Scholarship for California Community College Grads

A Massachusetts college has scholarships and a plane ticket for California community college grads. American International College (AIC) offering a program that provides up to $10,000 a year in scholarship money and a plane ticket from California to the east coast. AIC is located in Springfield, MA. Specific requirements must be met. Read more http://tinyurl.com/yb4qq42

Win $1,000 in College Essay Contest

EssayEdge, a college application essay editing service, is launching its "Tell Your Story College Admissions Essay Contest," which will award a grand prize of $1,000. The contest runs through Dec. 1.

"With college application season in full swing, we want to offer an opportunity for students to compete for scholarship funds with their college application essays," said Scott Johns, manager of consumer business at EssayEdge.com. Get more details at: http://tinyurl.com/yf54l24

If you're a high school senior, you probably have decided which colleges to apply to and are working on your applications. If you haven't decided, or in your junior year of high school and planning to visit campuses during spring break, now is the time to start researching colleges and universities that are a good match for your academic abilities and extracurricular interests.

An excellent way to research colleges is through the many guidebooks available. These will provide information about schools across the U.S. and Canada including:

• Academics
• Dorm Life
• GPA and Test scores of admitted students
• Extracurriculars
• Sororities and Fraternities
• Location
• Financial Aid
• Tuition Fees

College guidebooks can be purchased online, at bookstores or you might be able to find them at your local library or at your high school's college counseling office.

More on specific college guidebooks can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/ykljzar

Ayn Rand Essay Contest

25th Annual Essay Contest on Ayn Rand's Novel The Fountainhead

www.aynrand.org for more details

For 11th and 12th Graders

Entry Deadline: April 25, 2010

FIRST PRIZE: $10,000
5 SECOND PRIZES: $2,000
10 THIRD PRIZES: $1,000
45 FINALISTS: $100
175 SEMIFINALISTS: $50

College Essay

Today's College Admission News:

For some good advice on writing your college essay or personal statement, check out the October 25 Washington Times' story, "Giving admissions essays the old college try." Lots of good tips. http://tinyurl.com/yhnlbwr

Scholarships: The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is the nation's largest provider of college financial aid for Latino students. You or your family must be descended from specific countries that are listed on the fund's web site to be eligible. A minimum cumulative 3.00 GPA based on a 4.00 scale is required. For high school graduating students, the cumulative GPA is for grades at least 9th through 11. Complete details are at: http://www.hsf.net/. Be sure to check out the deadlines. Some are coming up soon. Good luck!

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

A lot of companies, both large and small, give scholarships for high school students planning to attend college. The deadline is coming up for seniors who want to apply for the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. Current high school or home-schooled seniors attending school in the U.S. (or select DoD schools) are eligible. The deadline to apply is October 31. Applicants must be planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution and have a minimum 3.00 GPA at the end of their junior year of high school. Applicants may not be children or grandchildren of employees, officers or owners of Coca−Cola bottling companies, The Coca−Cola Company, Company divisions or subsidiaries. More details on how to become one of 50 students who will be designated as National
Scholars and receive awards of $20,000 for college; or 200 students who will be designated as Regional Scholars and receive awards of $10,000 for college are available at: https://www.coca-colascholars.org/cokeWeb/.

Application Fees Temporarily Waived in Indiana

University temporarily waives application fee

By Mikel Livingston

Editor-in-Chief

Publication Date: 10/14/2009

sponsored by

In a statewide effort to increase college affordability, Purdue, along with several other Indiana colleges, will be temporarily dropping its application fee.

As part of the program, called College GO! Week, high school seniors who apply to Purdue from Oct. 12 to 16 will not be required to pay the mandatory application fee. The fee is $50 at both the West Lafayette and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne campuses. Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central do not have application fees, although North Central will be waiving its $30 transfer application fee.

“During this week, educators throughout Indiana will focus on helping and empowering students to be active participants in their future,” said Pam Horne, assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions.

Purdue joins 37 other Indiana colleges in the initiative, including all seven state universities and a number of private institutions.

“Waiving application fees is a visible gesture of support by our colleges and universities during a time when many Hoosier students and families need it most,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers. “We must bring this same shared commitment and sense of urgency to ensuring our students graduate from high school with the essential academic preparation they need to complete a college degree.”

Source: The Exponent

USC Freshman Admit Stats

University of Southern California (USC) information for class of 2013 admits. Source:
http://tinyurl.com/yc39xtq

There were 35,753 applicants. 8,724 (24%) were admitted. 2,869 enrolled.
Mean GPA (unweighted) for fall admits, 3.8
Middle 50% SAT critical Reading, 630-730.
Middle 50% Math, 670-770
Middle 50% Writing, 650-740

USC does not offer early action of early decision admission programs.

If you are applying for the fall of 2010, important dates:
-Part I application deadline: October 15.
-Part 2 deadline for scholarship applicants: December 1
-Final Part 2 application deadline: Jan. 11, 2010

College Essay

Students hear a lot about writing an essay for their college applications. As a college advisor I recently worked with one student from the San Francisco Bay Area who wanted to apply to college but hoped there was a way to do that without writing an essay. The answer: Yes, there is. Not all colleges require an essay as part of the application. If you are a California student, check out the Cal State Universities. Or check out the University of Oregon. If you have a 3.4 GPA or higher, you will gain automatic admission. No essay required. So if essay writing is not your thing, don't let that stop you from applying to colleges. There are many opportunities available that don't require you to sweat over perfecting an essay. However, during your high school years, keep your GPA as high as possible so you can have choices when it comes time to filling out those college applications.

Get Started on Your UNC Essay This Summer

Thinking of applying to the University of North Carolina for Fall 2010? You can get started now on your college application essay. UNC's blog has posted the 2010 essay questions. There are 7 choices. Check it out at: http://unc-admissions.blogspot.com/2009/06/final-2010-essay-questions.html

Colleges Still Accepting Applications For Fall '09

Some colleges and universities are still accepting applications for Fall 2009. Colorado State University has on its web site that it is still accepting applications on a space-available basis until July 1, 2009. More info can be found at: http://admissions.colostate.edu/FutureFreshmen/

Hispanic Scholarships for '09-'10

Two Hispanic Scholarships are still accepting applications for 2009-10 yr ($2,500-5,000 each)! The deadline is fast approaching. http://tinyurl.com/npb7fp

Understanding Data in College Guidebooks

When you read college guidebooks or look on web sites of colleges and universities, test score data is given and referred to in the 25th and 75th percentile. How do you know where your test scores fit in? Here's an explanation by Allen Grove, About.com: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theact/a/act-score-explanation.htm

Start Saving for College

Article from the Wall Street Journal on what college will cost in 18 years by Stacey L. Bradford...

If there's one thing parents think they should save for, it's their children's college education. In 18 years, a degree from a public school will cost around $200,000 and a private university will run closer to $400,000, according to the College Board, which administers the SAT standardized college admissions test.......http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124492913145812745.html

Juniors: Start Your College Planning Now

If you have just finished your junior year in high school now is the time to put together a list of colleges and/or universities that you would like to apply to. To find the schools that are the best fit for you ask yourself what your preferences are: do you want a large or small school; a city, suburb or rural location; close to home or far away; any religious preferences; specific academic subjects, etc.
College guidebooks are a good place to start to learn about each school, but then the best thing to do is visit, go on a tour of the campus, so you can see it first-hand.
If you spend the summer planning what schools to apply to, when fall rolls around you'll be all ready to start your applications.
A college adviser can help you narrow down the schools that are the best fit for you: http://acollegeforyou.com/