Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Colorado Free College Application Day



Are you ready for FREE College App Day on 
Tuesday, October 15th?! 
Not sure? 
Are the following statements TRUE FOR YOU?

1) I've started all of the applications I want to submit on Tuesday! 
(This means you've gone to the college's web pages and created your application profile by clicking APPLY NOW! and creating a username and password)

2) I know what is required to submit my applications! 
(This means you've read through each application and know what information you'll have to provide from letters of recommendation to social security # to GPA to the date your parent/s/guardian/s moved to Colorado AND MORE!) 

3) I've prepared my personal statement and/or essay answers FOR EACH COLLEGE! 
(You have google docs ready to cut and paste into the applications for the WIN!) 

YES! to all three?  Let me know! And HIGH FIVE for your hard work. 


Application Links! If you don't see what you are looking for, let me know!

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Preparing for College!

Congratulations on your HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION! 
It's an amazing accomplishment and you should be SO proud of yourself. 

Next up, COLLEGE! 
Check out the links below for some ideas on how to prepare for the transitions. As always, let Angie or me know if you have ANY questions, need help on paperwork, and/or want to meet on your new campus to figure anything out.  We can visit financial aid with you, review your class schedule and find your classrooms, etc! 




Monday, January 28, 2019

YESS Post-Secondary Success Update!

The YESS HS Class of 2019: YESS Road to Success

99% of the YESS HS Class of 2019 have an active post-secondary plan.

YESS Scholars have already earned almost $900,000 in scholarship monies to be distributed over the next 4 years.

40% have applied for scholarships with many deadlines coming up in the next 2 months.

85% have been accepted to college at this time. More to come, we are sure!

YESS Scholars have been accepted to CU Boulder, Community College of Denver, Wartburg, Morningside, CSU, Cottey College, UC Denver, University of Denver, Metro State, Mesa and UNC- to name just a few of their options!

The YESS Road to Success Scholarship was released today. We're excited be able to distribute about $12,000 to YESS Scholars this year.

Monday, December 3, 2018

Colorado Opportunity Fund: COF

Have you applied for COF? 

You'll SAVE $85/credit hour on your tuition at some of Colorado's public universities and community colleges! The state of Colorado will pay a 'stipend' towards your tuition and this will reduce your total tuition bill. This could be almost $1,300 PER SEMESTER! The application only takes a few minutes. 

If you are an ASSET and/or DACA student, apply now HERE

APPLY NOW HERE! You'll need your Social Security # to complete the application. 

COF can be used at the schools listed below:
Four Year Public Colleges:
  • Adams State University
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • Colorado State University
  • Colorado State University-Pueblo
  • Fort Lewis College
  • Colorado Mesa University
  • Metropolitan State University of Denver
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • University of Colorado Colorado Springs
  • University of Colorado Denver
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • Western State Colorado University
Two Year Public Colleges:
  • Arapahoe Community College
  • Colorado Northwestern Community College
  • Community College of Aurora
  • Community College of Denver
  • Front Range Community College
  • Lamar Community College
  • Morgan Community College
  • Northeastern Junior College
  • Otero Junior College
  • Pikes Peak Community College
  • Pueblo Community College
  • Red Rocks Community College
  • Trinidad State Junior College
Private Colleges:
  • Colorado Christian University ($43/hour)
  • Regis University ($43/hour)
  • University of Denver ($43/hour)


Thursday, October 11, 2018

I submitted my FAFSA! Now what?!

High five for completing your FAFSA! But that's just the beginning of your financial aid journey. Take a few minutes to watch the video below:


Keep an eye on emails from FAFSA. You'll receive one with a link to your SAR shortly after submitting your FAFSA application. You may want to search your inbox for FAFSA and/or SAR (student aid report) to be sure you haven't missed it! Some students didn't read the whole thing and never go to the link for the SAR! Your SAR will include the estimated amount of aid you'll receive aka your Pell Grant.

If you've already been admitted to any colleges, follow the steps provided in your admission paperwork/email to access your account for that school. Some of them may also create an institutional(college) email address for you. You'll want to check that regularly (at least once a week!) in case they send you information about financial aid and enrollment to that email address! Consider making a calendar reminder to check weekly.

Check out the info provided by FAFSA about Next Steps here. There's info about verification, your SAR, how to claim your award $, and some details about the loan process should you choose to accept a loan.

Always talk to a trusted adult or friend about financial aid decisions. Remember you'll get financial aid packages from all the schools for which you submitted an application. You'll want to compare these offers as you decide what school to attend! Don't commit to anything until you've considered your options from a financial perspective too!!!

LMK if you have ?s!

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Senior Fall Checklist!

Hey Seniors! I know you have A LOT going on...SAT prep and testing, homecoming, sports, clubs, enjoying the last year of high school, work, AP/Honors classes, concurrent enrollment, etc, etc.

Don't forget your Post-Secondary Planning! Check out the checklist below to help guide your planning, application and access process. As always, let me know if you have ANY questions!

FALL OF SENIOR YEAR! 


  • Finalize your College/Post-Secondary Program Application List! Be sure to include some schools that may be harder to get in to as well as at least one school to which you will for sure be admitted. This list can include colleges, apprenticeships, military and/or technical schools. These are all GREAT post-secondary options. 
APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 
  • Prepare for and complete the FAFSA. Use the search tool in the blog to find LOTS of information regarding what documents you need, creating a FSAID and other info about the process. The application opens October 1!
APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 


  • Stay focused on your grades and extracurricular activities. These remain important parts of your resume. Finish strong! 
APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 


  • Keep track of deadlines! Consider using calendar reminders on your phone to alert you well ahead of deadlines (so you take time to work on applications) as well as the day applications are due. 
APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 
  • Meet with your School Counselor. They will need to know what schools/programs you are applying to so they can send Transcripts, Score Reports, and other application items. Be sure to give them access to the required forms WELL in advance. Be sure to THANK them for their help. 
APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 
  • Continue researching scholarships, add them to your College Research Spreadsheet, and complete these applications! 
APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 
  • Ask for Letters of Recommendation NOW! Be sure you are giving your teachers, counselors, etc enough time to write you an AWESOME letter. If you wrote one for yourself last year, you an share it with them along with your resume to help them out! 
APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 
  • Complete your College/Post-Secondary Program applications as soon as possible. Even if a school has a deadline in the spring, aim to complete your application by Thanksgiving Break. Put yourself at the TOP of the pile! 


APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS! 
  • ASK for help! If you have questions, ASK them! It's ok to not know everything about the post-secondary process. It's a whole new world. If something doesn't make sense, ASK! This is a good habit to get into as you'll have LOTS of questions once you get to college. ASKING for help is part of being an adult, trust me! 

Monday, August 20, 2018

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF COLLEGE!

Congratulations to those of you beginning your college journey today! Remember many of the students around you are also experiencing their first day. Introduce yourself, make a new connection, help each other out and ask questions! It's likely that you are NOT the only one wondering where this building is or that classroom is or what some abbreviation means on the syllabus. 

Have fun out there! 

And as always, let me know if I can help you in any way. 


Thursday, August 2, 2018

Jump Start your Senior Year!

YESS Class of 2019! Take some time NOW to get started on your plan for life AFTER high school.

I know it seems early but the more you do now, the better! 
Let me know if you have ANY questions. 


1) College and Scholarship APP Prep:
Check out the prompts at the following link: 
 
Write an essay for TWO of these prompts. These will be useful for college and scholarship essays. 


2) Begin RESEARCHING scholarships for which you are eligible. 
BE SURE TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU FIND! 
If you want a google sheet that is set up for tracking your research, let me know. 

3) Not sure what you'd like to do after high school? Take some time to complete these questions: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip 
When you are done, you'll have some ideas about post- high school education options AND career paths. 
BE SURE TO WRITE THEM DOWN and EMAIL them to me! 

4) Send me a list of your TOP 3 Choices for after High School- this could be colleges, apprenticeships(job training education), etc. Please include the $$$ cost of attendance for each of your TOP 3 choices! Keep in mind, your Top 3 Choices may change over the next few months as we do more research. No problem! 

Thursday, April 19, 2018

SENIORS! DO NOW!


Hey, Seniors!
 Take some time to log in to your Student Hubs or Portals (Click here for some direction!) and your college emails. If there are documents or pieces of information missing, you'll have a HOLD on your account. This can prevent you from getting a Financial Aid Package ($$$), being able to register for orientation, and stop you from being able to register for classes.

Let's get these things FIGURED OUT!

In your portal, be sure to click on tabs regarding Financial Aid and look for Red Flags 🔺 or other 'warning' signs. Each college uses different symbols! Usually you'll also have an email letting you know there are issues with your Financial Aid Package. Sometimes, following the link in your email will take you to the right place to resolve the issue.

Metro State Financial Aid

Colorado Opportunity Fund - $ for College!

University of Colorado Denver Financial Aid 

Community College Denver Scholarship Assistance- $TILL AVAILABLE! 

If you are still deciding which college to attend, check this out for some questions to ask yourself as you decide. Remember to ask people who are important to you and know you well what they think! They may know or notice something about you and your college choices that you haven't thought of before!

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Preparing for a Scholarship Interview

Here are some things to consider when preparing for a Scholarship Interview! 



  • Practice introducing yourself in front of a mirror. It'll feel weird but it's worth doing!
  • Perfect your handshake! It should be firm- no flopping fish hands OR painful grips. 
  • Choose your outfit AT LATEST the night before...dress professionally and make sure you are comfortable too. 
  • If the interview is with an organization (like Daniels Fund) or a particular college, be sure to be well informed about the organization or school. Be able to talk about what the organization means to you or why you want to attend THAT school very specifically. Remember, you have to convince the committee that you are invested in their work as they are seeking to invest in you! 
  • Make a BRAG SHEET in advance. What accomplishments are you most proud of thus far in your life? Be prepared to talk about them! 
  • Also have a few failures in mind AND be able to describe what you learned from these. 
  • Have a teacher, friend, or family member interview you. Even if this feels silly, it gets some of the nerves out. 
  • Take your time. If you need to pause before answering a question to organize your thoughts, just do it! 
  • Be sure to have a few questions in mind for the committee
  • BE YOUR SUPER AWESOME SELF! 



Some common interview questions:

Tell us about yourself.

What are your greatest strengths?

What are your greatest weaknesses?

How has this organization impacted you?

Why do you want to attend this college/university?

Why should we give you this scholarship?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10?

Who is your role model? Why?

Do you have any questions for us?

Friday, April 6, 2018

YESS Senior Checklist!

Hey YESS Class of 2018!

Be sure to read through this list and make sure you are completing ALL of these items as soon as you can! The more you get done now, the easier your transition will be in the Fall. 

Congrats on everything you've accomplished thus far and JUST KEEP SWIMMING! 

SENIOR CHECKLIST 


____ Log into your college student portal regularly (for example, CCDConnect – every school is a little different). Look for red flags/ yellow caution signs that will tell you if you are missing any information or need to sign off on any documents, for example, financial aid documents.
____ Check your college email DAILY. You will get important information through that email account. You can change the settings in your student portal for your school email to be forwarded to your personal email. 
____ Carefully read any emails from FAFSA. You may be asked to provide tax verification and will need to request tax transcripts from the IRS. Let me know if you need more info!
____ Stay in contact with the financial aid office to make sure that your aid has been applied to your    account. You may also be able to check your college student portal for this information. If aid is not applied and you have not set up a payment plan, you may be dropped from your classes.
____ Take any required placement tests (for example, the Accuplacer).
____ If you are living on campus, be sure you’ve signed up for the residence halls and submitted a deposit.
____ Provide any information to health services, for example, immunization records. Many campuses will put a hold on your record if you have not submitted this information.
____ Sign up for campus health insurance or provide proof that you have health insurance to waive your health insurance fee.
____ Sign up for and attend orientation.
____ Get a college ID card
____ Meet with an academic advisor on campus.
____ Register for your classes.
____ Accept or follow up regarding Loans and Work-study.
____ Send school Official Final High School Transcript if requested by school.
____ Check in with external scholarship requirements (DSF, Institutional scholarships, etc..).
____ Authorize COF on your student portal.
____ Plan to buy/rent/borrow books (campus book store, Amazon, library).
____ Review On-Campus Support Services. Examples: Academic Services (Tutoring/Writing Center), Extracurricular Activities, Disability Center, Career Services, Transportation and Parking, TRIO, etc.

If you have questions/concerns please reach out ASAP to your YESS College Navigator, Emily at

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

I got in, but where do I go?

I know you've completed your FAFSA/other Financial Aid Forms and acceptance letters are rolling in from your colleges of choice. YAY, you! 

It's time to REALLY start thinking about $$$ and your final decision on where to attend college. It can be a bit overwhelming, right?! 

I'd suggest watching and reading through this information. It lays the ground work for what you'll see from the schools where you've been accepted. You'll also learn how to compare and contrast your aid packages to make the best choice for your college experience! 

The "financial fit" of your college is a HUGE factor! You'll want to make a choice that you can afford throughout the length of your degree without causing overwhelming stress about $ or overwhelming debt that you'll be paying back well into your adult life. 

Once you have all of your award letters from your top schools, you can use this awesome tool to help you compare the awards. Just enter in the requested info and VOILA! 
The "Family Share of Cost" is what you'd be expected to pay for each college. Remember, just because something is less $ doesn't necessarily make it the best choice. But do consider our conversations about loans versus scholarships and other types of aid you do NOT pay back! 

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

I've applied to college(s). Now what?!


Hi Fives, Seniors! 
You've submitted college applications and are opening doors for your future....It's important to have a few choices and there is still plenty of time to apply to other schools. But what else can you be working on?


1. Fill out the FAFSA! Most of you have done this but if you haven't THE TIME IS NOW! Let's set up an appointment to get this done! 

2.
Keep your grades up. I know it's hard as you get further along in your Senior Year. Senioritis is REAL! But your grades STILL matter. Your colleges will get your Final Transcript and they can 'un-admit' you. 

3. Check your COLLEGE email! Make sure the admissions office has all of your application pieces. Your colleges will send you information about establishing an email account with them. YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS REGULARLY! If you don't, you could miss out on deadlines, $cholarship opportunities, and other important information. If you have trouble remembering user names and passwords, make sure to make a note in your phone so you can log in!


4. Apply for ALL of the $cholar$hips! Seriously, apply for as many as you can. Use the Scholarship List on the right side of this page and consider setting up a Fastweb.com search that will email you scholarships you are eligible to receive! 




Monday, November 13, 2017

College and Scholarship Essays!

You guys! If you haven't started (and maybe even finished) your college application essays...

IT IS TIME! 

I know it can be hard to write about yourself and share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with total strangers. But it can be the MOST POWERFUL part of your application. Sure, grades and test scores matter but most colleges want to get to know YOU as a person with a story...not just the numbers and letters on your transcript! Your essay really is an opportunity for the people in admissions to learn more about WHY they should admit YOU to their college. 
Carve out some time over Thanksgiving Break to work on essays! 

TAKE A CHANCE! 

Be yourself! Make sure your essay 'sounds' like you. Just like you want people to be REAL with you, being REAL in your essay makes a difference! 

Start NOW! Select one of your essay topics. Set your timer for 30 minutes and just brainstorm. Write/type EVERYTHING that comes to mind...even if it's takis! I mean, try to stay focused on the topic and write any and everything that comes to mind. You may come across an idea or direction you weren't expecting BUT that will make an awesome essay! And remember, no one has to EVER see your brainstorming document. 

Check out the links below for some great tips on writing your BEST college essay! There are some video clips too. 

Monday, November 6, 2017

What types of Financial Aid are there?

Hey Seniors! We've talked a lot about the FAFSA and the federal Pell Grant, loans and work-study programs available with FAFSA completion. But there are OTHER options too! We've talked about Institutional Aid- money that is awarded to you by your school of choice. This can be need based, merit based and/or based on your chosen major/course of study. Get in touch with your College or University's Financial Aid Office and see what they offer! You may be able to search for Scholarships via their webpage too.

When should you be applying for Scholarships?

NOW! Even if you are a Junior or underclassmen...

There are scholarships for just Freshman.
NOW is the time especially if you are a Senior. Consider it your homework. Seniors, you should be spending a few hours a week researching scholarships, deciding which ones to apply for and then ACTUALLY APPLYING! As you near adulthood, this is a great test of your preparedness. No one can do it for you! Go get that $$$! 


Remember to look carefully at your scholarship options and avoid SCAMS!

Here are links to some of the Federal Grants:

Here's a great resource for SEARCHING for Scholarships! 


Here are some ideas about other places to look for/ask about scholarships:
  • your library’s reference section
  • foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, or civic groups
  • organizations (including professional associations) related to your field(s) of interest
  • ethnicity-based organizations
  • your employer or your parents’ employers