From the Guidance and College Counseling Team!

This summer is the perfect time for high school students to get ahead, make plans for the future and explore their interests.  If you crave challenges, strive for success, and are thinking about college now, Stevens Pre-College is perfect. Offering a world-class educational experience just minutes from the most exciting city in the world, Stevens Pre-College provides students with hands-on, project-based learning and gives you the experience of living on campus. Stevens Institute of Technology offers opportunities to discover New York City in and out of the classroom. Students will learn from Stevens faculty and gain applied experience in their field of interest. You can view a listing of our 2017 program offerings by clicking here. Applications are now open, and we encourage your students to apply by our priority deadline of February 15th.

Junior Spotlight

Juniors, Your time is coming up as well - so let's take the spotlight off of the seniors for a moment and checkout the to-do list below. Are you on track?

December College Checklist for the class of 2018

By JEFFREY NEILL

With Thanksgiving behind us and our next vacation just weeks away, it is easy to let the college process slip our minds temporarily. However, there is plenty that can be done now, particularly planning. Taking advantage of these winter months can make an enormous difference come summer and next fall.

Be Committed to the Process

The college application process, from research through to submission, takes about 40 hours of work by the student. You do not need to wait until the summer or the fall of your senior year to do much of this work. Just 15 minutes per day — a study break, really — will have you through 40 hours by the middle of August, happy and satisfied with the knowledge that you are well-situated for the senior fall. Be diligent and committed, and the process will take care of itself.

Communicate With Your Parents

This is your process, but you should make sure that your parents are informed and contributing to your college search. Take time to talk with your parents about the ways in which you want to involve them. Have this conversation early and often, even weekly.

Set up a schedule for visits, even though you may not yet have a list. Follow up with your parents after meetings with your college or guidance counselor. Work to understand your family’s financial situation. Explore costs as well as financial aid and loans. These all are essential conversations; now is the time to set up a plan for how you will communicate.

Plan Your Summer Now

December is the ideal time to make plans for the summer so that you don’t scramble at the last minute to pull something together. Have you considered an academic program to pursue advanced work in a field of interest, to bolster or supplement shaky areas of your transcript, or to explore new disciplines not available during the regular academic year?

What about a job? Can you make and save money for college? Have you considered an internship? Community service or volunteer work? Travel? Are there sports or arts camps that would assist in your plans? Discuss with your parents and college or guidance counselor a plan for the summer. Be deliberate and intentional in your planning, and reserve some down time, too.

Research, Research, Research

Begin to construct that college list. There is no substitute for visiting a college for a tour and interview or information session, but there is much to be said about getting online and exploring. Individual college Web sites can be enormously helpful in providing a sense of what your experience could be. What courses could you take? What courses must you take? How difficult is it to double-major or to switch majors? If you are undecided on a major, how might the college’s curriculum assist you in selecting one? What drives social life? How many students live on campus? What are the application requirements? Are SAT Subject Tests required? Keep note of these items that you deem to be important. The more of this information you can obtain and process, the more informed your search will be. 

Make a Standardized Testing and Test Prep Plan

Many juniors will receive PSAT results shortly. Take time to review them (and/or any other results that you have, including actual SAT and ACT results or any state exams) and put together a plan for future tests.

You should also carefully consider if and how you will go about preparing for those tests. Results from previous tests should figure prominently into any plan. To prepare, some students will opt to take courses or to work with tutors. You may also self-study by using free resources from the College Board or ACT Web sites. Regardless, now is the time to plan.

Be Genuine and Explore

This time of year, you will hear much about “what colleges want to see.” Of course, the danger here is in pursuing any end exclusively because colleges want to see it.

Be genuine. If you are going to commit your time to anything, be sure that you are doing so because it is of significance to you. Ultimately, this is what colleges want to see, and they are exceptionally talented at sniffing out students who do things exclusively because they are trying to impress.

Keep in mind that we are all lumps of clay, still being formed. Remain committed to those things that are important to you, exploring positions and experiences of leadership, but do not close the door on new opportunities that might help you learn more about that unknowable enigma: you.

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a scientist?  Make that dream a reality this summer at Duke Summer College!  Whether you want to study black holes or the human genome, we have a course for you.  See the list below for just a few examples of Duke classes we are offering this summer: Love and Hate Between Humans and Micro-Organisms The 3-D Genome and Human Disease Mathematics of the Universe Sensory Biology: Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch, Sound and Beyond Introduction to Evolutionary Anthropology The Ecology of Urban Environments Introductory Seminar on Big Questions in Physics The Hard Truth of Evolution Microbes and Our World

PSAT results are coming.... learn what to expect here!

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10

interested in finance and the business world?

check out this free summer camp at New Jersey Institute of Technology!

Students will be introduced to the world of finance and learn about entrepreneurship, financial markets, and money concepts. Those interested in Wall Street and possible futures in finance or economics are highly encouraged to attend. 

Also this program is FREE and runs from June 26th- July 20th (with 1 scheduled field trip and an exclusive week-long overnight camp [during the week of July 10th- July14th]).

http://management.njit.edu/academics/financial-literacy-program.php.

We are delighted to announce a special opportunity. The New England Center for Investigative Reporting, based at Boston University's College of Communication, is again offering a unique Investigative Journalism Workshop next summer. 

This program, now in its eighth year, would be a perfect fit for your students who are interested in journalism or writing. Nearly 165 students from 31 states and 11 countries attended last summer's workshop, and we are expecting sessions to fill up quickly for 2017.

Our three two-week workshops will begin on June 26. During each session, students participate in seminars and work alongside veteran journalism teachers and award-winning local and national journalists on investigative stories that challenge students' critical thinking and research skills. Students will live on the BU campus and gain hands-on experience to benefit them in college and beyond.

For more information about our program, visit our website and read students' reflections on their experiences at the workshop last summer. I encourage you to share this information with your students and their families.

Students who apply and pay in full by January 31, 2017, can receive a $200 discount on tuition.

Stevens Institute of Technology is proud to announce our 2017 Pre-College Programs for high school students. Offering a world-class educational experience minutes from the most exciting city in the world, Stevens Pre-College allows students to participate in hands-on, project-based learning; experience campus life; visit leading companies; and make their college applications stand out. 

Our program offers opportunities to discover New York City both in and out of the classroom. Students learn from Stevens faculty and industry professionals while gaining applied experience in a variety of disciplines. You can find a full list of the programs we offer here. 

Stevens Pre-College is geared toward highly motivated, talented high school students. We invite your students to apply to a summer program and submit supporting documents by the February 15 deadline.

 stevens.edu/summer to learn more

Now that most applications are in, financial aid is next! Check out these 

7 Common Myths about Financial Aid

College application deadlines are fast approaching and you may be wondering if you can even afford to go to college. What you might not know is that the federal government provides almost $150 billion a year to help students just like you pay for college. Right now, you’re probably thinking of all of the reasons why you won’t qualify for financial aid. Please don’t waste your time worrying- you could be using this time to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Here are some common myths about financial aid that you shouldn’t believe.

Myth #1: My family makes too much money for me to qualify for aid.

There is no income cut-off for federal student aid. Your eligibility for financial aid is based on a number of factors and not just your income. Plus, many states and schools use your FAFSA data to determine your eligibility for their aid. If you’re not sure what you will get, the best way to know for sure is to complete the application!

Myth #2: I need to file taxes before completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or (FAFSA).

You can use estimated information on your FAFSA so you’ll be able to submit it before you file taxes. In fact, many states and schools have financial aid deadlines well before the tax deadline. So completing your FAFSA earlier is a good idea. You might want to base your estimates on last year’s tax return, and once you file your taxes, you can log back in and update the information. You may even be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to automatically import your tax information into your FAFSA. 

Myth #3: The FAFSA is too hard to fill out.

This is a very common misconception, but the FAFSA has come a long way! It’s easier than ever to complete online. The form uses “skip logic,” so you are only asked the questions that are relevant to you. And if you’ve filed your taxes, you can transfer your tax return data into your FAFSA automatically. As a result of improvements like these, the average time to complete the FAFSA is now less than 21 minutes. If you do get stuck, help is available by Web chat, e-mail and phone.

Myth #4: My grades aren’t good enough for me to get aid.

Eligibility for most federal student aid programs is not linked to your academic performance. However, you will need to maintain grades that your school considers satisfactory in order to continue receiving financial aid. 

Myth #5: My ethnicity or age makes me ineligible for aid.

There are basic eligibility requirements, but ethnicity and age are not considered.

Myth #6: I support myself, so I don’t have to include parent info on the FAFSA.This is not necessarily true. Even if you support yourself and file taxes on your own, you may still be considered a dependent student for federal student aid purposes. You can determine your dependency status by answering these questions. If you are independent, you won’t need to include your parents’ information on your FAFSA. But if you are dependent, you must provide your parents’ information.

Myth #7: I already completed the FAFSA so I don’t need to complete it again.You need to complete the FAFSA every year you plan to attend college or career school. Don’t worry; it will be even easier the second or third time around since a lot of your information will be pre-populated on the application.

Millions of students complete the FAFSA each year and receive financial aid to help pay for college. Don’t let these myths stop you from achieving your goals. Take the first step by completing the FAFSA at fafsa.gov.

Tara Marini is a communication analyst at the Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid.