Guidance Office

Seniors—12th Grade

SENIOR NEWSLETTER

June 2010


In This Issue:
* How to Borrow Responsibly 
* Tip of the Month: Use Credit Cards Wisely
* College Survival Tips
* Meeting College Costs



Dear Senior,

You made it! It's the end of your high school career and the beginning of a new phase in your life. If you haven't made up your mind about college, there's still time.

You can apply for the upcoming fall semester at hundreds of schools. Many colleges have rolling admission deadlines. Use College Search to find them. Select what's important to you, and
click on "See Results."  Change "Alphabetical" to "Application Deadline" and click "Sort."



College Search
http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15525

HOW TO BORROW RESPONSIBLY
Once you've chosen the college you want to attend, talk with the financial aid officers there. They can help you put together a
plan to cover all your costs, which may include loans. Although many students take out loans to finance their education, try to
limit the amount you borrow. Here are some tips about borrowing money that you and your family should keep in mind:

* Look at all of your options. Don't jump into the loan application process before considering all of your financing
  options first. Calculate what size loan you actually need and how much you can afford to repay.

* Never borrow more than you need. Even with the favorable terms of a student loan, you end up paying back more than you
  receive. Remember, you're not required to borrow the full amount of any loan you've been offered.

* Do your homework. Compare the different types of loans that are available to you and your family. To find the one with
  the best terms, consider interest rates, fees, repayment options, and whether the loans are subsidized or not.

If you're considering taking out loans for your education, be sure to stop by our Loan Center to learn more about which loans might be best for you and to use our Student Loan Comparison Calculator.

Loan Center
http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15526

Get 10 essential borrowing tips
http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15527

TIP OF THE MONTH: USE CREDIT CARDS WISELY
Be credit card smart. Think of credit cards as high-interest loans in disguise. Be sure to read the fine print on the application
about interest rates, finance charges and fees. Consider using a debit card instead of a credit card -- that way, you limit your
spending to the money you already have in the bank.

Learn how to be credit card smart
http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15528

COLLEGE SURVIVAL TIPS
It may take time for you to adjust to college academics. If you have taken honors or AP(R) courses in high school, you may already have an idea of what college professors expect. You know that college courses are taught at a higher level and at a faster
pace -- and they usually involve more work than high school classes. What can you do to succeed in college? Here are a few tips to get you started:

* Budget your time. College is a lot like a full-time job; you spend approximately 40 hours per week on classes, labs,
  papers and homework. Keep a detailed calendar of your classes, assignment due dates and exams.

* Focus on perfecting your writing. Your professors expect clear organization, compelling arguments, strong supporting
  details and the ability to incorporate research.

* Get to know your professors. Meeting with them after class, or during office hours, can help you get a better grasp of
  course work. You also get a better understanding of what a particular professor expects from student projects -- and you can
  find opportunities for networking.

Get more college survival tips
http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15529

MEETING COLLEGE COSTS
This step-by-step guide helps you and your family understand the financial aid process. It includes worksheets to calculate
expected eligibility for aid or financing.

Available for $14.95
http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15530

More College Board publications
http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15531

QUICK LINKS
* College Search
  Search by college name:
  http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15525

  Search by location, majors, cost, and more:
  http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15532

* June Tools 
  Scholarship Search
  http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15533
 
  SAT Subject Tests(TM) Practice
  http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15534
 
  Senior Action Plan
  http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15535

* AP(R) Score Reports in July
  AP Score Reports are sent in July to the colleges you designated, to you and to your high school. Ninety percent of U.S. four-year
  colleges and universities throughout the world offer credit or placement for qualifying AP Exam scores.

  Research AP Credit Policy Info
  http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15536

* Get Credit with CLEP(R)
  Many colleges offer credit based on CLEP exams. CLEP assesses your knowledge of college-level material learned through general classroom work, independent study, extracurricular interests or any combinations of these.

  Find out if your college offers credit for CLEP exams
  http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/5635152.25451.0.15537

 

Text Box: For graduation/senior information, contact Mrs. Jennifer Brockman at jbrockman@culpeperschools.org Senior Action Plan: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/action/seniors.html Your child has an account on the College Board site and is presumably gathering information so you both can make an educated decision about college. If your high school senior is considering taking the SAT, think about this: the SAT is the one test that shows colleges what students know and what they know they can do. The test fills in the blanks about who they are -- how they think, problem solve and communicate -- along with how well they've learned their everyday course work. We want to give students like yours the resources and tools to succeed. That's why when they register for the test online, they can get free practice materials including an official SAT practice test, The Official SAT Question of the Day(TM) and the SAT In Focus(TM) tools: Skills Insight(TM) and My SAT Online Score Report. It's a great site where you and your child can go together. You'll both find lots of useful information to help ensure your child's SAT experience is a positive one.

Phone:  540-825-8310                            Fax:  540-829-2150
Text Box: Are you an 18 year old male? Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service.  It’s important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military.  In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth.  Then, they would be examined for mental, physical and moral fitness by the military before being deferred or exempted from military service or inducted into the Armed Forces. For more information, visit their website: http://www.sss.gov/ CollegeBoard.com

Senior Year Plus offers two options to better prepare students for life after high school, while reducing the cost of college tuition and technical training. These options are called Early College Scholars and Path to Industry Certification: High School Industry Credentialing

Cappex.com - College search made simple.

Help seniors keep their college applications on track with the handy Cappex College Application Checklist, part of the popular Cappex College Fit Kit.

 

Students can use the checklist to guide them through the application process and help ensure that their applications are complete.  View and print the College Visit Checklist.