Counselor’s Page: Colleges,
Scholarships, & Financial Aid
Compiled by Stephanie Contos, Counselor
Welcome to all returning and new GMCHS students and parents. We are looking forward to an enriching and fulfilling year full of senior activities, fundraisers, college trips and more. This newsletter is to provide you with information about past and upcoming events, college application deadlines and testing.
WASC: Middle College participated in a 3-day WASC visitation in March with tremendous support from both the college and the high school district. We are proud to announce that we received a full term six year accreditation awarded through 2013. This honor is clearly a testament to the quality of instruction, guidance, and student performance that has become the basis of the Middle College program. Our WASC Action Plan includes the following:
a. Continue to improve college math/science grades
b. Continue to improve marketing strategies
c. Continue to improve correlation of internships to career pathways
d. Maintain and expand upon cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with Grossmont College
e. Utilize best practices through connections with other middle college high schools
Student Statistics: Sarah Donnelly, of the Office of Research and Planning at Grossmont College has determined that GMCHS students do at least as well, if not better, than a control group of similar college students.
-
The average college GPA for the 65 students enrolled in GMCHS in 2007 was 2.9 and the average high school GPA was 3.7.
-
Retention rates in math and science have been consistent at just over 82%.
-
Graduates average over 30 transferable college credits.
-
Over 90% percent of last year’s graduating seniors continued their education on either two or four-year campuses in California or elsewhere.
-
State of California Academic Performance Index (API) rank is 10/10. Base score of 834 is the highest in the district (goal for high schools in California is to reach 800!!)
On June 6, 2007, 30 seniors earned a diploma with 21 honor grads (3.5 or better). The ceremony included music and speeches by our students, college and district dignitaries. A lovely buffet was provided via the FSS Grant and parents donated cakes, cookies and decorations.
Approximately 75% of seniors have been accepted to four-year colleges/universities including UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, CSU’s Long Beach, Northridge, and Fullerton , San Francisco State and San Diego State!
Approximately 35% have chosen to continue their education at Grossmont College or another 2-year institution. All students continuing at a community college have a detailed Ed Plan created by Stephanie per the grant.
Junior/Senior
Checks: Seniors and Juniors will meet with Stephanie in September
and October (respectively) for a "Check." Students will be
provided with handouts and information on the following: graduation
status, college entrance requirements, college and testing information,
financial aid and scholarships. If you have any questions after reviewing
the information, please contact Stephanie at 644-7524.
Souplantation Funraiser: Several Middle College families joined us on
Monday, September 10 between 5:00 and 8:00 pm at the La Mesa Souplantation
to help raise money toward GMCHS student activities. Thanks for the
support!!!!
More Fall Activities: October: Pat and Oscar’s; November: Thanksgiving Pie Party, Coldstone Pie Sale; December: Coldstone Pie Sale, Clarity Gift Shop fundraiser, Cookie Crumble.
Hamlet at the Old Globe: 40 students, family and friends attended the Old Globe production of Hamlet on Sunday, September 9 at a greatly reduced price. Thanks to Cathy for coordinating this event.
PSAT for Juniors: All Middle College juniors will take the PSAT on Wednesday, October 18 during class time. In addition, 21 students from other district schools will take the PSAT with the Middle College on that date.
GOT PLANS? Career/College Fair: Meet admission reps from 60+ public and private colleges and universities. Middle College will have an information table on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at Valhalla High School from 6:00pm to 8:30pm.
Progress Report: Parents will receive 9-week progress reports for high school classes (and those college classes that provide us with grades) the week of October 8.
College Tours: Juniors will visit SDSU In October and UCSD in November. We will also visit UC Irvine and another CSU (TBA) in Spring 2007. More information to follow.
Northern California College Trip: Eighteen juniors will have the opportunity to visit four universities in Northern California in Spring 2008. Plans are to visit UC Berkeley and Santa Cruz and San Francisco State and San Jose State Universities. We will also visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman’s Wharf Wax Museum and the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. Selections will be made in December and the cost will be a non-refundable $75 deposit. Plane fare and lodging are paid for though our grant, but students will be responsible for food and personal items. Deposits can be given to Sue now—for those not chosen the deposit will be refunded.
College Application Deadline Requirements
College
or University |
Acceptance
Dates |
Entrance
Tests |
Website |
| California State University | Oct. 1 thru |
SAT I (Reasoning) or ACT | www.csumentor.org |
| University of California | Nov. 1-30, 2007 | SAT I (Reasoning)
or ACT and SAT II (Subject) – 2 subjects |
www.universityofcalifornia.edu/ admissions/ |
| Private and/or Out-of-State Colleges | Check with college | Check with college | www.aiccumentor.org (California Independent Colleges) |
Stephanie will present application workshops for seniors for the UC and CSU’s in October and November. In addition, she is available, by appointment, to assist seniors with the various applications specifically inputting high school and college classes.
College Entrance Exam Test Dates
Most colleges and universities require the SAT Reasoning or the ACT test for entrance as a first-time freshman. In addition, some colleges, including the University of California, require two SAT Subject tests. Check with particular colleges to determine entrance test requirements.
|
SAT TEST DATES |
|
| TEST DATE | DEADLINE |
| October 6, 2007 | September 10, 2007 |
|
November 3, 2007 |
October 2, 2007 |
| December
1, 2007 |
October 30, 2007 |
| January 26, 2008 | December 26, 2007 |
| March 1, 2008 | January 29, 2008 |
| May 3, 2008 | April 1, 2008 |
| June 7, 2008 | May 6, 2008 |
| To
register: www.collegeboard.com |
|
|
ACT TEST DATES |
|
| TEST DATE | DEADLINE |
| October 27,
2007 |
September 21, 2007 |
| December 9, 2006 | November 2, 2007 |
| February 9, 2008 | January 4, 2008 |
| April 12, 2008 | March 7, 2008 |
| June 14, 2008 | May 9, 2008 |
| To
register: www.actstudent.org
|
|
Reminder... SDSU requires entrance tests taken by the November test date.
Scholarships are an important source of free money for college. They are offered under several categories including: ancestry, special interests, local area, essay contests, occupation, organization, religious affiliation, and general. All Seniors received the “Planning Ahead” financial aid and scholarship booklet containing over 100 scholarships. Cathy is working with both juniors and seniors on college and scholarship essays, educational resumes, career pathways and college searches.
Financial Aid Night: Please plan to attend our workshop in January (TBA). A Grossmont College Financial Aid advisor will take you through the Free Application for Federal Student Aide (FAFSA) step-by-step. Scholarships are an important source of free money for college. They are offered under several categories including: ancestry, special interests, local area, essay contests, occupation, organization, religious affiliation, and general. All Seniors received the “Planning Ahead” financial aid and scholarship booklet containing over 100 scholarships. Cathy is working with both juniors and seniors on college and scholarship essays, educational resumes, career pathways and college searches.
Financial Aid Night: Please plan to attend our workshop in January (TBA). A Grossmont College Financial Aid advisor will take you through the Free Application for Federal Student Aide (FAFSA) step-by-step.
Also, visit the informational websites below to find more scholarships.
Fast Web: Features database of 600,000 scholarships and 4,000 colleges. Free personalized search using an online profile. Visit: www.fastweb.monster.com.
Wired Scholar: Provides information on financial aid and scholarships. Visit: www.wiredscholar.com.
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): This is the form that is the starting point for all Financial Aid applications. Visit: www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Yahoo - Education Grants And Financial Aid Search: Extensive information on colleges and access to financial aid information and related web sites. Visit: www.yahoo.com/Education/Financial_Aid/Grants.
Internships Websites:
Courses
Current Students