Diamond Bar High School
SENIOR BULLETIN #7
Scholarship and College Information
March, 2012
ADMISSION DECISIONS
· Acceptance letters are wonderful, but they don’t define you. It’s so great to have a school recognize all of your hard work and tell you that they want you to be a part of their campus community. It’s also tremendously disappointing when a school does not accept you, but remember that there are an incredible number of factors going into their decision and you’ll never really know why you did or didn’t get into a particular university. Instead of looking at admission decisions as a judgment of who you are, you would be better off reflecting on the things that really define you – how you cherish your friends, how you value your family, how you pursue your passions, how you treat those less fortunate than you, how you strive to do the right thing.
· Choose the school that is right for you. Hopefully you’re going to receive more than one acceptance letter, and that means you’ll have to start spending some serious time thinking about which school will work out best for you. Don’t give in to the temptation to just pick the school that has the most prestige or name recognition unless that truly is the best fit for you. In the short term, you and your parents will have the thrill of saying you’re going there, but bear in mind that you’ll be spending at least four years of life in this place. Consider factors like the size of the student body, average class size, weather, majors and the surrounding community when deciding if a school is the one for you.
· You had your chance to drop classes. If you’re doing poorly in a class and you chose not to drop it when you had the opportunity, then it’s time to live up to your choice and do as well as possible. Remember – schools have the right to rescind an offer of admission because of D’s or F’s or even a lower overall performance. You don’t want to receive a letter from UC stating: “Regretfully, I must withdraw our offer of admission because you did not meet the conditions of admission. In particular, you failed to successfully complete your senior year with satisfactory grades.”
· All UC campuses except Merced will use waitlists for their freshman application pools. You may get waitlist offers from several campuses, and you may accept them all. Be sure to “opt in” by the April 15th deadline by following the instructions that will accompany your waitlist offer. Even if you opt in to waitlists, you should definitely submit a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) to the campus you would attend if the waitlist didn’t work out. You won’t know if you’re called up from a waitlist until after the SIR is due, so if you don’t commit to a school beforehand and the waitlist doesn’t work out, you could end up without a school to attend.
· Appeals to a UC should only occur if there is an error or “compelling new information” that will dramatically alter your application. If you didn’t get into the UC of your choice, don’t appeal just because you hope they’ll like your application better when they read it in April than they did when they read it in December.
FINANCIAL AID
· If your family’s financial situation has changed (e.g. – a parent has lost a job, your parents have declared bankruptcy), notify the financial aid offices of the schools to which you have applied immediately. It could alter the financial aid packages they will offer you.
SCHOLARSHIPS
· The Gary Duenas Memorial Scholarship – Mr. Duenas was the GLC for the DBHS Class of 1985, and his former students created a scholarship in honor of his memory. This is a great opportunity because this scholarship is only open to DBHS seniors! Any DBHS senior can apply and use the $1000 award for the university, community college, or trade school of his or her choice. You can find more information at www.facebook.com/groups/MrDScholarship (mention that you are a DBHS senior). You can also pick up application instructions in Mr. Desmond’s office. Applications will be accepted via email to [email protected] from January 30 – March 30, 2012. Be sure to send your application as an attachment, not in the body of your email.
· Brea Community Hospital Women’s Auxiliary Scholarship – This is another great scholarship that is only available to DBHS seniors, and you still have time to apply. There will be two $270 awards. If you are planning on going into the medical field, write a brief explanation of your future aspirations and submit your Senior Profile to Mr. Desmond by March 30th, 2012.
· Diamond Bar Woman’s Club Scholarship – This $500 scholarship is open to graduating seniors (male or female) from Ron Hockwalt Academy, Diamond Ranch High School, or Diamond Bar High School. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA and letters of recommendation from both school and off-campus, and they must provide an autobiography with an emphasis on community service. A personal interview might be required. Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office. Applications must be postmarked no later than April 12th, 2012.
· Cuban American Teachers Association Scholarship – This is for seniors of Cuban descent who are planning to continue their education at the college level. “Applicants should have at least a B average, be active in school and community affairs, speak acceptable Spanish, and demonstrate an interest in their cultural heritage.” First place is $500, and there are $300 awards as well. Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office. Applications must be received no later than April 1, 2012.
· Children of Law Enforcement and Fire Service Personnel Scholarship – This scholarship offers $20,000 in funds to children of active duty law enforcement and fire service personnel in California who are graduating in 2012. There are 11 regional awards, one state, and two national awards, and this program rewards students who have excelled academically and are active in community service and extracurricular activities. Each applicant must submit an essay about how their parent or guardian helps secure their community. Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office. Applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2012.
· Youth Automobile Safety Scholarship – This is an essay competition for high school seniors who are children of full-time or retired public employees. Scholarships range from $250-$1,500 “based on the merit of student essays that propose ways to reduce the accident rate among teenagers.” The deadline is May 11, 2012 and entry guidelines and the application form are available at www.cseinsurance.com/scholarship.htm.
· Sammy 2012 Got Milk Scholarship – This award program, the Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year, offers a $7,500 scholarship, an invitation for winners and their parents to attend an awards weekend in Disney World in Florida, and an opportunity to be in a milk mustache ad in USA Today. You can be nominated by a teacher, coach, principal, counselor, parent or relative. Nominees will be judged on academic performance, athletic excellence, leadership, community service, and an essay. Applications will be accepted online at www.sammyapplication.com until March 19, 2012.
· Student View Scholarship – There are eight $500 scholarships, two $1,000 scholarships, and one $4,000 scholarship available to high school seniors who plan to attend a four-year university, a community college, or career school. No minimum SAT or GPA and no essay required – students fill out a 15-20 minute survey about colleges in your area at www.student-view.com by April 22, 2012, and then they hold a random drawing of all completed applications to award the scholarship winners.