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SCHOLARSHIPS

SOURCES FOR SCHOLARSHIPS?
The search for scholarships can be made through several different sources. Students should keep in mind that this search is not easy, and it requires ongoing application. Students and parents should also be aware that scholarship money rarely makes up even half of the student's cost for school, usually only 20%. A good way to look at it though, is that if you don't get out there and apply to many, you may not even get a few. The following are the various resources available to students and how to use them.

Colleges and Universities
This is unquestionably the best resource for scholarship assistance. Many very expensive schools (Harvard, etc.) will tell you that they award no scholarships. They use all of their money to meet "student need" for money to attend their schools. This money is referred to as "grant" money because need is the primary factor for awarding it.

However, less expensive schools and particularly state institutions will award scholarships for academic, athletic, or other special talent or merit. Remember, out-of-state public institutions will award scholarship and grant money both to their own state resident students more readily than to any out-of-state resident student.

To apply for these scholarships:
Send a post card to the "Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships" or directly to the department or college of your major requesting an application and brochure for "Freshmen Scholarship Opportunities." For athletic scholarships, send a letter to the coach of your event requesting information on scholarships and indicating your athletic record and history. Complete your application for admission as soon as you can in the fall and bring it to the Counseling Office to be sent. Remember: No one will be considered for scholarships or financial aid until they are admitted.

Complete your financial aid application (FAFSA), available in Counseling, after January 1st and send it to the Federal Processing Center as soon as possible. Some colleges will ask you to complete their own financial aid form, and sometimes that form will be the Federal Financial Aid Form. Complete and send it to the school only. It is imperative that you keep a copy of these forms.

Counseling Resources for Scholarships
The Counseling Office at Poudre High School is a good source for a great deal of scholarship information and opportunities. Scholarship information is posted every two weeks in the Guidance Bulletin. This bulletin is available to students in many classrooms, in the library, in the main office, and in the Counseling office. The publication is announced as available each time a new version is released. Parents are encouraged to pick them up as well.

*Read every Guidance Bulletin. If the scholarship description is one for which you can qualify, come to the Counseling office to request an application.
*Visit the Internet sites listed in the bulletin to register for scholarship searches.
*See the Pathway Exploration Center Staff or Mr. Nash for information.
*Note the deadline dates. Remember: PHS may post an earlier deadline date if there is information that the Counseling office must add.
*Complete the application neatly.
* Always make sure that your name is on the application form.
*If it requires letters of recommendation, or has a request for a teacher to complete part of the form, you need to make a copy of your teacher recommendation (if it is appropriate to the request) and add it to the application.
*Check to be sure that the application is complete and sent, as many of the scholarship applications are to be sent directly from the applicant, not the school.

Local Scholarships
These include scholarship opportunities from local organizations. Students need only complete one application in order to be eligible. This application will be available to students in mid-January. The deadline date for consideration is early February. Students need to carefully review criteria for each scholarship to determine their eligibility. If you have questions about this process, contact the Counseling Office.

Employee, Company, and Other Scholarship Opportunities
Frequently, employers and community affiliations will offer and provide scholarships. Some examples: Moose Lodge, Hewlett-Packard, Lutheran Church communicants, Knights of Columbus, Wal-Mart. Students and parents should check these resources, and any others, for information and applications.

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COLLEGE INFORMATION

College information can be obtained in many ways...

First, we have a library of College Viewbooks and Catalogs for both out-of-state and in-state colleges. Students can come browse the information and take copies of information and applications. If a college in which you are interested is not available, ask the Pathway Exploration Center Staff for help and we will get the information mailed to the school.

A second, reliable way to get college information is to use our resource computers to search college websites. Many schools are no longer using traditional methods of distributing information because they have such dynamic websites full of information and virtual tours, etc.

You can also access great search tools on our computers. Programs where you select different criteria regarding your interests in a college and you will get a list of college that match your search!

We also have a Resource Library of books that contain profiles of every college. This is a great way to get quick and to the point information about one of your school choices.

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CAREER INFORMATION

Career information can be obtained in many ways...

One way to get career information is to use our resource computers to search for career ideas. We have great search tools and programs on our computers. Programs where you select different criteria regarding your interests in a career and you will get a list of careers that match your search!

We also have a Resource Library of books and pamphlets that contain career information. One example is the O*Net book, like the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, this is a more user friendly book that describes detailed information regarding specific careers. This is a great way to get information about one of your career choices.

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RESOURCE LIBRARY

The Resource Library in the Pathway Exploration Center is filled with lots of useful information. We have books that profile colleges and universities. We also have books that describe different vocational and technical schools across the nation. Scholarship and financial aid information is highlighted in one section of our library. Career information is available in books that profile careers as well and books on specific career paths. We also have many versions of test preparation books for the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, PSAT and the SAT II Subject Tests.

Many of our resource books are available for use only in the Pathways Exploration Center. This is due to only having one copy of each book. If there are duplicate copies of books, the Pathway Exploration Center Staff will check them out to students. If the books are not returned, the student's account will be charged.

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COLLEGE VISITS

Colleges, Universities and Trade Schools often visit the Poudre High School campus. Visits are scheduled most often first thing in the fall semester or in the middle of the spring semester. Visits are advertised in the Guidance Bulletins, on the bulletin board outside of the Pathways Exploration Center, and over the announcements between class periods. Students can sign up to visit with the colleges here at PHS and they will be "school excused" from any class they might miss.

Poudre High School also offers 2 "school excused" days for visiting colleges away from our campus. Forms are available in the Attendance Office and need to be picked up prior to your visit, as you must get the College Representative to sign your form. Approval is granted only by an administrator here a Poudre.

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GUIDANCE BULLETINS

Poudre High School Guidance Bulletins contain a wealth of information. Issues include information on scholarships, college visits, summer programs, other opportunities, application tips, test dates, other important dates and much, much more! Each issue highlights a topic in the cover story to assist with relevant processes that are happening. Guidance Bulletins are released every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Students must come into the Counseling Office to pick up a Bulletin as they are not mailed home. Guidance Bulletins can also be viewed on the Counseling Website. If you have any questions regarding the bulletins, please contact the Pathway Exploration Center Staff at 970-416-6026.

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MILITARY BRANCH INFORMATION

We have military branch information available for the Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and the Coast Guard. Contact information for the branch recruiters is also available. In our Resource Library, we showcase information about the military academies including the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Westpoint and the Coast Guard Academy. Additional information regarding the military branches can also be obtained by logging on to our resource computers and looking at the individual military branch websites.

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Testing Dates and Information

SAT
2007-2008
(SAT & Subject Tests)

* SAT ONLY

Register online at www.collegeboard.com or obtain a packet from Counseling

ACT
2007-2008

Manditory ACT Testing for Juniors

The Manditory ACT Testing for Juniors will be on April 23, 2008 . Juniors will need to be at PHS, with a photo ID (drivers license or school ID) by 7:45am to begin testing. No other students will be allowed in the building during the testing. Please check back closer to the test date to see the schedule for the day.

CSAP Dates and Information

The CSAP Testing for the 2007-2008 school year is March 27, 28, April 3, 4, 2008. Please check back closer to the test date to see the schedule for the day.

More information regarding test descriptions and information is available in the Counseling Main Page under "Information and Forms".

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FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION

Financial Aid information is available in our Resource Library and on the web. The Pathway Exploration Center Staff or your Counselor can assist you in reviewing the books that describe all the different types of financial aid and college money. We can also help you navigate websites that highlight different aid and how to get it! See our Web Sites link for the addresses! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available in the Counseling Office or on the web. We can assist you in filing this form, either on paper or electronically.

FAFSA APPLICATION TIPS

• Regardless of income level, EVERY COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT should apply for FAFSA. FAFSA information provides athletics and college academic departments critical information used to award merit based scholarships (otherwise families may disqualify their kids for these awards!).
• This year’s SAR (Student Aid Report) will be green. It always matches the colored highlights of paper FAFSA application.
• Make sure you COPY your application (or print from internet) before sending.
• When school is referred to, it is the college, vocational or technical program (not the high school).
• Non-citizen’s can apply as long as they are “eligible non-citizens” (described on pp. 14-15 on paper application).
• The web-based application process is MUCH faster and far fewer errors are made in the process.
• There is a FAFSA practice/demonstration site at: http://fafsademo.test.ed.gov. It allows “mock” application and submission.
• Parents should register for a PIN ASAP. It should be kept absolutely confidential (the high school counselor should NOT know, either). One should register for a PIN before completing the FAFSA application.
• Parents should look at www.FAFSA.ed.gov website and read “Before beginning a FAFSA” section.
• A signature from at least one parent/guardian is REQUIRED (the parent they’ve lived with the most)!
• Online FAFSA applications will remain open for a maximum of 25 minutes and then they’ll be “timed out”. Info will be kept but will need to log back on using the PIN.
• Parents who are applying for multiple children will have the convenience of completing a combined application (a “transfer” of information link).
• It will take only 3 days to get a SAR if applying online! If you supply your email, FAFSA will notify and allow you to print the SAR from your email. IT TAKES 3-4 WEEKS IF DONE BY PAPER!
• Refer difficult questions to the financial aid offices of colleges to which students are applying (they work with FAFSA every day).
• Order of process (for fastest financial aid reply):
• Get PIN
• Complete taxes (do not estimate)
• Apply online at www.FAFSA.ed.gov (with PIN) before Feb. 15th
• Give an email address for FAFSA to reply (you’ll receive your SAR)
• Use the PIN to sign electronically (otherwise you will need to print a signature page and the SAR reply will take 2 weeks longer)
• Make sure parent’s Internet provider is set to receive information from www.FAFSA.ed.gov. (Some providers will screen email for “junk mail” and won’t recognize this a legitimate source of mail).

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