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Articles of Interest |
How To Get Money Smart
Money Smart - A Financial Education Program
The FDIC’s Money Smart for Young Adults curriculum helps
youth ages 12-20 learn the basics of handling their money
and finances, including how to create positive relationships
with financial institutions. Equipping young people in their
formative years with the basics of financial education can
give them the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need
to manage their finances once they enter the real world.
8 Happy—and 3 Scary—Trends in Financial Aid in
2010
An article written by Kim
Clark regarding the latest scoop on financial aid practices.
Although it has become easier to apply and receive financial
aid, many public universities will increase their tuitions
and scholarship budgets will take a nasty cut.
How to Convince Your Employer to Pay for Your Education
It is common knowledge that the price of an education is as
costly as a mortgage. There are other ways to pay for your
education besides scholarships, loans and grants. The author,
Jamie Littlefield will show you how to have your employer
pay for it.
The following articles were written by DC College Admissions
Examiner, Nancy Griesemer.
FAFSA Filing Deadlines Come Sooner Than You Think!
Virtually every college and university in the country has
a posted priority financial aid application deadline by which
the FAFSA
should be filed in order for the student applicant
to have the best possible chance of receiving both institutional
and federal aid. Because most of these deadlines are either
on or before March 1st, students and their parents must act
early in the New Year—often before tax returns are filed
with the federal government… read more
Which States Have The Highest Qualifying Cutoffs For National
Merit Scholarships?
“If you live in the District of Columbia, Maryland,
Massachusetts, or New Jersey, you’re out of luck this
year. To qualify for a
National Merit Scholarship, you needed
to score at or above the highest PSAT/NMSQT cutoff in the
country or 221—a full 20 points higher than competing
students in Wyoming who needed to score 201 to earn the same
academic distinction and scholarship opportunities. Unfair?
Maybe...”
Reasons Why Campus Visits Are Important
Visiting a college campus is such an important part of the
admissions process. How else will you know that the college
is perfect for you? When visiting a college campus you must
ask yourself several questions, like:
Can I live here for four years?
Do I like the social atmosphere?
Do I like their climate? Would I prefer constant cold
weather, hot weather or a little bit of both?
Can I get home quickly in case of an emergency (like
running out of clean clothes)?
Do they offer my major? That is, are you sure about
your major? Would that school have your second choice major,
as well?
Would I learn best in a small classroom or an auditorium?
Would I like a campus where my dorm is a cab-ride away
or down the hall?
And those are just my questions for you! You want to avoid
going to a school were you will be unhappy or uncomfortable
because then your studies will suffer which will result in
transferring to another college. As a result students have
been known to lose college credits, or worse, not even go
back to school. The college will also pay a consequence, which
is their retention rate will suffer. Retention rates determine
how many students come back after their freshman year. Any
college with a high retention rate is a great school and has
many happy students. Compare and evaluate your list of colleges
with the list of colleges
by retention rate. We found an awesome tool on the Princeton
Review website called the Counselor-O-Matic,
which provides students with a list of colleges that best
match their academic transcript.
Relevant Articles:
College
Drop Out Rates - Who's to Blame?
How
to Schedule Your Campus Visits
So you went through all that hassle of submitted your Early Decision
or Early Action applications before deadline this past winter, just to find
out you were deferred. Wait! Before you do anything rash, like burn the
letter, just take into account that college admissions is a tricky and
complicated process and to every problem there is a solution.
It is best to understand the process and reasoning behind the decisions
before you take the next step.
First, lets get the facts out of the way.
Application trends have changed significantly in the last 8 or so years.
Where students once used to apply to 5-6 colleges max, they now apply to 20.
As a result, admissions has to anticipate rejections from at least a third
of their acceptances since a student can only choose one college.
Consequently, the more popular the college the higher your chances of getting
deferred or waitlisted. It is common knowledge that students apply ED/EA to
their first choice college, which is the lists exists. Although, mainly used
during regular decision season, waitlists are used to track students the college
would like to accept but just does not have room to accomodate.
Acceptance letters for students on a waitlist are usually sent after
May, when students that were initially accepted either confirm or reject admission.
The more rejections the more acceptances from the waitlist.
On the other hand, deferrals, which mainly occurs during the EA/ED season, are sent when
a final decision can not be made to an application until further information is received,
such as mid-year transcript. Due to this delay, deferred applications are evaluated
along with regular decision applications.
Overall, deferrals and waitlists mean that you're still in the game.
Your next course of action is the hardest. How bad do you want this?
Are you willing to wait to see if you are accepted? In March, admissions
begins to sort through deferred applications but they will accept depending on their stats.
Just because you are waiting does not mean you have to be idle. In a way, you will
need to pull out your inner teacher's pet and run a mini self-campaign.
If you really want to get accepted, any chance at all, make sure that you are noticed.
All Ventures Scholars have this nice little tool at their disposal
called the Inquiry Form (I'm sure you've heard of it). Send a note reaffirming
that the college is still your first choice, make sure your grades are improving and
send your next round of grades, along with updates about what you are doing in school.
Don't bother asking why your application was waitlisted or deferred. You won't get a
straight answer since many factors go into evaluating an application. However, if you are
determined to find out, then have your guidance counselor do the asking.
Want more information?
Here are a few articles for your reading pleasure:
Deferrals and Waitlists
What To Do If You Were Deferred
MIT's
More For Deferred Students
How to Get In After You Apply
As we search for interesting content for the Ventures Scholars
Program newsletter we had an epiphany. Who better to tell
us what a Ventures Scholar wants to know than a Ventures Scholar.
Therefore, we have decided to keep a section for scholar articles
and topic suggestions. Ventures Scholars will be allowed to
suggest topics of interest or submit articles to be posted
on the VSP Newsletter. If interested in trying your hand at
journalism or writing this will be a small step towards the
right career. To submit a topic or article, please complete
the VSP Submission Form.
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| Dates & Deadlines |
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January To-Do List |
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Sophomores
Begin your college research and see what they want in a student.
Most colleges want at least 4 years of English, Math, History,
and Science and 1 year of foreign language.
Visit the VSP Member Listing Page to research colleges that may be of interest.
Speak to your guidance counselor to best work on a class schedule
that will allow for challenging classes.
Begin to plan your
summer. Search for a summer internship, job, or volunteer
program. Colleges love students with a list of extracurricular
activities. Bottom line stay active!
Be involved in the admissions
world. Attend college fairs, information sessions, and open
houses to best determine which colleges are the best for you.
By your junior year you want to have a list of no more than
12 colleges.
3-4 colleges you are over qualified for and
are sure to get accepted.
3-4 colleges you are a perfect
candidate for acceptance.
3-4 colleges that are highly selective
and you meet under their academic qualifications.
Juniors
Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss your preliminary
list of colleges. Discuss whether your initial list of colleges
meets your needs and interests (academic program, size, location,
cost, etc.) and whether you are considering colleges where
you are likely to be admitted. You should be optimistic and
realistic when applying to colleges.
If you have completed the math courses covered on the SAT
I, register for the March SAT I. If not, plan to take in May
or June. Prepare for the SAT I or ACT by signing up for a
prep course, using computer software, or doing the SAT/ACT
practice tests. But don't spend so much time trying to improve
standardized test scores that grades and co-curricular involvement
suffer.
Plan to keep your momentum going and avoid senioritis next
year by continuing to take challenging classes.
As a junior in high school you'll make critical decisions
that could have a major impact on the next five years of your
life (and beyond) as you start narrowing lists of colleges
and career paths. Read The Importance of the High School Junior
Year by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. for tips on making these
decisions. For information on developing an action plan for
your college research visit the VSP College Planning page.
Visit colleges this spring while they're in session. Be sure
to schedule an interview with admissions officers when you
visit campuses.
Seniors
It is not too late to apply to college. Some college applications
deadlines are usually in Feb. 1st and Feb 15th. Some colleges
even have rolling admissions year-round.
As stated in the last newsletter, you want to keep track of
all deadlines for letter responses and deposits.
Remember to monitor your applications to be sure that all
materials are completed and received on time. If required,
be sure to have your guidance counselor send your first semester
transcripts to the colleges to which you applied. Stay on
top of things and don't procrastinate; you can ruin your chances
for admission by missing a deadline.
If you completed a FAFSA, you should receive your Student
Aid Report (SAR) within four weeks of submitting the FAFSA.
Review the SAR carefully and check for any inaccuracies.
If more than four weeks have passed after sending in your
FAFSA and you have not received an acknowledgment, contact
the Federal Student Aid Information Center at (319) 337-5665.
To identify you, they will need your name, social security
number, address, and date of birth exactly as it was written
on your FAFSA.
It helps to attend a Financial Aid Information Session. Check
local colleges for listings.
Complete scholarship applications. You may be eligible for
more scholarships than you think, so apply for as many as
you can. You can also ask your counselor about local scholarships.
Enjoy your final year in high school, but don't catch senioritis!
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Career Exploration |
Highlighted Careers
Biological and Life Sciences
Highlighted Career: Biotechnology
Biotechnology is one of the most exciting fields today. Essentially, it
is the use of living organisms, particularly microorganisms,
in industrial processes. Biotechnology has been used for years
in baking, brewing and cheese making, but the industry has
been revolutionized in recent years by advances in genetics
and genetic engineering. Specially designed microorganisms
are now used to produce a wide variety of drugs and other
chemicals, to refine ores and clear up oil slicks. Crops too
have been engineered to produce high yielding varieties.
Courses In Biotechnology
What is Biotechnology?
Ten Reasons Why Biotechnology Will Be Important To The Developing World
Physical Sciences
Highlighted Career: Nuclear Physics
Nuclear medicine physicists and scientists are experts
in the interactions between ionizing radiation and matter,
nuclear imaging instrumentation and radiation dosimetry.
They typically also have expertise in image processing and
computer science. Nuclear medicine physicists and scientists
have advanced degrees in physics, medical physics, biophysics,
computer engineering, electrical engineering or biomedical
engineering.
Physicist
- Careers in Nuclear Medicine
National Nuclear Science Week Begins
Physicist
Careers by StateUniversity.com
Ask
A Scientist: Nuclear Physicist Career
Computer and Information Science
Highlighted Career: Computer Programming
As the world continues to grow more computer-dependent,
programmers occupy an increasingly important position, ensuring
that functions and applications keep up with the changing
needs of industry and individuals. Every software package,
operating system and application you can think of is the
result of thousands of lines of code that were composed,
entered and tested by a computer programmer.
Graduating
Engineering & Computer Careers
U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics-Computer Software Engineers and Computer
Programmers
Engineering
Highlighted Career: Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering
You're considering a career in aerospace, but you still
have questions. This is the page where all the answers (or
at least most of them) will be revealed. We've consulted
with aerospace engineers to answer the questions we hear
most from students. They're listed below. Just click on
the question to jump to the answer.
Practical
Answers and Advice from Practicing Engineers
A2Z
List of Schools, Colleges, Universities & Institutes offering
AeroSpace, Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering majors
in USA
Health Professions and Allied Services
Highlighted Career: Pharmacy
There has never been a better time for students to consider
a rewarding career in pharmacy. The demand for trained pharmacy
professionals has dramatically increased in recent years
due the rapid growth of the health care and pharmaceutical
industries, especially for the growing elderly population.
The number of pharmacists in health care services is also
increasing as pharmacists become more actively involved
in drug therapy decision-making for patients of all ages.
U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics-Pharmacists
Mathematics
Highlighted Career: Statistics
Statisticians provide crucial guidance in determining what information is reliable and which predictions can be trusted. They often help search for clues to the solution of a scientific mystery, and sometimes keep investigators from being misled by false impressions. Statisticians work in a variety of fields, including medicine, government, education, agriculture, business, and law.
American
Statistical Association
UNCW
Career Center-Statistics
A Guide for Teens: How to Find a Summer or Part-Time Job
Even if summer vacation is still a few months away for most
teens, now is the time to plan and lay a foundation for landing
that cool summer job you really want. Dr. Randall S. Hansen
is the author of several insightful articles that advise teens
towards their college goal. The guide will consist of:
an Action Plan for students interested in a summer job
sources where students can find summer jobs
describe what employers look for in a student employee
Read Dr. Hansen’s article, A
Guide for Teens: How to Find a Summer or Part-Time Job
Summer and Pre-College Programs
Make sure you browse the VSP Web site and begin researching
summer enrichment opportunities at past and current member
colleges/universities. The VSP Enrichment
Programs page will provide you with a list of pre-college programs
and other summer opportunities. Although, some of the deadlines
are outdated many of opportunities are provided annually around
the same time so be sure to click on the programs link for
more details.
Students, staff, and faculty at Union
College are deeply committed to fostering a strong relationship
with the surrounding community. Visit the Kenney Community
Center for a list of programs, awards, and initiatives that
make Union College a national leader in community action.
The National College Access Network (NCAN) and Pathways to
College Network (PCN) launched the National
College Access Program Directory, a searchable and dynamic
online database of college access programs serving students
around the country. The Directory is a resource provided free
of charge by NCAN and PCN.
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Academic Excellence |
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| Comments & Feedback |
Ventures Scholars are invited to ask questions and learn new information from other Ventures Scholars
and VSP Consortium members. Moreover, Ventures Scholars can contribute to the newsletter and have their
article or journal entry featured in the next issue. Submissions can be based on educational topics,
admissions-related experiences, or topics that can provide helpful information to other Ventures Scholars.
Articles, questions and answers are posted in the newsletter and then placed on the
Answers from the Experts
section of the website.
Newsletter contributions can be submit using the
Article Submission Form. If you would like to ask a question to member institutions,
please email the question to webmaster@ventures.org.
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Talk
to your AP teachers and/or AP Coordinator about taking the AP exams. Contact the Services for Students
with Disabilities (SSD) Coordinator at your school if you will
need testing accommodations.
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WATCH CHARTA SQUADS’ FAFSA
HOORAY ON YOUTUBE! 
