College Spotlight
Focusing on Higher Education Today
College & Career Press, LLC
Volume 19, Number 1, 2014
Raise.me offers
microscholarships
for achievements
in high school
A
Students at Amherst College head to class. Amherst consistently ranks among
the top five liberal arts colleges in the nation, and it ranks 17th on MONEY’s
Best Colleges List.
Colleges that
offer the best
“bang for the buck”
T
he cost of college tuition is skyrocketing. A four-year degree
(minus the standard financial aid
package) at a public school for instate students runs from $70,000 to
$130,000. At private colleges, students pay even more—$120,000 to
$250,000. As a result, many young
people (and their parents) are
questioning the value of a college
degree in our weak job market and
wondering which schools offer a
combination of the best educational quality, tuition affordability, and greatest potential for
strong career earnings. MONEY
magazine recently answered just that
question when it released a list of the
colleges that provide the best return
on investment. A diverse range of
schools are featured. Babson
College (#1 on the list) offers only
one degree (a B.S. in business), but
also requires its students to take a
large course load in the liberal arts
and sciences. Williams College
(#14), a traditional liberal arts
school, features a low 7-to-1 studentfaculty ratio and offers an innovative
tutorial system that helps students
prosper. Recent graduates earn average starting salaries of $50,000 a
year—much higher than the earnings of alumni at similar elite liberal
arts colleges. The University of
California at Irvine (#32) is one of
the most-respected research institutions in the world. Forty percent of
continued on page 8
new start-up funded in part
by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation is offering scholarship
funds to high school students who
complete specific tasks that aim to
help them develop as individuals
and become more attractive college applicants. Students can sign
up for the program starting as early
as their freshman year and as late as
the first semester of their senior year.
Some examples of tasks that students
can complete to earn scholarship
money include:
✔ Taking an honors course (colleges
pay $50 to $1,000 per class)
✔ Getting an A ($85 to $1,000 per
class)
✔ Perfect attendance for a year ($50
to $200 per year)
✔ Volunteering in your community
($7 to $75 an hour)
continued on page 8
In this issue
2
Top-paid liberal arts majors
for the college class of 2014
4
Interesting College
Programs: Therapeutic
Horsemanship
6
Minichart: Money From Uncle
Sam
7
Financial Aid
Short Subjects
S
tudents walking up to the check-out counter at their
college library can expect to borrow books, periodicals,
and DVDs, but increasingly libraries are offering a plethora of tech gadgets that might seem more appropriate at a
Best Buy or Radio Shack. Standard fare at many schools
include iPads, laptops, and netbooks (as well as the requisite power cords), but some colleges are really on the cutting-edge when it comes to lending technology to college
students. North Carolina State University offers the
hard-to-come-by Google Glass (computer eyeglasses) to,
according to its website, “selected faculty and graduate students with an urgent need for the technology.” And
Colgate University (NY) actually has a pair for general
lending. Colgate also offers a drone loan program (yes, an
actual drone) to students who complete a training program and detail their research purpose for using the drone.
Perhaps in the future, college libraries will loan robots to
help students with their homework, carry their books to
class, or even attend class for the student. Here are a few
more stories about college today.
▲ Attending an elite college
doesn’t buy happiness
A Gallup survey of 30,000 graduates of all ages in all 50
states has found that those who attended highly selective
colleges aren’t more productive or happier at work than
those who attended less-selective schools. Instead those
who were happiest reported having strong relationships
with college professors and mentors, participated in
“experiential and deep learning” while in college, and
had no or low levels of student debt after graduation.
Overall, only 39 percent of respondents reported that
they felt engaged at work. Social science and arts and
humanities majors who were employed full time reported the highest levels of engagement at work.
▲ Some elite colleges
rejecting Advanced Placement credits
Top high school students often take Advanced Placement
(AP) classes as a means to experience more-challenging
course material and earn college credit toward their
future postsecondary institution’s core requirements.
While the majority of colleges and universities still
accept such credit, the Chronicle of Higher Education
reports that some elite colleges such as College of
William & Mary (VA), Vanderbilt University (TN),
and Dartmouth College (NH) are limiting—or even
choosing not to offer credit—for AP classes. Some col-
2
College Spotlight © College & Career Press LLC
Top-paid liberal arts majors
for the college class of 2014
It’s a common stereotype that liberal arts graduates
earn low salaries. But an April 2014 salary survey by
the National Association of Colleges and Employers
(NACE) found that many liberal arts majors offer starting
salaries that are competitive with majors in many other
fields (excluding engineering, computer science, and
science). Language and literature majors were the toppaid college class of 2014 liberal arts graduates at the
bachelor’s degree level, according to NACE. Foreign languages and literatures majors—who primarily enter elementary and middle school teaching positions—earned
the highest average starting salary ($46,900). Literature
letters majors earned the second-highest starting
salaries ($42,200). Students who pursue these majors
typically become teachers, writers, editors, managers,
legal assistants, and paralegals. Here are the average
starting salaries for Class of 2014 liberal arts majors:
Foreign Languages and Literatures: $46,900
Literature Letters: $42,200
Liberal Arts and Sciences-General: $41,600
Political Science/Government: $41,600
History: $40,600
Psychology: $37,900
Social Work: $36,700
Sociology: $36,300
Visual and Performing Arts: $36,300
leges believe that AP classes are too general, and do not
provide enough specific knowledge to participants. These
schools are re-tooling their traditional survey courses to
become more interdisciplinary and encourage participants to think more critically about course content.
Advanced Placement credits, aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, the number of AP exams taken by
high school students has nearly doubled in the past 10
years. In 2012-13, approximately 78 percent of degreegranting, four-year colleges and universities accepted AP
credits, according to the National Center for Educational
Statistics. More than one million students in the class of
2014 took at least one AP class, according to the College
Board.
The bottom line: Most schools will still award college
credit for AP classes, but if you plan to attend an elite
college, it’s a good idea to check its policies before you
sign up for AP classes. ●
WWW.CCPNEWSLETTERS.COM
Free and Low-Cost Guidance Materials
▲ Helping children
cope with life challenges
Child life specialists help children (and,
many times, their parents and siblings)
cope with extreme life challenges. They
use methods such as recreational play
activities or therapeutic exercises to ease
a child’s fear of illness, or to help a
child express anxieties about a recent
trauma, upcoming medical procedure,
or the death of a parent. They work as
part of a medical and psychological
team that includes doctors, nurses,
therapists, social workers, teachers, and
counselors. Employment opportunities
for child life specialists are largely positive, as such services are now standard
in most pediatric hospitals and are
being offered in many other settings.
Many child life specialists have a bachelor’s degree in child life or a related
field; a bachelor’s degree is required to
become certified (which is a requirement for many jobs).
The Child Life Council offers Child
Life: Empowering Children and
Families, a short brochure that provides
an overview of the job duties of child life
specialists, employment settings, and the
educational requirements to enter the
field. Visit www.childlife.org/files/FlyerChildLife2011.pdf to read this free
publication.
▲ Careers in music therapy
Music therapy involves the use of music
to accomplish a variety of therapeutic
aims, including the restoration, maintenance, and improvement of mental and
physical health. For students who love
music and are interested in finding a
career that allows them to study music
and enter an allied health profession at
the same time, music therapy is a good
career choice. A bachelor’s degree in
music therapy is required for employment in the field. The American Music
Therapy Association (AMTA) offers
A Career in Music Therapy to help
© College & Career Press LLC
A child life specialist shares a light moment with a young girl who has asthma.
young people learn more about the work
of music therapists, educational requirements, and key skills for success in the
field. Other resources from the association include an online directory of
AMTA-approved schools and podcasts
that provide more information on education and careers in music therapy. Visit
www.musictherapy.org/careers/employment to access these resources.
▲ Another posthigh school option
Did you know that most military
careers have equivalents in the civilian
sector? There are 23 broad categories
into which military jobs fall, including accounting, aviation, business
administration, counseling, health
care, law, and supply and logistics.
Enlisting in the military is an excellent
choice for those who may not feel
ready for college. And military service
can also provide training that can prepare you for employment in the civilian workforce or obtain funds via the
GI Bill or other programs to pursue a
college education after you complete
your service commitment.
To help young people explore
career options in the U.S. military, the
U.S. Department of Defense publishes Futures, an annual guide that spotlights the lives of young men and
women in the five service branches
(Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines,
Coast Guard). Information is provided on potential career paths, educational and scholarship programs, and
daily life in the military. Visit
http://todaysmilitary.com/guidance/fu
tures-magazine to read the latest edition of Futures. You can also order
print copies of the guide at the site.
Other resources available from the
U.S. Department of Defense include
Success Through Service: Exploring
Military Opportunities (DVD) and
Today’s Military Extraordinary
Careers (DVD). Visit http://todaysmilitary.com/request-information to order
these DVDs. ●
Volume 19, Number 1 2014
3
Interesting College Majors
Therapeutic Horsemanship
St. Andrews University
T
he Therapeutic Horsemanship Program at St. Andrews
University, in Laurinburg, North Carolina, is the first of its kind
in the United States. Students who complete the program earn a
bachelor of arts in therapeutic horsemanship, a degree that
allows graduates to pursue a variety of career paths. The editors of
College Spotlight discussed the field of therapeutic horsemanship
with Pebbles Turbeville, chair and an associate professor of
equine studies and the director of the Therapeutic Horsemanship
Program at St. Andrews University.
Q. What is therapeutic horsemanship?
A. Therapeutic horsemanship involves teaching people with
disabilities about the horse as well as teaching skills to
ride, drive, or vault on a horse. In order to do therapy, you
need to be a therapist—such as an occupational therapist or
a physical therapist—or a licensed counselor. With that
said, horses or horse-related activities have a therapeutic
value, which can range from physical, social, cognitive, psychological, and spiritual.
Q. Can you please tell us about your program?
A. The St. Andrews therapeutic horsemanship degree program
is multidisciplinary in nature. Students take classes in anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, and exercise physiology to
understand the human body, psychology and development to
understand the human mind and development process,
equine classes to understand how to manage and understand
horses, and therapeutic horsemanship classes to understand
the industry and how to teach.
Q. What types of students enter your program? What are their
career goals and interests?
A. Most of our students have been around horses and people
with disabilities or one or the other. They have a genuine concern for people and horses and love the interaction with both.
Some students want to own their own center and others wish
to continue their education and become a therapist to practice treatment with the horse.
Q. Does your program offer any internship opportunities? If so,
where do interns work? What do they do?
Josh riding Tye at the RLAK Horse Show. Show volunteer
Sara Alpeter is leading and Hallie Myers is sidewalking.
them. For example, if a student wants to pursue actually doing
therapy, we would find a center that would allow him or her to
volunteer in hippotherapy or equine-assist psychotherapy. I
had a student who wanted more time with administrative
tasks and horseshoeing [instruction] for people with disabilities so she completed an internship in Texas, and the facility
has offered her a job after she graduates.
Q. What personal qualities should a student have to be successful in your program and in their post-college careers?
A. A student with horsemanship and riding skills who can also
teach would have a great foundation for our program. Social
skills are important since you will work with people with disabilities, parents, volunteers, staff members, and donors.
A. We highly recommend an internship if the student is serious Q. Who are the major employers of graduates of your program?
about the career. It will also give him or her an opportunity to
A. PATH International centers across the country are usually the
see how another center operates. An internship is another
way for the students to experience activities and programs
that they might want to spend more time with or work on skills
that might not be developed or that might be a challenge for
4
College Spotlight © College & Career Press LLC
major employers. [According to its website, PATH
International’s 850 member centers “help children and
adults with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges
continued on page 5
WWW.CCPNEWSLETTERS.COM
Interesting College Majors (cont.)
Therapeutic Horsemanship, from page 4
find strength and independence through the power of the
horse each year.”] Some graduates work for organizations
that provide services for disabilities and have their own therapeutic horsemanship program.
Q. What is the employment outlook in therapeutic horsemanship?
A. Jobs are available in the industry but they may not be in the
state of the candidate’s residency. I receive frequent emails
from centers looking for certified instructors. Like other
places of employment, finding the “right” fit for a graduate is
an important element for the success for the candidate and
Typical Classes
Core Classes
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
Stable Management and Lab
Basic Riding Instructor and Lab
Jackson showing off his ribbon he earned while riding Big
John. Volunteer Tiffany Burch is leading Big John during
this event.
Horse Science
Equine Business Management
Introduction to Psychology
Child and Adolescent Psychology
First Aid and CPR
Exercise Physiology
Kinesiology and Biomechanics
Introduction to Therapeutic Horsemanship
Principles of Therapeutic Horsemanship
Training the TR Horse
Advanced Techniques in Therapeutic Horsemanship
Program Management: Administration
TH Program Management: Teaching
Capstone Classes
Therapeutic Horsemanship Issues and Ethics
Survey of Specialties in Therapeutic Horsemanship
Senior Project (Internship, Guided
Independent Study or Practicum)
© College & Career Press LLC
the center. I have had more inquiries this past year for more
seasoned advanced certified candidates to fill several positions across the country. It is a good sign because it shows
that centers are growing and requiring more experienced candidates. It also shows that there is a need to develop those
more experienced graduates.
Q. What classes or activities should students participate in
during high school to prepare for your program and a career
in the field?
A. A high school student can prepare for a career in therapeutic
horsemanship by taking riding lessons, assisting with riding
lessons as well as barn management, and volunteering at a
therapeutic horsemanship center or at other organizations
that serve people with disabilities.
For more information on the program, contact
St. Andrews University
1700 Dogwood Mile
Laurinburg, NC 28352-5521
800/763-0198
www.sapc.edu/academics/tr/academ21.php
For more information about career opportunities, contact
Professional Association of
Therapeutic Horsemanship International
PO Box 33150
Denver, CO 80233-0150
800/369-7433
www.pathintl.org ●
Volume 19, Number 1 2014
5
Minichart
Money from Uncle Sam, 2014-15:
Current Federal Student Aid Programs
The federal government is the single largest source of financial aid for college study. It provides more than $150 billion a year in grants,
loans, and work-study assistance. In general, you are eligible if you have financial need, are a regular student working toward a degree,
and plan to or have earned a high school diploma. You should begin the process of applying for federal aid by completing the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid. You can access this key resource by visiting www.fafsa.ed.gov. Here’s a summary of current programs:
Federal Pell Grants
These are available to undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need. Awards range from $400 to a maximum
of $5,730 a year. These grants are made through cooperating
colleges and universities and need not be repaid. More info:
http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/pell
Federal Supplementary
Educational Opportunity Grants
These are awarded to undergraduate students who have exceptional financial need. They are administered through cooperating colleges and universities in amounts ranging from $100 to
$4,000 a year. They need not be repaid. More info: http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/fseog
Teacher Education Assistance for College
and Higher Education Grant Program
Students who plan to teach in a public or private elementary
or secondary school or an educational service agency that
serves students from low-income families can receive grants of
up to $3,964 a year (undergraduates). Applicants must be
U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, have a GPA of at least
3.25, and meet other criteria. They must agree to teach fulltime in a designated teacher shortage area for four complete
academic years. High-need fields are bilingual education and
English language acquisition, foreign language, mathematics,
reading specialist, science, and special education. More info:
http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/teach
Direct Loans
There are two types of Direct Loans for students: subsidized and
unsubsidized. Subsidized Stafford Loans allow undergraduate
and graduate students to borrow a certain amount of money
based on their financial need. Students are not charged interest
while attending school at least half-time and during deferment
periods and grace periods. Unsubsidized Stafford Loans do not
require applicants to demonstrate financial need. Loan recipients can pay interest on the loans while in school or they can
allow it to accrue and be added to the principal amount of their
loan—which will cause the recipient to owe more money when
paying off the loan at a later date. For both types of loans,
6
College Spotlight © College & Career Press LLC
schools decide the loan amount. Loans range from $3,500 to
$20,500. More info: http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
These grants are available to students who are not eligible for
Pell Grants, whose parent or guardian died during military service in Afghanistan or Iraq after the events of 9/11. Applicants
must have been less than 24 years old or were enrolled at least
part-time at a college or university at the time of their parent’s
or guardian’s death. The maximum grant is $5,311. More info:
http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/iraqafghanistan-service
Direct Plus Loans for Parents
These are available to parents of dependent undergraduate
students who are enrolled at least half time. The annual
award limits are based on the cost of attendance (the total
amount it will cost a student to go to school) minus any
other financial aid the student will receive. They are also
available to graduate or professional degree students. More
info: http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/plus
Federal Perkins Loans
These may be obtained in amounts up to $5,500 a year for
undergraduate study and up to $8,000 a year for graduate or
professional programs. Interest rates for these loans are low
(5 percent recently). Loans are made by colleges and universities and must, of course, be repaid with interest. More info:
http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/plus
Federal Work Study
This is a program administered by colleges and universities,
which pay students for work done on or off campus. Work
is part-time and during the school year. Undergraduate and
graduate students who demonstrate financial need are eligible for the program. Undergrads receive minimum wage, but
may receive higher pay based on the work done and the skills
they acquire. Graduate students receive either minimum
wage or a salary. Unlike other employment, federal work
study funds are pledged to help the student as part of a total
package of financial support. There is no annual maximum.
More info: http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/work-study
WWW.CCPNEWSLETTERS.COM
Financial Aid
AXA Foundation
888/292-4636
https://us.axa.com/axa-foundation/community-scholarships.html
Scholarship Name: AXA Achievement
Community Scholarship (Note: This
scholarship is different from the one listed recently in Volume 18, Number 8.)
Academic Area: Open. Who May
Apply?: High school seniors. Eligibility:
High school seniors who have “demonstrated outstanding achievement in their
activities in school, the community, or
the workplace” are eligible to apply. Past
scholarship winners have the following
qualities: “ambition and drive; determination to set and reach goals; respect for
self, family, and community; and the
ability to succeed in college.” Applicants
must be U.S. citizens or legal residents
and plan to enroll in a two- or four-year
college in the United States by fall 2015.
Application Process: Applicants must
apply online at the AXA website; apply
soon, only the first 10,000 applicants
will be considered for scholarships.
Amount: Up to 12 $2,500 scholarships
will be awarded. Deadline: February 1,
2015.
Elks National Foundation
Scholarship Department
2750 North Lakeview Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614-2256
773/755-4732
[email protected]
www.elks.org/enf/scholars/mvs.cfm
Contest Name: “Most Valuable
Student” Competition. Academic Area:
Open. Who May Apply?: High school
seniors. Eligibility: Applicants must be
high school seniors who plan to attend a
four-year college full time. They must
also be U.S. citizens. Applicants do not
have to be related to an Elks Lodge member to be eligible for the competition.
Applicants will be judged on financial
need, leadership ability, and scholarship.
© College & Career Press LLC
Application Process: Visit your local
Elks Lodge or the Foundation’s website
for an application. Applications must be
submitted to the Elks Lodge that is closest to the student’s home address; visit
www.elks.org/enf/FindALodge.cfm to
locate the lodge nearest to you. Amount:
First place: $50,000 (two awards given);
second place: $40,000 (two awards
given); and third place: $30,000 (two
awards given). The remaining 14 finalists
will receive awards of $20,000. The 480
runners-up will receive fifth-place scholarships of $4,000. Deadline: December
5, 2014.
The Foundation also offers Legacy
Awards to children or grandchildren
(or step-children, step-grandchildren,
or legal wards) of a living Elks member.
Visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars/legacy.cfm for details.
National Honor Society (NHS)
1904 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1502
703/860-0200
[email protected]
www.nhs.us/scholarships-awards.aspx
Scholarship Name: NHS Scholarship.
Academic Area: Open. Who May
Apply?: High school seniors.
Eligibility: Students who are interested in the National Honor Society
Scholarship program must be nominated through their high school NHS
chapter. Nominees must be members
in good standing of their school’s NHS
chapter. The NHS Scholarship program is “designed to identify wellrounded students who exhibit the four
pillars of NHS membership: service,
leader, character, and scholarship.”
Application Process: Contact your
NHS chapter adviser for more information; nomination instructions are
available at the NHS website.
Amount: $250,000 is awarded annually to more than 260 students.
Deadline: January 26, 2015.
Ronald McDonald House Charities
International Scholarship and Tuition
Services, Inc.
[email protected]
http://rmhc.org/what-we-do/rmhc-us-scholarships
Scholarship Name: Ronald McDonald
House Charities (RMHC) offers four
scholarships: RMHC Scholars, RMHC
Asia, RMHC/African-American Future
Achievers, and RMHC/HACER. Visit
the RMHC website for details about
each scholarship program. Applicants
may only apply for one scholarship.
Academic Area: Open. Who May
Apply?: High school seniors. Eligibility:
Applicants must be “be eligible to attend
a two- or four-year college or university
with a full course of study; be a legal U.S.
resident; live in a participating RMHC
Chapter’s geographic area; and meet any
additional eligibility requirements outlined by each scholarship program.”
Application Process: Applicants must
complete and submit an online or paper
application. Amount: Varies by program. Scholarships are awarded for one
year, and can be renewed for up to four
years. Deadline: January 20, 2015.
Wells Fargo
PO Box 5185
Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5185
wellsfargo.com/student/sweepstakes
Prize
Name:
CollegeSTEPS
Sweepstakes. Academic Area: Open.
Who May Apply?: High school and
college students. Eligibility: High
school and college students born on or
before
December
31,
2000.
Application Process: Those who sign
up to receive college planning and
money management information from
Wells Fargo are eligible for a tuition
prize drawing (no purchase is required).
Amount: Eighty $1,000 awards for
high school students and 80 $1,000
awards for college students. Deadline:
Enter through August 13, 2015.
Volume 19, Number 1 2014
7
Main Stories continued
The top colleges for your money, from page 1
its student body come from lowincome families, but 86 percent of
freshman go on to graduate
(15 percent higher than the average for
other schools with a similar student
body). Here’s a list of the top schools.
Visit http://time.com/money/collection/moneys-best-colleges for the complete list, as well as sublists such as
“The 25 Most Affordable Colleges”
and “The 25 Best Colleges That You
Can Actually Get Into.”
1.
Babson College (Babson Park, MA)
www.babson.edu
2. Webb Institute (Glen Cove, NY)
www.webb.edu
3. Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (Cambridge, MA)
www.web.mit.edu
4. Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)
www.princeton.edu
5. Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
www.stanford.edu
6. Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
www.harvard.edu
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Harvey Mudd College
(Claremont, CA)
www.hmc.edu
Cooper Union (New York, NY)
www.cooper.edu
Brigham Young University
(Provo, UT)
http://home.byu.edu
California Institute of Technology
(Pasadena)
www.caltech.edu
University of Pennsylvania
(Philadelphia)
www.upenn.edu
Maine Maritime Academy (Castine)
www.mainemaritime.edu
University of California-Berkeley
www.berkeley.edu
Williams College
(Williamstown, MA)
www.williams.edu
Yale University (New Haven, CT)
www.yale.edu
University of Virginia
(Charlottesville)
www.virginia.edu
Amherst College (Amherst, MA)
https://www.amherst.edu
College Spotlight, Volume 19, Number 1
Published Digitally on November 11, 2014
Copyright©2014, College & Career Press, LLC
Federal Tax ID#: 13-4205413
Copyright laws prohibit any duplication or reproduction of this
electronic publication, in whole or in part, without prior written
permission from the publisher. This publication cannot be posted to
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prior written permission of College & Career Press.
College Spotlight (ISSN 1525-4313) is published nine times a school
year to help those concerned with selecting, applying to, evaluating,
and entering college, as well as to provide other alternatives for
today’s high school graduates.
Subscription Information: $29.95/1 year; $54.95/2 years; $79.95/3
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Contact us at [email protected] or 773/282-4671 for
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www.collegeandcareerpress.com
Photo Credits: 1) Amherst College; 3) Child Life Council
8
College Spotlight © College & Career Press LLC
18. Virginia Military Institute
(Lexington, VA)
www.vmi.edu
19. Brown University (Providence, RI)
www.brown.edu
20. Rice University (Houston, TX)
www.rice.edu
22. Columbia University (New York, NY)
www.columbia.edu
22. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
https://www.umich.edu
24. Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
www.cornell.edu
24. Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)
www.dartmouth.edu
24. Texas A&M University
(College Station)
https://www.tamu.edu
27. Colgate University (Hamilton, NY)
www.colgate.edu
28. Bentley University (Waltham, MA)
www.bentley.edu
28. Lafayette College (Easton, PA)
www.lafayette.edu
28. University of Florida (Gainesville)
www.ufl.edu
31. University of California-Los Angeles
www.ucla.edu ●
Raise.me , from page 1
✔ Taking an Advanced Placement or International
Baccalaureate course ($50 to $1,250 per course)
✔ Participating in a sport ($25 to $250 a year)
✔ Taking on a leadership role in an extracurricular
activity ($50 to $1,000 a year).
More than 100 colleges and universities—including
the University of Dayton and Tulane University—
have joined or are in the process of joining Raise.me.
Each college offers a different scholarship amount for
various activities. Scholarship funds raised for one college cannot be transferred for use at other schools.
The founders of Raise.me are especially interested in
helping students from low-income families save money
for college, but the program is available to any high
school student who wants to earn scholarship money.
Visit www.raise.me for more information. ●
WWW.CCPNEWSLETTERS.COM
Minichart
College Planning
Guide for Seniors
and Juniors
SENIORS
Early Decision/Early Action
Prepare Your applications
Talk With Your
Counselors
Discuss your college interests,
majors, financial aid, and
other related topics with your
counselor.
Make a list of the qualities that you’re looking for in a college. These include type of school (public or private, small
or large, etc.), cost, financial aid options, extracurricular
activities, and majors offered. Attend college fairs in your
area and use this list to help narrow your choices. Visit
college websites, talk to friends, and check out college
catalogs.
Schedule Campus Visits
Complete and submit your college applications if you are
applying for Early Decision or Early Action. Typical deadlines for early application are in November or very early
December.
Applications for regular
admission are due starting as
early as mid-October, but
most are typically due around
January 1. But even if your
applications aren’t due for
another month or so, it never
hurts to get your materials
ready early—or even submit
your applications and related
materials ahead of time.
JUNIORS
Make a List/Gather Information
It’s never too early to begin setting up appointments to
visit college campuses. Try to meet with admissions and
financial aid counselors, meet with a professor or a department head of the academic area in which you are interested, sample cafeteria food, sleep in a dorm, and take a tour
with a current student.
Act/Sat
ACT/SAT Deadlines
ACT Registration Deadline
The regular registration deadline for the
December 13 ACT has passed. The late registration deadline is November 21. Visit
www.act.org for more information.
SAT Registration Deadline
The regular registration deadline for the
December 6 SAT & Subject Tests has passed.
The late registration deadline is November 24.
Visit www.collegeboard.com for more info.
Wrap up Your Recommendations
Collect all the recommendations that you have solicited
from your teachers, advisors, and current or former
employers.
It’s a good idea to check with
schools that you are interested
in to see which test they prefer—most schools accept both.
If you plan on attending a
school that accepts both, it
might be a good idea to take
both tests since you are likely to
score better on one depending
on your aptitudes and abilities.
(Note: Some schools may also
be admissions-test optional.)
Financial Aid
Begin researching financial
aid such as scholarships, grants, and loans. Talk with
your parents about how you’ll pay for college. Check out
http://studentaid.ed.gov for more information on the types
of financial aid (grants, loans, etc.), who is eligible for aid,
and the steps to take to apply for aid.
Extracurricular Activities
Application Essays
Begin writing your application essays. Visit
www.teenink.com/college_guide/college_essays and
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays for advice on
writing your application essays.
© College & Career Press LLC
Continue or begin participating in extracurricular activities
such as school clubs, newspapers, yearbook, speech teams,
or athletics. These activities look great on your application
and tell college administrators that you’re a well-rounded
person.
Volume 19, Number 1 2014
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