JLV College CounselingSafer Internet Day 2019
Each year on February 5th, the world comes together to celebrate Safer Internet Day – an awareness initiative striving for a safer internet experience for all. To encourage the use of technology in a safe, responsible and creative way requires the assistance of students, teachers, parents and worldwide leaders to all do their part in spreading the message of internet safety. This is a particularly important topic for college students.
While most young adults are already considered to be “tech savvy” individuals, there are still many factors that get forgotten in the process of protecting yourself from the dangers of the Internet. Over the years, cybercriminals have gotten increasingly wiser than the average internet user. Because of this, it’s more important than ever before that you learn to secure your data in a time of your life when you use the Internet most frequently. Read More
Tuition Deposit – Should I Commit Now to a College?
Have you started receiving admission decisions? Did you get an acceptance letter from your first choice college? In addition to congratulating you for being admitted to the institution, the letter will invite you to confirm your enrollment at the institution by submitting an enrollment deposit. However, if you applied early action or regular decision, you have until May 1 to decide on the college you will attend in the fall. While you may want to send in that deposit right away, make sure you do these five things before committing to a college.
Figure out your finances
Unfortunately most students will not receive a full-ride scholarship. While a college may feel like a great place, if it is out of reach financially, it may not be the best fit for you. Before committing to a college, figure out the cost of attendance and financial aid.
- Cost of attendance. Have you seen the published cost of attendance? This number will typically include tuition, fees, and housing. However, are the numbers you saw the amount you will be charged? Or, are they the numbers for the current academic year? Many colleges regularly increase their cost of attendance, including some that increase their cost every year! Check the college website or ask your admission counselor about the cost of attendance for the upcoming academic year. In addition, learn about other fees you may be paying. Some classes require extra fees that are not included in the general publicized costs. If you are going to take a car to campus, you’ll have to pay for a parking permit.
- Financial aid. No matter what the net price calculator said, wait for the financial aid offer. The net price calculator is a good estimate, but it will not give you the exact amount of financial aid you will receive. In addition, a common misconception is that you will only have to pay the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Only a small percentage of colleges can meet full need. Most other colleges have their own formula to determine how much financial aid you will receive and many will have you paying more than the EFC out-of-pocket. Study the financial aid offers and determine if your family can afford the institutions financially after financial aid. In addition, remember that you will be attending the college for at least four years. Whatever you are expected to pay out-of-pocket the first year will probably be similar (or even more) the next three years. Again, ask yourself, “can my family afford this college for four years?”
Ask your questions
Make sure you have all of your questions answered when it comes to the college you want to attend. No question is too big or too small when choosing the college you will attend for four years. If the website or brochures do not answer your questions, reach out to the college. In addition to admission officers, reach out to professors, staff members, and current students. Choosing a college is a big decision and you want to make sure you make your decision knowing as much as you can about the college.
Visit
If you have not visited the college yet, try to visit before committing to the institution. All colleges look pretty, diverse, exciting and academic in their marketing pictures. However, the personality of the college may not come through in the pictures. Walk on campus to see if it feels like the right place for you. Many colleges have admitted student programs that will cover all of the things you will need to know. In addition, it will give you an opportunity to meet other incoming students who could potentially become your future classmates. If you can’t make the admitted student program, schedule a regular visit.
Take your time
May 1 is the National College Decision Day. Don’t rush into the decision, but take your time to think about all of your options. Consider how you felt while on the college campuses. Think about starting a pro and con list about the colleges you are considering to help you make the decision.
Pay attention to important dates
While you have until May 1 to make your decision, the colleges may have other deadlines that are important. The college may have specific deadlines for housing, honors programs, etc. If you are seriously considering these colleges, make sure to meet these other deadlines. In addition, the financial aid office may need more information from you and will give you a specific date they need the documents. Missing a financial aid deadline could alter your financial aid award. You may want to only focus on your first choice college, but if there are other colleges you are considering, make sure to meet their deadlines as well.
Receiving acceptance letters is exciting! While it will be tempting to respond to your first choice college by sending in your confirmation deposit right away, wait! You do not need to respond right away –if you applied early action or regular decision, you have until May 1. Take your time with the decision and make sure you have all of your questions answered before making the commitment.
Want to stay in the loop? Follow my blog to be notified when new articles are published. You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest for information on college admissions.
Scholarship Saturday – February 2, 2019
There are thousands of scholarships out there. Below you will find many scholarships, most with general eligibility requirements. My goal is to share some lesser-known scholarships with my readers every Saturday.
Don’t wait. Apply for these great scholarships today! And, if you missed the last Scholarship Saturday, check it out. There are scholarships there that are still open! You can also find scholarships on my other scholarship lists, such as scholarships with requirements based on your state, major, grade level, ethnicity, or religion. And, lastly, check out my list of scholarships with February and March deadlines.
Only brief information about each scholarship is listed. Therefore, you are encouraged to visit the scholarship websites to get further details about eligibility and requirements.
Here are 50 scholarships for Saturday, February 2, 2019. Read More
February 2019 DoSomething Scholarships
Do you like making a difference in your school or community? If you do, DoSomething has many campaigns to make a difference, and for participating, you will be entered to win a scholarship! Below are campaigns from DoSomething that are accepting entries in February. Read More
Child Development – How to Improve your Child’s Academic Performance
Each new beginning of a school year brings on many mixed emotions and expectations. There’s surely the excitement of a fresh start, but it usually comes with some apprehension as to how well the child will fit in and how much progress will be made.
Expectations differ: parents hope for good grades, acquisition of useful skills and keeping the kids out of trouble, whereas teachers want their students to achieve their full potential and master the curriculum. If we ask the students all around the world, Australia included, most of them say they hope for best grades possible and having fun along the way.
It’s certainly not easy to balance all these expectations, but it’s far from impossible. It takes a combination of strategies: providing constant support to students, establishing a learning environment and building up regular working habits and maintaining great communication among all three parties.
As your child’s success at school depends on several factors, here are some useful tips that can help in improving their academic performance. Read More
Book Pick of the Month
The link for the book is an affiliate link. You will not pay extra; however, I do receive a small reimbursement if you purchase through the links. Thank you for your support of JLV College Counseling.
No cost for first six months, courtesy of Sprint. After your trial, your membership will upgrade to Amazon Prime for 50% off. Cancel anytime.
