Post by slt on Dec 9, 2009 10:03:26 GMT -5
To appear in Friday's Beacon and maybe next Tuesday's Sun, a topic near and dear to my heart these days!
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Any parent of a college-bound high school senior knows what a busy time this school year is. Most parents are probably wondering what happened to that little baby they brought home not so long ago, and what the next year will bring.
Many seniors are busy with yet another year of difficult college prep classes, all of the usual high school events, and possibly a part-time job or two and volunteer work while keeping up with their friends, extra-curricular activities, and applying to colleges and for scholarships for next year.
Thankfully there are a lot of resources available to help guide parents and students through college preparation. There are many things that need to happen and some of them started years ago. The student needs to decide what college or type of college they want to attend, they need to be well-prepared to get into the school of their choice, and they need a way to pay for it.
My oldest daughter knew that she wanted a school near home, smaller than the high school she attended, with a nice downtown area and a good program for her choice of major. She fell in love with North Central College right away and didn’t even apply anywhere else. She even knew what she wanted to major in. That was easy.
My current senior has a different wish list. She wants to go to school far enough from home to live at school, but close enough to come home for some weekends. She wants a small to medium-sized school in which she can play in their orchestra while not majoring in music. We visited six colleges and she has narrowed her choices to one of those plus one we haven’t yet visited. Her choice of major is still up in the air.
Andrea Purcell, College and Career Center Counselor at Waubonsie Valley High School, says that “choosing the right college is so important because it is really a stepping stone to the rest of your life. The right college might not be what the student initially thought he or she wanted - so it is integral to visit colleges, talk to current students as well as staff, and make sure that the student feels at home so that they can thrive during their time at the school. College is such an important time in the life of a student - they grow academically AND socially AND emotionally - this is the time that we see our kids grow the most outside their infancy. The right school will shape the student into a productive adult and citizen so that they can be successful in their chosen career path.”
There are many ways to find out about colleges. There are college searches available on the ACT and SAT websites that can help narrow down the choices. College representatives visit local high schools on a regular basis. There are also college fairs, usually held at local community colleges, where students can get information about many different schools all at once. Erin Hoover, Assistant Director of Admission at North Central College, adds that "National and state organizations such as the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) can also provide students with adequate resources to find direction in their college search."
As for the ability to get admitted to the school of choice, this depends heavily on what coursework the student has taken during their four years of high school, and how well they have done in school and on standardized tests, as well as their extra-curricular involvement.
There are numerous ways to prepare for the ACT and SAT including practice tests, courses designed for test prep, and simply taking rigorous coursework in school.
Talking to high school counselors and college admissions counselors can help a student make the right choices during high school that will help them prepare for their future.
Though next school year is many months away, early decision and early action deadlines have already passed or are quickly approaching for most schools. Students who have not yet begun applying should do so in the next few months.
College costs have gone up faster than most other expenses and it is much harder for students to pay the sticker price for college these days than it was back when I was in college. North Central's tuition has more than quadrupled in the past 25 years, while minimum wage has only doubled, and jobs for teens are harder than ever to come by. The good news is that most students do not pay full price to attend college.
A couple of obvious ways to keep total costs down are to join the military (active duty, reserve, or National Guard) or to attend community college for the first two years.
Illinois state schools are significantly less expensive than private schools, but it’s worth looking at both because when you take into account scholarships and financial aid there may not be much difference.
Almost every school offers some sort of merit scholarship program, even state schools and community colleges. Students should check the websites of the schools they are interested in for scholarship opportunities there, and contact their high school guidance counselor for local scholarship opportunities.
All families that may qualify for any financial aid, or are required to by their student’s school, should fill out the FAFSA each year the student will attend college, as early as possible that year. In most cases a student won’t get any sort of financial aid in the form of grants, subsidized loans, or work study unless the FAFSA has been submitted and shows need.
Local high schools and colleges offer presentations on financing college and other relevant topics to help families as well.
Becky Tatar, Periodicals/Audiovisuals Specialist at the Aurora Public Library, reports that the library “has materials on colleges and financial aid, including the FAFSA forms. There are also SAT, ACT and CLEP test preparation books, which are also available online through the Learning Express Library database. This database can be accessed from home with an Aurora Public Library card. The library also provides programs on financial aid options and mock ACT/SAT test preparation. All the websites listed can be accessed at the library.”
Our local students are fortunate to have such a wealth of valuable resources available to them. Here are some links.
www.ed.gov/fund/grants-college.html?src=rt - U.S. Department of Education college aid info
www.finaid.org/ - guide to scholarships, loans, and other aid
www.fastweb.com - scholarship search site
wvhs.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx?id=89 - WVHS Guidance site, including college and career center and scholarship listings
nvhs.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx?id=349 – NVHS Guidance site, including information about college applications and scholarships
www.fafsa.ed.gov/ - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
www.youseemore.com/aurorapl/about.asp?loc=25 – Aurora Public Library “beyond high school” links and information
www.naperville-lib.info/LibServices/teen/collegeServ.htm - Naperville Public Library “road to college & beyond…” links and information
SherryTatar@ameritech.net
statar.blogspot.com
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Any parent of a college-bound high school senior knows what a busy time this school year is. Most parents are probably wondering what happened to that little baby they brought home not so long ago, and what the next year will bring.
Many seniors are busy with yet another year of difficult college prep classes, all of the usual high school events, and possibly a part-time job or two and volunteer work while keeping up with their friends, extra-curricular activities, and applying to colleges and for scholarships for next year.
Thankfully there are a lot of resources available to help guide parents and students through college preparation. There are many things that need to happen and some of them started years ago. The student needs to decide what college or type of college they want to attend, they need to be well-prepared to get into the school of their choice, and they need a way to pay for it.
My oldest daughter knew that she wanted a school near home, smaller than the high school she attended, with a nice downtown area and a good program for her choice of major. She fell in love with North Central College right away and didn’t even apply anywhere else. She even knew what she wanted to major in. That was easy.
My current senior has a different wish list. She wants to go to school far enough from home to live at school, but close enough to come home for some weekends. She wants a small to medium-sized school in which she can play in their orchestra while not majoring in music. We visited six colleges and she has narrowed her choices to one of those plus one we haven’t yet visited. Her choice of major is still up in the air.
Andrea Purcell, College and Career Center Counselor at Waubonsie Valley High School, says that “choosing the right college is so important because it is really a stepping stone to the rest of your life. The right college might not be what the student initially thought he or she wanted - so it is integral to visit colleges, talk to current students as well as staff, and make sure that the student feels at home so that they can thrive during their time at the school. College is such an important time in the life of a student - they grow academically AND socially AND emotionally - this is the time that we see our kids grow the most outside their infancy. The right school will shape the student into a productive adult and citizen so that they can be successful in their chosen career path.”
There are many ways to find out about colleges. There are college searches available on the ACT and SAT websites that can help narrow down the choices. College representatives visit local high schools on a regular basis. There are also college fairs, usually held at local community colleges, where students can get information about many different schools all at once. Erin Hoover, Assistant Director of Admission at North Central College, adds that "National and state organizations such as the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) can also provide students with adequate resources to find direction in their college search."
As for the ability to get admitted to the school of choice, this depends heavily on what coursework the student has taken during their four years of high school, and how well they have done in school and on standardized tests, as well as their extra-curricular involvement.
There are numerous ways to prepare for the ACT and SAT including practice tests, courses designed for test prep, and simply taking rigorous coursework in school.
Talking to high school counselors and college admissions counselors can help a student make the right choices during high school that will help them prepare for their future.
Though next school year is many months away, early decision and early action deadlines have already passed or are quickly approaching for most schools. Students who have not yet begun applying should do so in the next few months.
College costs have gone up faster than most other expenses and it is much harder for students to pay the sticker price for college these days than it was back when I was in college. North Central's tuition has more than quadrupled in the past 25 years, while minimum wage has only doubled, and jobs for teens are harder than ever to come by. The good news is that most students do not pay full price to attend college.
A couple of obvious ways to keep total costs down are to join the military (active duty, reserve, or National Guard) or to attend community college for the first two years.
Illinois state schools are significantly less expensive than private schools, but it’s worth looking at both because when you take into account scholarships and financial aid there may not be much difference.
Almost every school offers some sort of merit scholarship program, even state schools and community colleges. Students should check the websites of the schools they are interested in for scholarship opportunities there, and contact their high school guidance counselor for local scholarship opportunities.
All families that may qualify for any financial aid, or are required to by their student’s school, should fill out the FAFSA each year the student will attend college, as early as possible that year. In most cases a student won’t get any sort of financial aid in the form of grants, subsidized loans, or work study unless the FAFSA has been submitted and shows need.
Local high schools and colleges offer presentations on financing college and other relevant topics to help families as well.
Becky Tatar, Periodicals/Audiovisuals Specialist at the Aurora Public Library, reports that the library “has materials on colleges and financial aid, including the FAFSA forms. There are also SAT, ACT and CLEP test preparation books, which are also available online through the Learning Express Library database. This database can be accessed from home with an Aurora Public Library card. The library also provides programs on financial aid options and mock ACT/SAT test preparation. All the websites listed can be accessed at the library.”
Our local students are fortunate to have such a wealth of valuable resources available to them. Here are some links.
www.ed.gov/fund/grants-college.html?src=rt - U.S. Department of Education college aid info
www.finaid.org/ - guide to scholarships, loans, and other aid
www.fastweb.com - scholarship search site
wvhs.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx?id=89 - WVHS Guidance site, including college and career center and scholarship listings
nvhs.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx?id=349 – NVHS Guidance site, including information about college applications and scholarships
www.fafsa.ed.gov/ - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
www.youseemore.com/aurorapl/about.asp?loc=25 – Aurora Public Library “beyond high school” links and information
www.naperville-lib.info/LibServices/teen/collegeServ.htm - Naperville Public Library “road to college & beyond…” links and information
SherryTatar@ameritech.net
statar.blogspot.com