[BHS etree] COLLEGE|CAREER: Advisor's Bulletin for June 10, 2009

[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
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

SAT WORD OF THE DAY:  ELEGY -- a mournful song, poem, or speech.  “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed” is the poet Walt Whitman’s elegy for the assassinated Abraham Lincoln.  

*I will be leaving Berkeley High at the end of the school year.  I have truly enjoyed my years here, getting to know wonderful students who have brightened my every day as well as caring and generous parents who have made my job easier.  I will be moving to Envision Academy, a new charter school serving Oakland families, which will be graduating its first class in 2010.  Thank you all so much for sharing your children with me and giving me the opportunity to help them in a small way to transition to adulthood.  My colleague and current College Advisor Angela Price will continue in that role.  Elisabeth Sandberg, currently a counselor here in the BIHS program, will be moving upstairs to join Ms. Price as College Advisor.  Please welcome her in the fall.

CAL GRANT UPDATE -- GREAT NEWS!  The legislative Conference Committee on the Budget voted to reject the governor’s proposal to eliminate the Cal Grant program. It’s important to keep your letters coming until the proposal is defeated in the final budget.

BACKGROUND - Gov. Schwarzenegger has frozen all Cal Grants awarded to students in the class of 2009.  He has proposed that the Cal Grant program be eliminated as part of his new budget.  Write a letter to your state legislative representatives and to the governor against this proposal.  Let them know what it will mean to you and others that you know.  For a sample letter, go to https://www.calpirgstudents.org/action/save-cal-grants .  Please do this now!  This drastic proposal hurts not only individual students and families, but the future of the economy of California. 
 
Additional info:  You can also write your own letter and send it to the following:  
* Harry Ermoian, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Noreen Evans - harry.ermoian at asm.ca.gov 
* Dan Reeves, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Kevin de León dan.reeves at asm.ca.gov 
* Colleen Beamish, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield colleen.beamish at asm.ca.gov 
* Todd Moffitt, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Roger Niello todd.moffitt at asm.ca.gov 
* David Reade, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Jim Nielsen - david.reade at asm.ca.gov 
* John Ferrera, Chief of Staff to Senator Denise Ducheny - john.ferrera at sen.ca.gov 
* Russell Lowery, Chief of Staff to Senator Bob Dutton - russell.lowery at sen.ca.gov 
* Bob Hartnagel, Chief of Staff to Senator Mark Leno - bob.hartnagel at sen.ca.gov 
* John Casey, Chief of Staff to Senator Alan Lowenthal - john.casey at sen.ca.gov 
* Gina Zari, Chief of Staff to Senator Mimi Walters - gina.zari at sen.ca.gov

FOR JUNIORS

HELPFUL WEBSITE -- If you want to take a campus tour but can’t get to the campus, check out http://youniversitytv.com/ . 

The pamphlet Introducing the University is also available in the College/Career Center.  This pamphlet contains helpful information on admissions, majors and financial aid from the UC system.  Pick your copy up before the end of school!

The Junior Summer To Do List and the Senior Profile are both available in the College/Career Center.  Come by and pick yours up.  It will make the fall much easier if you start your college search and application process during the summer.  

ATHLETES -- Juniors who want to play Division I or Division II sports in college need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse at https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/.   They also need to instruct College Board or ACT to send their SAT or ACT scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center.  Finally, they will need to turn in a Transcript Request Form to our registrar, Barbara Mellion (D173).  Mark “FINAL JUNIOR TRANSCRIPT” across the top of the form and paperclip the request to a stamped business size envelope addressed to the NCAA Eligibility Center.  You must use Berkeley High School (1980 Allston Way, Berkeley 94704) as the return address on the envelope or the Eligibility Center will not accept them.  If you have any questions about how to complete any of these tasks, see your College Advisor at lunch or after school.

SUMMER PROGRAMS

Check out www.enrichmentalley.com for information on summer programs.

Looking for ways to volunteer this summer, go to www.volunteerinfo.org for information on programs in the Bay Area.

A list of summer programs is available by going to the College/Career Center website - http://bhs.berkeley.net/index.php?page=home-2 -- then clicking on "Summer Programs 2009."

FOR SENIORS

SENIORITIS? If you are getting below a C in any of your classes and are planning to attend a four year college in the fall, you MUST contact the college to discuss this.  All colleges will receive a copy of your final transcript.  By contacting the college and discussing your options with them, you may be able to prevent your admission from being rescinded.  Please see your College Advisor if you would like to discuss your grades or what to say to the college.

If you are interested in a career in technology or business, check out Year Up at www.yearup.org.  This free, full-time training program offers a weekly stipend and 14 credits from City College of San Francisco. It combines six months of on-the-job training at local corporations with six months of classroom training.  Applications and more information are also available in the College/Career Center.  

You can access your AP scores starting July 1 and send them to additional colleges beginning July 3 using the AP Automated Grade Reporting Service. Students can call (888) 308-0013 (toll free in the United States and Canada) or (609) 771-7366, 24 hours a day. You will need your AP number to use the service, so please hold on to your AP Student Packs.

If you haven't turned in your Transcript Request Form to Ms. Mellion in D173 so that we can send an official transcript to the school they will be attending in the fall, DO SO IMMEDIATELY!  All colleges require that students send them a final transcript confirming their senior year grades.  MANY SCHOOLS WILL RESCIND YOUR ADMISSION IF THEY DO NOT RECEIVE YOUR FINAL TRANSCRIPT.   WHAT WE NEED:  a) Write "FINAL TRANSCRIPT" in capital letters across the top of the form of the Transcript Request Form and fill it out.  If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the request form; b) Paperclip it to a stamped (postage has gone up to 44 cents!) business size envelope addressed to the college, with Berkeley High School (1980 Allston Way, Berkeley 94704) as the return address.  c)  If you applied to a school which uses the Common Application, print out the Final Report form and attach it to the outside of the envelope.  Some schools have their
 own final
 report form which you can use instead.  No Final Report form is needed for Cal State or UC campuses.  

SCHOLARSHIPS 

For a complete list of scholarship applications available in the College/Career Center, go to http://bhs.berkeley.net/index.php?page=scholarships.  

Salvadoran-American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF) -- Open to graduating seniors with a minimum GPA of 2.5 who are of Salvadoran, Central American, or other Latino ethnicity, have financial need, and have a history of community service and involvement.  Students may be either graduating high school seniors or current undergraduate, graduate and professional students.  Community college students are eligible if they are AB540 students.  Students must reside and study in the San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles Area (specifically South Central Los Angeles, Pico Union, East Los Angeles) and San Fernando Valley. Recipients must be able to help other students through mentoring, community service, or tutoring after receiving the award.  The application is available at www.salef.org and in D221. The scholarship is open to all students regardless of immigration status. Scholarship:  $500-$5,000.  Deadline:  June 30.  

Univision Exito Escolar -- Open to current Latino seniors who reside in Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano or Sonoma County. Essays in English and Spanish are required.  Scholarship amounts vary from $500 to $2,000. US CITIZENSHIP OR PERMANENT RESIDENCY IS NOT REQUIRED.  Applications available in D221.  Applications must be received at the Univision office by 5:00 pm on July 31. 

*New to the bulletin today