Senior Presentation 15-16 Jodi Sternhagen 9-12 School Counselor - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Senior Presentation 15-16

Jodi Sternhagen 9-12 School Counselor

Scholarships – Getting Organized

 Create a list that includes

 Honors/Awards  Activities  Volunteer work

 Track hours  Sometimes signatures are required

 Paid work experiences  May want to make a copy of the

application before filling it out

Scholarships – Getting Organized

 Activities – What Activities to Emphasize

 related to the application theme  founded  hold an office or have a responsibility  made a contribution or received an award.  leadership

 Attach extra sheets if possible  Try not to leave any blank spaces in forms  Keep copies – will use again

Scholarships – Getting Organized

 Community Service Categories

 School based – tutoring, help with events  Community based – 4H, church  Self initiated – start a program

 Community Service Factors

 Time  Impact  Responsibility

Scholarships – Recommendations

 Choose someone who knows your work

habits and abilities

 Ask if the person if willing  Give your created list of activities, etc. to the

recommender



Encourage the writer to use personal stories

 Give the recommender adequate time (2

weeks) to complete the recommendation

 Check to see if the recommendation needs to

be sealed for confidentiality or sent directly.

Scholarships – Recommendations

 Give them an addressed, stamped envelope

with the postmark deadline noted

 Check back in a week to see if there are any

questions or if more info. is needed to complete the recommendation

 Get more recommendations than you need so

you can choose the best recommendation

 Ask the person writing the recommendation if

you can reuse the recommendation

Scholarships – Recommendations

 Recommendations online

 When submitting electronic scholarship

recommendations (including USD), please note that some of the requests sometimes end up in the junk files of the person who is supposed to be writing the recommendation.

 Let the recommender know to expect the

request and to look for it (check junk mail).

Writing Essays – What to

Emphasize

 You – tell them about the person behind the

GPA, test scores, activities

 Captivate the reader, create mystery, be

genuine, be thoughtful, show you are well rounded, be interesting but beware of trying to be too witty

 Write to your audience  Address the topic and purpose  Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation

Writing Essays – Important Points

 Choosing a topic

 Don’t choose a grandiose topic such as

“How I will eliminate AIDS”

 Don’t write a travelogue  Don’t write how you recovered from a

sports-related injury

 Write about a passion

 Just start writing!

Writing Essays – Getting Started

 Show - Don’t tell  Make an outline or a mind-map  See samples essays

Writing Essays – Getting

Feedback and Revising

 Ask for feedback from parents, teachers,

friends

 Revise for content, interest, clarity,

conciseness, usage and style, and correctness – grammar, punctuation, mechanics

 Leave time for rewriting  Read the essay aloud to find problems

Scholarships – General Information

 Play the numbers game – the more you

• apply. the better the chance of winning

 Internet and local searches

 Reuse parts of previous applications

and essays

 Word process all applications, pdf files

• pen in Word or use www.pdftoword.com

 Apply early

Scholarships – General Information

 Online Scholarships

 Students create accounts  Type essays in word, then copy/paste into app  Check carefully before submit

 Mailed Scholarships

 Submit early  Due date may be received by or postmark

deadline

 Always double check postage!!

College Admissions and College Scholarships

 Apply by December 1st so you will be eligible

for the college’s scholarships

 Please apply to both in-state and out-of-state

• schools. Usually, in-state schools offer

students more scholarship money.

 Have a Back-up Plan  Choose your school in April after students

receive FAFSA and scholarship offers

College Admissions and Scholarships

 SD 4 year school online application

https://apply.sdbor.edu/login.cfm

 Minnesota State Colleges & Universities

www.mnscu.edu

 The Common Application

https://www.commonapp.org

 Tech schools have own online apps

Scholarships - Scams

 You shouldn’t pay for scholarships  Free materials are available from Great

Lakes (formerly EAC), college financial aid

• ffices, the internet, and the financial aid

database on SDMyLife

 Consultant companies – offer guaranteed

scholarships (may go out of business or guarantee the Federal Stafford Loan which all students get)

Protect Your Identity

 Identity theft is when someone uses your

personal information to obtain credit or borrow money.

 Avoid it by protecting your personal

information such as

 Social Security Number  Driver’s License Number  Passwords  Personal Identification Numbers

Protect Your Identity

 Check your credit report once a year.

 www.equifax.com

 Report anything suspicious.

 1-800-MIS-USED

 Be careful about what is posted online

 Employers/admissions

personnel/scholarship committees google students – Facebook profiles

Online Scholarship Sources

Scholarship Search and Financial Sites

 http://www.sdmylife.com/  www.fastweb.com  www.scholarships.com  https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/  www.zinch.com  www.cappex.com  Great Lakes (EAC) https://www.mygreatlakes.org/  SLFC http://www.slfc.com  SDMyLife http://www.sdmylife.com/

Other Important Information

 Reciprocity with Minnesota – available in April  WUE - Western Undergraduate Exchange –

150% of tuition with certain states

www.wiche.edu/sep/wue

 NCAA Clearinghouse or NAIA eligibility –

www.eligibilitycenter.org or www.playnaia.org

 CLEP Tests – www.collegeboard.com/clep  SD Dual Credit Courses – online (handout)

 Financial Aid – Dec. 7th at 5:30 pm

 www.fafsa.ed.gov

www.pin.ed.gov

ACT Test Information

 ACT test – www.actstudent.org  Many schools award scholarships based on

ACT scores or use the ACT as a screening tool.

 Remember that the higher the ACT, the

higher the scholarship dollars awarded

 The ACT is available in December  New information on ACT and Remediation

ACT Information

 If students do not have a subtest score of an

18 in English and a 20 in Math, remedial courses may be needed (SD 4 year schools). SDSU has Math Index

 The state has an online program through the

Virtual School, the Accuplacer/MyFoundations Lab, which allows students to catch up (fees refunded if you finish)

 Please see me afterwards if you have

questions or want registration information

Scholarships

 Applications for local, state, and

national scholarships

 College Applications and Scholarships

also available today.

 NSU – no separate application for Wolf PAC

(21 ACT). Must apply before March 1.

 Several on-line – USD, SE Tech, PC,

SDSM&T, SDSU

Interviews

 Final selection for large scholarships will often

involve an interview. Interviews range from small groups of 3 interviewers to larger groups of 10.

 SDMyLife offers interview information. I have

books in the School Counseling Office and some lists of commonly asked questions.

 Dress professionally for interviews and

practice

College Web Sites

 Augustana www.augie.edu  Black Hills State University www.bhsu.edu  Dakota State University www.admission.dsu.edu  Lake Area Technical Institute www.lakeareatech.edu  Mitchell Technical Institute www.mitchelltech.edu  Northern State University www.northern.edu  Presentation College www.presentation.edu  SD School of Mines www.GoToMines.com  South Dakota State University www.sdstate.edu  Southeast Technical Institute www.southeasttech.edu  University of Sioux Falls www.usiouxfalls.edu  University of SD www.usd.edu

SD Scholarships

 Hatterscheidt

 Colleges send this scholarship application

to eligible students. Financial need is a consideration but sometimes schools do not get many applications. Information about NSU’s Hatterischeidt is found at:

http://www.northern.edu in 2015

SD Scholarships

 Dakota Corp Scholarship – ACT 26, GPA 2.8,

Requires students to stay in SD and work in a critical need area. Due Feb. 1

Pays full tuition and applicable fees (not a full-ride). Usually around 25 scholarships are awarded (usually 200 applicants) - competitive.

Application at:

http://www.sdbor.edu/dakotacorps/welcome.htm

SD Scholarships

 SD Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship

 Teach K-12 Special Ed  Teach high school math or science  Teach high school career and technical

education

 Final 2 years of postsecondary education  Work for 5 years in SD in critical teaching

need occupation



http://www.sdbor.edu/students/documents/CriticalTeachingNeedsS cholarshipApplication2014.pdf

SD Scholarships

 Build Dakota Scholarship at the SD

Technical Schools

 Receive full tuition and fees scholarship  Work in specific, high-demand field in SD for 3

years after graduation

 http://www.builddakotascholarships.com/  Financial aid, interest, and aptitude determine

eligibility

 Apply, be accepted into eligible program, and fill

• ut scholarship by Dec. deadline of senior year

SD Scholarships

 SD Opportunity Scholarship

 Established for Regents Scholar or SD Opportunity

Curriculum recipients with an ACT score or 24 or

• greater. HS GPA 3.0, nor final grade lower than a

C

 The scholarship will provide $6500 over four years

to students who attend an eligible higher education institution in SD.

 In college, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, take

15 hours per semester, and pass the sophomore proficiency test.

 This scholarship is non-competitive. Application

at: http://sdos.sdbor.edu/

Scholarships – GHS Local

 Local scholarships – many use the same

application plus extra essays (feature essays)

 Local application in packet  Local application 2015-16 Procedures

Sheet

 Cover page specific for some

scholarships

Scholarships – GHS Local

 Community Volunteer Scholarship

 GHS students  Must perform voluntary community service

from 9th – 12th grades

 Sponsored by Kiwanis and Groton PAC in

2015

 Due Feb. 1  Keep track of hours, signatures by activity

Scholarships – GHS Local

 Local Scholarships

 Kuehnert Scholarships – Due March 1

 3.5 GPA Valedictorian  3.5 GPA Financial Need  3.5 GPA Trade/Technical/Scientific Career  3.5 GPA Salutatorian  3.0 GPA Pursue college athletics

 Hopps Dow – Due April 1

 2.0 GPA, Ability to succeed, Financial need  http://www.sfacf.org/special-opportunities/

Scholarships – GHS Local

 Common Local Application (Due Feb.

15)

 Eastern Star – cover page  Lions  Masonic Lodge – cover page  Gwendolyn O’Connor Broman – cover

page

Scholarships – GHS Local

 Common Local Application + Feature Essays

(Feb.15)

 Memorial Scholarships (each has separate essay)- Lisa

Sippel Memorial, Kay and David Donovan Memorial, Beck Memorial, John Westby Memorial, Barry Schuring Memorial, Rob Luecke Memorial, Brenda Harms Memorial, Vicki Strom Memorial, Renee McKiver Memorial

 Alumni Scholarships (one essay)– Irvin and Janice

Fliehs Family, Darlene Raap Memorial, Class of 1969 Scholarship, Edna Bugner Memorial, Groton Community Fund, Sammuli-Rix Scholarship, Wilfred N. and Lucille A Heinz Memorial, Don Bartz

 Groton Area School Employee Teaching Scholarship

 Common Local Application + Feature Essays

(continued)

 Phyllis J. Jark Memorial Teaching Major Scholarship –

• Feb. 15

 Memorial Scholarships – March 1 (feature essay)

 Susan Deanne Weismantel  Shawn Weismantel Kramer  Ruden Family Ag-Related Career

 Similar to Common Local Application +

Feature Essay

 Orval and Bernice Smith Memorial

Scholarships – GHS Local

Scholarships – GHS Local

 Memorial Scholarships – April 1

 Jean Conley Brokaw – Day County  Anthony O Brokaw – Groton student  Jerald W. Peterson – Bristol student, April 1

 PEO Scholarship – Feb 15

 3.0 GPA GHS female

 Groton Chamber of Commerce – Feb. 15 (business or ag)

Scholarships - Extra

 SDSU/USD/LATI information - websites  Paper applications - American Legion

apps (junior members) and Avera Health care occupations

 Scholarship applications are forwarded

to students’ GHS emails

 Will email Local form and Kuehnert to

students

Scholarship Season

5 10 15 20 25

Scholarship Selection

 Some selected at various times – will know by

graduation

 Committee members for local selection (9

members from faculty, administration, and community). Please note that if a committee member’s child is up for selection, the committee member is replaced)

 Other selections are by groups or foundations

Scholarships – Last Reminders

 Keep track of the scholarships you receive

and make sure the funds make it to your account.

 Many scholarships are sent to the college

directly.

 Reminder that scholarships accepted by

students are read and listed at graduation

 Always send personal thank you letters.

Scholarships - Future

 Some scholarships will require that you keep

your GPA high and that you maintain a certain number of credits each semester

 Suggestions – parents and students should both

go to New Student Orientation, ask a lot of questions, and choose your courses carefully.

 Reminder that scholarship dollars are often split

for the year – ½ first semester, ½ second. If you change majors you may lose some

• scholarships. Be sure and ask questions.

Scholarships – Last Reminders

 Remember – no matter

 who you are  what activities you’re involved in  what your GPA, ACT scores, or class rank

 you have to apply to receive scholarships.

Please Apply!