[BHS etree] COLLEGE|CAREER: Advisor's Bulletin for Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007

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Contact  Ilene Abrams  iabrams at berkeley.k12.ca.us  or 644-6804

College Advisor's Bulletin
Wednesday, January 17, 2007


SAT WORD OF THE DAY:   SUFFRAGE – the political right to vote; 
enfranchisement.  Wyoming was the first state to grant women suffrage, 
allowing them to vote in 1879.

FOR SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS
TODAY - Are you interested in going to a college that is made for high 
school students?  Do you want more control over what classes you take 
and how you use your time?  Are you ready to move far from home?  Come 
to a presentation by a Berkeley High grad who attends Simons Rock 
College in the East Coast.  Wednesday, January 17 at lunchtime in 
Conference Room B.

FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS
Black College Expo – Saturday, January 20, 9:00-4:00, Hangar 12, 
Oakland/Alameda.  (1050 West Tower Avenue).  Meet with representatives 
from many Historically Black Colleges & Universities, attend seminars 
on preparing for college, hot careers and more.  Seniors – bring your 
transcripts and test scores for the opportunity for on-the-spot 
acceptance and the opportunity to win scholarships.  For more 
information, go to www.blackcollegeexpo.com.  Cost $10.

FOR SENIORS
FINANCIAL AID – Now is the time to start your application for financial 
aid. All colleges require the Free Application for Federal Student Aid 
(FAFSA).   I strongly recommend that you apply online at 
www.fafsa.ed.gov  This is the only official site for filling out the 
FAFSA.  Beware of other sites that charge money to fill out the FAFSA.  
In order to file electronically, you will need two PIN numbers – one 
for one parent and one for the student.  These are your electronic 
signatures.   You can apply for the PIN numbers at www.pin.ed.gov   If 
you haven’t done so already, I recommend that you do so now.  You can 
start the FAFSA while you are waiting to receive your PIN numbers.

*FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOPS – We will be holding workshops on filling out 
the FAFSA both before and after school. All workshops will be held in 
the BHS library.  Please sign up in D221 so that we make sure that we 
have enough computers for everyone.  Bring with you completed 2006 tax 
returns and/or information on  income for you and your parents from any 
source for 2006 as well as information on assets for you and your 
parents.  This information will not be shared with anyone. In order to 
best prepare for the workshop, pick up a FAFSA on the Web Worksheet in 
D221 prior to the workshop.  Then you can fill out the requested 
information and know what your questions are.  The dates for the 
workshops are:
Monday, January 22, 3:30 pm
Thursday, February 8, 7:30 am
Tuesday, February 20, 3:30 pm
Wednesday, February 21, 7:30 am
Monday, February 26, 3:30 pm
Tuesday, February 27, 7:30 am
Wednesday, February 28, 3:30 pm

Cash for College workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 13 at 6:30 
pm in the BHS library.  At the workshop, held in both English and 
Spanish, you will be able to get help  filling out the FAFSA.  One 
participant in the workshop who completes the FAFSA and the Cal Grant 
form by March 2 will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship.  For additional 
Cash for College workshops at other locations and dates go to 
www.calgrants.org and click on the “Workshops” tab.

CHECK FOR FINANCIAL AID DEADLINES AND REQUIRED FORMS FOR EACH SCHOOL – 
Although all colleges require the FAFSA, some schools require 
additional forms.  Financial aid deadlines vary from school to school.  
Some schools have January or early February deadlines.  The deadline to 
file the FAFSA for all UC’s, Cal States and community colleges is March 
2, although I recommend that you file sooner if at all possible.  The 
financial deadline for each college can be found on its website or by 
calling the financial aid office.  Make a list of each schools’ 
financial aid deadline and the forms they require.  I have a form 
available in the College/Career Center to help you keep track of this 
information.  If you don’t file by the deadline, you are likely to get 
less financial aid.  The most important thing is meeting the deadline, 
not having the exactly correct information.  You can always go back and 
update your information once you complete your tax forms.

CAL GRANTS – Cal Grants are free money from the state of California 
based on the student’s GPA and family income. The money may be used at 
any accredited California college, public or private. Applying for the 
Cal Grant is very easy – just fill out and submit the FAFSA by March 2 
listing a California college to receive the information and fill out 
the Cal Grant Information Release Form, available in D173 and D221.  
This is a very simple form which takes less than 5 minutes to complete. 
  Deadline to turn in the form is January 30.

MIDYEAR REPORTS – If you applied to any schools which require your 
first semester grades as part of the admissions process, you must turn 
in the Mid-Year Report form and a completed Transcript Request Form 
with the words “Mid-Year Report” written across the top, paper-clipped 
to a stamped, business sized envelope addressed to the Office of 
Admissions of the college with a return address of BHS, 1980 Allston 
Way, Berkeley, CA  94704. These were due onTuesday, January 16.  If you 
haven't turned them in yet – do it now!  You must have a separate 
envelope for each college requiring your first semester grades.

If you missed the presentation on filling out the FAFSA on December 7, 
you may sign up to borrow the DVD for up to 2 nights.  Please e-mail me 
a request (iabrams at berkeley.k12.ca.us), along with your student’s name, 
and I will let you know when it is available.  Senior families only, 
please.

CAL STATE APPLICATIONS – many Cal State campuses are still accepting 
applications.  They are:  Cal Maritime, Bakersfield, Channel Islands, 
Chico, Dominguez Hills (deadline is April 1), East Bay, Fresno, 
Fullerton (open only to Computer Science and Engineering majors), 
Humboldt (tentative deadline is June 1), Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, 
Northridge, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Jose (deadline is March 1), 
Sonoma (deadline is January 22), Stanislaus.  If you need help with 
your applications, see Ms. Abrams or Mr. Saraceno in D221.

UC Riverside and UC Merced are still accepting applications.  To apply, 
download a paper application from 
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/download For more 
details about which majors are open at each campus, see 
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/openmajors  Mail the 
application to:
UC Undergraduate Application Processing Service, P.O. Box 4010, 
Concord, CA 94524-4010

SAT/ACT TEST DATES – January 19 is the late registration deadline for 
the February 10 ACT test.  Register at www.act.org.  February 2 is the 
regular registration deadline for the March 10 SAT test.  Register at 
www.collegeboard.com.
SCHOLARSHIPS
*Unlocking Doors: A Scholarship for Women – female high school senior 
whose parent/guardian's income does not exceed $45,000 who will be the 
first in their family to attend a four year college and who is a U.S. 
citizen or legal resident.  Deadline:  March 31.  $1,000 scholarship.  
Applications available in D221 or at www.unlockingdoors.org

*Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year – Open to seniors.  Judging 
is based on academic performance, athletic excellence, leadership, 
community service and milk experience.  Applications are available at 
www.bodybymilk.com  Deadline:  March 9. Each of the 25 winners will 
receive a $7,500 scholarship.

*Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship – Open to seniors planning 
to attend two or four year college or vocational/technical school.  
Must be legal US residents.  Scholarships available for students who 
have at least one parent of Asian-Pacific heritage, or one parent of 
African American or Black Caribbean heritage or one parent of Hispanic 
heritage.  A separate scholarship is open to students of all 
backgrounds.  Numerous scholarships of at least $1,000 are available.  
Applications available in D221 and at www.rmhc.org  Deadline:  February 
15.

PG&E Employees Scholarship – Open to all graduating seniors whose 
parent/guardian is a PG&E customer with a minimum unweighted GPA of 
3.50 and a minimum SAT score of 1500 or comparable ACT score who is 
actively involved in outside activities.  At least ten scholarships of 
$2,000 each.  Deadline:  March 1.

Kiwanis Club Scholarship – Open to graduating seniors.  One scholarship 
is for students who are planning to attend a four year college.  The 
other is for students who are planning an alternative or trade school 
path.  Essay and recommendations are required.  Deadline:  March 29.  A 
total of $40,000 will be awarded.  Applications available in D221.

Community NETwork Scholarship – Open to African-American seniors with a 
minimum GPA of 2.5 who plan to attend a two or four year college in the 
fall or an accredited business school.  Minimum of $1,000 will be 
awarded.  Deadline:  February 23.  Applications available in D221.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL STUDENTS
Below are a few of the summer opportunities available.  Check out the 
“Summer” box in the College/Career Center to read about many more.

*Princeton University Summer Journalism Program - 10-day 
all-expenses-paid summer journalism program held in August at Princeton 
University for students from under-resourced financial backgrounds.  
Applicants must meet the following qualifications: Current high school 
juniors and seniors with a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0 who have a 
demonstrated interest in journalism and whose combined income of their 
custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus  child support payments, if any, 
must not exceed $45,000.  Postmark deadline is February 15.  
Applications available in D221 and at http://www.princeton.edu/~sjp

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provides talented high school 
students from the San Francisco Bay Area with paid summer internships 
in science, engineering, technology, computing sciences, and related 
areas.  Selection is based on the applicant's grades, especially in 
science and mathematics courses, and demonstrated commitment to a 
future career in the sciences, engineering, computer sciences, or 
related field and one teacher recommendation.  Students work 40 hours a 
week for six weeks from June 27th through August 10th and receive a 
stipend. Students also participate in a variety of workshops and attend 
lectures and seminars.  Open only to current juniors and seniors.  
Deadline:  March 2.  Applications available in D221 and at 
http://csee.lbl.gov/hssrpp.html

Intern Exchange International – London-based program offers internships 
in a wide variety of areas and Career-Plus programs in fashion & 
design, journalism, photography, theater and video production.  For 
more information, go to www.internexchange.com or call 561-477-2434 or 
610-527-6066.

Service Learning in Paris – this program offers a mixture of language 
and academic classes in your choice of art & architecture, politics & 
history or writing & literature, together with work at social service 
agencies, July 1-29.  Applications available in D221 or by calling 
802-362-5855 or e-mail iss at study-serve.org.  Some financial aid is 
available.

*New to the bulletin today.