College Application Fees

If you are one of the students getting ready to apply to several colleges in the fall, be prepared. College application fees can reach up to $75 per application. Though most fees are less, when you are applying to several schools, your out of pocket expenses can go up. The average cost of an application fee is approximately $35 according to College Board and it is usually non-refundable. But...there are ways to help decrease your costs!

• Are you on free lunch? If you are eligible for free lunch at school, you may be eligible for an SAT or ACT fee waiver. AND...if you qualify for an SAT or ACT fee waiver, you may also be eligible for college application fee waivers. This will help decrease the amount of money you will have to pay in the fall.

• Additionally, there are some web sites to explore to help you save time and money:
• Common Application
• Universal Application
• Black College Application : One $35 fee to apply to 33 HBCU's

• Some colleges offer free or reduced applications if you apply online and early in the fall. This doesn't mean early decision, but applying early in the application season. Take a look at your favorite college or university web site early in September to see if they offer a free application.

• Students may also want to prepare for the fall application fees by earning a little extra spending money. Mow a lawn, babysit, or save some money from your summer job.

If the average fee is $35 and the average student applies to 5-7 schools, you can see why saving money is important. Don't ever let money be a reason to skip out on applying. Talk to your guidance counselor or your college center early about your concerns. He or she can help identify resources that may help you.

Change of Address

Are you getting ready to write an admissions office requesting information? Apply to college? Write a note to a teacher requesting a recommendation? Then take a look at your email address. Email addresses like "Iwearshortshorts" just may tell an admissions counselor more than they want to know. Applying for college or for a job requires that you put forth your best and most professional impression. Take a look at your email address today and make a change if necessary. It will also help keep you organized if you use one address specifically for your college search and application process. Google Gmail is one source of free email addresses.

College Application Essay Brainstorm Exercise

Many college admissions representatives have shared that in a college application essay they are trying to learn something about the applicant that they haven't seen in the rest of the application. It may mean they learn more about what interests you, what your passion is, your writing skill and style, how you spend your time, or how you see yourself. Ultimately, all questions lead back to "tell me more about yourself." Keeping this in mind, here is an exercise that may help stimulate the gray matter and get you ready for getting YOU down on paper.

REMEMBER: THIS IS A BRAINSTORM SESSION! Write down the first answers that come to your mind for each exercise. There are no right or wrong answers!

1. Set a timer for 3 minutes: Write down at least 10 things that you love spending time doing.
2. Set a timer for 3 minutes: Write down 3-5 political/international issues that intrigue you. Review your list. Rate those issues in order of importance to you 1-5, 1 being most important.
3. Set a timer for 3 minutes: Write down the names of five people you would like to talk with. Choose one of those people and put a star by their name.
4. Set a timer for 3 minutes: Write down 3 questions you would ask the person you marked with a star. (Pretend you will have only 15 minutes with that person and write the three most burning questions that you would want to know.)
5. Set a timer for 5 minutes: Write 10 two- word descriptions of how you would like to be known when you are 75 ( jazz musician, brilliant scientist, phenomenal teacher...)

OK, now look over your lists. What do you see about yourself? Did you discover any new insights? These lists may help jump-start your essays. Use them! The admissions application essays are waiting!

SAT Test registration

College Board has extended the late registration deadline for the SAT until this Friday, May 22. If you are a junior, who is planning on attending a four-year college, the SAT or the ACT may be required as part of your application. Most colleges and universities use either one of the tests as part of the admissions criteria. See the links on the side column for their websites.

Expectations

So you have a student in high school and you want an idea of how much the federal government calculates you should pay for college? The federal government uses a formula based on tax information from student and parent to develop an expected family contribution(EFC). This is the number that college and university financial aid offices use to begin to put together a financial aid package. To find out what your EFC is use one of many tools on the web.

If you have a senior and it is after January 1 then you should fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). But let's say that your student is younger and you really want to know what to expect, then try this relatively new tool that the federal government makes available to forecast your financial aid future. To go a little further in planning use the Student Aid on the Web Wizards. There are a host of tools on this site that will help you as you plan to pay for college.

Go ahead! Take a peek at what you can expect to pay!

Think College

Did you know that, over a lifetime, a college graduate makes almost $1 million dollars MORE than someone without a college education?

According to the Census Bureau, over an adult's working life:

• high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million
• associate's degree holders earn about $1.6 million
• bachelor's degree holders earn about $2.1 million

Porter, K.(2002) “The Value of a College Degree”. Retrieved January 21, 2009, from ERIC Digest Web site: http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-3/value.htm

Picture Perfect

Want an up close and personal look at someone? Take a look at their portrait. Want an up close and personal look at a college or university? Try CollegePortraits.org! College websites, though full of information, are often a great marketing tool. The College Portrait site was designed by the Voluntary System of AccountabilityTM, (VSA) - "a program designed to provide greater accountability through accessible, transparent, and comparable information." I know that I plan on adding this link as part of the resources we go to in our College and Career Center here at Richland Northeast High School.

Packing Up? Moving Out?

Whether you are moving into a dorm for a semester or moving into your own first home, here is a list of possible items needed:

Mom or Dad bring a hammer/screwdriver/approved room nails.
You may need these items to put together lofts and hang items in rooms.
Mattress pad and/or mattress topper
Sheets 2 sets ( check if need extra long)
Comforter or bedspread
Pillow or pillows
Towels( at least 2)
Washcloths (at least 2)
Dish towel(2)
Room decorations/Pictures from home
May want a rug for room
Microwave(check with your school and roommate)
Refrigerator( check with your school and roommate)
Coffee pot/coffee/tea/hot chocolate(check with your school)
Hand can opener/bottle opener
Small collapsable cooler
Paper or plastic eating utensils/cups/bowl/plate/water bottle
Personal Care Items:
Shower caddy
Shampoo comb
Conditioner brush
Lotion hair dryer
Deodorant Qtips/cotton balls
Shaving cream toothbrush
Razor toothpaste
Hairspray
Hair styling gel
Soap or shower gel
Shower shoes
Medical needs( optional)
Insurance cards
Bandaids
Tylenol, ibuprofen, and or aspirin
Vitamins
Cold medicine
Clothing
Robe/PJ’s/jeans/one black dress or coat and tie
Shoe tree or door shoe caddy
Shelf unit or drawer unit as needed
Computer/Printer/paper/ink
Television/DVD or VCR
Cords as per school
Multi outlet surge protector
Phone for room unless using cell phone only
Check your cell phone plan to see if more minutes needed
Alarm clock
Dry erase bulletin board/dry erase markers
Double stick foam for putting pictures on walls(check with your school for approval)
Room freshener/surface cleaner/dish soap
Laundry bag and/or basket
Laundry detergent
Fabric softener(optional) I use the Downy ball/or dryer sheets.
Many schools now have laundry cards or laundry included. Check with your school.
Iron and table top ironing board
Spray starch
Hangers
Futon(optional)
Lap desk
Lamp and/or desk light
Vacuum
Book bag/satchel/backpack
School supplies
Paper: notebook and computer
Notebooks
Scissors
Tape
Stapler/staples
Pens/pencils/printer ink

How do you stack up?

Looking to see how your SAT/ACT scores stack up at some of the most popular colleges and universities? Check out this state by state listing. The site has links to college profiles, costs, as well as admission data for many colleges and universities from each state.

Keep in mind that when profile books like Fiske Guide to the Colleges, Peterson's Four Year Colleges or other resources list the SAT or ACT scores, they often give the mid-50% range. This means that 25% of the admitted students have lower scores and 25% of the admitted students have higher scores. The mid 50% gives a more realistic look than an average score as to how you may stack up.

Likewise, keep in mind that most colleges are looking for your best score, that may be from an ACT or from the SAT. SAT sub-scores include critical reading, math, and writing. A college or university usually mixes sub-scores, meaning they may take your best critical reading and best math scores from separate test sittings. The ACT is divided into 4 sub-tests including english, reading, math, and science. Most schools do NOT mix and match ACT sub-scores and look only at the composite from one test sitting. For more information on scoring on the ACT , click here.

Talk to your guidance counselor about which test may be best for you to take. The counselor may have access to your PLAN (the pre-ACT) and your PSAT and can advise based on which test you fared better. Because the SAT and ACT score their tests in differently, you may not know how they compare to one another. Look at SAT/ACTconversion chart to compare the two test scores.