Seniors have no time to waste for college applications

As students return to school in the late summer, it always takes awhile to get into school the routine. For seniors, there is no time to waste if they plan to apply to college. Many colleges across the nation are already accepting applications for Fall 2013.  Here in California our public universities will open application windows in October and November and most of our private schools are within that same time frame.

Nearly all college applications are handled electronically, and prospective students will find complete information on college admission websites. High school students should be sure they are reviewing “Undergraduate” admissions pages when researching admissions information, since Graduate level programs often have a totally different admission calendar than Undergraduate. It’s easy to get them mixed up! 

Deadlines are critical for college applicants. All applications must be submitted by the assigned deadline and with electronic application there is no grace period, regardless of why you missed a deadline. So while students are making the decision about where to apply, it’s prudent to confirm that the deadline for application is realistic. If students stay on top of their college application process, there is no reason that they can not submit a complete, polished application. But procrastinators will find it challenging to present a competitive application if they try to complete it two or three days before the deadline. 

California public universities (CSU and UC Systems) have a common undergraduate application deadline of November 30th each year. Private California schools have varied deadlines, (some extending into spring) but often give priority to applicants who apply early in the filing periods. This is often true of schools outside of California, so waiting until the last minute to begin a college application is never a good idea regardless of your destination. Even Sierra College has an application deadline that is fast and firm for each semester. 

Here at Rocklin High School, Mrs. Morgan, the senior counselor and I will be holding a series of college planning workshops specific to target applicants. Workshops will be held on the afternoon of Articulation Mondays, beginning at 1 p.m. Parents are welcome to attend, but the workshop is directed toward students. We will open our first workshop on September 24th with the CSU application. For a complete list, see the home page of the College & Career Center website. Students are strongly encouraged to sign up ahead of time to reserve their spot. 

College bound seniors may find it challenging that before they even begin to settle in to their final year of high school they are asked to imagine themselves as college freshmen. But to be an outstanding college applicant, that’s exactly what must happen. 

Students who expect to be carefully evaluated at competitive colleges might think of their college applications as one additional course for fall semester of senior year. There’s research involved – colleges, majors, programs; statistics – a list of the applicant’s achievements, activities and experiences; composition – college application essays and other information you must share in writing; and supportive documentation – letters of recommendation, transcripts, evidence of leadership and service. It’s sort of like practicing for your first college assignment – because it is;  and from my observation over the past 19 years at Rocklin high School, most students want to earn an A on this one! 

California Community Colleges offer great options

Students who missed college application deadlines will be happy to know that California community colleges are still accepting applications for both summer and fall. While it’s not often that I think our state legislatures have mapped out things well, I think the California community college system is one of the best deals ever designed.

California is one of the few states that mandates equal access to college for all students. This means that regardless of how you did in high school, what choices you made immediately after leaving high school or if you even went to high school, you can still attend a California community college.Please note that while access to college is mandated, community college courses are not easy.

After applying for admission to a community college, the first step is taking the assessment test. Students who are not academically ready for the rigors of college level courses, will be required to take remedial classes to bring their readiness level to the expectation of college professors. For some students this may be one or two courses. For others, it may take a semester or two.

Most of our California community colleges have application deadlines.  All of our state community colleges are all impacted, meaning there are fewer classes offered to an overcrowded applicant pool. This is why future students should follow the admission protocol well in advance of registration day. This includes on-line applying, on-site assessing, on-site counseling, on-line orientation and finally on-line class registration. These steps are outlined in detail on the C&CC website under “Sierra College Admissions,” and can be applied to any community college in our region.

A California community college offers the best of both worlds for students in a wide variety of interests. Students who wish to pursue a four year degree at the CSU, UC or any number of private colleges will find preparation at community college that provides transferring options. The UC and CSU consider an upper division transfer from a California community college to be the number one priority for admission.  Students who graduate from a CSU or UC with credits from a community college are pleased to see that their degree is the same as a student who has attended the four year school for the entire academic career.

Not everyone needs a four year degree to secure a lucrative career.  A California community college offers students seeking training for jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree, hundreds of options. Anything from radiology to candy making; or welding to nursing can be learned at a community college where certificates, licenses, or associates degrees can be earned.

Awards You Purchase

National Awards or Experiences You Purchase

Over the past month or two many of our students have been invited to become members of national award societies, or to attend various leadership conferences across the country. The invitations and “awards” look very impressive and allude to the great honor it is for the student to have been included. Prices range from $60 for a “one time membership fee,” or $500 to as much as $5000 for a conference fee that usually doesn’t include travel expenses. Some are “free” to put your name in a book, but then, when they have all your information, pressure parents to buy the book along with other memorabilia at extraordinary prices.

Parents often ask if these are legitimate awards for their students. They also want to know if we think students should attend these conferences to give them a competitive edge with college or scholarship applications. And they want to know who nominated their students in the first place.

The answers to these concerns are complex – here are Frequently Asked Questions on this topic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will attending or joining this society, conference, camp, summit, etc. help my child get into college?

College admissions officials and scholarship selection committees have told us they are not impressed with awards or honors that parents purchase. Hundreds of thousands of students are nominated each year for honors, memberships, conferences and leadership training.

College and Scholarship competition is much more powerful if students have received awards that mark them above the norm in something they have actually earned, such as the Rocklin High Distinguished Community Service Award.

Paying for a conference might provide a beneficial experience, but it should not be considered an award.

This conference is at my son’s first choice college. Will it help him get accepted there?

Probably not. Beware that many summer offerings held on college campuses, actually have no affiliation with the college. Some organizations rent college facilities to hold their conferences, and loosely use the college name with promises of earned college credits or admission recognition.

Did the school send in the nomination?

Your school probably did NOT submit a nomination for your student – that’s against confidentiality policies.

How was my student nominated?

Students may have been invited or nominated simply because they registered for the SAT, ACT, applied for a scholarship, or something similar.

An issue to consider is that once you have registered with a conference, society or “award,” you can expect to receive a plethora of mailings, since these organizations often sell their mailing lists to similar vendors.

My student really wants to attend. Is there a way to check it out?

Contact the registration office for the event and ask for local references (names and phone numbers) of Rocklin students, who have attended previous conferences. See if they can get a previous camper to contact you. Find out things like: Did someone meet your student at the airport? Were the meals good? The rooms clean? Did you feel safe? How did you get back to the airport? What other costs were incurred that were not outlined in the brochure? Do you think it was worth the expense?

Should we spend the money?

I never tell parents how to spend their money. There is absolutely no way to guarantee this is a good value.

If students are ready to navigate a national airport in a strange city on their own, and will benefit from the program, make your decision to attend based on as many facts as you can gather.

What have other Rocklin High students said about these opportunities?

Over the years many Rocklin High students have attended these kinds of conferences; some of them thought it was a great experience while others thought it was a “rip off.”

New Year's Resolution - Get Started on the FAFSA

The New Year means FAFSA filing for college students

The beginning of the new year is a critical time for college bound students who are seeking  financial aid. Everyone agrees that the best kind of financial aid is gift aid – the kind you don’t pay back. This includes grants, merit awards, and scholarships. When students borrow money for college, federally subsidized loans are often a good choice since repayment and interest do not begin until the student leaves college. All of these options begin with filing the FAFSA; and the FAFSA filing period begins January 1st.

The FAFSA is an acronym for Free Application For Student Aid. This form is used to calculate the federal government’s idea of how much the family must pay toward education.

The formula is something like this: Cost of Education - Family Contribution = Need

The cost of the education is determined by many factors including tuition, fees, housing, books, supplies and even travel expenses. Based on the methodology of how need is determined by the feds, sometimes students actually pay less out of their own pockets if they attend a higher priced school. This is why it’s so important to file a FAFSA regardless of income, family size or any other factor.

The family is the parent or parents with whom the child lives. In shared custody, it’s the parent with whom the child lives the most. The family income of the parent must include the spouse’s income. The family size includes children and step-children in the home where the student lives. Unmarried parents, do not include non-related members in the household.

Need is demonstrated once the family contribution has been calculated by a formula called the Congressional Methodology. Families are expected to pay school costs equal to the family contribution. The demonstrated need becomes the basis for need based aid.

Don’t disqualify yourself! Regardless of your family’s financial success it is a good idea to file the FAFSA form.  FAFSA information is used for work study jobs, subsidized loans and sometimes even college merit awards (money given based on something other than financial need) begin with information on the FAFSA.

The federal government offers a variety of funding possibilities, and California students also have access to Cal Grants, offered by the State of California. Students apply for both federal and state money with the FAFSA. Cal Grants require a supplementary grade point verification form, which must be completed by the school registrar. Cal Grant filing periods are January 1 through March 2 of each year, so while the FAFSA can be submitted after the March 2 deadline, California kids should always submit the FAFSA and the Cal Grant g.p.a verification form prior to March 2nd.

The FAFSA is available January 1st each year on-line www.fafsa.ed.gov . Be certain you are on the official FAFSA website, since at the dawn of the internet years ago, some very clever entrepreneur purchased fafsa.com , where he files the FAFSA for you, (after you’ve filled it out) for $100! Always remember the first word in FAFSA is FREE!

To file a FAFSA takes about a half hour. You’ll need your 2011 income tax forms, your social security number, the names of the colleges where you gave applied, and a personal identification number for your electronic signature, which is issued on the FAFSA website. Parents who have more than one child in college, will file the same information for both children, but on different forms; and be sure it’s the same information!

Your children must also file FAFSAs individually. Students will need their 2011 income tax forms, their parents’ and their own social security numbers, and an electronic signature PIN number. Students and parents must file a FAFSA for each year of college.

After filing, students will receive a Student Aid Report which tells what kind of aid they qualify for. Following that, the schools where students have been accepted will send financial aid offers which include a list of different types of aid. Students can then compare which college is actually the best value as they decide where to attend.

So if you’re a college student, or parent of a college student add one more item to your New Year’s resolution list - Get started on the FAFSA.

www.fafsa.ed.gov            Filing period January 1 – March 2, 2012

Colleges are still accepting applications

 

If you are a senior and you didn’t apply to the UC or CSU by November 30^th, you can still go to a four year college next fall. There are a handful of CSUs that have extended deadlines and you can find them on the CSU Mentor website.

There is more good news. Most of the private colleges and hundreds of public out-of-state colleges are still accepting applications for Fall 2012. These include, but are not limited to: University of Nevada Reno, Arizona State, University of Arizona, Oregon State and University of Oregon, and many public colleges in Hawaii, Idaho, Montana and Washington.

So if you missed the UC or CSU deadline and still want to attend a four year college next year, get on the Google search engine to find your favorite four year school. Be sure you’re on the official website that ends in ".edu" to confirm you are applying at the official website. Complete the on-line application before the deadline. Follow that up by submitting official transcripts and test scores. Then open the portal account on the college website for further directions or requirements. 

Final Countdown for California Public College Applications

Most high school seniors will admit they are not quite ready to head off on their own at college, just yet. But it’s time to put that plan into action. November 30^th is the University of California application deadline, and also the California State University deadline. Students across the Golden State have just a few days left to submit their applications to both of their public education options for four year colleges.

　

Over the past 19 years, I’ve made the observation that while most seniors are not ready to move away from home to attend college in November, but something magical happens to them by June. Students often become more mature, focused and the idea of living independently appeals to them on many levels by spring. I strongly encourage students to submit an application now, even if they are nervous about going out in the world. There is no penalty for not accepting an offer of admission, and students who are looking at the future today with a bit of trepidation, may be thrilled to have options to take bold steps toward college by graduation.

There are No Guarantees with College Application

A common question among college-bound high school students is, "What can I do to guarantee admission to a top ranked college?" The honest answer is, "Nothing." There are no guarantees for students hoping for admission to highly selective schools, but there are some guidelines that can enhance their applications. Each year many impacted colleges turn away more applicants than they accept, and often students who are denied acceptance, met all the admission requirements and were well-qualified.

College admission is increasingly competitive and as result, many schools, public and private, are demanding more than minimal eligibility for admission. This often confuses both students and their parents as they try to figure out what it takes to be admitted to a specific college.

There are different testing requirements for different schools, such as the SAT Reasoning, SAT subject exams or ACT with or without writing.

There are different grade point average minimums for not only different universities, but sometimes for different majors within those schools. Some colleges require students to be involved in activities, show evidence of leadership and community involvement. Many applications require essays. But regardless of what questions are posed, all college applications are designed to glean information that shows a student’s potential to succeed in the college classroom. The most important factor considered is the student’s academic preparation.

The academic course requirements are the same for both the University of California and California State University. Students must take college prep courses in English (four years), math (three years, and achieve a minimum of Algebra II), social studies (two years, including U.S. history), lab science (two years), foreign language (achieving a minimum of level II), visual and performing arts (one year required) plus an additional year of an approved elective. These subject area courses are what the CSU and UC refer to as the "A through G requirements." This A through G course requirement will usually meet or exceed most private colleges and out-of-state public schools as it demonstrates a student’s ability in all academic subjects.

A good way to bolster a college application is by enrolling in a tough academic senior year. At many high schools, the senior culture allows for students to take an abbreviated schedule for 12^th grade, with a shortened day. This is the worst thing a college bound student can do if she is applying to an impacted college. Highly selective college admissions officials consider the senior year to be the best evidence of a student’s ability to do college level work. It’s not enough just to be accepted into a university, students will need to be able to thrive within the college level course work once they arrive.

College application is a daunting process that takes time, energy and planning as early as middle school. One of the most critical aspects of college admission is recognizing that being eligible for college, does not equal being admitted to universities with impacted majors or programs. Students and their parents can unravel some of the mystery by visiting a host of websites offered by various institutions.



I recommend:

www.californiacolleges.edu, www.csumentor.edu, http://www.aiccu.edu/  and http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/.