Class of 2019! Time to start post-secondary planning!

Now that you are ALMOST Seniors, it's time to make a college application prep plan! Remember our conversations with your current Senior classmates...They expressed wishing they'd done some prep work for Senior fall during the summer after their Junior Year. It really is a part-time job. Consider spending a few hours a week on your college research and preparation.

Here are some ideas of what to work on! 

1) Complete a Letter of Recommendation for yourself! Highlight skills and activities that truly reflect your abilities and interests. Your teachers/counselors will be SO impressed with your extra effort when you ask for Letters of Recommendation for college and scholarship applications. Share your Letter with them to help them out.  Here are some tips on how to ask for a Letter of Recommendation when the time comes!

2) Create or update your resume! Summer can be a great time to add some volunteer work in addition to your paid summer job. Just a few hours a week goes a long way! 

3) Put in a few hours a week looking for MORE scholarships to add to your College Research Spreadsheet! Add deadlines to your calendars with reminders in advance of these due dates!

4) Complete at least 2 essays for the Common Application Essay Prompts. Remember, even if you are NOT using the Common App, these essay questions will be applicable to other application questions for schools and scholarships. Be sure to save them in your google drive with clear file names. Share them with yess.emily@gmail.com if you want feedback!

5) If you are not happy with your SAT score, there are plenty of resources that will allow you to improve your skills. Don't forget to sign up for the SAT in the fall if you choose to retake it!


(Here's the link for the College Research Spreadsheet! Be sure to follow the directions for COPYING and saving as your own file.)

As always, let me know if you have any questions! 

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! 

Institutional Scholarship Information Links!

See below for links to scholarships from YESS' most attended colleges! 

Colorado State University

Community College of Denver 

Arapahoe Community College 

Metropolitan State University of Denver 

University of Colorado- Denver 

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 

University of Northern Colorado

CU Boulder- DUE FEBRUARY 15TH

Remember to apply for scholarships at your Top 2 or 3 colleges!!!! This way, you'll receive a few options for Financial Aid Awards...you never know which school will offer you the best award! You have to have been admitted to the school and set up your portal/email with the college to complete the scholarship applications. Most of schools have a March 1 Deadline for institutional scholarships. Be sure to check and plan accordingly. To Sign In to most of the schools above, you'll have to activate your account with the school. Search your personal email for information from each school on how to log in! Make sure you are keeping track of usernames and passwords! 

Let me know if you have any questions. 

Scholarships! Private and Institutional!

Hey Seniors! If you've been slacking on scholarship applications, now is the time to ramp up your search and completion of apps.

Remember to look for Private AND Institutional scholarships. Private scholarships will be the ones offered by different businesses (McDonald's) and organizations (like YESS!). Institutional scholarships are offered by the schools you've been accepted to and are ONLY valid if you attend the school that awards you the scholarship. So, you can't use a scholarship from Metro to attend CCD!

Take some time to identify your top 2-3 colleges of choice and begin scholarship applications for EACH of these schools. Perhaps your 2nd choice school will give you a ton of scholarship $$$ and that may impact your decision on where to attend. We don't want to close any doors too soon!

You can usually find institutional scholarships by logging into your portal/dashboard for each school. Let me know if you have any questions! Some schools have built in search engines so you can enter your GPA, for example, and the search will identify which scholarships you can submit. Other schools will require more search time from you. Please remember you can share your essays for review with yess.emily@gmail.com as google docs!

Most institutional scholarships are due March 1st. Be sure to confirm deadlines for each of your top choice schools! This HAS to be something you set aside time for like homework or a part time job. Remember, the rewards for winning scholarships will PAY OFF next year!

Second Semester Senior!!!!

Hey Seniors, Congrats on making it through the FIRST semester of your Senior Year. 

ONE MORE TO GO! 

Here are some thoughts on making the most of your next few months of high school....

• Slow down! Take time to appreciate the people around you even the challenging ones! Think of all of the lessons you've learned and how you've changed over the last 4 years. 

• Stay FOCUSED! It's easy to get sidetracked. You are almost across that finish line...BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO FINISH. Your grades and attendance still matter.  

• Dream BIG! Imagine your dream future. Where will you live, what will you do and, most importantly, who will you choose to spend your time with especially your free time. Some people think we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with...Who are you?

• Apply for ALL the scholarships. Come on, you knew I was going to say that!!! :)

• Use a checklist like this one so you stay on top of your college admissions and financial aid requirements. Check that college email!!!! 

Please let me know if you have any questions as you continue on your Road to Success! 

Have fun out there! 

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! 

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. 

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays/8-tips-for-crafting-your-best-college-essay

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays/tips-for-writing-an-effective-application-essay-college-admissions