[BHS etree] COLLEGE|CAREER: Advisor's Bulletin for 2/1/07

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

College Advisor's Bulletin
Thursday, February 1, 2007

SAT WORD OF THE DAY:   MITIGATE - to ease or lessen.  Careful water
conservation helped to mitigate the severity of the recent drought.  

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
*FREE SAT prep class will be held at Berkeley High on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 pm in H206 for 10 weeks.  The first class
will be held on Wednesday, February 7.  No sign up is necessary.
Bring a calculator and pencils to the first class.  For more
information, see Ms. Abrams or Mr. Saraceno in D221.

*Volunteer Opportunity - Are you at least 15 years old and a sophomore
in high school? Are you interested in working toward positive change
with issues concerning human-relations, diversity and cross-cultural
education among our youth? If yes, the Mosaic Project would love you
to apply as a volunteer Cabin Leader for our spring and fall sessions
in Napa. This is a great way to build leadership skills and get
community service hours. For more information, or an application,
contact Rico Chenyek at ricosuave126 at comcast.net The application
deadline is coming soon so get your application TODAY!

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!

FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS
*SCHOLARSHIP FOR JUNIORS - Nordstrom Scholarship application is
available in D221.  The scholarship is open to juniors with an
unweighted GPA of at least 2.7 who have financial need to go to
college.  The student must attend an accredited college-level
institution for four years.  The scholarship is for $10,000 and will
be paid over four years in installments of $2,500.   Deadline:  May
31.  

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
TODAY - 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.