FAFSA Help

If you are a senior student or a parent of a student at Richland Northeast High School, then you are invited to join us for a FAFSA Workshop. This workshop will be led by Ron Mendenhall of The College Funding Center of South Carolina. Mr. Mendenhall will lead participants step-by-step through the process of filling out the FAFSA. Interested in this free opportunity for assistance? Then register today!

First Generation: An Immigrant's Story

You may be the first in your family, but you should know that there are people among you who have walked this trail before. Here in our own high school, many faculty members responded that they too were the first in their family to go to college. As you read this interview, you may hear parts of your own story. Our hope is that each of these stories will encourage you to continue the sometimes difficult, but always rewarding, path towards a college degree.

Our first respondant emigrated here when she was in the eleventh grade. Here is my interview with Mrs. K:

Will you please share with our readers one reason you decided to go to college?

Mrs. K: My mother always expected that I would go to college. My mother and my father (who passed away when I was a baby) both had a 12th grade education and lived in farming communities where further education was usually unavailable and actually unnecessary to own and manage a large property. She knew that I should make it to the university and made sure to send me to a school where the expectations were high and where I was likely to be friends with others who had the same goals. It worked.
When I emigrated to the US I entered 11th grade. Financially, college was a remote possibility because the cost to come to the US had taken a bite out of our savings. Additionally, we arrived with 2 suitcases and a trunk of a few household items and family treasures. We had to start over again in every aspect of living and setting up a house. Some friends and family thought I should become a secretary (like my mother) and work as a nanny for a family while I went to school at night. I was incensed by this opinion and more determined than ever to go to college and become either a pharmacist, teacher or librarian - something I could easily have completed in Australia.
My mother and I made an agreement that I would work after school and she would take a part-time job after her regular job and we would save and save. We agreed that I would be responsible for the second semester every year, and she would be responsible for the first semester every year. Every vacation in the school year and during the school year, from the beginning of my senior year in high school until I started my first job, I worked somewhere, and through sheer determination we made it financially without loans of any kind. She was my hero.

Can you share anything else that helped you in your pursuit of a college degree?
Mrs. K: I knew the difference that the college degree wold make in my life - I could see it all around me. I could see how difficult it was for my mother to live on her salary, and I knew I was capable of doing better, and more than anything, she believed in me.

Please share with us a difficulty in going to college and, perhaps, how you overcame that difficulty ?
Mrs. K:I was clueless about all that college entailed and would be like from A to Z. I was genuinely naive about how the outside world operated and I had to become assertive for myself in making sure that I was not "run over" by more dominant people.
I foolishly signed over my room first semester so that I could move to a better dorm before I already had a room to go to....for about 48 hours it looked like I was going to be homeless on campus and I could not tell my mother. Finally, I found a room in a dorm through a friend from high school. It was not the best room mate because she slept days and practiced as a voice major during the evening and came home at 2:00 am. It was lonely, but I stuck it out and learned a very valuable lesson.

Was college what you expected?
Mrs. K:I went to the University of Connecticut in Storrs which is the flagship university for the state and it is very selective, taking less than the top 10% of applicants/high school graduates. It was much harder to study than I ever imagined. My first semester was very difficult, but eventually I got the hang of the lectures, notes, labs, tests, papers, and going to see professors for extra help, and I started to make very good grades. High school was very nurturing, and college was a cold distant experience in large classes and little or no "touch time" with the professor. It probably took me three semesters to begin to feel that I had the hang of this thing when I started taking upper level courses in English where I was an excellent student. That built my confidence to overcome the mediocre grades I had earned in the general courses required for freshmen and sophomores.
I joined a sorority at the end of my sophomore year and within that small group of girls I found opportunities for leadership positions. That supportive group was helpful in handling difficult classes, finding jobs on campus, providing information about social situations and generally making me part of a larger group with an identity that made me comfortable. It gave me the "home structure" that was so lacking in other general dorms where the population was forever changing.

Thank you so much Mrs. K for sharing your insight on being a first generation college graduate, as well as your own personal story as an immigrant.

FAFSA Question: "Can I file as an independent?"

Have a question about whether to fill out the FAFSA as a dependent or independent? Use this dependency status worksheet online and you should have your answer.

SAT Test improvement

Want to have a chance to improve your SAT scores? Then take a few minutes every day and practice. College Board has a great practice tool for you to use for free! Check it out!

FAFSA HELP on College Goal Sunday(or Saturday)

Don't be fooled by the name College Goal Sunday! Here in Columbia, South Carolina, our College Goal Sunday will actually be held on a Saturday! So if you want some help getting that FAFSA completed then put this date on the calendar. There will be assistance available on Saturday, February 27 at the Downtown Richland County Public Library on Assembly Street. Help available from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM

Assistance available at site:

• Adult/Non-Traditional Student Concerns

• FAFSA on the Web

• Financial Literacy

• Foster & Homeless Youth

• Grants/Scholarships

Go here to see the list of items you need to bring with you. If you don't live in Columbia, SC, find out where you can get this assistance in a location close to you!

Preparation for College part II

Friday, we looked at the first three ingredients in the recipe for a strong college application. Today, let's take a look at another.

Colleges and universities are interested in putting together a diverse student population. When a college talks about diversity, they are talking about a make-up of students who bring a wide variety of backgrounds, interests, and skills. So adding to the diversity of the college campus may include your years of cello playing. Or the perfect score on the math portion of your SAT. Or your intensity, passion, and skill in a particular academic or extracurricular area. So grab a piece of paper. Go and get it, I'll wait.

OK, now that you are back, write down three talents that you have spent time developing. Don't have three? Then write down one. Do you play an instrument? Do you sing? Do you write poetry? Do you excel in math or science or english. Do you play a sport? All of these matter.

Now, how have you used those talents to serve others? How can you use that talent to serve others? Can you tutor? Can you lead a basketball clinic for the kids in your community? Can you organize a food drive to help your out-of-work neighbors? Students who are strong candidates take initiative, look for service opportunities, and show that they use what they know to benefit others. Colleges want to be able to say with pride that "FILL IN YOUR NAME is an alumnus" of their school and "look what they are doing to change the world." Therefore, if you are already changing your community, then chances are, you will later make them proud to call you a graduate of their school.

Now you know why colleges ask you to list your clubs, jobs, leadership, and community service. Don't let this intimidate you. Colleges want to see what you can bring to their campus and what their campus has that will be good for you. It is all part of making sure that the college is a good fit. They are not looking for a long extensive list. They are looking for depth of interest and leadership opportunities taken. If you haven't already, expand your horizons to include development of your strengths! Who knows? One day, some college or university will proudly say, " she/he is one of ours!"

Preparation for College

We are talking this month about doing the work necessary to make sure you are ready to go to college. So let's start taking apart what a strong college application looks like.

Academics: Did you take a challenging curriculum? Did you do well in your classes? If you faltered early with grades, did you consistently improve over the years?
*Did you know that students who take math higher than Algebra II have a much higher rate of bachelors degree completion than those who do not?

Class rank: Compared to the students in your class who had the same educational class offerings, where do you stand?

Test Scores: Take the ACT or SAT. If you want your scores to be strong, take challenging courses. Read, read, read. The more you read, the more likely it is that you will be able to do well on the Critical reading and writing portions of the SAT. By all means, take advantage of test preparation opportunities. There are some links in the sidebar of this blog that may be helpful. Saturday, January 23, Kaplan is offering a free full length practice SAT test. Take advantage!

We will continue breaking apart a strong college application in the coming days. Stay tuned!