Counselor
Guidance
Act Dates
Senior Parents
Junior Parents
College/Military Links for Parents
|
Test Date |
Regular Deadline |
|
October 26, 2013 |
September 27, 2013 |
|
December 14, 2013 |
November 8, 2013 |
|
February 8, 2014 |
January 10, 2014 |
|
April 12, 2014 |
March 7, 2014 |
|
June 14, 2014 |
May 9, 2014 |
You
should be narrowing down the list of colleges your graduate is considering attending
in the fall and apply. Most colleges and universities have an application
deadline of December 15th to be considered for merit and endowment
scholarships. Schools will accept the December 14th ACT scores
if it is sent to the school from ACT.
A+ Designated School
Beginning with the graduation
class of 2014 Leopold graduates can qualify to have tuition paid for at any
technical school or community college in the state of Missouri. Students will
have to pay for room and board and separate fees, but this can provide a big
benefit to keeping the cost of a four year degree lower.
Students must meet the criteria
listed below:
1.
Sign an A+
contract
2.
Have a 95%
attendance during high school
3.
Maintain at
least an 6.88 GPA during high school
4.
Perform 50
hours of unpaid tutoring/mentoring of students
5.
Maintain
good citizenship plus avoid use of unlawful drugs
6.
Make a good
faith effort to secure federal financial aid
Scholarships:
Check
into the scholarship search engine located at www.fastweb.com. This
website is an opportunity to explore what scholarships your child may be
eligible for. You will fill out a wide-ranging questionnaire; then after
searching their extensive data base they email the
list of scholarships your child qualifies. You also will receive up to
date deadlines as they approach along with informative articles making the
college decision easier. Also remember to look on the website
www.hsfmo.org. The ID is hsf, and the password
is mo. This is a scholarship for small districts.
A+
Community
or Junior Colleges
If your graduate is planning on
attending a Junior College for the next two years Junior Colleges will accept
either an ACT score or the results from a computer based exam called the
COMPAS. This is a test measuring math and English skills that will be
used for placement into these programs. Students typically perform better
on the COMPAS than the ACT for the reason that the COMPAS test is limited to Algebra
and basic Geometry while the ACT includes advanced math.
Junior
Colleges provide a good transition from the structure of high school to the
freedom students enjoy at the post secondary level. Smaller classes allow
faculty to monitor student progress and provide availability professors at four
year schools do not have the luxury for. Students continuing their education at
a four year school find courses automatically accepted if they graduate with an
Associate of Arts Degree as opposed to simply transferring with a number of
hours. With the A. A. Degree universities must accept the work completed
allowing the student to begin working toward their major field. Without
the A+ Degree universities may pick and choose what course they will accept;
students often find themselves repeating courses they already have taken.
In
January or the first of February we will be opening the Computer Lab one
evening so you can have the opportunity to fill out the FAFSA. The FAFSA
is a website the government sponsors to assist in determining eligibility for
federal grants and assistance. Colleges you select are also sent this
information which is used to award endowment scholarships to their student
body. All students looking for college scholarships from universities
will need to fill out this important document. Once this date is selected
we will announce it here and through the Wildcat.
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Now is
a good time to be thinking about colleges, universities or technical schools
your child may be interested in or the direction they will want to take.
Technical School programs run anywhere from 18 months to two years. These
may be a little more expensive but require shorter training, putting graduates
into the workforce quicker. Their placement rate is usually around 98
percent placement, meaning 98 percent of their graduates find jobs in their
field of study. Junior college programs last two years or may bridge into
a program at a university. Junior Colleges are usually cheaper and have a
smaller student body. University programs take anywhere from four to
eight years depending on the program.
This
coming summer would be a good time to visit the schools you and your child are
interested in and get a feel for the campus along with the community of the
college. Meet with admissions staff and ask for a guided tour. It
is also important to ask about entrance requirements; this will give decisions
during the senior year a direction.
Parents:
During
Parent/Teacher Conferences I will have available the courses your child should
take if they are interested in attending a four year school, junior college or
a technical school. The courses may vary depending on the path they wish
to take. The course paths may not diverge until the junior year.
These are things you need to consider as well as the GPA your student has and
the ACT score they receive. Be sure to pick one up and discuss it with
your child. If you have any questions please feel free to discuss it with
me.
Helpful Links
Search for Information about Colleges and Universities
in the United States
www.anycollege.net
Links to Webpages for All Colleges and
Universities in the State of Missouri
http://www.statehousegirls.net/mo/colleges/
Murray State University
www.murraystate.edu
University of Illinois-Champaign
www.uiuc.edu
Information for All Military Branches
http://www.armedforcescareers.com/
Reminders:
Pay attention to deadlines for the
applications for admission and scholarships for the schools of interest to you.
Apply for admission prior to or at the
same time as you apply for scholarships
Apply to any and all colleges of
interest to you and narrow your decision down to just one as your senior year
draws to a close
**** Request that I send your transcripts to the colleges that you have applied to; this will
enable your admission process to be completed without delays.****
Other Helpful Websites
ACT Registration and Test Information
www.actstudent.org
Wired Scholar--Scholarship/College
Information
www.wiredscholar.com
Fastweb--Scholarship/College Information
www.fastweb.com
FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student
Aide
www.fafsa.ed.gov
SAT Registration and Test Information
www.collegeboard.com
Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/
NCAA Clearinghouse Initial Eligibility
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
Selective Service Registration
www.sss.gov
ACT
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Last updated: Thursday,
October 31, 2013
Questions/Comments:
email: jwyatt@leopold.k12.mo.us