College /Vocation /Scholarships

Attention!  ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ARE PLANNING ON ATTENDING COLLEGE!

Remember that the $2,000 AnyCollege.com Scholarship is awarded each quarter and that

  any student planning on attending college is eligible.  The scholarship is available to

  students of all ages, so younger students can apply each quarter until they graduate!  The

  next drawing is July 1st, so from now until June 30th will be the last time that seniors can

  apply.  Students can go to www.anycollege.com/scholarship.cfm to enter.

NEWS FOR SENIORS!

Spring College Day at University of Florida at St Petersburg campus

When: Saturday, Feb. 23rd from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where: USF St Petersburg Campus Activities Center located on the corner of 6th Avenue South and 2nd Street South

Register: GoUSFSP.org or call 727-873-4802 for more information or to register

Bonus: Apply for admission at Spring College Day and receive a waiver of the $30 application fee.

Tour the campus and attend information sessions on admissions, financial aid, and university housing. Talk with representatives from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education; Admissions and Records; Financial Aid; Academic Advising, Residence Hall One; and student organizations. If a student is looking for a small college atmosphere with all the advantages of a large research university, USF St. Petersburg might be for you.

ACT POSTER CONTEST

THIS SPRING, ACT WILL CONDUCT A POSTER CONTEST AND AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE WINNERS.

JUNIORS AND SENIORS CAN ENTER THE CONTEST BY DESIGNING A POSTER THAT ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO ATTEND COLLEGE AND TAKE THE ACT AS THE COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM.             

THE CONTEST IS OPEN TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN FLORIDA WHO ARE APPLYING FOR 2008 OR 2009 ADMISSION TO A TWO OR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE FIRST PLACE WINNER WILL RECEIVE A $5,000 SCHOLARSHIP TO THE COLLEGE OF CHOICE. SECOND AND THIRD PLACE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE $2,500 AND $1,000 SCHOLARSHIPS RESPECTIVELY.

THE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM IS AVAILABLE AT THE SMA GUIDANCE OFFICE AND MUST BE POSTMARKED BY FEBRUARY 16. 2008. COMPLETE OFFICIAL RULES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AT SMA GUIDANCE.

 

UNIVERSITY APPLICATION AND SELECTION. BY MAJ. RAY THACKER

IT MAY SEEM EARLY TO TALK ABOUT COLLEGE, BUT IT IS NOT TOO EARLY AT ALL. LET’S LOOK AT SOME FACTS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF A PLANNED AND RIGOROUS EDUCATION;

  1. IN 2010, 85 % OF ALL OCCUPATIONS WILL REQUIRE TRAINING ABOVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.
  2. THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN COLLEGE ADMISSION IS STUDENT SUCCESS IN THE MOST CHALLENGING HIGH SCHOOL COURSES AVAILABLE.
  3. STUDENTS WHO TAKE RIGOROUS COURSES IN HIGH SCHOOL WILL  EARN 13.1% MORE THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT.
  4. IN 2006, MEDIAN ANNUAL EARNINGS FOR WORKERS, AGES 25 AND OVER WERE; $24, 267   HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. $26,693 ASSOCIATES DEGREE. $40,314 BACHELOR’S DEGREE (66% MORE THAN WORKERS WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DI.PLOMA.)
  5.  ADULTS WHO HAVE ONLY A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE UNEMPLOYED AS THOSE WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE
  6. AMONG STUDENTS WHO GO ON TO COLLEGE, ABOUT 40% TAKE AT LEAST ONE REMEDIAL CLASS.
  7. COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO NEED REMEDIAL CLASSES ARE 6 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DROP OUT THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT.

      SELECTING AND APPLYING TO A UNIVERSITY.

 1.   FIRST AND FOREMOST, YOU MUST APPLY TO A UNIVERSITY THAT AWARDS YOU THE DEGREE THAT YOU WANT.

  1. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS;
    1. THE REPUTATION OF THE SCHOOL.
    2. LOCATION OF THE CAMPUS.
    3. HOUSING.
    4. LOCAL JOB MARKET AT THE UNIVERSITY.
    5. CHANCES OF GETTING ACCEPTED BY THIS SCHOOL.
    6. VISIT SCHOOL.
    7. COMPLETE SAT AND ACT (DO YOU HAVE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS).
    8. APPLY EARLY.
    9. VERY IMPORTANT. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE IT IS AN EXPENSIVE SCHOOL THAT YOU CANNOT GO THERE. YOU CAN FIND A WAY.

 

WHAT DO COLLEGE ADMISSION OFFICERS LOOK FOR WHEN YOU APPLY TO THEIR UNIVERSITY? IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

  1. GPA AND DIFFICULTY OF CURRICULUM.
  2. SAT, ACT SUBJECT TEST SCORES.
  3. CLASS RANK.
  4. APPLICATION ESSAYS.
  5. EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
  6. RECOMMENDATIONS.
  7. INTERVIEWS.

SENIORS MUST TAKE THE ACT OR SAT (BOTH ARE BEST) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UNIVERSITIES MUST HAVE THE SCORE TO ACT ON YOUR APPLICATION TO ATTEND THE SCHOOL. THESE ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO TESTS;

1.       ACT IS AN ASSESSMENT TEST THAT MEASURES WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN SCHOOL. SAT IS AN APTITUDE TEST THAT MEASURES HOW YOU APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN SCHOOL.

2.       ACT MATH INCLUDES ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY AND TRIGONOMETRY. SAT HAS ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, STATISTICS, PROBABILITY AND DATA ANALYSIS.

3.       ONLY CORRECT ANSWERS ARE COUNTED ON THE ACT, THERE IS NO PENALTY FOR GUESSING. IF YOU GUESS ON THE SAT AND GET IT WRONG, A FRACTION OF A POINT IS DEDUCTED FROM YOUR SCORE.

Scholarship information for students interested in Christian Colleges: www.ChristianConnector.com

New resource in guidance office and available online at www.needalift.org The book, Need A Lift, is offered by the American Legion and gives extensive information on scholarship opportunities for veteran’s dependents.

All seniors in Sarasota County should have received, in the mail, a copy of Scholarship Scene – This is a tremendous resource that lists pages of local scholarships that are available as well as financial aid information. This information is also available online at www.sarasotacountyschools.net . Click on parent information (center right side of top list bar). Then click on colleges/financial aid/scholarships, and then click on Scholarship Scene (in red in center of page). In addition, the guidance office has some copies.

In December, Mrs. Maria Clapp will be taking the seniors to the computer lab to help them register for the Bright Futures Scholarship program.

In December, Dr. Ray Thacker will be talking with seniors about FAFSA and giving them information about how to fill out the FAFSA forms.

www.commonapp.org

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

1.       National Commission for Cooperative Education – a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing high quality, college-level cooperative education (partnerships between businesses and Universities), is giving away 185 merit co-op scholarships of $6000 each. Go to www.co-op.edu for more information.  (Note: In approximately one month we will have the 2007-2008 Edition of The Best of Co-op: A guide to the Best Co-op Colleges and Employers available in the guidance office for students/parents to review)

2.       Johnson and Wales is sponsoring the National High School Chef of the Year Scholarships – The awards range from $3500 renewable tuition scholarship to a full-tuition scholarship to any of the Johnson and Wales Universities. Stop by the guidance office for more information.

3.       Berklee College of Music has more than $15 million available for scholarship. Every applicant who goes through the audition and interview process of application is considered for a scholarship. The top scholarship is the Presidential Scholarship which covers tuition, housing and the required laptop computer. Go to  berklee.edu/discover  for more information

            Dr. Thacker will be visiting the Jr. and Sr. classes to distribute information and talk about the importance of college/scholarship preparation. If your 11th or 12th grade child has not received this information by Thursday, Oct. 11th, please encourage him/her to stop by the guidance office and pick up the packet of information. Dr. Thacker is available to counsel students and/or answer questions from 7 a.m. through lunch time.

Johnson and Wales University is sponsoring the “National High School Chef of the Year Scholarship” There are two divisions – one for 9th and 10th grade students and one for 11th and 12th grade students. The scholarships range from $1000 to full tuition at Johnson and Wales University. See Mrs. Downs in the guidance office for more information.

– Scholarship Resources: The guidance office is keeping a book of scholarship information as it come to our office. We also have books of scholarship information. Students may come to look at the information before school, after school, or during lunch. We will make a copy of any information they are interested in taking with them.