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SENIOR BULLETIN #7
Scholarship and College Information
March, 2015
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, distance from home, and the surrounding community when deciding if a school is the one for you. Remember, there is still time to visit schools and there is no substitute for walking around a campus and speaking with students and observing classes to help you see if it’s the right school 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.”
· 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. Overturning an admission decision is “extremely rare.”
· Mt. SAC: On Wednesday, March 25th from 11am-1pm, there will be office hours in the Career Center with the Mt. SAC rep for the Connect 4 program. Please come by if you have any questions regarding Mt. SAC and receive one-on-one assistance. Sign up for a time slot to Mrs. Williams in the Career Center.
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.
· The Middle Class Scholarship was enacted by the California State Legislature to make college more affordable for middle class families. It began with the 2014-15 school year and is aimed at reducing CSU and UC fees by 10-40% for “families with incomes too high to qualify for existing financial aid programs but still unable to afford the fees without relying heavily on student loans.” CSU and UC students who have filled out the FAFSA and California GPA verification form are automatically awarded the Middle Class Scholarship if they meet all the requirements. If you haven’t filled out the FAFSA yet, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov right now! The California state deadline for the FAFSA is March 2nd, 2015.
· The UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan “will cover your system-wide fees if you are a California resident whose family earns less than $80,000 a year and you qualify for financial aid.” Similar to the Middle Class Scholarship, UC students are automatically considered for this program if they complete their FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form.
SCHOLARSHIPS
· Walnut Valley Educational Foundation Scholarship - That’s Walnut Valley as in OUR district so you know this one isn’t going to some dude in Milwaukee – apply! They award three $1000 scholarships (Visual and Performing Arts, Industrial Technology, and Teen Citizen) to DBHS students! You can pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office. Applications must be signed by a GLC or the principal and received by MAIL by April 27th, 2015.
· Chinese American Education Association Scholarship – The CAEA is offering three $800 scholarships to southern California high school seniors who are “of ethnic Chinese heritage, in good academic standing, have strong leadership skills, have participated in a variety of extracurricular activities, and have provided services to the Chinese and/or other Asian American Communities.” Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. For full instructions, pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office. Complete applications must be postmarked by March 16th, 2015.
· Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Scholarship – Alpha Kappa Alpha “is a service organization, comprised predominantly of African-American, college-educated women” and this is a scholarship for “senior girls, who plan to attend an accredited college or university.” Several scholarships will be awarded in varying amounts, and students need at least a 3.0 GPA, an essay, and two letters of recommendation. Pick up applications in Mr. Desmond’s office. The complete application package must be mailed and received by April 3rd, 2015.
· META Scholarship – The META (Making Education the Answer) scholarship “provides students up to $7,500, payable over four years.” Applicants must have a 3.0 minimum GPA, “come from families at or below 60% of the area’s median family income, based on family size,” be in the process of applying to a four-year college, and be a “U.S. citizen or Legal Resident of Hispanic origin.” For more information, please go to www.meta-foundation.org. Application deadline is March 31st, 2015.
· Coca Cola Pay It Forward Scholarship – Up to 20 contest winners will receive a “mentorship experience at the Coca Cola Pay It Forward Academy with Steve Harvey, plus a $5000 educational scholarship.” For more information and to enter sweepstakes, go to www.coke.com/payitforward by March 31st, 2015.
· California Alarm Association Scholarship – The CAA Youth Scholarship is for “children of active duty law enforcement and fire service personnel in the State of California.” There are 11 $1000 scholarships, and applicants must write an essay “about how their parent or guardian helps secure their community.” Applications are available in Mr. Desmond’s office, and applications must be postmarked by March 27th, 2015.
· Don’t forget that you can research scholarships on your own!