[BHS etree] COLLEGE|CAREER: Advisor's Bulletin for 01/31/07

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

College Advisor's Bulletin
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

SAT WORD OF THE DAY:   DEBILITATE – to weaken or disable.  Although flu 
is usually not a serious illness, it does temporarily debilitate its 
victims.

FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF JUNIORS
Tuesday, February 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m.  College information meeting for 
parents/guardians of juniors in the Berkeley High library.  Enter at 
1980 Allston Way.  I will provide an overview of all aspects of the 
college admissions process.  This meeting is for adults only since the 
students will be receiving this information in their English classes.  
Come with all of your questions!

FOR ALL STUDENTS
*STUDENTS WHO SIGNED UP FOR THE PRACTICE SAT THIS SATURDAY –  meet at 
8:45 am in the Courtyard outside the C building.  Bring several number 
2 pencils, a calculator, water, and a non-messy snack.  Please don't be 
late!

TODAY - January 31 at 11:30 am in Conference Room B, the National 
Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) will be presenting information on 
their worldwide programs.  NOLS is a non-profit wilderness skills 
school that has been in operation for over forty years.  They take 
students on extended wilderness expeditions in order to teach technical 
skills, leadership skills and environmental ethics while living in the 
world's most spectacular wilderness classrooms.   Their courses range 
from 14 days to 165 days.  College credit is available through the 
University of Utah.  Summer programs are available.  Seniors thinking 
of taking time off before college can check out their semester-long 
programs.

FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS
Black College Awareness Fair, Saturday, February 3, 10:00-2:00.  De 
Anza Community College Gymnasium, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. 
  Admission is free.  Representatives from over 20 HBCU's, financial aid 
and admissions presentations and panel discussion from HBCU graduates.  
RSVP to Natalie.Walker at xerox.com or call 415-652-6400.  Flyers with 
directions available in D221.

FOR SENIORS
February 1, 1:20 pm – did you apply to SF State?  Have questions about 
your application status or the school in general?  Meet with Ms. 
McClendon, our SF State representative in D221 to get these questions 
answered. Please sign up in advance in D221.

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:
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

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 - Cash for College workshop will be held  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.

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 February 15.

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), 
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 –  February 2 is the regular registration deadline 
for the March 10 SAT test.  Register at www.collegeboard.com. March 9 
is the regular registration deadline for the April 14 ACT test.  
Register at www.act.org.

SCHOLARSHIPS
Student Insights – A total of $8,000 will be awarded.  To apply, go to 
www.student-view.com, fill out a 15-20 minute survey about colleges in 
your area, and hope that you are chosen in the random drawing.  
Deadline:  April 15.

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival – open to graduating 
seniors of Japanese American descent with a minimum unweighted GPA of 
2.5 who are actively involved in his or her local community.  Two 
$2,000 cash awards.  Deadline:  March 27.  Applications available in 
D221.

Hispanic Community Affairs Council – Open to seniors of Hispanic 
heritage who is a resident of Alameda County, has financial need and is 
planning to attend a two or four year college or technical school in 
the fall.  $750 for community college students; $1,500 for four-year 
college students.  Deadline:  March 2.  Applications available in D221.

Berkeley Community Fund Scholarship – open to Berkeley High seniors who 
will be attending a two or four year college in the fall with a minimum 
GPA of 2.5.  Scholarships range from $500-$4,000.  Deadline:  March 12.

Best Buy Scholarship – Open to all high school seniors who will be 
attending a U.S. college, university or technical school in the fall 
following graduation.   www.bestbuy.com/scholarships  Applications 
available in D221 and at  Over 1,700 scholarships awarded, totaling 
$2.7 million will be awarded.  Deadline:  February 15.

Gill Scholarship – Open to graduating seniors with financial need who 
are planning to major in business, computer science, engineering, 
health science, math or the natural sciences.  $1,000 scholarship 
renewable for four years of college.  Deadline: March 20.  Applications 
available in D221.

NIAA Student Athlete Scholar – Open to current juniors and seniors who 
have a minimum B+ average and an ACT score of 24 or an SAT score of 
1100 who has participated in two sports for at least two years in each 
sport and earned at least one varsity letter in each of two sports.  
Deadline:  February 28.  Award:  $1,000 and $2,000.  Applications 
available in D221 and at  www.niaaa.org

Alpha Kappa Alpha – Open to African and African-American seniors with a 
minimum unweighted GPA of 2.5 who have recent community involvement and 
plans to attend a two or four year college next year. Applications 
available in D221.  $1,000 scholarship.  Deadline:  April 30.

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

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.

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.

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.

UCLA Summer Programs – Attend classes, institutes and specialty 
programs in the performing and visual arts at UCLA, as well as a 
variety of other disciplines.  Class lengths vary and most offer a 
residential option that includes supervision,a schedule of activities 
and a meal plan.  For more information, go to www.summer.ucla.edu or 
call 310-825-4101.

Boston University Tanglewood Institute Summer Music Program - Operating 
in association with the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Tanglewood Music 
Center. Young artists programs include: Orchestra, Voice, Composition, 
Harp Seminar, Wind Ensemble, and piano. piano. Plus two week workshops 
for many instruments. Students may audition in person or by 
self-prepared recording. 2 week programs $2,265; 4 week $4,165; 6 week 
$5,375.  Scholarships available. www.bu.edu/tanglewood 800-643-4796.  
Deadline:  February 15.  Audition in SF is February 4.

Summer sessions at UC Berkeley.  Choose from over 200 courses.  For 
more information, go to www.summer.berkeley.edu

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

*New to the bulletin today.