College Planning Tips- February

Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors

1. In choosing courses for next year, stay balanced across the five
core disciplines: math, science, social science, foreign language and
English.

2. If you are inclined to drop a course from one of the five core
disciplines in order to replace it with a course from another discipline,
make sure you are trading rigor for rigor. Dropping a fourth or fifth year
of a language in favor of an introductory course in another would be like
dropping Pre-Calculus in order to take Algebra I!

3. Read as much as you can. You might spend a lot of money on test prep
but the best prep comes from familiarity with words and concepts as they
are used contextually.

4. During spring break, take advantage of opportunities to go “window shopping” for colleges. This isn’t the time to worry about “buying.” Instead, see what you can see. Give yourself a sampling of all types of colleges and universities. Broaden your perspective so that when it’s time to work on a short list, you’ll know what you want.

Seniors

1. Make every attempt to complete your family income tax returns for
2009 as early as possible as this information will be used to verify the
information you reported on your financial aid applications.

2. If there are extraordinary circumstances that might limit your
family’s ability to meet a college’s costs, submit a written statement
that documents the circumstances directly to the financial aid office at
the institution(s) in question.

3. If you have been admitted Early Decision, make sure you honor your
commitment to enroll. More specifically, resist the temptation to let your
other applications remain active “just to see what might happen.”
That’s not part of the deal!

4. Relax. The admission decisions will come soon enough. There is no
sense worrying about things over which you have no control.

5. Say “no” to senioritis. Nothing good can come of it!


A2Z College Planning Team
www.a2zcollegeplanning.com
919-450-0171
info@a2zcollegeplanning.com

The Importance of Finishing Strong!

The Importance of Finishing Strong!

Source: The Admission Game (theadmissiongame.com)

High school seniors are entering one of the most critical phases of the college admission process. This is the time of the year when admission officers watch to see what students do when it would seem the spotlight is no longer on them. They want to see how you respond down the “stretch run” of the senior year.

Consider, then, the mile race. It is an apt metaphor for your high school experience. To complete the race, you must circle the track four times just as you must finish four years of high school in order to graduate. Winning the race—or finishing high school with distinction—requires that you endure the grueling pace going into the last lap and still have what it takes to sprint when the race is on the line.

Let’s suppose, then, that your race has gone exceedingly well through the first three laps. You jumped out to an early lead and have maintained a strong pace. With only one lap to go, you are by yourself at the head of the pack. You can’t even see the competition! This is a critical stage of the race because you begin to ask yourself, “Do I really need to work that hard in running the last lap? Should I save myself for the next race and spare the inevitable agony that otherwise comes with a sprint to the finish?”

The question you really need to ask yourself, though, is: “What have I won?” The answer is simple. “You haven’t won a thing!” You may have a “feel-good” feeling about where you are in the competition, but the race isn’t over. Moreover, changing your approach with a lap to go could prove costly as other runners are bound to be pushing hard to catch up.

The same is true of your high school experience where each year is like a lap of the race. Each year is important academically as you prepare to step up and meet the challenge of the year that follows. In all likelihood, your Junior Year really put you to the test as the work was harder and the expectations were greater. But you made it and that may have been cause for celebration in itself!

Having done well through your Junior Year may have left you feeling good about your prospects of graduating and getting into the colleges of your choice. Nonetheless, you need to ask yourself, “What have I really accomplished at this point? How many colleges have accepted me?”

The Senior Year is the all-important “last lap” of your high school experience—and all of it counts! If your objective is to not only graduate but to get into colleges that are selecting from among hundreds if not thousands of compelling candidates, you need to be attentive to how you finish the “race.”

Even now, in late February of your Senior Year, the outcome of the race has yet to be determined. In fact, admission officers at selective institutions are waiting and watching to see what you do academically when you don’t think you have to do anything. They want to see who among the competitive applicants will sprint—or stumble—when the race is on the line. And they will wait until the middle of March to make their final decisions.

So, stay focused academically. Continue to get the most out of your high school experience—even when it would seem that doing nothing is a viable option. Give admission officers every reason to be excited about you as you sprint to the finish!

It's Time to Submit Your FAFSA

FAFSA Tips:

(1) January 1 marks the start of the filing period for the 2009 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
(2) Complete sooner than later. You don't need to wait until you have this year's income tax return information to complete your FAFSA. You can enter a reasonable estimate of your family's income and update the information once the actual figures are available.
(3) Many colleges have deadlines for submitting your FAFSA. So check websites or contact Financial Aid Office.
(4) Information collected from FAFSA helps colleges determine how much support a college applicant is eligible. You must complete FAFSA to be considered for grants, loans and scholarships.
(5) FAFSA applications are available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Student and parent will need a PIN number to complete online forms.
(6) FAFSA paper forms are available from High School Guidance Departments and College Financial Aid Offices.

FAFSA Day is Saturday, February 13. College financial aid officers and other volunteers will be available to help North Carolina students complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms. The program is open to students who plan to attend college in the 2010-11 academic year and will be held at more than 100 sites across North Carolina. To register visit www.cfnc.org