[BHS etree] COLLEGE|CAREER: Advisor's Bulletin for Wed., Jan 16, 2008

[bhs at idiom.com]

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


College Advisor's Bulletin
Wednesday, January 16, 2008


SAT WORD OF THE DAY:  VOCIFEROUS – overly vocal.  Each class so  
vociferously supported its dancers at the Berkeley High Spirit Rally  
that I had to cover my ears.

FOR ALL STUDENTS
California Climate Champions Program – Students ages 16-18 can enter  
a competition where you will have a chance to become one of 20  
Climate Champions for California. As a champion, you'll get to  
participate in a range of activities, including a "climate camp,"  
where you will learn more about the issue and plan activities for  
your time "in office." You might also get to take part in meetings in  
England and Japan with other champions from around the world! Entries  
using audio, video or in writing should take the form of a news  
report, which will help applicants demonstrate their communication  
abilities and their passion about addressing climate change. Received  
deadline:  February 11.  Applications available in the College/Career  
Center and at http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/climatechampions/ 
climatechampions.htm .

FOR JUNIORS
COLLEGE INFORMATION NIGHT FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF JUNIORS – Tuesday,  
February 5, 6:30-8:30 pm in the Berkeley High library.  Enter at 1980  
Allston Way.  Angela Price and 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!

Ms. Price and I will be speaking to the junior English classes at the  
beginning of February.  Following the presentations, juniors will be  
able to sign up for individual appointments with their College Advisor.

FOR SENIORS
FEBRUARY 1 IS THE LAST DAY TO FILE APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO ANY  
CSU CAMPUS STILL ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.  This change is due to  
budget cuts.  If you are considering applying to any of the open  
campuses (Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Chico (except nursing and  
recording arts majors), Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fresno, Fullerton  
(open to engineering and computer science majors only), Los Angeles,  
Monterey Bay, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco (deadline –  
1/15/08), San Jose, San Marcos (if space is available), Sonoma  
(except for interdisciplinary studies, human development, liberal  
studies and nursing) and Stanislaus) and need help with your  
application, please see Ms. Abrams or Ms. Price as soon as possible.   
We are happy to help.

FINANCIAL AID – Now is the time to work on 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 in the Berkeley High library.  
The next two workshops are:
TODAY - Wednesday, January 16, 3:30 pm
Thurs., February 7, 7:30 am
Evening Workshop, Thursday, January 24, 6:30 pm, BHS library
Please sign up in advance in the College/Career Center so that we  
have enough computers for everyone.  Prior to the workshop, pick up  
the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet so that you can prepare the necessary  
information.  For a complete list of workshops, go to http:// 
bhs.berkeley.net/index.php?page=workshops .

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 school’s financial aid deadline (some are as early as January  
15) and the forms they require.  We 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 number 10 business sized envelope with one first class  
stamp addressed to the Office of Admissions of the college with a  
return address of BHS, 1980 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA  94704. The  
deadline to turn these in to D173 or D221 is Wednesday, January 16.   
You must have a separate envelope for each college requiring your  
first semester grades.  This is not necessary for any UC campuses,  
but some Cal State campuses are requiring a copy of your first  
semester grades.

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

SAT/ACT TEST DATES – January 18 is the late registration deadline for  
the February 9 ACT test.  January 29 is the regular registration  
deadline for the March 1 SAT tests. Subject tests are not offered on  
this test date.  Fee waivers for low income students are available in  
D221.

SCHOLARSHIPS
For the complete list of applications available in the College/Career  
Center, go to http://bhs.berkeley.net/uploads/career_center/ 
Scholarships_2007-2008%20for%20website.doc

*Scotlan Scholarship Award – Open to graduating seniors from an  
Alameda County high school with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who has  
participated in community service for at least two years, has  
financial need and is a U.S. citizen, native born.  Scholarship:   
$2,625 per year for four years.  Deadline:  April 30.  Applications  
available in D221.

*Nahas Scholarship Award – Open to graduating seniors from an Alameda  
County high school with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who has participated in  
community service for at least two years, has competed in a  
competitive sports program for at least two years, and is a U.S.  
citizen, native born.  Scholarship:  $2,625 per year for four years.   
Deadline:  April 30.  Applications available in D221.

*Vietnamese Physician Association Scholarship Award – Open to seniors  
of Vietnamese descent who have attended a Northern California high  
school and have a gpa of 3.5 or above.  Deadline:  April 16.   
Scholarships:  $1,000.  Applications available in D221.

*Japanese American Citizens League Scholarship – Open to high school  
seniors who are members of the Berkeley Chapter of the Japanese  
American Citizens League and will be attending college in Fall 2008.   
Deadline:  March 1.  Scholarships:  Up to $1,200.  Applications  
available in D221.

PDK Prospective Educator Scholarship Program – Open to any high  
school senior intending to major in education.  A variety of  
scholarships will be offered.  Applications available in D221.   
Deadline:  February 1.

Community Network, Lewis Latimer – Open to African-American seniors  
with a minimum GPA of 2.5 who plans to attend a two or four year  
accredited college or business school (majoring in computer science  
or relating to the telecommunications industry).  Scholarships of at  
least $500 will be awarded.  Applications available in D221.   
Deadline:  February 29.

Tom Joyner Foundation Full Ride Scholarship – Provides a full ride to  
an Historically Black College or University.  Open to current seniors  
who are U.S. citizens with an unweighted GPA of 3.5 and minimum SAT  
score of 1300 (math and critical reading only) or ACT score of 28 who  
have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in  
community service, extracurricular or other activities.  Application  
available in D221.  Postmark deadline: January 18.

Best Buy Scholarship – Open to graduating high school seniors living  
in the United States or Puerto Rico who live within 75 miles of a  
Best Buy Store in the United States or Puerto Rico, have a minimum  
cumulative high school grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale,  
demonstrate commitment to and involvement in volunteer community  
service or work experience and plan to enroll in a full-time  
undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year  
college, university, or vocational-technical school in the United  
States or Puerto Rico no later than fall 2008. 1,500 students will  
each be awarded $1,500; 51 students will each receive $10,000.  Apply  
online at www.bestbuy.com/scholarships .  Deadline:  February 15.

Janice Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund – Open to seniors with an  
unweighted 2.5 or above who is planning to go to a 4 year college or  
university next year who has demonstrated leadership abilities and is  
a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident.  Application available in  
D221.  Five $2,500 scholarships will be awarded.  Deadline:  March 15.

SBC Memorial Foundation – Open to graduating seniors or college  
students who have volunteered for a significant number of hours  
within the last 18 months, have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0, are  
residents of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and plan on attending  
a two or four year academic, vocational or technical school in the  
fall.  Scholarship:  $1,000.  Applications available in D221 and at  
www.sbcfoundation.org .  Deadline:  March 1.

Scholarships for Latino students - http://www.latinocollegedollars.org/

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES
Information on many more programs is available in D221.

California State Summer School for the Arts (Innerspark) – Program  
runs from July 12-August 8 in a variety of subjects including  
animation, visual arts, dance, music, film/video, theatre and  
creative writing.  Applications available at www.innerspark.us  
Scholarships are available.  Application deadline:  February 29.

*New to the bulletin today.