholarship information. Make use of all the tools at your disposal and fill out all the forms you need to no matter how tiresome it becomes.
It is very important to have a U.S. Department of Education PIN (Personal Identification Number) when you file your FAFSA form. Both student and parent must have a PIN. You can apply for one at www.pin.ed.gov before beginning FAFSA on the Web. You will receive your PIN within a few days, and then you can electronically sign your FAFSA when you submit your information. This can be done now.
Many of you are completing your college applications on-line which has many advantages which I'm sure you're aware of. The internet application has several different options and so it differs from one college to another as to how they handle the counselor report, transcript, application fee, etc. Please make certain that you know the different procedures being used by the colleges you are applying to, so that we will make sure that all parts of your application are complete. Some options you might want to consider are to do a paper application first and then do It on-line, do it in the library and ask me about anything you're not sure of, or download your application and let me take a look at it before you send it on-line. Sometimes there will be forms for you to download at the end which you need to give to me. Sometimes they are just requests to send your transcript or standardized test scores, and sometimes they may be counselor recommendation forms for me to complete. Make sure that you have gone through all parts of the application before you assume that you have completed it. Also, find out if there is an application fee, and if so, what is the method of payment required.
Information updates from The Ohio State University
-All applicants must take the writing test whether you take ACT or SAT
-SAT or ACT scores must be sent directly from the testing company
-High schools are required to send a copy of your senior year schedule
-Applicants for the Morrill scholarships - apply for admission by December 1, 2007, Including receipt of SAT or ACT scores
-Application deadline for admission (Columbus campus)-February 1, 2008
-FAFSA deadline - February 15, 2008 (Columbus), March 3, 2008 (Newark)
-Merit and Academic scholarship deadlines for admission - December 3,
2007, including receipt of SAT or ACT scores
It seems as though in the last year or so I have been hearing about more and more colleges which have been withdrawing offers of admission to seniors who have slacked off. Either their grades have dropped dramatically or they have not completed the rigorous course of study they promised in their application. It is happening in many states such as California, Washington, Michigan, and Massachusetts. I have known of at least one school in Ohio which has withdrawn an offer of admission. Another Ohio college asked that the counselor or student contact them if any student earned a grade of C- or lower. Whenever a student receives an acceptance letter from a college it generally says that the admission is conditional depending upon successful completion of high school. So it sounds as though colleges are starting to get serious about students doing a good job academically in the senior year.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Burger King Scholars Program will award $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors. Criteria include gpa of 2.5 or higher; work 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year, actively involved in community service activities, demonstrate financial need, and plan to enroll in college by Fall. Apply on the web site www.bk.com/scholars . Deadline: February 15, 2008
The Glenna R. Joyce Trust has awarded 698 scholarships to central Ohio students since 1962. The Glenna R. Joyce Scholarship covers all standard expenses (tuition, mandatory fees, average room and board, books, transportation, and incidental expenses) of attending four years at The Ohio State University or the University of Notre Dame. There is a separate form due by February 1, 2008 for O.S.U., and just the regular application for admission for Notre Dame. I have additional Information about these scholarships.
The Center for Cuban Business Studies at Ohio Northern is sponsoring a $1,000
essay contest for high school students to prepare an essay on the subject of
Cuba. I can give you related topics. Deadline: November 26, 2007
The National Commission for Cooperative Education is offering 185 merit coop scholarships at a total value of $4,500,000 for students attending the following colleges: Drexel, Johnson & Wales, Kettering, Long Island, Northeastern, Pace, Rochester Institute, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Wentworth lnstitute. Scholarships are $6,000 each and are renewable. Additional information as well as an on-line application are available at www.co-op.edu . Deadline: February 15, 2008
U.S. Bank will award thirty $1000 scholarships in a random drawing. No essays, no minimum gpa required, and apply online October through February. Web site is usbank.com/studentbanking. I think this bank will probably try to get you to take out student loans with them, but you can always just say no.
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution offer a number of scholarships for students who plan to study American History or American Government, nursing, occupational or physical therapy. There is also a scholarship based on academic excellence and financial need. Deadlines are February 1 or April 1. I have further information and applications in my office.
I also have scholarship Information and/or packets from the following colleges:
Bowling Green State University - Bowling Green, Ohio
University of Connecticut - Storrs, Connecticut
Ohio Wesleyan University - Delaware, Ohio
Indiana State University - Terra Haute, Indiana
University of Dayton - Dayton, Ohio
Ithaca College - Ithaca, New York
Pittsburgh Technical Institute - Oakdale, Pennsylvania
Washington and Lee University - Lexington, Virginia
Kettering University - Flint, Michigan
University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, Ohio
Mount Union College - Alliance, Ohio
Pages 4 & 5 are materials I didn't have time to cover at Senior Guidance Night, so I am including them with these Notes. Read them through carefully, because they contain a lot of practical information which will help you in filling out your college applications and getting the best letters of recommendation possible.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS:
1. Get organized. Devise some sort of filing system.
2. Take a personal inventory. Take stock of who you are and what experiences have gone into making you that way. The experiences of everyday living can make the most interesting topics. Don't overlook the family as a source of essay topics. Look for ways in which you have changed and developed.
3. Analyze the questions. Read questions carefully. Don't assume that questions from different applications on similar topics can be answered in exactly the same way.
4. Keep the reader in mind. Admissions officers are looking for students who can handle the academic workload and make a positive contribution to college life. They are particularly impressed with students who have taken the time to learn about their school. The application should demonstrate a serious intent to pursue a college level education; a genuine desire to attend a particular college; an ability to think dearly, logically, and abstractly; an ability to write thoughtful essays that keep the reader's attention and differentiate the student from other applicants.
5. Make your point quickly. It is not unusual for admissions officers to read as many as fifty complete applications a day. Design an introduction that first grabs the reader's attention and then tells the reader what is to come.
6. The presentation of the application is very important. Make sure it's neat, legible, and follows instructions. Unless you print very neatly, type it or do it on line. Your application is your only representative before the admissions committee.
7. Make copies of everything you submit.
8. Make a copy of your application and actually fill out each blank in pencil, then move back to the original application.
9. Always give your name in the same way, which should conform to the way you give your name on the SAT of ACT. Give your parents' names as they do in their formal correspondence.
10. Don't telephone with new information. Write a letter or possibly an email.
11. Use desirable tones; friendliness, confidence, enthusiasm, and respect for authority.
12. If you have achieved considerable distinction in a particular activity make sure that it is explained fully somewhere in the application. Admission committees are generally more impressed by depth than they are by breadth. Involvement and accomplishment - quality over quantity.
13. Consider applying to special divisions or schools within selective colleges, since standards are sometimes less stringent.
14. Try to establish a personal relationship with an individual admission officer.
15. If you're turned down by a selective school, don't question your abilities, just concentrate on another school.
HOW TO GET EFFECTIVE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
1. Make sure that the people you have asked to write recommendations know you and like you. Seek the teachers in whose classes you have done very well. Include a list of your extracurricular activities and any other notable facts about yourself.
2. Seek recommendations from people whose comments will enhance your positioning. Explain to your recommenders what you are trying to communicate in your application.
3. If you have achieved considerable distinction in a particular activity make certain that it is explained fully somewhere in the application. Admission committees are generally more impressed by depth than they are by breadth. Involvement and accomplishment - quality over quantity.
4. Recommenders don't have to be well-known or important in some way.
5. Don't flood the school with letters. Give them what they ask for.
6. Don't ask a teacher to write a letter of recommendation to a college unless you are positive that that school requires a letter. Not all schools do, and teachers are very busy people.
7. Ask for letters of recommendation in the rig ht way. Make an appointment to talk with each of the people you have chosen to write your letters.
8. Give your recommender help. Give them a copy of your Request for Letter of Recommendation form or your own listing of activities and accomplishments.
9. Inform them of the deadline and politely check on the status of your letter as the deadline approaches.
10. Give your recommender at least a two-week advance notice for when the letter is due. People have so many things to do and so they need time to fit it into their schedule. Plus, if they have plenty of time they will probably be able to write a much better letter for you.
11. Once you have received your acceptances and rejections, it is polite to let your recommenders know what happened and what choices you have made.