Counselor Corner

HCS JUNIOR/SENIOR NEWSLETTER

HCS JUNIOR/SENIOR NEWSLETTER

Sixth Edition –April, 2008

This newsletter is for juniors, seniors and their parents to provide information about special programs offered by colleges or other institutions, scholarships, and tests. It will be published once a month and given to each junior and senior and mailed to senior parents. **Parents, please let me know if you would like me to email the newsletter to you to help cut down on mailing/printing costs!! Contact me at lkoehler@esu6.org about this or any other question.

I will be posting the newsletter on the school web site at www.heartlandschools.org. I will be adding things to the web site as the year goes along so check it out! Contact Mrs. Koehler for more information about anything listed in this newsletter.

College Planning

One of the best resources for financial aid information is EducationQuest Foundation. They are a free resource to families to discuss the cost of post-secondary education and the types of aid available to meet those costs. Now is the time to explore your college choices. EducationQuest is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 – 5:00. Their phone number is 800-303-3745.

April “To Do” List

Seniors

___ Expect your college financial aid award letters

___ Continue applying for scholarships

___ Start purchasing dorm essentials now to avoid sticker shock in August

___ Start looking for a summer job

Juniors

___ Register by May 9 for the June 14 ACT

___ Schedule campus visits while schools are still in session

___ Start looking for scholarships

Special Programs

If you are interested in applying for a United States Military Academy nomination, see Mrs. Koehler for deadlines and applications or go to http://bennelson.senate.gov for more information.

SCC-Milford is holding an Automotive Summer Camp on June 12 & 13 for high school students who are interested in Automotive careers. Cost is $10. Registration deadline is May 9, 2008.

Juniors and seniors are invited to apply to attend NAYI (Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute). NAYI is a four-day event that brings together juniors and seniors from across the state to help build leadership skills, explore new aspects of agriculture and encourage young people to become more involved with and remain in agriculture. See Mrs. Koehler for an application – deadline is April 15.

York General Hospital has the following programs available to students interested in health care occupations:

• Certified Nursing Aide Course

• Tuition/Income Support Program

• Shadowing Program

• YGHCS Scholarship

• Loan Forgiveness Program

Call Barb Koester at 362-0442 for more information.

Students interested in attending colleges in Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin should check out the Midwest Student Exchange Program for tuition discounts. Go to http://msep.mhec.org for more information.

Students interested in a career in the health and medical sciences can access information about those careers at science.education.nih.gov/LifeWorks. At this site students can find careers that match their personal interests, browse careers by salary, education required, interests, and job title, discover the types of high school and postsecondary courses they should consider for specific career paths.

York College is holding the following special visit days on their campus: All About You Weekend- High School Days & Songfest-April 3-6, Presidential Scholars Day-April 12, Junior Sneak Peek Day-April 28, Soul Quest-June 15-21.

UNL is holding an event called Advanced Scholars: the University Experience on April 16 from 10 – 3:15. This event is for high school students to better understand how Advanced Scholars works and discover what is in store for them at UNL. RSVP at advancedscholars.unl.edu.

Doane College is holding a visit day for juniors on April 4. See their web site at www.doane.edu for more info or to register.

The University of Nebraska – Omaha is holding several open houses during the fall and spring semesters. Find specific dates and make reservations by visiting their web site at www.openhouse.unomaha.edu.

Wayne State College is holding Fridays at WSC on the following Fridays:

April 18. Visit www.wsc.edu for more information.

NortheastCommunity College (Norfolk) is holding Explore Northeast Days throughout the school year. Call 1-800-348-9033 ext. 7280 for specific dates and to register.

$$Scholarships$$ (Free is Good!)

Scholarship search web sites: www.educationquest.org, www.fastweb.com, www.fastaid.com, www.freschinfo.com, www.collegeboard.com.

Money is available for both undergraduate and graduate engineering students through generous contributions from various corporations and universities. Funded through the SAE Foundation, these scholarships help students around the world to pursue their passion for engineering, encourage academic excellence, and further develop the future engineering workforce. Check out http://students.sae.org/awdscholar/scholarships/ for a complete listing. Deadlines begin in December.

Students can apply for a random drawing scholarship from Nelnet at the following web site: www.nelnet.com/win. Monthly drawings will begin in November and continue through August.

Applications are available on-line for the ASAP/Union Bank-Lincoln Journal Star “We Have Money to Learn” scholarship. 24 $500 scholarships are awarded through a weekly random drawing. Go to www.asapubt.com to apply.

Alpha Delta Kappa education sorority is awarding a scholarship to a senior who plans to enter the teaching profession. Applications are due April 4.

The Benevolent Patriotic Order of Does is offering two $300 scholarships to deserving seniors in the York area. Deadline: April 4.

The Aurora Area Artisan’s Association is sponsoring a scholarship in the amount of $250 for a graduating high school senior who intends to major in graphic or studio art or art education. Deadline: April 4.

The Carriage House Foundation is announcing a scholarship for students interested in attending one of Nebraska’s Community Colleges to study in an automotive related field. Deadline: April 4.

The Lincoln Community Foundation administers close to 70 different scholarships – many of which are for students who live outside of Lincoln/Lancaster County. To view available scholarships and deadlines go to www.lcf.org.

The Omaha Chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals is offering several $1,000 scholarships to help further the college education of people whose career plans will take them into computing related fields. Applications are available at www.aitpomaha.org. Deadline for application is April 4, 2008.

The Nebraska Coaches Association and Farm Bureau Insurance Company will award 8 $500 scholarships to senior student athletes that are in the top 25% of their class, have participated in two sports for at least 2 years, and lettered in two sports. Deadline: April 4.

Applications are available for the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation Scholarships. To be eligible, students must be applying to a Nebraska state school (UNO, UNL, UNK, Chadron, Peru, Wayne) or a two-year state public college or trade school within Nebraska, have financial need and have maintained a 2.5 GPA throughout high school. Students may apply after January 1, 2008 and applications must be postmarked by April 10. Go to www.buffettscholarships.org for more information.

Nebraskans for Peace (NFP) will award three $500 scholarships to a senior in each of the 3 Congressional Districts to students who wish to further their education in an area consistent with the mission of NFP, peace with justice through community building, education and political action. Deadline: April 10.

Cornerstone Bank is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a Heartland senior. Applications are available on the UserShare and are due April 10. Interviews will be held.

York Elks Lodge is offering a scholarship based on academics, activities and leadership, and financial need. Deadline: April 11.

The National Association of Purchasing Managers-Central Nebraska is offering 5 $1,000 scholarships to seniors in the Central Nebraska region. Deadline for application: April 11.

The Nebraska Cooperative Council Education Foundation will provide a scholarship to incoming students at UNL, Chadron or Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (Curtis) who plan to major in agricultural business/economics. Student eligibility is restricted to sons/daughters of a parent/legal guardian who has been an active member, director, or employee for at least the prior three years of a cooperative which has been a member in good standing of the Council for at least five years. Deadline for application is April 15, 2008.

The Henderson Community Foundation is accepting applications for two scholarships. They are available on the UserShare and are due April 15.

Applications are available for the Learn and Work Scholarship. The two primary criteria are that it is need-based and that it helps students who have overcome personal hardships and have a desire to continue their education. Applications can be found online at www.sheridanlutheran.org or www.journalstar.com.

Henderson State Bank will be offering 2 $500 scholarships to seniors at Heartland. To be eligible, you must be in the upper 50% of the class and planning to major in a field employable in a rural setting, such as medical, business, education, health care, etc. Applications are available on the UserShare. Deadline: April 21.

Tests - Heartland's School Code (CEEB #) is 281-081.

ACT

Regular Registration Late Registration

Test Date Postmark Deadline Postmark Deadline

June 14, 2008 May 9, 2008 May 23, 2007

ACT News! Choose either of two test options – the ACT Assessment (original test) or the ACT assessment Plus Writing which includes a 30-minute Writing Test (an additional fee of $14.00 is required). Very few colleges and universities require the Writing Test. Check with the colleges you are considering – or go to www.actstudent.org for a list of institutions that require or recommend the Writing Test.

Regular registration fee is $30.00. Late registration fee is $49.00. Registration packets and student test preparation booklets called Preparing for the ACT Assessment are available in the guidance office.

EducationQuest Foundation

College Planning Bulletin

A monthly college planning guide for Nebraska high school students

April 2008

________________________________________________________________________

Seniors … it’s decision time!

Attention seniors: It’s time to make the big college decision and determine where you’ll spend the next 4-5 years of your life!

As you make your decision, have a heart-to-heart talk with your parents to make sure you pick your college for the right reasons, not because it’s where your friends - or your girlfriend or boyfriend - are going. Talk about:

Location. Is the college too close? If you come home every weekend, you won’t experience true campus life. Is the college too far away? If travel costs are prohibitive, you may not make it home as often as you’d like.

Cost. Can your family afford the school? What can you expect for financial aid beyond the freshman year? Did you receive renewable scholarships?

Academic program. Does the college offer the program that interests you? What happens if you change majors—does the college offer other programs of interest?

Amount of loans required. If you borrow the maximum Stafford loan amount each year for four years, you’re looking at $19,000 in loans – and that means a future monthly payment of nearly $220 per month. You should also calculate how much your parents will need to borrow in PLUS loans. Use the Student Loan Repayment Calculator at www.educationquest.org to estimate future student loan payments.

The EducationQuest website features other tools that can help you make the final decision including the Award Letter Comparison Calculator and the College Comparison Calculator .

Juniors … start looking for scholarships

Thousands of scholarships are available to help students pay for college. Students who earn the most scholarships complete at least 30-40 applications. Here’s how you can be one of those students …

Start searching! In addition to your guidance office, check out free sites including ScholarshipQuest at www.educationquest.org. Note the awards current seniors are receiving - they're often listed in your local newspaper. Other sources might include your parent’s employer, your employer or local service organizations.

Create filesand place scholarship applications in deadline order.

Get involved in extracurricular activities and community service. This is a critical component on most scholarship applications – and is the only criteria on some.

Earn the best possible grades and entrance exam scores. These factors are especially important for college-based scholarships.

Determine if you will qualify for need-based scholarships by completing the College Funding Estimator at www.educationquest.org.

Talk to colleges about specific scholarships they offer.

Scholarship warning…

As a junior or senior, you’ll receive offers for scholarship and financial aid services. If they charge a fee, investigate them thoroughly. EducationQuest will help you complete financial aid forms for free and will guide you to free scholarship search resources. For more information, talk to you guidance counselor or call EducationQuest at 800-666-3721.

For free help with college planning, contact EducationQuest Foundation:

Kearney

308-234-6310

800-666-3721

Lincoln

402-475-5222

800-303-3745

Omaha

402-391-4033

888-357-6300

www.educationquest.org