10 Tips to Help You Win a Private Scholarship

https://www.teenlife.com/blogs/10-tips-help-you-win-private-scholarship

Follow this link to a resource on private scholarships and how to get them!
Mrs. Mitchell

Sophomores: How To: Find Your Path in Life

It’s never too early to think about your direction in life. Think about what you do well, what you enjoy doing, and how your interests and goals compare those needed in a career. Use these valuable tips to help discover your interests. 

Volunteer for a local nonprofit group or volunteer organization, especially one that looks interesting to you.  

Interview adults in your life about their careers and what they like best about them.  

Job shadow at a business that sounds interesting to you.  

Set up regular meetings with your school counselor to learn more about career options.   

Find a mentor, or person you trust with knowledge and experience, who can help you figure out your career. 

Read the full article for more college and career planning tips.

Mrs. Mitchell

Juniors: 5 reasons to take the ACT junior year

It’s a good idea to take the ACT® test for the first time in the fall or early spring of your junior year. Doing this will show you where you are doing well and uncover areas where you can improve.  

Advantages to testing your junior year: 

You’ve completed most of the coursework that’s reflected on the test. 

You can use test scores to influence the classes you take during your senior year. (For example, if you score low in a particular subject, you will have time to schedule additional coursework to help you learn and improve in that area.) 

Colleges will know your interests and scores and will have time to contact you during the summer before your senior year. Many colleges send information about admission, advanced placement, scholarships, and special programs to prospective students during this time. 

You will have information about yourself and the schools you’re interested in attending before you go on campus visits, which will help you focus during those visits. 

You will have a chance to retest if you feel your scores didn’t accurately reflect your ability.  

If you want to improve your score, consider testing again before you start your senior year. The format of the test, the types of questions on it, and the environment will be fresh in your mind.   

Read the full article for more testing tips.

Mrs. Mitchell

Seniors:How many college applications should you submit?

I recommend that you apply to 3-6 colleges. It’s important to remember that each application takes a lot of time. Between your classes, exams, extracurricular activities, and social events, applying to more than 10 schools could create unnecessary stress.

Here are 4 factors to help you narrow down your college list:

1. Price of applications. If you have a limited amount of money to spend on application fees, this may force you to cut down your list.

2. Due dates of applications. Gauge how much time you’ll have before deadlines, and fill out a reasonable number of college applications, eliminating those you cannot fit in.

3. College fit. If you’ve done your research and gone on a campus visit, you should have a pretty good idea of the environment and your likes and dislikes. Eliminate schools from your list that are a bad fit for you, whether it’s related to a program of study, atmosphere, etc.

4. Likelihood of admission. Another way to narrow it down is by applying to an equal number of reach, target, and safety schools. As you’re doing your research, make a point to document the academic profile of an average admitted student (average ACT scores, GPAs, class ranks, etc.). You can usually find this information online. Compare your academic profile to the college’s average student.

Read the full article for more information on deciding how many college applications to complete.

Mrs. Mitchell

How Students Can Make the Most out of Christmas Break

Parents, challenge your student to complete these tasks during Christmas Vacation!

• Complete college applications (Seniors). Seniors can finalize their college choices and complete applications in time for regular submission deadlines, most of which are in January and February.

• Dig into that college essay (Seniors). It’s an important part of the college application process and requires a lot of thought and planning, so why not spend time away from the classroom to write a draft or two? Winter break might be a great time for family or friends to offer advice on the essay or proofread the content.

• Complete some test prep (Juniors and Seniors). Students prepare for ACT test content in the classroom, but they can use the break to prepare for the testing experience. Take a practice test or two. Use the time to dive into free or paid test prep tools from ACT.

• Get advice from family (All Students). The holidays are a great time to gather advice during family meals and holiday events. Students can turn family members into resources—ask about their college experience, lessons learned, job market trends, and even ask them to be references for college and job applications.

• Talk to friends in college (All Students). Remember: it’s Christmas break for college students, too. Students can talk to college-aged friends about their experiences so far, ask about classes and what they’ve learned, and get advice on narrowing down college choices.

• Read a book or two (All Students). That’s right—you can encourage students to crack open a book and read for fun. Never stop learning.