Handy Dandy Hints for a FOCUSED year!

With the start of school less than three weeks away, it's time to consider your FOCUS for the year.  First of all, look at your transcript.  It is critically important that your GPA is a 3.0 or higher. How do you do that?  FOCUS! 

When looking at your GPA, colleges look at the WEIGHTED GPA. While an 18 or 20 might be the beginning score for admission, if your GPA is lower than a 3.0, you will be required to have a higher ACT and might possibly be wait-listed until January.

Many scholarships look at the ACT and your GPA (and unless you have a 3.5 or higher, even a high ACT is not enough). Sometimes, a 79 could be an 80 with just a bit of effort.  As you prepare for a new school year, make sure you put 100% into your classes, have a strong focus in your classwork, and think about your GPA throughout the semester.  As you enter your senior year, know that you have ONE SEMESTER to finish strong and qualify for scholarships!

Here are some Handy Dandy Hints to help you begin your school year with the right focus:

• Get a school year planner.  Right now, they are on sale and you have a good selection.
• Write down some short-term goals (what you want to accomplish within the next week or month) and then consider some long-term goals.
• Set up a Senior Strategy Session.  We can get a lot done if we get started early.  These sessions usually can be completed in less than two hours and we can organize your files, scan some documents, get more information for an AWESOME recommendation letter, and make sure you are ready for your senior year.
• Update your résumé and, once school begins, identify recommenders at your school (counselor, teacher, principal).  While I will be your primary recommender, many scholarships require two or three recommenders.
• Actively participate in student organizations at your school!  Getting involved shows your resolve to be a WINNER who is intent on earning scholarships AND a COLLEGE DEGREE!  

Don't Waste Away the Summer

Hopefully, you're starting to catch up on your rest from a busy Upward Bound Summer.  Since some of you don't have FB accounts, you may not have gotten the information of a very good blog I'm following (Hopefully, you're following THIS one) for UB Seniors.  As is mentioned in the "College Prep" post, you've got to start now.  I need to meet with all of you (plan 2 hours of time) sometime this summer.  During this Senior Strategy Session (just the two of us), we'll make sure your digital file has what will be needed for many scholarships.  I will also start your LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION--which you will most likely need for all scholarships.  

For now, take time and read these two blogposts listed below:

College Prep for Rising Seniors

JLV Blog Scholarships with August 2015 deadlines

Scholarship Essay Prompts

Scholarship "season" has not begun, but you are getting a head start by doing any/all of these essay prompts BEFORE this summer and before school starts!  If you plan to do Smith, Dell, or Gates Millennium, read the qualifications carefully. Then, plan a 2-3 hour conference with me between July 15 and August 15.  

Scholarship Essay Prompts

As always, copy/paste into a NEW document and put it where I can edit it in Google Drive.  Once we complete the summer program, send me a text and I can edit/suggest ideas via the internet and your Google Drive.

Dell Scholarship Worksheet

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to helping children and youth achieve their potential. The Dell Scholars program offers an opportunity for under-served and lower income students to realize their dreams of attaining a college education.

I have taken the application and divided it into parts--twelve short, but powerful essays/statements that may enable you to earn a substantial amount ($20,000) for college.

Dell Scholarship Program Worksheet

Senior Success Seminar June 10, 2015

We have two very special guests today--Jordan Clark and Horacio Martinez. 
They are both scholarship recipients.  
Listen and learn how you, too, can earn these big scholarships!  

Senior Success Notes

Senior Success Seminar June 3, 2015

Use the link with this post to review information covered in the June 3rd Senior Success Seminar.  You can download the powerpoint and review the slides covered in class.

Senior Success Notes