Senior Reminders 2009 -2010
SENIOR REMINDERS 2009-2010 see your counselor for more information
1. Know What You Need To Complete In Order To Graduate! This includes what classes you must pass, total credits you need to earn , the community service hours to do for Government & Politics class for first semester is (December 15th deadline), any Graduation Demonstration exams and any current or past financial obligations you have with the Lincoln Public Schools. (Hint: if you drop a class be certain you return your textbook to the correct teacher so it is taken off of the checked out list.) **If you will finish all graduation requirements by the end of the summer school term, you are eligible to participate in the graduation ceremony.
2. Order your CAP & GOWN if you plan to participate in the Graduation ceremony on June 5th. See Mr. Focht in the main office if you have financial difficulties that prevent you from taking care of this task. Announcements are also ordered from the same company this year. The representative from Balfour will be at lunch on October 19th and 20th and will be taking orders and can share more details about this process. Purchasing announcements is entirely optional. You can order your cap and gown online at lincolngraduation.com
3. Maintain the best GRADES AND ATTENDANCE record possible. The senior year performance matters greatly. As students apply for post-secondary options, whether it is a 6 week certificate program or the military or a community college or a 4 year university, the record of grades, classes completed and attendance are closely reviewed. Class rank is based not only on GPA but also on total credits earned. This means a shortened schedule, or taking reduced credit options such as assistants or study halls, will lower your class rank.
4. APPLY SOON to the post-secondary program you are considering attending after graduation. You may choose to apply to more than one school that you are interested in attending. Many programs have “rolling awards” which means after a certain start date, they process applications and make decisions about admission as they receive the applications. Some also make their scholarship awards on a rolling basis. This allows you to know much more quickly what your options really are. Some programs still wait until the application deadline and then review all applications and accepted those that meet their institutions criteria. Because some programs have waiting lists or additional tasks you must do before you can begin the program, we encourage you to complete your application for admission by December. Be sure to visit with college representatives when they visit North Star. The upcoming visits are listed on the scrolling TV’s in the Bayou and on the website. To attend, students must sign up by 3:15pm the day PRIOR to the visit. Sign up is done in the counseling center on the clipboard by the secretary and you take the reminder pass with you at that time. To see many college representatives we encourage you to attend the Lincoln Area College Fair on October 18th 1:00 – 3:30 at SCC-Lincoln. Omaha Area College Fair on Oct. 25th 1:00 – 4:00 at UNO.
5. APPLICATIONS to most post-secondary programs require the student to fill out an application either on-line or on paper, enclose a transcript, application fee and sometimes recommendation letters. We strongly encourage students to type any paper applications. If done in writing, it should be in black ink and NEATLY printed. There are deadlines that are not flexible—keep organized and don’t procrastinate. To reduce the amount of time spent completing applications if you are looking at multiple colleges, you might want to consider using the Common Application. Once completed online or in print, copies of the Application for Undergraduate Admission can be sent to any number of participating colleges. The same is true of the School Report, Midyear Report, and Teacher Evaluation forms. This allows you to spend less time on the busywork of applying for admission, and more time on what's really important: college research, visits, essay writing, and senior year coursework. Check out their website to see a list of participating colleges: www.commonapp.org
6. TRANSCRIPTS: Students request a copy of their transcript by filling out a request card which is available from the registrar whose office is located within the attendance office. The student is to furnish the name of the school (or scholarship program) and it’s mailing address on the form that must be signed by the student, and if he/she is under 18 the parent or guardian. The registrar should be given at least 24 hours to prepare the transcript. It is given to the student in a sealed envelope that is stamped “unofficial if opened” across the seal. The student should then attach the needed stamps and mail it or enclose it within the packet he/she is mailing. If the student has an application to enclose, it can be clipped to the request card and the registrar can enclose it in the envelope. REQUESTS CANNOT BE TAKEN OVER THE TELEPHONE FROM PARENTS OR COLLEGES. **Late in second semester, a blue transcript card should be completed for the college or program the student has enrolled in for the fall. Only one final transcript is sent, and it is done in late June to early July after transcripts post semester 2 grades and rankings.
7. RECOMMENDATION LETTERS: Please allow at least 2 weeks, provide a stamped addressed envelope if the writer is to send it directly to a school or scholarship or employer. Please provide an information sheet and resume with the request. It is good practice to send a thank you to those who write letters for you. Please be certain you are completing the application before you request the recommendation.
8. SCHOLARSHIPS: Please check the LNS website (http://isite.lps.org/rboyle/counseling/index.html) in the counseling section under scholarships and financial aid. Newly updated information has the due dates in bold. Printed copy is available to look at on the file cabinet next to the secretary’s desk in the counseling center. Read the criteria and procedures carefully--- notice deadlines, forms, recommendation requests, etc. Be certain to acknowledge awards or to decline them if you will not be accepting them by the deadlines.
9. FINANCIAL AID: plan ahead by discussing your situation with your parents or guardians. Plan to file your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Assistance) early in the spring. Applications are available in late December or after January 1st. It cannot be completed before you prepare your taxes. You should get a PIN number prior to that time if you want to submit the form electronically. EducationQuest at 13th & “O” (475-5222) can schedule appointments to help you complete and submit your FAFSA. Schedule your tax appointment as early as possible and then once you know when your tax appointment is you can make a FAFSA appointment with Education Quest (no charge-free) Please plan to attend the SENIOR FINANCIAL AID NIGHT on Tuesday, Dec. 8th at 7pm. It is presented by the experts from EducationQuest and the LNS counselors. Apply for your PIN (Personal Identification Number) at: www.pin.ed.gov
10. ADMISSION TESTS: ACT or SAT (LNS high school code 281-304) The ACT regular registration deadline has already passed for the October 24th testing date ($30.00 basic or $44.00 with the writing test). Late registration can still be done through the 3rd for an additional fee of $19.00. Any college will accept either the ACT or the SAT. ACT is the preferred test for a majority of schools in the Midwest. Some schools have a preference and may require additional tests such as the SAT II: Subject area tests. Check the admissions websites or contact the admission representatives to be certain what is needed and what scores they require. UNL requires that in addition to meeting the core course requirements, traditional freshmen students seeking admission to the University should:
*be ranked in the upper one-half of their high school class, OR
*have received an ACT composite score of 20 or higher OR
*have received an SAT total score (Critical Reading & Math only) of 950 or higher
SCORE IMPROVEMENT: ACT research shows that of the students who took the ACT more than once:
· 55% increased their composite score on the retest
· 22% had no change in their composite score on the retest
· 23% decreased their composite score on the retest.
You have nothing to lose by retaking the test. The improvement in scores is seen most often when a formal intervention such as a test prep class, completion of practice tests or personal study has been done.
ACT NATIONAL TEST DATES: 2009-2010
Test Date Regular Deadline Late Registration (+$19 late fee)
October 24 September 18 October 2
December 12 November 6 November 20
**February 6 January 5 January 115
**April 10 March 5 March 19
**this test date is too late for most scholarships and admission deadlines
11. CAREER EXPLORATION: We recommend you explore the program used in our Career Education class www.careercruising.com Our schools ID is NorthStar (all as one word) and our password is navigators. This has a wonderful school and program search feature as well as many options for self-assessment of skills and interests. If you created a profile during Career Ed you can still access it and update information including your resume. If you do not have a profile, see Mrs. Hoehne to do so.
12. Special programs to consider.
If you are considering attending an out of state school you might want to check out the information on the Midwest Student Exchange Program. If you are accepted for the program it reduces the tuition cost to 150% of IN-STATE tuition instead of paying Out of State tuition which is usually much higher. See www.mhec.org for more information.
ROTC: Reserve Officer Training Corps of the Army, Air Force and Navy (including the Marine option) offer an excellent scholarship program to college-bound students willing to make commitment to several years of active duty with the military after college. The ROTC scholarship provides an opportunity to attend a civilian college or university while studying officer training as part of the total undergraduate program. After college, the young man/woman receives an officer’s commission. Early application is critical and it is a detailed process. Other military options include tuition assistance through Reserve programs and the Nebraska Air Guard program.
LNS Counseling Department 436-1305 ext. 3
Ms. Virginia Saporta – team leader and S-Z
Mrs. Ginny Schnabel - Gr-MC counselor
Mr. Rick Boyle - A - Go counselor
Mrs. Susan Seacrest - 9th grade team counselor
Ms. Becky Tegeler – 9th grade team counselor
Mr. Lionel Suarez - Me-R counselor
SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH SITES:
IF A LINK HAS BECOME INACTIVE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
NEVER PAY FOR A SEARCH OR PAY TO APPLY TO ANY SCHOLARSHIP. NEVER GIVE OUT A BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER FOR THE AWARD TO BE DEPOSITED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT. BE WARY OF SCAM ARTISTS!
http://www.scholarshipmonkey.com/
http://www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org/
http://www.uncf.org/ United Negro College Fund
http://www.gmsp.org/ Gates Millenium Scholarship Program
www.collegeboard.com ( under students then pay for college)
www.petersons.com (look under financial aid tab)