FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
AND THEIR HOT LINKS
What are colleges looking for today?
How important are grades and class rank, as opposed to leadership and
creativity?
When are the important entrance exams?
Which ones should students take and when do they need to register?
When should college planning begin?
What can kids do to prepare for college?
What can parents do?
Does the kid hoping for a sports scholarship handle the application process
the same as a kid seeking a music scholarship?
How about home-schooled kids? Is there anything different about their
application process?
How much does a college education cost today?
Are scholarships and loans readily available?
How does a student qualify for financial aid?
What can parents do to help their kids qualify for scholarships and loans?
There is a chapter dealing with special concerns, what does this cover?
What are colleges looking for today?
Colleges are looking for kids with dreams and ambitions. They are looking
for kids who are total-packages. They are looking for kids who take a
challenging curriculum – their individual top. They also want kids who work
for grades that are the top for each kid and take college admissions tests They
also want kids who are involved in school and community activities. Work or
specialized courses in areas of interest are a plus!
How important are grades and class rank, as opposed to leadership and
creativity?
Grades and class rank are only part of the picture and in most cases, not
the most important. Colleges are looking for total-package kids who work on
being the best they can individually be to reach their dreams and ambitions.
They want kids who work on being well-rounded students and individuals.
When are the important entrance exams?
There are several important college entrance exams. There are two tests that are
offered only in the fall. One is the PSAT, the Preliminary SAT, which is only
offered in October. The PSAT is the test that provides the entrance into the
National Merit Scholarship Program. The other is the PLAN is the preliminary
form of the ACT. The SAT I, the SAT II and the ACT exams are offered several
times during the school year.
PSAT Test Dates
www.collegeboard.org
SAT I and
II Program Tests Dates
www.collegeboard.org
ACT
Assessment Test Dates
www.act.org
International Baccalaureate
www.ibo.org
Advanced
Placement (AP) Examinations
www.collegeboard.org
CLEP
test dates
www.collegeboard.org
Which ones should students take and when do they need to register?
Students generally take the PLAN the fall of the Sophomore year following
with the ACT and SAT during the Junior and Senior years. High achieving kids
should consider taking the PSAT during the Sophomore year for practice and take
it again in October of the Junior year for "real" – the only time
score is counted toward National Merit consideration. High achieving kids should
also consider taking the ACT and/or the SAT starting during the Freshman year,
definitely by the Sophomore year – for practice.
PLAN
www.act.org
PSAT, SAT I, SAT II - College Board
www.collegeboard.org
PSAT, SAT I, SAT II - Educational Testing Service
www.ets.org
ACT
www.act.org
When should college planning begin?
College planning actually starts during middle school or junior high with
the choices of the main courses. Actual college planning begins during 8th
grade with the choice of classes for 9th grade. This sets the stage
for the courses taken the rest of the high school career. Record keeping for
resumes should start in 9th grade.
Click here to
go to Student Resume Worksheet
Exploration into colleges should begin ideally during the freshman and
sophomore years, but definitely no later than the junior year. For gifted
students, the process needs to start earlier.
AOL@SCHOOL
- free educational service site with a great college section
AOL keyword AOL@SCHOOL
http://school.aol.com
What can kids do to prepare for college?
Kids – the top thing you should do to prepare for college is to take the
most difficult courses you are capable of taking. That’s not necessarily what
the kid next to you is doing, but what is your personal top. The next thing is
to be a total-package kid. Get involved in your school and your community. And
make sure you keep track of it all starting with the 9th grade. It’s
really hard to remember all of it the night before a college app is
due.
Click here to go to Student Resume Worksheet
What can parents do?
Parents –you can help your kids by encouraging to stay in school, to do the
best they can, to take the most difficult classes they can manage, and become
involved in school and community activities. A note: What works for one kid, may
not work for another as far as course choices. It not only varies among
families, it varies between children in their own families. Remember – each
child is an individual.
Does the kid hoping for a sports scholarship handle the application process
the same as a kid seeking a music scholarship?
As dissimilar as the fields are, there are many similarities. Both endeavors
require hard work, dedication and sacrifice.
A kid going for a sports scholarship needs to work closely with the coach and
strictly follow the rules of the athletic governing organizations covering your
sport and college – such as the NCAA. Membership on select teams, strength and
endurance training, summer sports camps and jobs are a necessity.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA)
www.ncaa.org
National Junior College Athletic Association
(NJCAA)
www.njcaa.org
National Association of Collegiate Directors of
Athletics (NACDA)
www.nacda.com
National Scouting Report
www.nrc.pair.com
Athletic Scholarship Information Search Techniques
(Sports A.S.I.S.T.)
www.athletes.com
American Sport Education Program
www.asep.com
A kid going for a music scholarship needs to work closely with his or her
private and classroom teachers. Membership in honors and select music performing
groups is vital. Summer music camps and jobs are a necessity.
How about home-schooled kids? Is there anything different about their
application process?
For home-schooled kids, they really need to make sure that their curriculum
matches the expectations of colleges with regard to rigor and variety. Reaching
out to the community for experiences, mentorships and validation are of critical
importance. These families need to make sure that all college entrance exams are
taken. They will need to contact each testing organization for registration
packets.
National
Center for Home Education
www.hslda.org/nationalcenter/
How much does a college education cost today?
Tuition can range from less than $1,500 a year at a community college to $5,000
at a 4-year in-state college to $30,000 at an exclusive private college. Add to
the tuition figure the costs of books, miscellaneous fees, and room and board.
Always keep in mind that the financial aid departments at colleges are a great
resource in planning if a college is financially possible for your family.
Are scholarships and loans readily available?
Loans are available through the federal government and banks. Scholarships are
available through colleges and independent scholarship organizations. Loans are
more readily available than scholarships. Colleges vary on the number, amount
and criteria of the scholarships they offer. Those variables can range from not
much and not many to the opposite. It is the kids’ and parents’ jobs to find
the colleges that offer scholarships that potentially meet their needs.
Student Guide - US Department of Education www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide-1999-0/intro.html
CASHE scholarship search
www.cashe.com
FreeScholarships.com
www.FreeScholarships.com
How does a student qualify for financial aid?
An undergraduate student usually can qualify for some type of loan program. The
first and most important step is to file the FAFSA (the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid). This application is used as the basis for the computation
for a student’s demonstrated financial need. This has to be filed as soon as
possible after January 1st of the senior year high school.
FAFSA (on-line)
www.fafsa.ed.gov
What can parents do to help their kids qualify for scholarships and loans?
For scholarships, parents need to encourage their kids to be good scholars and
involved in a wide range of activities.
For loans, parents need to work with their financial planners and tax
professionals to plan their family finances to best take advantage of loan
programs.
Also if the child has significant funds in his/her name, the assets need to be
swapped into the parents’ names before December 31st of the Junior
year to provide the financial picture best suited for financial aid. You need to
consult your family financial advisor on amounts and timing. Keep in mind that
good tax planning is often not good financial aid planning!
US Department of Education
www.ed.gov
FAFSA
www.fafsa.ed.gov
Student Guide - US Department of
Education www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide-1999-0/intro.html
Tax Program Information
www.ed.gov/updates/97918tax.html
Project $chor$cam (FTC's) www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.html
FinAid's Scam Alert
www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml
GE
Financial - Education
www.gefinancial.com/education
College Board
www.collegeboard.org
SRN Express Scholarship Search
www.srnexpress.com
The Profile--College Scholarship Services
www.collegeboard.org
CASHE scholarship search
www.cashe.com
Wintergreen/Orchard House Scholarship Finder
www.wgoh.com
There is a chapter dealing with special concerns, what does this cover?
The Special Concerns chapter covers the questions families need to ask colleges
for such special issues ranging from physical disabilities, to medical support,
visually impaired, hearing impaired, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder,
learning disabled, and the gifted and talented. The questions cover physical and
testing accommodations, and support structures to provide a safe and nurturing
environment to help kids be successful.
General Disability Resources
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
Association on Higher Education and
Disability
(AHEAD)
www.ahead.org
Disabilities Studies and Service Center
www.dssc.org
Federation for Children with Special Needs
www.fcsn.org
HEATH Resource Center: Financial Aid for
Students with Disabilities
www.acenet.edu/about/Access+Equity/HEATH/home.htmlprograms
Financial Aid for Disabled
Students www.finaid.org/otheraid/disabled.phtml
National Information Center for
Children and Youth with Disabilities
www.nichcy.org
National Parent Network on
Disabilities (NPND)
www.npnd.org
National Transition Alliance for
Youth with Disabilities (NTA)
www.dssc.org/nta
American Disability Association
www.ADANet.org
Physical Disabilities
United Cerebral Palsy
www.ucpa.org
National Spinal Cord Injury
Association
www.spinalcord.org
Post Polio
www.oh.zynet.co.uk/polio/lincolnshire
Easter Seals Society
www.easter-seals.org
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
www.msfacts.org
Muscular Dystrophy Association
www.mdausa.org
March of Dimes
www.modimes.org
Sites on all major Internet gateways
Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADD or AD/HD))
Children and Adults with Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
www.chadd.org
National Attention Deficit Disorder Association
(NADDA)
www.add.org
Sites on all major Internet gateways
Learning Disabilities (LD)
LD Online
www.ldonline.org
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
www.ldanatl.org
National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc.
www.ncld.org
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and
Gifted Education
http://ericec.org
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
www.cec.sped.org
Association on Higher Education and
Disability
(AHEAD)
www.ahead.org
International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
www.interdys.org
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D)
www.rfbd.org
Sites on all major Internet gateways
Visually Impaired
American Foundation for the Blind
www.afb.org
American Council of the Blind (ACB)
www.acb.org
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D)
www.rfbd.org
National Federation of the Blind
www.nfb.org
Library of Congress National Library Services
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
http://lcweb.loc.gov/nls/nls.html
Sites on all major Internet gateways
Hearing Impaired
National Association of the Deaf
www.nad.org
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf
www.agbell.org
American Speech-Language Hearing Association
www.asha.org
Information Clearing House
www.nih.gov/nidcd
SHHH: Self Help for Hard of Hearing People
www.shhh.org
Gallaudet University
www.gallaudet.edu
The Gallaudet Learning Disabilities Handbook
www.gallaudet.edu/~dmmcglyn/learningdisability/handbook4.html
Closed Captioning Web
www.captions.org
Sites on all major Internet gateways
Gifted and Talented
National Association of Gifted Children
www.nagc.org
The Council for Exceptional Children
www.cec.sped.org
Gifted and Talented Resources
www.pitsco.com/p/resframe.htm
Gifted Resources Home Page
www.eskimo.com/~user/kids.html
National Research Center on the Gifted
and Talented
www.ucc.uconn.edu/~wwwgt/nrcgt.html
Center for Gifted Studies
www.wku.edu/gifted
Learning Disabilities and Giftedness
www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/gt_ld/gifted_ld.html
Sites on all major Internet gateways
© 2003 [Wildwood Country Press]. All rights reserved.
Revised: September 12, 2003
.