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Diamond Bar High SchoolSENIOR BULLETIN #3Scholarship and College InformationNovember, 2016UC/CSUOnline applications are now open for both the CSU at csumentor.edu and UC at . Students who need help on their application can call the UC Application Center at 800-207-1710 or email ucinfo@. You can work on applications and submit any time within the month of November, but, again, we always recommend submitting before Thanksgiving. Students who wait until the November 30th deadline run the risk of something going wrong and missing the chance to apply to the UC or CSU. They don’t give second chances. Put down the cranberry sauce and fill out that application!The UC Personal Statement section has changed. “UC has done away with the two personal statement essays that it used to require. Applicants will now be asked to give short answers (350 words max each) to four personal insight questions,” and they’ll have eight questions from which to choose. Several people are probably worried about this, but I wouldn’t worry too much. Just look at it as an opportunity to choose the topics that speak to you and more chances to convey who you are to the UC. You don’t need to list your academic achievements because those are evident in your transcript, and you don’t need to itemize your extracurricular experiences because those are listed in another part of the application. Take your time, revise and proofread, and above all, be honest and sincere in your responses. Don’t waste time trying to write what you think someone wants to read, and don’t get too overwhelmed trying to follow someone else’s rules for these prompts. If you truthfully share thoughts about your world and your life experiences, you’ll provide the UC admissions counselors with exactly what they want – a better sense of the person behind the application. For the actual questions and some tips from the UC, go to . ELC or Eligibility in Local Context is a program from the UC which guarantees the Top 9% of every high school’s graduating class admission into the UC System. While these students are offered a spot in the UC System, there is absolutely no guarantee of an offer of admission from any particular UC school. The UC sent a letter to approximately the Top 15% of our senior class in September or October, and ELC status will be determined using self-reported grades after students submit their applications. Students can log in on the My UC Application website about six weeks after they have submitted their applications to view their ELC status.You do NOT need to send official transcripts to the UC or CSU. You only need to send one to the school you’ll be attending, and that isn’t sent until after graduation. You should have a copy of your unofficial transcript next to you as you fill out your online application because all the grades you put in for 9th-11th must match exactly with the final transcript you’ll be sending. Remember, as we cautioned in the last Senior Bulletin with your self-reported extracurricular activities, if the UC determines anything has been falsely reported, you will NEVER be allowed to enter the UC system for the rest of your life. You’ll be asked for your California Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) for the CSU and UC applications. It is optional, but it helps them identify you. It is located at the bottom left corner of your transcript, or on Parent Portal under the Student Profile page. Foreign Transcripts – If you transferred any time in the last three years to DBHS from a school outside of the country, the UC’s will need to have your official transcript from your former school. It may take a while to get transcripts from another country so they suggest that you begin ordering them now.Choose a major that’s right for you. Even if it’s an impacted major, if that’s truly what you want to study, you should apply to that major, regardless of how impacted it is. A UC admissions counselor said, “There’s no secret way to get into our school, like choosing an easier major. If you are admitted as a less selective major and try to transfer to an impacted major, you probably won’t be able to transfer unless you’re a great student. And if you were a great student, you should have applied directly to that impacted major anyway.” In other words, don’t think you can “sneak” your way into a school as an entomology major and then switch easily into their impacted engineering program. While it’s good to apply to the major of your dreams, many universities encourage you to list an alternative major as well. Warning: local area students have an admission advantage at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Fullerton because we are in their service area, BUT we have no advantage for impacted majors.When looking at schools, it’s important to know how to read GPA and SAT information from websites. If you research schools on a site like , you’ll find GPA and SAT information, but it’s hardly ever the averages. For example, the College Board site reports that 86% of students applying to UC Santa Barbara had over a 3.75 GPA. If you have under 3.75, that doesn’t mean you can’t get in, but it does mean that it would be much less likely for you than someone with a 3.9 GPA. It also reports that the middle 50% of students admitted to UCSB earned 1200-1420 on the SAT, which means 25% of admitted students scored below a 1200, and 25% of admitted students scored above 1420. Someone with a 1430 is NOT guaranteed admission to UCSB, and someone with an 1190 is not necessarily going to be rejected, but these ranges, along with the GPA, should give you a sense of how competitive a school is in comparison with other universities. Use this information to gauge your chances of admission, and always do enough research so you apply to a few schools that you know you should get in.Try researching at – this is a great site for researching schools (not just privates) because you have access to tons of information about the universities you’re considering, including hundreds of reviews and interviews from current students, video summaries, and plenty of statistics. SAT/ACTSAT scores need to be sent directly to all schools to which you are applying through or respectively. DBHS does NOT send any scores. To send the SAT to multiple Cal States, use the CSUMentor institution code of 3594 so any CSU campus can retrieve your score. For the UC’s, if you report your scores to one campus, they will be shared with every campus to which you’ve applied. When Collegeboard sends scores, they send an SAT transcript with EVERYTHING, all SAT scores from every sitting and all SAT subject scores. Again, our advice, and the advice of the UC’s, is to NOT use Score Choice.ACT scores also need to be sent directly to all schools to which you are applying, but the process is different - students need to make separate requests for each test administration. For example, if you took the test in March and September, you would have to make separate requests and separate payments to send each of those test results to universities. If you have one notably better test result, you could send only that one test result to schools, but don’t forget that several schools “superscore” tests, using your best results from each section in multiple sittings. Just today I got an email from Columbia saying: “Starting this year, ACT test-takers with multiple sittings will be assessed based on their best result in each individual section (“superscoring”). We will also continue to superscore the SAT.” Gee, it’s almost as if universities are really trying to use your best score and it’s in your best interests to take these tests a few times, as your GLC’s have been telling you for years… imagine that.December scores can be rushed to schools for a fee. If the schools to which you are applying say they’ll accept December scores, like the UC’s have stated, you should be fine with the regular process. The UC’s and most CSU’s will accept December scores, but San Jose State, San Diego State, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo have stated that they are NOT accepting December SAT scores. Additionally, Cal Poly SLO prefers the ACT.Your SAT/ACT score is just one of many pieces that admissions officers consider when looking at your application. If you’re disappointed with your scores, remember that they won’t necessarily hold you back from your goals. You did your best, and now you need to move on and finish well in the classroom. We have a tendency to fixate on certain numbers in this community, but most of that unhealthy anxiety is self-induced and not a real reflection of the college admissions process. As many admissions officers acknowledge, what you’ve done in the classroom for three years is a much better indicator of your future success on a college campus than what you did in a three hour test. You’ve probably heard that several schools are moving toward making the SAT or ACT optional for admissions, like Hofstra University who has “concluded that standardized tests are not the most important predictors of academic success at Hofstra.” A recent Time article said several other schools have “diminished their (tests’) role in the admissions process” because “the tests’ predictive power for college success is overrated.” At a recent conference with Harvard, Yale, Wellesley, Virginia, and Princeton, admissions officers said the following: “The SAT is a part of the application, but we don’t emphasize it as much as students and parents think. We use testing to answer this question: Can this student be successful on our campus?” Have you heard enough? Don’t let that number define you!PRIVATE SCHOOLSTranscripts are sent with the School Report. If you asked your GLC to fill out the School Report through the Common Application or Send Edu, that covers the letter of recommendation, official transcript, and school profile, and you don’t need to request transcripts from the registrar for that school. If you have any questions, contact your GLC.Open houses are taking place on several college campuses. The open house experience usually involves staying overnight, meeting with college representatives, and attending an actual class in the hopes of helping you appreciate what that school has to offer. Many schools offer open houses for admitted students who are trying to make a decision, but some offer open houses for prospective students even before they apply. See if any of the schools you’re considering offer this type of opportunity and apply to see if you can go. Here’s an example at George Washington University - Schools have scholarships that they can give out to whomever they want. Don’t let the sticker price of $50K or more necessarily scare you away from applying to a school that’s right for you. Scholarships and grants can help tremendously, and many private school students don’t pay the full advertised cost of attendance. Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to who gets that financial aid or how much they’ll offer, so you should also apply to a few schools you know you can afford without much aid.FINANCIAL AIDREMINDER: The FAFSA is open and has been open for use since 10/1/16 at fafsa.. The earlier you get your information in, the more time schools have to put together a financial aid package for you, and you want them putting that package together when they have plenty of money, not at the end of the application process. Remember the FAFSA is due at the absolute latest by March 2nd, 2017.You never know what kind of financial aid package you’ll be offered from each school that accepts you. After you’re accepted, each school will look at your financial information from the FAFSA (more on this whole process in next month’s bulletin) and their financial aid office will tell you what they can offer you. Sometimes schools can offer much more than you would guess, and many schools offer merit-based financial aid regardless of your financial need so we always tell students to apply to the schools they love and hope for the best. I know people who’ve paid less at Chapman than at a CSU because of their package.CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile – Don’t forget the CSS Profile mentioned in last month’s bulletin - this is a form provided by College Board for high school seniors who are looking for financial aid, and it’s required by many private colleges and universities. The UC and CSU systems use only the FAFSA (more info on that later) and don’t need the CSS, but several private schools want this form prior to the FAFSA to determine the level of financial aid they will offer you. The CSS Profile is available beginning October 1st at , and the sooner you fill it out the better. Unlike the FAFSA, there is a cost per school for the CSS, but considering it could lead to thousands of dollars’ worth of financial aid, it’s probably worth MUNITY COLLEGEStudents planning on applying to community college: announcements and information will be in the Senior Bulletin in the coming months. Deadlines for four-year universities fall much earlier than admission deadlines for community colleges, but we have not forgotten about you! Keep an eye out in the Senior Bulletin, GLC Notes, and the school bulletin for information about Mt. SAC and Fullerton College, and if you are anxious about finding information in the meantime, you can speak with Mrs. Romero in the Career Center.RECOGNITIONChris Chebat has been recognized as a School Winner for the Wendy’s Heisman Scholarship. Congratulations, Chris!SCHOLARSHIPSBoston University Trustee Scholarship – Each winning scholar receives a renewable scholarship covering full undergraduate tuition plus orientation and undergraduate student fees for four years. Essays and applications must be submitted by December 1, 2016 at . BU also has a renewable $20,000 Presidential Scholarship that you’ll automatically be in the running for as long as you apply to BU by 12/1/16.Cal State Long Beach President’s Scholars Program – This is a tough one to qualify for – students must be either ranked #1 in their class, National Merit Semifinalists, National Achievement Program Semifinalists, or National Hispanic Recognition Scholars. Recipients are awarded full tuition and fees, priority registration, meal plan, book allowance, and even parking. To apply, you must submit an application to CSULB by November 30th, 2016 and then “qualifying CSULB freshman applicants will be invited to apply for our President’s Scholarships.” If you’re even close to those tough qualifications and CSULB is a possibility, apply and see if they invite you to apply. As they say on their site, “If you are invited to apply to receive a President’s scholarship, embrace the opportunity. You will be choosing a transformational path.”Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship – This scholarship provides up to $7,000 a year for four years to attend a university! Also each March, Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars travel to New York City for four days of developmental workshops, career exploration seminars, meetings with key public and private sector leaders, cultural and recreational outings and practical life skills classes. Applicants must be “minority high school seniors,” who show leadership potential, demonstrate a dedication to community service, present evidence of financial need, and have a minimum SAT of 1,000 (math and reading) or an ACT of 21. For more information and applications, go to . Applications must be submitted online by February 15th, 2017.GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship – “Exceptional student leaders” are invited to apply for this scholarship honoring the legacy of President Ronald Reagan. The program awards up to 20 college bound students who demonstrate “the attributes of leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship” with $10,000 renewable scholarships (up to $40,000 per recipient). For more information and applications, go to ?. Applications must be submitted online by January 5th, 2017.Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship – The RMHC scholarship program features four separate scholarships, including awards for students with at least one parent of Asian-Pacific heritage, African-American heritage, or Hispanic/Latino heritage. For more information, go to . Application deadline is January 18th, 2017.Beverage Industry College Scholarship – This scholarship is for a student whose parent or grandparent is a full-time employee with a company holding a valid liquor license. Examples given are restaurants, stores, breweries, wineries, distributors, etc. Awards range from $2500 - $5000. Apply at – applications must be submitted online by February 1st, 2017.Milken Scholars Program – This scholarship provides a $2000 award for all four years of college, ongoing career and academic counseling, assistance with internships, and a graduate fund to help students in graduate school. Applicants must be nominated by their GLC and meet the following criteria: have at least an unweighted 3.6 GPA, have at least a 1250 on the SAT or a 28 on the ACT, have a record of leadership and active participation in community service, and be able to demonstrate “financial or other obstacles.” For more information, go to . To be nominated, see your GLC by 12/1/16.Miss any scholarships from the last Senior Bulletin? Go to the Guidance Office – all past scholarships will remain on display until their deadlines have passed.Don’t forget that you can research scholarships on your own! paymach25 ................
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