Quest for College

When looking for scholarships, remember to look at the following:

1. Financial and citizenship requirements
2. Deadlines
3. What the money can be used for
   1. Sometimes money only goes towards tuition (which IS NOT room and board)
   2. Other times, money will go towards anything
   3. In certain cases, scholarships only apply to specific schools
   4. From time to time, scholarships will have “benefits” like a required paid internship. Make sure you can commit to the time requirements.
   5. Occasionally, scholarships will only be for students planning to study a certain topic.

Where to look for scholarships:

These websites were found through a Google search of “scholarships for college”

http://www.fastweb.com

http://www.petersons.com

http://www.scholarships.com

http://www.collegescholarships.com

http://www.college-scholarships.com

These websites are affiliated with larger organizations

http://lospadresfoundation.org

http://www.uncf.org

http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp

http://scholarship.carolinarice.com/

http://www.timewarnercable.com/MidOhio/about/education/scholarship.html

http://www.collegescholarships.org/fortune500.htm

http://collegenow.cuny.edu/nextstop/scholarships/

http://docs.nycenet.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-329/Scholarship%20Guide%202008_2009.pdf

Searching for scholarships requires you to be a “sleuth” of sorts because EVERYBODY wants free money. When searching, think about the less likely places people will look.

1. Look into a parent’s workplace
2. Checkout major companies (or smaller companies that seem to do well as a business)
3. Use Google, but instead of googling “college scholarships”, look up “scholarships for athletic Dominicans”; “scholarships for community service”, “scholarships for models”, etc.

Remember:

NOT ALL people are honest, so if a website looks suspicious, maybe you shouldn’t apply to that scholarship. People who have your information can scam you. You can double check by googling the name of the scholarship and “scam” to double check. This may not be accurate, but it might help assuage your paranoia.

If a scholarship is not up to date, send a formal email, call, or send a letter to make sure that the scholarship is still being offered. Some applications are not released until later dates, but if you know it’s going to be released, you can plan ahead, finish the essay, and just wait for the updated application to come out. Typically, scholarships ask the same questions every year.

FILING for a FAFSA PIN

If is in your best interest to complete this BEFORE January 15!

Below are written directions to get a FAFSA pin. Please also use the step-by-step visual directions on the next page.

Go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

 Do NOT just Google FAFSA, it will lead you to the WRONG website.

The ONLY website that you can file FAFSA is the one listed above.

Click the pin site link at the top middle of the page

 This should take you to: http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp

 Click on the APPLY NOW link at the bottom right of the page

 Read the application details and click Next

 Enter the application information

 MAKE SURE your SS # is CORRECT!

 WRITE DOWN the answer to your “challenge question”. You will need this!

 If you enter your own pin:

• Write it down and give a copy of it to Tisha for your file.
• This will help your application process more quickly.

 Click: Agree not to share your pin

 Submit Pin Application

 Write your pin AND answer to challenge question below and hand form to Tisha

 Make a copy of these numbers and answers for yourself.

 Print out 1 copy of your Pin Application Confirmation (if you have access to a printer)

 Repeat this process with an adult who claims you on their taxes

 ***       ***       ***

Once you receive: 1. your pin  2. your parent’s pin, and 3. your parents’ taxes:

1. File your FAFSA

OR

Make a meeting with Tisha to help you file your FAFSA

Print out a FAFSA confirmation

Call the Financial Aid department colleges that you applied to and were accepted to. Confirm that they received your FAFSA

 Answer following questions and hand this sheet into Tisha:

Your Pin: __________                   Answer to Challenge Question:_______________

Your Pin: __________                   Answer to Challenge Question:_______________

LATINO COLLEGE FAIR, NOVEMBER 21, 2009 at FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ROSE HILL
50+ PRIVATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

On Saturday, November 21, from 11:45 am (registration opens) to 4:30 pm, a free Latino College Fair will be held at the Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus in Bronx, NY. The afternoon’s activities will feature a college access and financial aid workshop, followed by a College Fair with college and university representatives from around the state.

There will also be an opportunity for families to talk in smaller one-on-one sessions with financial aid experts. And, the Sallie Mae Fund will award a $500 scholarship to a high school senior who attends the event!
 
The schedule for the day is below:

Latino College Fair, Saturday, November 21, 2009, at Fordham University Rose Hill
12:15 pm:                    Welcoming Remarks
12:45 – 2:00 pm:         Paying for College Workshop – English/simultaneous Spanish translation
2:00 – 4:30 pm:           College Fair
2:00 – 4:30 pm:           “Ask the Expert” Financial aid small group sessions
3:00 – 4:00 pm:            Campus Tours available
4:30 pm:                      Conclusion
 
The College Fair will allow students and parents/guardians to talk with more than 50 college admission and financial aid representatives from the independent colleges and universities in the state. The “Paying for College” session will help students and their families understand the admissions and financial aid process and programs. It will cover college affordability, including explanations of grants and scholarships plus financial aid forms, terms and deadlines. The “Ask the Expert” sessions will give students and families an opportunity to sit down with financial aid experts to get answers to their specific financial aid/paying for college questions. For those who are interested in exploring Fordham University Rose Hill, there will be an opportunity to tour the Fordham campus at 3:00 pm.
 
Although families’ and teachers’ registration to attend the event is not required, it will help us gauge interest and plan for the refreshments we’ll have available at the event. To register for the event online, go to: http://capwiz.com/cicu/go/2009_Latino_College_Fair (case sensitive).

Many of your applications will ask you for your “Current Courseload”, or what classes you are currently taking.

Please use the list below to answer this question.

You SHOULD NOT list the teacher’s name on supplemental applications.

Available Senior Courses in 2010

English

Brett – English Journalism

Avi – Dramatic Writing and Literature

Jess W. – College Literature Seminar

History

Laura – Senior Research Seminar

Jeremiah – Senior Civics Seminar

Tad -

Math

Phil, Cristina, Bobby – Math: A  Human Endeavor

Tisha – Senior College Seminar

Science

Ben – Psychology & the Brain

Design

Corey – Marketing & Design

Scott – Mediatorm

Brian – Film Studies

For the SUNY application, you can list these courses as “College Preparatory” or “Other”.

Seniors,

Don’t forget that your revised and perfected personal statements and resumes are due on Thursday, October 29 by 4:00 pm sharp!

This is an extension from the prior deadline.

You can meet with Tisha, Avi, or another teacher after school Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday next week. If you wait until Wednesday, you will have A LOT of work to do Wednesday night.

Please use the link below to check that you have completed all of the personal statement steps as outlined by Avi:

http://questforcollege.edublogs.org/files/2009/10/Checklist_for_Final_Draft_of_College_Application_Essay1.doc

1. Make your list of at least 4 CUNYs that you want to apply to. Be sure that AT LEAST 1 is a community college.

2. Go to http://www.cuny.edu

3. Click on the top tab on the left that says “Apply to CUNY”

4. Select “Undergraduate Applicant”

5. Click on “Have you Prepared for your Undergraduate Application?”

6. Select “High School Students”

7. Click “Application Steps”

6. Print out “Freshman Application Worksheet” (Link after 1.)     

7. Read and fill out “Freshman Application Worksheet”

8. Have Tisha proofread “Freshman Application Worksheet”

9. Follow the steps on the “Freshman Application Worksheet” to apply to CUNYs.

10. Don’t forget to update your “College Application Sheet” (Write your username and password on this sheet) and check off each completed step on your Checklist.

Remember, there are NO fee waivers for the CUNY application. You will need to pay for it with either a $65 money order to CUNY UAPC or by credit or debit card online. The online payment allows your application to be processed more quickly, but either form of payment is fine.

When you send in your payment, don’t forget to include a copy of your CUNY receipt, found on the last page of the CUNY application print out.

What is a supplemental application?

Well, supplemental means additional, so a supplemental application is an additional application.

As you know, the majority of your application is a bunch of numbers: SSN (Social Security Number), GPA, SAT, ACT, phone number, house number, etc.

Typically, the supplemental application is a place where you can showcase your personality, your life experience, your work experience, and your achievements, so even though it’s more work for you, it’s a good thing that supplemental applications exist, otherwise you’d just be a bunch of numbers.

When filling out Supplemental Applications:

* Fill them out in black or blue ink

* White out mistakes, DO NOT cross out mistakes.

* Write neatly. People will judge you on the neatness of your application!

* When you have perfected an application (you know it’s perfect because an adult has checked it), make 2 copies of it – 1 to send out and 1 for your files in case the copy you send out gets lost in the mail.

Call the college 2 weeks after you send out your application to make sure the college has received and processed it. Otherwise, your application may be delayed!

What’s the difference between CUNYs and SUNYs?

CUNY stands for City University of New York.

SUNY stands for State University of New York

Basically, this means that both groups of schools are Universities of New York, which in this case makes them public schools.

CUNYs are in the City of New York. This includes all 5 boroughs, but NOT Long Island because Long Island is NOT a part of New York City.

SUNYs are in the State of New York. This includes all of New York state, so there is even one SUNY in New York City: FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology)

Other SUNYs that are near New York City are:

SUNY Farmingdale: 1 – 1.5 hours away on the LIRR to Long Island

SUNY Maritime: 1 hour from New Design on city trains in the North Bronx

SUNY New Paltz: 1.5 – 2 hours away on Metro North

SUNY Old Westbury: 1 – 1.5 hours away on the LIRR to  Long Island

SUNY Purchase: 45 minutes – 1 hour away on Metro North

SUNY Stony Brook: 1.5 hours away on the LIRR to Long Island

Applying to SUNYs is very important because ultimately, they are the most affordable schools (with the best educations) that exist outside of New York City.

For those who are eligible for fee waivers, the application fee of $40 per school is waived, saving you $160. However, if accepted to one of these institutions, you will save tens of thousands of dollars on tuition during your undergraduate degree, so it’s worth paying $40 per school even if you’re not eligible for a fee waiver.

BEFORE YOU APPLY! Make sure that you have chosen  the 4 SUNYs  you plan to apply to AND decided on majors (Remember, these can change, but you’ll need to choose a major when applying to each school).

How to apply:

1. Go to http://www.suny.edu

2. Select “Future Students”

3. Click on “Apply Now”

4. “Create a Login”

* Don’t forget to Capitalize your First and Last names.

* Make sure you have a professional e-mail address.

* Write down  your Username and Password on your College Applications Sheet.

5. “Start Application”

* You should answer as many questions as possible, but you only NEED to answer questions with stars next to them.

Section 1: Preliminary Questions (You can go back to this secion by clicking “Preliminary Questions” on the left hand column of the page)

* For Question 2: You WILL BE a Freshman

* Question 3: If you are eligible for a SUNY Fee Waiver, you are also eligible to apply for EOP. If you click yes, the system will ask you to confirm by answering 3-4 questions about your status and income.

IF YOU LIE ABOUT THIS, SUNY WILL FIND OUT BECAUSE YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR TAX AND INCOME INFORMATION TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID. IF THIS HAPPENS, YOUR APPLICATIONS WILL GET DELAYED UNTIL YOU PAY YOUR APPLICATION FEES. THIS MAY CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR SPOT AT A SCHOOL.

* Question 4: You are applying for Fall 2010

Section 2: About Me (You can go back to this secion by clicking “About Me” on the left hand column of the page)

Don’t forget to Capitalize  your First and Last names

* Social Security Number: If you are NOT SURE about your SSN, DON’T TYPE IT IN YET!!! Entering the incorrect SSN will cause you many headaches, at least an hour of phone time, and at least 2 weeks delay in  your college application process.

* Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy): This means that if you’re birthday’s on July 6, 1992, you enter it (07/06/1992). That’s 2 numbers for the month, 2 numbers for the day, and 4 numbers (yyyy) for the  year!

* If you DO NOT have Military Status and there is no option (Not applicable), leave it blank. The same goes for Disability Status.

*If you DO NOT have official or academic records under another name, DO NOT fill in “Former First Name” or “Former Last Name”

Section 3: My Addresses

* The following boroughs correspond with the listed counties:

Bronx: Bronx

Brooklyn: Kings

Manhattan: New York

Queens: Queens

Staten Island: Richmond

Section 4: My Family

* An Alumni is somebody who has graduated from a University of College.

* If somebody in your family has graduated from a SUNY school,  you should put their name in this section. You need to know what school they graduated from to enter it into this category.

Section 5: My Student Info

* You are applying to be a “Full-time” students. Don’t worry, full-time college is much easier than full-time high school. You won’t have to go to school all day AND you won’t even have school everyday.

* You are NOT an adult learner. Adult learners are people who are going back to finish their B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) when they’re in their 30s.

Section 6: My High School

* When searching for your high school, search by high school CEEB code: 333842. This is the same school code that you use when applying to the SATs and ACTs. If you put more information in, the computer will get confused and  you will NOT find New Design.

* Your graduation status is : Will graduate

* Your date of high school graduation will be: 06/2010 (mm/yyyy), get it?

* You will ONLY check a response under the college credits question if you are in a “college course taught in high school” The only class like this right now is the College Now class in Psychology.

Section 7: My Campuses

* Remember, you’re enrolling for Fall 2010

* If you school is NOT FIT, apply for On-Campus housing. You can change your mind later, but having the option gives you more leeway in the decision you make later.

* You are NOT applying for Special Campus Project or  Joint Admission.

* Click “Add Campus” to add another campus. After you’ve added your 4 campuses, click “Continue”

Only add 4 campuses, unless you want to pay $40 per extra campus (6 is the maximum number that you can apply to).

Finishing Up:

* After you list all of your campuses and press “Continue” you will have an option to Print your Application. DO THIS!

* Make sure your SSN (Social Security Number) is correct – REMEMBER the warning from above.

* Double check EVERYTHING! Making changes on your application take TIME…and you don’t have a lot of that.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU’VE UPDATED YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS SHEET SO THAT EACH SUNY THAT YOU APPLIED TO IS LISTED WITH YOUR INTENDED MAJOR!

When the website asks you for payment, if you are eligible for a Fee Waiver, click fee waiver and continue. Otherwise, you will need a credit card to finish this part of your application.

When you’re SURE that your application is perfect and ready, SUBMIT it.

Print out 2 copies of each of the following (1 for your files and 1 for Tisha’s files):

1. A Confirmation page

2. 2 copies of the Student Counselor Form (Tisha gets both of these because she will send 1 out to each of your colleges and will keep 1 for your file in case 1 gets lost in the mail) - You will need to sign in the middle of the page where it asks for Student signature and make sure that the top is filled out.

As long as you print this right when you finish your application, it will be filled in, otherwise you’ll have to write everything by hand 2 times!

Click continue and then look at the list “My Submitted Applications”

If there is a Supplemental Application, click on the link to print the PDF. Read the Supplemental Application blog entry for help on completing these.

Most schools will have supplemental applications, so this blog will apply to all college and university applications.

* Print out copies of ALL supplemental applications.

Things to consider when choosing your SUNYs:

1. How close you need to be to the city.

This includes how often you think you’ll want to come home, how much money it will cost to get home, and how much time it will take to get home.

To get a visual sense of how far a school is away from the city, check out the back cover of your SUNY Viewbook.

To get an exact driving time, put your address and the school’s address into www.googlemaps.com or www.mapquest.com

2. What size you want your school to be.

Think about how important it is that people know your name and who you are.

Each school’s undergraduate population is listed under its name in your SUNY Viewbook.

You can also find the Student Faculty Ratio there, which is the number of students for every 1 teacher. The student faculty ratio at New Design is about 25:1.

3. What you want to study.

Most students change their minds about what they want to study at least twice in college. Even more, you don’t have to commit to your major until second semester of your sophomore year, so just make sure that the college offers a few majors that you’re interested in.

In the SUNY Viewbook, take a look at the Curriculum Index on pages 26-27. These pages will lead you to a list of schools that offer your major.

Note: In the top left column on page 26, the Key shows that numbers printed in purple are designated for Bachelor’s Degrees.

4. How your GPA and SAT scores match up to the school’s.

Remember, there are “Reach, “Accessible”, and “Safety” schools.

You should apply to about 9 schools where at least 3 fall into the “Accessible” and “Safety” categories (6 total).

Reach: A school’s academic standards are much higher than your current status. It is not very likely that you will get into your reach, but since schools also look at extracurriculars, resumes, personal statements, and sometimes interviews, it is possible.

Accessible: A school’s academic standards are near your current academic standards. It is very possible that you will get into accessible schools, but it is important that you do a good job of highlighting your extracurriculars and resume activities. Also, your personal statement needs to point out special circumstances and perspective that you have.

Safety: A school’s academic standards are below yours. Typically, these schools accept you about 80% of the time, however, it is still important to make sure your college application package is in good order and represents you well, as the rate of college enrollment is on the rise, leaving fewer spots for college candidates who might have previously been accepted. Standards are rising!