[BHS etree] COLLEGE|CAREER: Advisor's Bulletin for Nov. 6, 2008

[bhs at idiom.com]

Do not reply to this e-mail, please contact Ilene Abrams at iabrams at berkeley.k12.ca.us

College Advisor's Bulletin
Thursday, November 6, 2008

SAT WORD OF THE DAY:  TREPIDATION -- fear.  Although they try not to show it, most students approach the SAT and ACT tests with some trepidation.  

FOR ALL STUDENTS
World Affairs Council is sponsoring the International Career Mentor Night on Thursday, November 20, 6:00-8:00 pm.  This is an opportunity to speak with Bay Area professionals in international development, journalism, foreign service, education, law, business and global health.  Space is limited.  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.  Applications available in D221 and at http://www.itsyourworld.org/images/wac/Images/Schools/2008%20International%20Career%20Mentor%20Night%20Application.pdf .

Want to study abroad? Youth for Understanding and World Affairs Council awards annual scholarships to high school students (only) who want to study abroad for the summer, semester or year. Come to this information session to learn more about the 2009-2010 YFU study abroad programs and meet former Council scholarship winners. Tuesday, December 2, 2008 6:00 PM. To register, contact Katie Walsh at kwalsh at wacsf.org or call 415.293.4650. 

Violet Richardson Award of the Soroptimist Club -- Award of $1,000 to a young woman currently between the ages of 14 and 17 who has demonstrated initiative in both identifying a problem and trying to solve it and who has had significant and noteworthy accomplishments as a volunteer.  Application available in D221.  Received deadline:  December 1.  

SUMMER PROGRAMS
*MIT Women’s Technology Program -- A rigorous four week academic and residential experience at MIT for current female juniors, offering the opportunity to explore engineering through hands-on classes, labs and team-based projects.  Students may choose electrical engineering and computer science or mechanical engineering.  Application deadline:  January 15.  For more information, go to http://wtp.mit.edu .  

FOR SENIORS
If you are applying to any colleges which require a counselor recommendation, your envelopes, secondary school report forms and transcript request forms are due in the College/Career Center no later than November 7.  These are NOT needed by the UC’s and Cal States. You will need:
1. A signed Transcript Request Form (available in D173 and in the College/Career Center) for each school.  If you are under 18, your parent or guardian must sign it.  
2. Secondary School Report form for each school (this comes with your college application).  These may also be called the Counselor Recommendation form or the School Report form.  
3. Large envelope (9 x 12 inches) addressed to each school with Berkeley High School as the return address.  Put 3 stamps on the envelope.($1.17)
4. Clip the forms for each school to the outside of each envelope.
5. Clip all of the above for all of the schools together with the College Application Checklist (purple form, available in the College/Career Center) on the front.

FREE SAT SUBJECT TEST PRACTICE -- The People’s Test Preparation Service is holding practice tests and instruction on two SAT subject tests:
November 8 - English Literature, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm, 234 Dwinelle Hall at UC Berkeley
November 9 - Math 2, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm, 234 Dwinelle Hall at UC Berkeley.  
Please bring number 2 pencils and a calculator.  All other materials will be provided.  

Both the UC application (www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply) and the Cal State application (www.csumentor.edu) are available online. The deadline for the UC application is November 30.  The priority deadline for the Cal State applications is also November 30.  For many Cal State campuses, this will be the final deadline.  Those campuses definitely include:  Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, Sonoma State, Fullerton, Long Beach, San Diego State.  However, many other Cal State campuses may close applications on November 30 as well, so consider this to be the final deadline.  We urge you to get your applications in by November 30th, and preferably earlier as both websites get extremely busy (and slow) at the end of November.  Check the schedule for workshops on essay writing and completing these applications. The schedule is available on both the Daily Bulletin and the College Advisor’s Bulletin, as well as on the College Advisor’s website.
 Both college advisors are also available to review your applications before they are submitted, but will need a day or two of turn-around time, so don’t wait until the last minute.

ESSAY READERS -- Get feedback on your draft of your college essay/personal statement from experienced essay readers.  Readers will be available every day at 8:00-9:00 am, lunchtime and after school, 2:30-4:00.  First come, first served.

COLLEGE APPLICATION WORKSHOPS -- ALL HELD IN THE LIBRARY COMPUTER LAB
You must sign up in advance in the College/Career Center to attend.  15 person maximum per workshop.
Thursday, November 6, 3:30 pm -- UC/CSU
Thursday, November 13, 7:30 am -- Common App
*Thursday, November 13, 3:30 pm -- UC/CSU
*Wednesday, November 19, 3:30 pm -- UC/CSU
*Thursday, November 20, 7:30 am -- UC/CSU
*Thursday, November 20, 3:30 pm -- UC/CSU

COLLEGE VISITS
Over 100 college representatives visit Berkeley High’s College/Career Center every year.  Seniors may attend up to 10 of those meetings, with the permission of the teacher whose class they are missing.  Sign up in advance in the College/Career Center and pick up a permission slip.  The complete October list is available at http://bhs.berkeley.net/index.php?page=finding-a-college .

TODAY - Thursday, November 6
12:20 Whitman (WA)

Wednesday, November 12
10:35 Morehouse (GA)

*SAT/ACT TEST DATES -- November 7 is the regular registration deadline for the December 13 ACT. November 18 is the late registration deadline for the December 6 SAT and SAT subject tests.  THESE ARE THE LAST TESTS ACCEPTED BY ALL UC CAMPUSES AND MANY CAL STATE CAMPUSES.  Fee waivers for low income students are available in D221.  

COLLEGE INFORMATION SESSIONS IN THE BAY AREA
1. University of British Columbia -- Saturday, November 8, 2:00-4:00 pm, Hotel 480, 480 Sutter Street, San Francisco.  To register, go to http://you.ubc.ca and create an account.  
2.*Cal Maritime Preview Day -- Saturday, November 8, program starts at 8:30 am on the Vallejo, CA Cal Maritime campus.  RSVP at 1-800-561-1945 or www.csum.edu/previewday.  

SCHOLARSHIPS 
*San Francisco Chinatown Lions Club, Miss Teen Chinatown 2009 Scholarship  Applicants must be between 14-18 years on April 11, 2009, be of Chinese descent and be able to write your own name in Chinese characters, minimum GPA of 3.0 for the prior school year.  $2,000 scholarship and round trip to Hong Kong.  Deadline:  December 15.  Applications available in D221.  

USDA National Scholars Program -- This scholarship provides full tuition, room and board, employment, and more for 4 years to students pursuing a bachelor’s degree at one of 18 HBCU campuses.  Students must major in any field of study in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences or other related disciplines.  Students must be a US citizen, have a combined SAT total of 1,500 or above (using all 3 sections) or a composite ACT of 21 or above, and have a GPA of 3.0 or above.  Deadline:  February 1.  Applications available in D221.

Burger King Scholars Program -- Open to all seniors with a minimum GPA of 2.5 who works an average of 15 hours per week or 40 weeks per year who is actively involved in community service activities, demonstrates financial need and plans to enroll in an accredited two or four year college, university or vocational/technical school in the fall.  $1,000 scholarship.  Apply at www.bk.com/scholars .  Access Key:  BKS.  Deadline: February 2, 2009.   

Ron Brown Scholarship -- Open to African-American or Black high school seniors who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership ability, participate in community service activities and demonstrate financial need who are US citizens or permanent residents.  Up to 20 students will receive $10,000 per year for four years.  Two deadlines:  November 1 (considered for Ron Brown Scholarship and forwarded to additional colleges and scholarship providers) and January 9 (considered for Ron Brown scholarship only).  Apply at www.ronbrown.org. 
 
Gates Millennium Scholars Program -- Open to African American, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students who are citizens, nationals or legal permanent residents of the US, with a minimum cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale who have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities and meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.  Deadline:  January 12, 2009. Applications available in D221 or at www.gmsp.org. 

*New to the bulletin today