October
Senior Newsletter
Upcoming
College Representative Visits:
October 17 – College of the Ozarks – 9:00 am; Sign up in the office if
you are interested in attending the meeting.
October 18 – Central Methodist University – 10:00 am
October 27 – University of Missouri – Columbia – 10:15
Financial
Literacy Guide available from Mapping Your Future
Mapping Your Future is a national collaborative,
public-service, nonprofit organization providing career, college, financial
aid, and financial literacy information and services for students, families,
and schools. Money
management skills are essential to having a successful future. Help empower
yourself with these skills by using Mapping Your Future's financial literacy
guide. This guide helps teach students life skills, such as learning the
difference between gross and net income, how to balance a checkbook, and the
steps to financial responsibility - to name just some of the topics.
The financial literacy guide,
located at mappingyourfuture.org/downloads/financialliteracyguide.pdf,
presents
information in 12 steps, guiding students on the path to financial success.
College
Highlights:
University of Central Missouri - in Warrensburg, MO, is
hosting several Discover UCM and Choose Red special visit days throughout the
fall and spring. You will have the
opportunity to tour the campus, learn about admissions, financial aid and
housing, meet with faculty member in your area of interest and hear from
current students about their UCM experience.
Lunch is provided for you and your family. The fall dates for these special visit days
are October 10, 22, 28 and November 11.
If you would like to participate in any of these, visit www.ucmo.edu
or call the Campus Visit Office at 660-543-8569. To be considered for certain institutional
scholarships, you must submit a complete UCM application by December 1 for priority
consideration. Come by the guidance
office if you have any questions or if you would like help in arranging a
visit.
Kansas State University – Industrial Engineering
Program – Do you enjoy solving problems, thinking of new or better ways to do
things, like working on teams, do you get good grades in math and science? Then
Industrial Engineering might be the degree for you. Industrial Engineers make
things better. . . they make goods more affordable, use logistics to distribute
products worldwide, make workplaces safer, are trained to be productivity and
quality improvement specialists, help maximize company profits. If you are
interested in learning more about industrial engineering call 1-785-532-5606 or
email imse@k-state.edu.
Mills College is in Oakland, California.
As a high caliber, independent college, Mills offers you an exceptional
education: personal attention from outstanding faculty, top-notch facilities,
and a community of committed students - - all in a beautiful and intimate
settings. To learn more about Mills College visit www.mills.edu.
Must See
LSTC at the
At both
Must See LSTC events, your students will have an opportunity to receive
scholarship and financial aid information. Flyers and detailed agendas
for both events can be found at www.linnstate.edu/mustsee.
Northwest Missouri
State holding Computing Visit Day
The Department of Computer Science and
Information Systems will
host its annual Computing Visit Day, with refreshments beginning at
Nurse
for a Day Workshop on Nov. 4th
Scholarship
Information:
University of Missouri –
Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of
Business – For the 2011-2012 school year, the Trulaske
College of Business awarded over 500 scholarships totaling over $1.75 million
to incoming and returning students. To apply for their top three scholarships
visit www.business.missouri.edu/scholarships. The
deadline for these is February 1, 2012. For all other general scholarships at
University of Missouri apply at www.sfa.missouri.edu by December 1,
2011. If you have any questions please
contact cookaa@missouri.edu
or call 1-573-882-7073.
The
National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts – offers
up to $500,000 in total monetary awards, an all-expense-paid trip to Miami for YoungArts Week in January 2012, master classes with
world-renowned artists, and access to scholarships, career opportunities, and
professional contacts. The application deadline is October 14, 2011
Audition/Portfolio Received Deadline: October 29, 2011. Apply online now at www.youngarts.org/apply.
Upcoming
Missouri State University Scholarships Deadlines:
Focus on University of
Missouri System:
There
are four universities in the
Mizzou –
Mizzou has an 85.1% freshman retention rate largely due to their
Freshman Interest Groups (FIGS) These are groups of
freshman (15 – 20) students that live in the dorms together and have similar
interests, classes, and activities. Students participating in the FIGS have
higher GPA’s and find adapting to college much easier.
Mizzou has several new majors that are creating new opportunities for
some great careers: Hospitality Management, Sports Venue Management, Parks
Recreation & Tourism, and a new Entrepreneurship minor.
Mizzou has several automatic scholarships (automatically qualify when
you are admitted)
Curators
Scholar Award - $3,500 per year - 28 ACT and top 5% of class
Excellence
Award - $2,000 per year – 27 ACT and top 25%
$1,000 per year – 27 ACT and top 50%
Automatic
Departmental Scholarships – are also offered by the
Mizzou Scholars Award – $10,000 per year – 33 ACT and strong academic
record
Eligible
students must complete their Mizzou application
online and send test scores directly from ACT by December 1. Ten scholarships
will be awarded based on an essay and interview.
For
all other scholarships – Students must submit MU scholarship application by
Dec. 1 at scholarships.missouri.edu.
UMSL
– has 16,500 students with a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class
size is 27. Incoming freshmen average 23.6 on the ACT and a 3.3 GPA.
UMSL
offers Triton Athletics in the Great Lakes Valley Conference They have 5
varsity men’s sports and 6 varsity women’s sports. They also offer a center for
student success that includes career services, disability access services, multicultural
relations, writing center, math lab, and a health, wellness, and counseling
center.
UMSL
offers a new program for students pursuing a degree in business. It is $5,000
per academic year, peer mentoring and networking opportunities, internship
opportunities with
UMSL
has internships available with the following companies: Brown Shoe, Express
Scripts, Energizer, Wells Fargo, and Edward Jones. UMSL was voted as one of the
“Best 300 Business Schools” by the Princeton Review in 2011. Their
international business program was ranked 15th nationally by the U.S.
News and World Report. It is their 9th consecutive year in the top
20.
UMSL
also has a great optometry program – over ˝ of
UMSL
offers these freshman merit scholarships:
Curator’s - $7,000 – 28 ACT and rank in the top 5%
Chancellor’s - $5,000 – 26 ACT and rank in the top 10%
University - $2,000 – 25 ACT and
rank in the top 25%
Academic
- $1,500 – 24 ACT and rank in the top 25%
UMKC’s
enrollment is 13,586 with 8,529 undergraduates. Their average ACT is 24.4 with and average GPA of 3.42.
UMKC
has over 120 degree options with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 27 is the
average class size. 95% of faculty have the highest
degree in their field.
UMKC
is well known for its Health science programs including their 6-year medical
program, schools of nursing, school of dentistry, and pre-pharmacy programs.
UMKC
has over 300 student organizations with lots of opportunities to study abroad.
They were voted in the top 100 Green Campuses by the Sierra Club and are one of
three colleges in the
UMKC
has lots of connections to the community with internships and jobs. UMKC’s
career center partners with over 450 employers in the KC community.
UMKC’s
scholarships include the Missouri Advantage Grant and the UMKC Trustees’
Scholars Program. To qualify you must have a 30 ACT, 3.5 GPA or top 5% of
class. An interview will be required in January as well.
Missouri
S & T boasts of these awards #6 in the nation as far as technological
research universities, #2 starting salaries for public universities, top 5 best
values among national public universities, and top 30 in the safest college
campuses.
Missouri
S & T has the midwest’s
largest career fair. Over 710 companies recruit on campus. $59,550 is the
average starting salary. Nearly 90% of grads have firm career plans at
graduation. Many top corporations, such as Shell Oil, Caterpillar,
Missouri
S & T has a Earn While You Learn program where you
work full-time for a company as a part of your education.
Missouri
S & T has 7,320 students with 5,585 undergraduates. The average ACT is 27.8 80% of students
ranked in the top 30% of their high school class.
Missouri
S & T has several merit based scholarships. The most prestigious is the
Chancellor’s Scholarship. To qualify you must have an ACT of 30 and a 3.75 GPA.
The deadline for this scholarship is November 1st. Other
scholarships are available visit sfa.mst.edu for the complete listing.
Profiles in Courage
Essay Contest:
It
takes courage to stand up for your beliefs. Some elected officials risk their
careers to do right by their community and country. In Profiles in Courage,
John F. Kennedy described eight
Horation Alger Scholarships – If integrity, determination and courage describe you – then, you
have what it takes to be a Horatio Alger Scholar. Our scholarships reward
students who possess the character to succeed in life. We help students
overcome the financial barriers of pursuing higher education. To qualify, you
must have at least a 2.0 GPA and require financial assistance to go to college.
See their website at www.horatioalger.org/scholarships
and apply. The deadline is October 30,
2011.
Mediacom World Class
Scholarship Program – Mediacom Communications is again offering 50 $1,000 non renewable
scholarships to senior high school students in areas of 15 states. While it is
not required that a student be a customer, applicants must live in the region
serviced by the North Central Division of Mediacom. Ash Grove is in the area.
Applications are in the counselor’s office or you can apply online at www.mediacomworldclass.com. All
completed applications must include an essay on leadership, a transcript, and
two recommendation forms. The deadline is February
15, 2012.
Fastweb.com – is an internet source of local,
national, and college-specific scholarships. It specializes in personalized
scholarship matching, college searches and comparisons, tools and tips to help
you pay for college, plus jobs and internships as you launch into your new
career. To get started, visit www.fastweb.com
and set up a personal account. If you need help registering for this, please
come by the counselor’s office.
Missouri University of Science and
Technology – Chancellor’s Scholarship
If you are
in the upper 10% of your class, with a GPA of at least 3.75 and an ACT of 30 or
better, you can apply for the Chancellor’s Scholarship at Missouri University
of Science and Technology. An essay and a campus visit are additional
requirements. The deadline is November
1, 2011.
American Legion High School
Oratorical Scholarship Program – is
a constitutional speech contest, of which the purpose is to develop a deeper
knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States on the part
of high school students. State finalists
will receive respective scholarship certificates for $2,000, $1,800, $1,600,
and $1,400 which are redeemable after graduation at any college. Preliminary contest certification must be
mailed to American Legion Department by November
30, 2011. For contest details and
complete rules, come to the guidance office.
Daughters of the American Revolution
– The
Admission
Application Reminders:
College of the Ozarks – in Point
Lookout, MO has a
very competitive admissions program. If you are interested in attending College
of the Ozarks, it is very important that you apply early. Visit www.cofo.edu to apply.
ACT Dates:
Test Date Registration Deadline
October 22,
2011 (was September 16,
2011)
December
10, 2011 November 4, 2011
February
11, 2012 January 13, 2012
The Ash Grove High School Code is:
260-090.
You can
stop by the office for a packet or sign up online at www.actstudent.org . Our teachers will be hosting a workshop the
week prior to ACT tests to help prepare students that are taking the test. Look for announcements about workshop dates
and times.
Fee Waivers for ACT /
Students who
can’t afford the registration fee for the ACT or
Campus Visits:
Each senior
gets 1 campus visit day for
College Highlights
Page:
If you want
a quick reference page for some area colleges, visit the College Highlights
page on the Guidance Office site at http://www.ashgrove.k12.mo.us/aghs/Counselingtext/CollegeHighlights.html. Each college’s website offers an in-depth
look at virtually every aspect of the college.
Explore programs of study, tuition and other yearly costs, and student
organizations. Keep current on special
visit days and deadlines for admission or scholarships of the colleges in which
you are most interested. If you need
help researching a college or a specific area of interest, come to the guidance
office.
Here is some basic information on how to obtain federal
financial aid. There will be workshops starting in January at several different
sites in
WWW.FAFSA.ED.GOV – is the web site to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Start Here: Apply for financial aid! You must complete and submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for federal student aid for college or career school and for most state and institutional aid. The quickest way to apply is online using FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Go Further: Financial aid offices use information from the FAFSA to determine if you are eligible to receive federal student aid, grants, loans, and work-study programs. So be sure to fill out a FAFSA even if you think you won’t qualify.
Get A
Gather the Information Required To Apply:
· Your Social Security number and your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are providing parent information.
· Your driver’s license number if you have one
·
Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a
· Federal tax information or tax returns, including W-2 information, for yourself, for your spouse if you are married, and for your parents if you are providing parent information, using income records for the year prior to the academic year for which you are applying.
· Records of untaxed income, such as Social Security benefits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and veterans benefits, for yourself (and for your parents if you are providing parent information)
Be Aware of Deadlines: You may have to meet application deadlines, depending on your college and where you live. State and school deadlines are usually earlier than federal deadlines.
Use the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet: Your college or high school might have a copy of the Worksheet, or you can print one from www.fafsa.ed.gov. This Worksheet is optional, but it will help you collect the information you need to fill our your FAFSA online.
Complete Your Application At www.FAFSA.ED.GOV: Enter all necessary information. If you need help, there are help links on each page of the online application.
Submit Your Application: After you submit your application, make sure you receive a confirmation number. This number tells you your application has been successfully submitted. Keep this confirmation number for your records.
Follow Up on Your FAFSA: Your application will be processed and you will receive an e-mail with a link to your Student Aid Report (SAR). If you did not provide an e-mail address, you will receive your SAR by mail. You should review your SAR for any necessary corrections or updates. If you do not hear from us within three weeks, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and select: “Check the Status of a Submitted FAFSA.”
Online: “Help” buttons
on every page of the online application will take you to additional help. You
can also click the “Live Help” button to chat with a customer service
representative directly online between the hours of
By Phone: For help
toll-free between the hours of 8 am and midnight Eastern time,
call 1-800-4-
In Person: Talk with your high school counselor or contact the financial aid office at your college or career school.
Information: Go to the online version of Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid at www.studentaid.ed.gov/guide. This guide covers financial aid topics from preparing for college to repaying student loans.