BOTTOM LINE: no matter where you are, do better than your best in high school and do interesting impactful things outside of class in order to stand out among thousands of applications.
Start your college search journey on the right foot with our inexpensive “Talking College Search” online web course! 6 Topic Sections, 18 Lessons, 3 Hours and 1 Bonus Workbook all for less than the price of one college application fee (didn’t know there were application fees? You really need to start with this course.). Enroll here: https://goodapples.teachable.com
The reason many students don’t finish and earn a degree is because they run out of money. Financial aid doesn’t cover all their expenses and many families are unaware of all the expenses beyond tuition and the dorm. Strategize and plan your scholarship applications so that you find some to apply to each year.
Time to focus on scholarships that are looking to help Hispanic Students:
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Scholarship for students who join SHPE and have at least a 2.75 GPA. Various awards range from, $1,000-$15,000. https://programs.shpe.org/students/scholarshpe
Ascend Educational Fund for first- and -second generation immigrants who live in New York City regardless of ethnicity, national origin, or immigration status. Scholarships range from $2,500-$20,000 and is sent directly to the college equal installments over a two or four year period, depending on the type of school. http://ascendfundny.org/scholarship/
Anhelo Project’s Dream Scholarship, which helps undocumented students in the state of Illinois with at least a 2.5 GPA at an accredited college, university or vocational training program. https://theanheloproject.org/dream-scholarship-application/
Dr. Juan Andrade Scholarship for Young Hispanic Leaders for full time students in a four-year ($1,000 scholarship) or two-year ($500 scholarship) college who demonstrate a verifiable need for financial support. At least one parent must be of Hispanic ancestry. Non-U.S. citizens are eligible to apply (DACA or Undocumented). https://www.ushli.org/dr-juan-andrade-scholarship-for-young-hispanic-leaders/
United Health Foundation National Association of Hispanic Nurses Scholarships range $1,000-$5,000 for those enrolled in an accredited LVN/LPN, associate, diploma, baccalaureate, and graduate nursing program and have been a member of the NAHN for at least six months. Special scholarship for male nurses, too. https://nahnnet.org/about/awards
Hispanic Scholarship Fund for high school seniors, undergrads, students transferring from community college to four-year universities, and graduate students. Awards $500-5,000 https://www.hsf.net/scholarship
Univision NATAS Scholarship reserved for Latino or Hispanic students planning a career in the television (Communications, Filmmaking/Video, Journalism, Music, Performing Arts, Photojournalism/Photography, TV/Radio Broadcasting). $10,000 award. https://theemmys.tv/scholarships/
NATAS Inclusion Scholarship students pursuing a career in any aspect of the television industry who identifies as black, indigenous, or a person of color. $10,000 award. https://theemmys.tv/scholarships/
MPower Women in STEM Scholarship for international/DACA students who are currently enrolled or accepted to study full-time in a STEM degree program at a program MPOWER supports in the United States or Canada. Awards $500-$3,000 https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/scholarships/women-in-stem/
LULAC National Scholarship Fund awards range from $250-$2000, for three groups – top performers, the net tier and other students whose motivation and sincerity are instead measured – https://www.lnesc.org/lnsf
ExxonMobil Engineering Scholarship Program recognizes outstanding Hispanic high school seniors in the western part of the United States who plan to pursue a degree in engineering at U.S. post-secondary institutions. Sponsored by the Exxon Mobil Corporation, LNESC awards one (1) national scholarship of $20,000, paid over four years, and twelve (12) $2,000 local scholarships to qualified high school seniors. https://www.lnesc.org/exxonmobillnesc-scholarship
Ford Driving Dreams Scholarship Program awards $2000 to qualified high school seniors from the North Texas, Houston, and San Antonio areas https://www.lnesc.org/ford-driving-dreams
NBCUniversal/LNESC Scholarship Program Latinx citizens and permanent residents who are rising sophomores and juniors in a colleges with an interest in the media and entertainment industry. The Program awards ten (10) $5,000 scholarships. https://www.lnesc.org/nbcuniversal-scholarship
Check the deadlines and put them on your calendar. Don’t wait until last minute to apply!
For some scholarships, many will apply, and few will win one. Regardless, it could be you; you’ve go to be in it to win it! Good luck!
Avoid disappointment. Avoid mistakes. Avoid too much debt. The average American guidance counselor has 400 students, so there’s no way they can help each high school senior individually. Who can afford expensive college advisors like celebrities? Should they?
Instead, for less than the cost of one college application fee, take our “Talking College Search” online course, which covers the entire college search journey, from compiling the final list to how to tell which acceptance is the best fit for you. 6 Aspects, 18 Lessons, 3 Hours and 1 Bonus Workbook all for less than the price of one application fee. Enroll here: https://goodapples.teachable.com
The Gates Scholarship was founded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates founded the Microsoft Corporation. 300 Scholars are chosen each year and will receive funding for the full cost of attendance that is not already covered by other financial aid and the expected family contribution (EFC). Cost of attendance includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, and transportation, and may include other personal costs. Basically that means the scholarship should be the amount after Full Cost of Attendance minus Pell Grants, minus college grants, minus EFC. That is the grey area that would require families to take out loans to meet the difference!
According to the website, to apply, students must be:
A high school senior
Identify as at least one of the following ethnicities: African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native with tribal enrollment documentation, Asian & Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American
Pell-eligible
A US citizen, national, or permanent resident
In good academic standing with a minimum cumulative weighted GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent)
Plan to enroll full-time, in a four-year degree program, at a US accredited, not-for-profit, private or public college or university.
This is a competitive scholarship, so according to the website, the selection committee is looking for:
An outstanding academic record in high school (in the top 10% of his/her graduating class)
Demonstrated leadership ability (e.g., as shown through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities)
Exceptional personal success skills (e.g., emotional maturity, motivation, perseverance, etc.)
Warning to Parents: Privacy Laws Keep Parents in the Dark
This policy of not letting parents see grades and not allowing parents to talk to administrators is imbecilic— especially with the financial investment. So what that the students are 18+?
Most parents will always care about their “babies”.
If high graduation rates and successful college grads provide good public relations for a college, why do they resist parent involvement in making it happen? Only if the student signs privacy releases:
Want to pay tuition through the school’s online portal? The student has to sign a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Release (FERPA). Otherwise, parents would have no idea if there are new outstanding charges, or if a loan needs another step. Some students misunderstand or ignore flags on their accounts until they’re threatened with being asked to leave school!
Depending on the school, the FERPA may also enable parents to view students’ grades. Unless a parent has due cause, don’t go crazy with checking the college transcript. Parents ought to give the student some space. Keep a closer eye if the student’s scholarship is dependent on keeping up a certain average. If a student is experiencing severe anxiety and might begin to skip class, for sure it’s advantageous to have the FERPA signed before trouble starts.
Student falls ill? Better have a Durable Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act authorization (HIPAA). The college doesn’t have to notify the parent, nor does the hospital. Hospital staff are not allowed reveal medical status nor consult parents about treatment unless the paperwork is in order.
Trouble with a professor, administration or the dorm? Out of luck. Colleges do not want to talk to parents. Professors, depending on their personality and patience level, will decline to answer questions politely or rudely. Roommates violate dorm policy and the student gets in trouble, too? Parents can’t defend the innocent student. Reminding the college as to who pays the tuition bill will not result even in a bat of the eye. The student will have to be on the phone with the parent and the school staff, and give specific instructions that the parent be allowed to speak.
This applies to students who’ve reached their 18th birthday. Parents still have input with the affairs of younger college students. Relish the access for those few months…
That’s 6 Topic Sections, 18 Lessons, 3 Hours, and 1 Bonus Workbook all for less than the price of one application fee. Enroll here: https://goodapples.teachable.com
Avoid disappointment. Avoid mistakes. Avoid too much debt. The average American guidance counselor has 400 students, so there’s no way they can help each high school senior individually. And who can afford the college advisors of celebrities? Should anyone?
Instead, for less than the cost of one college application fee, take our “Talking College Search” online course, which covers the entire college search journey, from compiling the final list to how to tell which acceptance is the best fit for you.
What to do to make Freshman Year comfortable socially
REAL STORY: there was a young freshman who couldn’t eat in the dining hall for the first few days of college because she didn’t know she could sit anywhere! And this was a Brooklyn kid used to a huge cafeteria in public high school who had chosen to go to a small single-sex Pennsylvania college. Yes, this article is only about getting through the first week or so because the awkwardness and nerves a new freshman feels don’t last the entire year.
Don’t Expect Anything. Put all those movies, books and tv shows out of your head. Wrong, unrealistic expectations will cripple your adjustment and set you up for disappointment.
Locate Student Support Services! Your tuition pays for them to be there for you. They provide advice on how to manage time, campus life and anything that concerns you.
Locate the Tutoring Center! Even the brightest kids seek help. Do it the first two weeks.
Don’t Resist New Things! When kids are little and introduced to new foods, especially when visiting other people’s homes, one tactic to use is the “Three Tries Rule”: a) Take a full first bite b) Take another full bite to be sure c) Have another full bite to be polite. Celebrity couple Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Sara Michelle Gellar have a 10 Tries Rule, no negotiation! (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/freddie-prinze-jr-parenting-quotes_l_60467c1cc5b6e6abac81f4bf) As long as the activities don’t clash with your class schedule, attend a variety of organized events. Don’t wait for your favorite theme. You may find new friends in unexpected places.
You Are Not Alone. Most schools admit a thousand or more freshmen a year. Odds are not only is there someone else who likes the same last place-ranked professional team, or who reads the same Deep South gothic ghost stories — but they’re not going to fall into your lap as you sit in the dorm room. Or if you’re a commuter, you won’t find them if you go straight home after class.
Forget High School Humiliations. Put embarrassing moments behind you. That’s a more difficult to do for students who did awful things — social media and newspapers live forever — but the new people you’ll meet will not remember how you wore your gym pants inside out in 10th grade. Don’t enter college classrooms in dread of snickering and teasing. Those old students conditioned you and now they are not in your life any longer. Breathe.
You’re Not Weirder than Everyone (and everyone else is busy being too self-conscious to notice you). And to be truthful, any other student who thinks you’re weird is not worth trying to impress. Don’t waste your time; move on.
Be Yourself! Phonies are not fun to be around. Besides, if you are not yourself, who will be you?
Talk First! People can’t read your mind as to who you are and what you need.
Shrug it Off and Keep it Moving! If your jokes fall flat with one group, move on to another.
Be Flexible to Change. You may like to do work at last minute; be open to starting assignments earlier so that they’re polished before submitting. College is not high school; it is not supposed to be.
Don’t expect to become best friends with your roommate(s)! You may like lights out at 8 to begin your wind down; your roommate may like to stay up longer — or they’re a little afraid of the dark and don’t want to admit it (or the reverse!). Find a middle point with your roommate and ask for help from the residence assistant to mediate. Resident directors and assistants are trained and experienced in roommate issues.
Try try again! Rinse (please shower everyday) and repeat the previous steps.
Watch Out for Predators. There will be people who prey on freshmen:
Don’t leave campus with students you don’t know well yet! You don’t know who will be at that party off school property. If something happens off campus, the college does not have to take responsibility.
Always keep your hands on your drink and never take your eyes off an open cup or bottle! Pour out drinks left unattended. The cost of the drink is MUCH cheaper than the hospital bill (or worse). Don’t drink anything if you tend to get distracted.
Stay out of areas where you’ll be alone.
Articulate out loud and make a plan with new friends: arrive together, don’t leave without each other. Always know where they are.
If things are moving fast with a possible romantic partner, pause! You have the rest of semester; don’t rush things. You have no where to go until the term ends. If they are a good person, they will have enough sense to go slowly, too.
If they act as if their feelings are hurt — because they may only be acting, remember — then they are too unstable to be in a healthy happy relationship with you! Be firm; end it early before you get sucked into a twisted situation that takes longer to untangle.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. Don’t let people leave if they’re going to be in a vulnerable situation. Toss the drink and promise to reimburse them when your allowance gets sent. Don’t worry about losing potential friends; bad people give school a bad reputation. Better to be rid of them.
Don’t Give Up on Your Classes; try not to let your anxiety interfere with attending lessons and completing classwork. Freshman year is usually a bunch of pre-requisite classes; what’s covered will be the same at any college. So during those hours that you’re in class, focus and do well to keep your grades up. Don’t throw the dreams and money away, but…
…Know when it’s time to go. Sometimes a school isn’t a perfect fit, even though a student’s job is to go to class, take the tests, write the papers and get the grades. After all, that’s what the thousands of dollars are going to! But if you’ve taken the Three Bites (or Ten Tries) and you’re not clicking with the school, it’s time to check in with the counselor for next steps.
Get to the Counselor at Student Support Services — of which you’re already familiar because it was the first thing you located, maybe even before stepping on campus — to help you decide whether to return the next semester, or even finish out the first semester. Then, try to get a second opinion from another counselor or advisor. Listen to them. Do not make this decision on your own. Listen to them. Do not make this decision on your own.
The best approach to a new environment is to remember that it is new. Be careful but not scared. Kick old self-destructive habits. Investigate from every angle before jumping to conclusions; you may be misinterpreting situations through old eyes. Breathe. Get advice. Listen to experts who know, who’ve encountered thousands of students like you before. Keep Calm and Carry On!
* ONE MORE THING: if you find someone in a tough situation, have this Crisis Hotline Contact Information handy. You may never need it BUT one of the people you know may need it one day. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
What to do the first week or so to make the best of Freshman Year.
Whether the freshman is coming from a large high school to a small liberal arts college or a small private high school to a large state flagship college, parents fear the child may not adjust, may fall through the cracks. Here are some ways to get through the first weeks:
Follow Directions. Meaning: heed the syllabus, note the assignments in advance, set alerts for all the deadlines. The professors don’t write them as suggestions; they expect students to follow syllabi in order to learn the material and be graded on it as described in the syllabi. There should be no surprises if the syllabus is detailed. Read it; heed it.
In a large lecture classroom, Sit Close in the First Couple of Rows. Being closer keeps the mind from wandering and encourages more eye contact with the professor. Just a fleeting glimpse will cause a connection. It also put intimidating classmates out of sight behind you.
Try to Raise a Hand in Each Session; having that goal will keep you focused and listening for the opportunity to ask a question or make a comment. Even if the opportunity to raise your hand never occurs, at least you were engaged in the lesson. Get noticed by the professor so they won’t have to guess what grade to give you. The raise-hand-every-session plan works in smaller classrooms, too. Listening closely in anticipation of contributing will increase comprehension of the subject and result in higher grades.
Make an Appointment to Go to Professor Office Hours. Professors post their availability; take advantage of it early in the school storm. You want the professor to know you’re there to use your tuition money wisely (learning). You’ll also be the first to hear from the professor more details about upcoming units in the course, extra credit, job openings, research opportunities and other “inside scoops”.
Don’t Get Frustrated. Students shouldn’t fear not knowing or not understanding. Every student gets lost in at least one course or subject area in their college career. Don’t give up right away.
Get Tutoring Early. Every student, no matter how brilliant they are, will need tutoring. Students should go in the first month even if they think they have a hang of a subject.
Join a Study Group or Create One. This is the best way to realize you’re not alone.
Know Your Limits Early. Freshmen will be taking core required courses, but if by chance your schedule includes a tough elective (a course not required) that will not impact on fulfilling your major but is harder than you’re ready for, then consider taking the class Pass/Fail or dropping the course altogether. Pass/Fail will not affect your average. The you drop one course, hopefully you’ll be able to register for a more appropriate course. WARNING: these course decisions must be done in the first couple of weeks of the term. Classes close out early so students don’t miss too many lessons and never catch up.
Ready to start school on the right foot? Going in with realistic, open eyes — and mind — is the way to go!
Okay PARENTS of HS Seniors, Juniors and even Sophomores — take a look at the school calendar. Depending on where you live and where you plan to go, it’s possible you might be able to tour some schools, or at least drive by or walk the campus grounds. Remember to keep notes so the schools don’t blend together… Don’t depend on your high schools to arrange trips this year; but even if there were to be trips, oftentimes demand may lead to the bus running out of seats, or restriction by grade. Regardless, there’s always virtual events and tours; check calendars for those dates as well.
