College Resources - For Students

COLLEGE RESOURCES and where to find them.

INFORMATION REGARDING:

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS STEPS TO THE FINANCIAL AID PROCESS ADMISSIONS PROCESS SCHOLARSHIP TIPS AND MUCH MORE

College Entrance Exams: When planning for college, 3 tests that many high school students must consider taking: PSAT: Most students take this exam in the fall of their Junior year.

SAT: College entrance exam that most students take in their Junior or Senior Year ACT: College entrance exams taken in the Junior or Senior Year.

Scores on the PSAT are used to determine National Merit Scholars. Most colleges or universities will accept scores from either the SAT or ACT - be sure to check your college requirements.

Easy Steps to the Financial Aid Process Use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form to apply for financial aid for college or graduate school. https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa 1. Gather the following information to complete the FAFSA: Student and parent income tax returns for the most recent tax year, student and parent W-2 forms and other records of money earned, records of untaxed income, current bank statements, business and farm records, records of investments, student's driver's license and student' and parent's social security cards.

2. Check with your target schools for their deadlines; check deadline dates for state aid and note the dates on your calendar.

3. Search and apply for every scholarship/grant for which you are eligible.

4. Get help from your high school counselors, college financial aid offices.

5. Check with your college financial aid office for any additional required forms or applications.

Request an overview of all state financial aid programs that may be available to you.

6. Follow up to verify that all required documentation submitted has been received. Ask how they will notify you about your financial aid package.

7. Some FAFSA applications are chosen for verification because the information is suspect; others are chosen at random. Be ready to verify the information submitted on the FAFASA 8. You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) is about 4 weeks after completing the FAFSA. It identifies the amount you/your family can be expected to contribute to your education.

Review it for correctness, photocopy the entire report and keep it for your records. If you don't get a SAR within 4 weeks or if you need additional copies, contact the Federal Student Aid Programs 1-800-433-3243.

The Admissions Process Apply for admissions to the college you want to attend at applytexas.org.

Common documents required for admissions applications are:

Application for admission and application fee Official test scores (PSAT; SAT; or ACT) Official high school transcripts Official college transcripts (for transfer students, dual credit, concurrent credit, etc.)

Additional requirements may be:

Essays (may be a critical application component) Admission standards (class ranking, secondary courses required by institution) Residency requirements (non-US residents can apply to community colleges or provide resident alien credentials and may be required to test for English proficiency (TOEFL)

Scholarship Tips Make sure you are eligible.

Follow directions to make sure your application includes everything requested. NEVER leave a question blank on the application. If a question doesn't apply to you, answer as "not applicable" (NA).

Make a copy of the original application to use as a draft. Use it as a working copy and transfer information to the original for submission.

Have a winning, eye-catching, interesting essay. Your essay needs to make an impression on the reader so it needs to be personal with concrete details that make your story come alive.

Be VERY aware of deadlines. Mail or submit your application days in advance of the posted deadline.

Make copies of everything you submit. Many scholarship applications are online, so you'll have your copies available for the next application you fill out.

Ask for help from a counselor, a teacher, or call/email the organization offering the scholarship.

Tips for Writing an Essay Prepare. identify your topic and goals, outline your essay, and demonstrate why you need or want this scholarship. This will enable you to highlight your qualities.

Key elements of a five paragraph essay are the Introduction, three supporting paragraphs as the Main Body of the essay, and the Conclusion.

Follow the instructions- if there is a word or page limit, write as close to the limits as possible.

Craft a fascinating Introduction - take something from your life, compare it to something creative or unique and relate it to a future success. Write from personal experience as this tells who you are and highlights your personality.

In the Main Body paragraphs, identify your short- and long-range goals, demonstrate how the academic path you want to follow helps you reach your goals, explain how that path will enhance your existing knowledge about your chosen field. Identify research you’ve done on your chosen field and college.

Describe Events in your life that shaped your accomplishments and plans for the future.

Explain your academic background, workforce experiences, extracurricular activities, religious service projects and community service. Avoid a sob story-don’t write about how hard life has been, you don’t want to work while going to school, or pay back a student loan, or burden your parents. If you have faced adversity, use it to show how you removed obstacles or persevered to succeed without preaching.

Write a powerful Conclusion- emphasize accomplishments as it shows you are confident, ready for college and deserving of a scholarship. Don’t forget a “thank you” for their time in considering your application.

Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation. Ask someone else to go over your essay to check it.

Watch Out for Scams You should NEVER have to pay to apply for a scholarship or complete the FAFSA. Money back offers or guarantees and requests for credit card or bank account information indicate that a fee is involved.

Watch out for scholarship programs that offer to do all the work for you.

Guarantees of winning a scholarship award or a certain number of scholarships indicate this is a false appearance of a loan program.

Scholarship events scheduled at hotels/public sites are usually presentations aimed to get you to pay a fee for a scholarship search service.

If you think something doesn’t sound legitimate, contact the following to ask questions or report scams: National Fraud Information Center: 1-800-876-7060 Council of Better Business Bureau: 1-703-276-0100 Federal Trade Commission: 1-877-FTC-HELP

www.fraud.org www.bbb.org www.ftc.gov

Where to look for Scholarships, Grants, Student Loans, Work, or Work Study Opportunities: University financial aid offices. Make sure that you contact office early in the application year.

Departments within the university offer scholarships in specific courses of study.

Special programs or grants - for 1st generation college students, specific religious affiliation, minority, etc.)

Community organizations- Rotary Clubs, NAACP, etc. Contact organization directly or watch newspaper for notices concerning scholarship offerings.

Businesses/military organizations often have scholarships, grants, or other awards for dependents of their employees.

Foundations often have scholarships available. To learn more about applying for a scholarship through the San Angelo Area Foundation visit www.saafound.org/scholarships Workforce Centers have job opportunities, programs that may assist with college entrance, internships or apprenticeships.

Be sure to check with your high school counselor in the fall prior to graduation for a list of available scholarships.

Scholarships A robust list of available scholarships, Federals Programs, and State Programs can be found by visiting the Texas Comptroller website https://comptroller.texas.gov/programs/education/msp/funding/aid/faidalpha.php One scholarship application can be completed by a student who desires to be considered for most of the scholarships of the San Angelo Area Foundation. Applicants will be considered for all scholarships in which they qualify. Amounts and number of scholarship awards vary and depend upon the value and performance of each fund, number of recipients selected and an amount available for distribution from the fund. Some scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors while others are limited to current college students.

Notifications of awards are made in May of each year, students will be notified by email if they have been awarded or not. Payment of awards occurring two weeks prior to the start of the fall semester, or spring semester, whichever is applicable, once required documents have been received. https://www.saafound.org/scholarships

Additional Scholarship Links Ron Brown Scholars Program: https://ronbrown.org/apply/ron-brown-scholarship/ Hispanic Scholarship Fund: https://www.hsf.net/scholarship Elks National Foundation Scholarship Programs: https://www.elks.org/scholars/ John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest: https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/education/profile-in-courageessay-contest/getting-started Burger King Foundation: https://burgerking.scholarsapply.org/information.php Dell Scholars: https://www.dellscholars.org/scholarship/ Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest: https://www.rmhcsouthwest.com/grants-and-scholarships Texas Student Housing Scholarship: https://www.texasstudenthousing.net/ BMI Foundation Music Scholarships: https://bmifoundation.org/programs Texas Restaurant Association: https://www.txrestaurant.org/foundation/programs-initiatives/scholarships-andgrants American Foreign Service Scholarships/high school essay contest: https://afsa.org/afsa-scholarships NIH Scholarship Program: https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/ugsp National FFA Scholarship Program: https://www.ffa.org/participate/grants-and-scholarships/scholarships/ The Vegetarian Resource Group: https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm Fisher House military family resource: https://fisherhouse.org/programs/scholarship-programs/ National Association of Black Journalists: https://nabjonline.org/student-services/scholarships/ Society of Exploration Geophysics: https://seg.org/ScholarshipsI FT Scholarship Program: https://www.ift.org/community/students/scholarships Texas Farm Bureau Scholarship opportunities: https://texasfarmbureau.org/youth/youth-opportunities/ Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship: https://jackierobinson.org/apply/ National Collegiate Cancer Foundation: http://collegiatecancer.org/scholarships/ National Association of Hispanic Nurses Scholarship Programs: https://nahnnet.org/about/awards San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Scholarship: https://www.sanangelorodeo.com/p/about/scholarship Texas interscholastic League Foundation Scholarships: https://www.tilfoundation.org/scholarships/list/ Tylenol Scholarship Program: https://www.tylenol.com/news/scholarship Verizon Foundation Scholarship: https://www.verizonspecials.com/scholarship

Resources: Angelo State University Financial Aid Office 2601 W. Avenue N San Angelo, TX 76909 (325) 942-2246 Howard College-San Angelo Financial Aid Office 3501 N. US Hwy 67 San Angelo, TX 76905 (325) 481-8355

Park University @ GAFB Admissions 281 Flightline Goodfellow AFB 76903 (325) 654-4082

Angelo State University Admissions 2601 W. Avenue N San Angelo, TX 76909 (325) 942-2041

Howard College-San Angelo Admissions 3501 N. US Hwy 67 San Angelo, TX 76905 (325) 481-8354

Workforce Solutions Employment Services 202 Henry O. Flipper San Angelo, TX 76903 325) 653-2321 or (800) 996-7589