|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Attention All High School Juniors! Register by May 9 for the ACT Test on June 14. To access free practice tests visit the A CT website or the SAT section of the College Board website.
Upcoming Test Dates! April 12 - ACT; May 3 - SAT Tests
Guidance
Information
Course Selection Process
Assistance Available
Quick Summary of High School Services
Available
Financial Aid Information
Guidance Information
The purpose of the Guidance Department is to assist students in making
decisions and assuming responsibility. We strive to provide students
with opportunities to discuss educational, social, personal, or occupational
concerns.
- Some of the duties of the guidance counselors include:
Administering and interpreting interest, achievement, and ability
tests.
Providing information to students concerning post-secondary educational
opportunities and assistance with applications.
Providing information and assistance to students concerning career
plans.
Helping students develop four-year plans of study which will prepare
them for entry-level careers or higher educational opportunities.
Referring the services of outside agencies equipped to handle a student’s
needs.
Counseling students who develop difficulties in the areas of personal,
social, or educational needs.
top of page
Course Selection Process
The following procedures are planned to assist students in making course
selections for the school year:
Counselors will introduce the high school curriculum to 8th grade students
to present information pertaining to the high school classes and assist
them in developing a 4 year plan.
Counselors will host an informational/orientation program for parents
of 8th grade students to present information pertaining to the high
school curriculum.
Counselors will assist students in making course selections for the
upcoming school year.
Counselors will meet with 9th and 10th grade students in class meetings
and individually to revise and further develop their high school 4 year
course selection plan.
11th and 12th grade students will meet in extended individual sessions
with their counselor to make appropriate course selections for the school
year, which will continue to complete their high school education and
make sure they are eligible for future college and employment opportunities.
top of page
Assistance Available
Personal Counseling
Conflict Resolution
Tutoring/Mentoring
Career Counseling
College, University and Vocational School Counseling
College Scholarships
Financial Aid Night
ACT/SAT/PSAT Testing
ISTEP+/GQE Testing
ASVAB Testing
ACT Prep Class
AP Testing
top of page
Quick Summary of High
School Services Available
College, University, and Vocational School Counseling- The Guidance
Department maintains up-to-date information on all Indiana and out-of-state
colleges and universities. College application forms, catalogs, condensed
guides, and other information are also on hand.
Career Counseling- Current information is available form web access
which includes the kind of work involved, education or training needed,
aptitude required, working conditions, salary range, and more. Opportunities
for job shadowing and internships are available throughout the year.
College Scholarships- Scholarship opportunities are posted and publicized
through the daily announcements and senior English classes. A file of
currently available scholarships associated with particular colleges
and organizations is maintained in the Guidance Office.
Financial Aid Night- The Guidance Department invites a financial aid
expert to explain how to finance post-secondary education. Students
and parents are encouraged to attend.
Personal Counseling- Counselors are available to talk with students
about any personal problems that they may be encountering.
Conflict Resolution- Opportunities are available to learn problem-solving
skills and assist other students in solving conflicts between peers.
Tutoring/Mentoring- Tutoring in all subjects for any student is available
before school on Monday – Thursday.
ISTEP+/GQE- The Guidance Department administers these tests, which in
accordance with State of Indiana mandates, says all 20th graders must
take and pass the GQE to receive a diploma. Students who do not pass
the initial testing, have four additional opportunities to meet test
required competency levels.
College Testing- Each year the Guidance Department offers information
and locations on the following entrance exams and programs:
PSAT, SAT, ACT, ASVAB, AP Testing, ACT Prep classes
top of page
Financial
Aid Information
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Attention High School Seniors & Current College
Students!
It is officially FAFSA filing season! Be sure you file well
in advance of any pertinent state and/or college-imposed deadlines.
(For Indiana students, your FAFSA must be received by the federal processor
no later than March 10 to qualify for state-based grant assistance.)
To request PIN numbers and/or begin the online filing process, log on
to the government's official FASFA website.
Need Help Completing the FAFSA?
College Goal Sunday, a day in which free workshops are held
at various sites around the country to help students complete the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), is approaching. The upcoming
date to remember is February 12, 2006. Log on to College Goal Sunday
for more information.
Scholarship Notice for All Current & Prospective College
Students!
USA Funds will award up to $3 million nationwide in new, renewable
scholarships to students with economic need through USA Funds Access
to Education Scholarships. Applicants from all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all U.S.
territories and commonwealths are eligible for USA Funds Access to Education
Scholarships. Priority consideration for the awards will be given to
applicants from Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada,
Wyoming, Washington & Idaho. The program will award scholarships
of $1,500 which will be renewable annually. To be considered for a scholarship,
an application must be submitted online by March 1, 2006. For more information,
visit the official scholarship website.
Upcoming Test Dates! SAT & Subject Tests - January 28;
ACT - February 11
FAFSA Filing Pointers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's that time of year again when our phone rings off the hook with
questions from client families related to the FAFSA process and how
to go about completing that wonderful financial aid form. As such, we
usually take the January/February feature opportunities to share some
of the questions most commonly asked and provide some (what we hope
are) helpful answers based on our interpretation of the rules and regs.
So here you go!
1. “For financial aid purposes, who IS my parent?”
A number of students have biological parents in two different
households. We are constantly asked which parent’s financial information
should be used. The federal formula requires that it be based on the
biological parent with whom the student has lived for the largest number
of days during the past twelve months (calendar year 2005 for high school
seniors or current college students now filing the FAFSA for next academic
year, 2006- 2007). Note: If the parent in the household reported is
remarried, stepparent information (including income) must also be reported.
2. “What if I lived an equal number of days with each
parent?”
In this case, the feds require the student to use the household
figures for the parent that provided the largest amount of financial
support during the past twelve months or the most recent period in which
the student lived with a biological parent (if not living with either
parent now).
3. “What if they each provide an equal amount of financial
support?”
Then you choose the parental household whose information you will provide.
(We have noticed that for many client families with split family situations,
the parents ask us to run College Costs Estimator reports/EFC estimations
on both households so they can understand the impact of reporting each
household under the demanding federal formula for financial aid.)
4. “What if I have a biological parent(s), but I live
somewhere else, perhaps even with a legal guardian other than a parent?”
The feds still require that the FAFSA be based on a biological parent,
except in very unusual student and family circumstances. The student
will need to have the financial aid director at the college of choice
make a “professional judgment” and declare the student an
“independent student.” To make such judgments without jeopardizing
the college’s eligibility to receive federal funds requires extreme
circumstances – for example, one client student has a deceased
parent and the second parent is incarcerated. Declaring that student
an independent for financial aid purposes is a pretty defensible “professional
judgment." Appropriate written documentation is required to make
such determinations. Note: If a senior seeking a professional judgment
has not yet begun discussions about independent student status with
the financial aid director at the college of choice, the student should
do so immediately. We highly recommend that students seeking independent
student status, ideally, file applications for admission early in the
fall of the senior year so they can begin discussions with the financial
aid director about independent student status in November or December.
5. “What if both my parents are deceased or I am a foster
youth at the time I file the FAFSA?”
These students automatically are independent students. Currently, foster
youth typically have some additional federal grant dollars available
to them beyond other federal and state grants called Education and Training
Vouchers (ETV). Please speak with your caseworker (or our staff) to
find out more about the ETV awards.
If you have further questions about dependency status or the FAFSA
process/application in general, please contact the federal hotline at
1-800-4FEDAID or access the federal website at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Please
also feel free to call us at the National Center for College Costs at
(877) 687-7291 if we can help further in some way. We hope 2006 is a
great year for all of our readers and client families!
Should You Complete The FAFSA Online Or Use The Paper FAFSA?
It is easier for the federal government to process your FAFSA online.
However it is not easier for you to complete it this way. Online you
must complete approximately 63 different screens; have a compatible
web browser and a properly configured printer. You may also encounter
challenges with the server's ability to handle the volume of users.
If you're lucky enough to get connected, pray you don't get timed out.
If you are going to do the FAFSA yourself you may find it easier to
use the paper version. Whether you do the FAFSA online or offline it
has no impact on your financial aid, none whatsoever!
The number of FAFSAs filed electronically has increased dramatically.
Currently, more than 80% of all FAFSAs are filed online using FAFSA
on the Web and another 8% are filed using other electronic media. The
remaining 12% are filed using paper FAFSAs. This means that while we
print and distribute more than 23 million paper FAFSAs, fewer than 2
million paper applications are actually submitted for processing.
Our research tells us that many applicants obtain one or more paper
FAFSAs to use in preparation for completing the FAFSA on the Web application.
We agree that it makes sense that student have their answers ready before
going to the online application. However, because of “skip logic”
and other features of the Web application, the order of the questions
on the paper FAFSA is not the same as the order of the questions on
the FAFSA on the Web. This makes it difficult for applicants to complete
the online application using a paper FAFSA. Because of this, the Pre-Application
Worksheet was introduced to provide Web filers with a preparation tool
better suited to their needs than the paper FAFSA. The Pre-Application
Worksheet is available to students in PDF format at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
One of the most common questions we get asked by parents and students
deciding whether to do everything themselves or retain our financial
aid services is… "I don't think we'll qualify for financial
aid, should I still bother completing the FAFSA or the other financial
aid forms?
The Answer Is:
YES, and if you want financial aid you must complete the FAFSA, and
you must complete your FAFSA correctly the first time, otherwise it
will be rejected. Remember regardless of your income and assets and
as long as none of your errors prevent your FAFSA from being processed,
you are likely to be eligible for at least some financial aid whether
it's free college scholarships or federal student loans.
IMPORTANT!
FAFSA Deadline March 10, 2006 (date received)
Check with your college’s financial aid office for their deadlines.
Submit your application early, but not before January 1, 2006.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) www.fafsa.ed.gov
www.pin.ed.gov Apply for a pin number
from the US Department of Ed. You will receive your PIN within a few
days and then you can electronically sign you can electronically sign
your FAFSA when you submit your information. If you are providing parent
information, one parent must sign your FAFSA. To sign electronically,
your parent can also apply for a PIN.
LATEST SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
Posted: 12/06/05
The Sam Walton Scholarship information is available on-line at www.walmartfoundation.org
until January 20, 2006. Applicants must use the access code (SWCS) to
complete the application process.
Cargill Community Scholarship Program. $1,000 scholarship with applications
in the Counseling Office. More information is available on-line at www.cargill.com,
keyword scholarship.
Places to search for financial assistance
www.ed.gov/studentaid
www.students.gov.
www.edpubs.org/ml
www.finaid.org Financial aid information
page.
www.nasfaa.org Aid estimator and
scholarship search
General Private Scholarship Sources
www.fastweb.com
www.scholarship.com
www.collegenet.com
www.srnexpress.com
www.gocollege.com
www.greschinfor.com
www.finaid.org
www.free-4u.com
www.winscholarships.com
www.mapping-your-future.com
www.wiredscholar.com
www.smexpress.com
www.jimandbettydyescholarships.org
General College Information
www.collegequest.com
www.review.com The Princeton Review
– College and career planning, online college applications, raising
you ACT/SAT scores, and much more.
College Athletic Information
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
National Collegiate Athletic Association - This site will provide you
with information about initial-eligibility at NCAA Division I and II
member colleges and universities.
top of page
|
