Once Your Applications are In…. It’s Time to Focus on Financial Aid and Scholarships

The Visitation College Counseling Office will host a Financial Aid Night for parents of juniors and seniors on Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:00 p.m. in the Nolan Center. Chad Spencer, Associate Dean of Admission at Davidson College will discuss the financial aid application, eligibility requirements, sources of aid, and how to navigate the process.  

January is the month for filing financial aid documents!  The FAFSA debuts on January 1, 2015.  File the form as soon as possible.  Check out an interesting article from NYT On Money columnist Ron Lieber—A College Financial Aid Guide for Families who have Saved Nothing for College.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/your-money/a-financial-aid-map-for-families-who-have-saved-nothing.html?referrer. Many colleges also require that you complete the CSS/Financial Aid Profile, which is an online financial aid application used by almost 400 colleges and scholarship programs to award financial aid from sources outside of the federal government. For more information on the CSS, go to: http://css.collegeboard.org/. 

Do you live in DC? DC residents are eligible for a grant which funds matriculation to public and local colleges and to HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). The DCTAG is worth up to $10,000 annually.  Although the grant is not need-based, recipients must file the FAFSA.  Details can be found at: http://www/osse.dc.gov/service/dctag-get-funding-college

Scholarships:  Seniors—don’t forget to consult Naviance for a list of scholarship opportunities and while you’re at it, check out http://www.debt.com/news/2014/weirdest-scholarships for a list of the 20 Weirdest Scholarships—including the Zolp Scholarship at Loyola University in Chicago—free tuition to Catholic students with the last name Zolp! Consult the College Counseling’s Online Resources Page for more information about scholarships and aid.

 -BD

Last call for transcript requests!

As you are enjoying your Thanksgiving break, please take some time to review your college list and confirm that you have submitted all of your transcript requests to your college counselor.

A few important reminders:

1. The FINAL transcript request deadline is next Wednesday, December 3rd. We need your transcript forms for any college to which you are applying in January or beyond. Over your Thanksgiving break this week, please consider your final list of colleges so that you can turn in the transcript forms next week. You cannot wait until you hear back from schools in mid-December to make up your mind. 

We submit all of your materials before we leave on break- we cannot submit materials to college over break. If you do not meet our December 3rd deadline, we cannot guarantee that your materials will be submitted in time for your application deadlines. 

2. Some of you have discovered that you need a second teacher rec for the colleges to which you are applying in January. Please do your research and see if any of your schools require a second rec. December 3rd is also the LAST day to ask a teacher for a recommendation letter. Hopefully you have already planned ahead and asked your teachers. 

3. If you haven't done so already, please come check in with your counselor to go over your final college list and also continue to keep us posted as you hear back from colleges!

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Published by: TSM

Abby Spires, ’14 on Life at Belmont University

 

Why did you choose Belmont University?

I wanted a medium size school in the south and a freshman year nursing admittance. 

The best thing about college is...freedom—coming and going as you please, making new friends from far away, and the new sense of independence and sorority life! 

But what I miss most about Visi is...my friends, the community and my high school teachers. I miss Gold/White and The Lodge!

What courses are you taking? Biology, Sociology, First Year Writing, First Year Seminar, and Understanding the Bible.

Which is your favorite? Biology.

Which is the hardest? Sociology.

 Have you joined any clubs?  I am a part of Christian Nursing Fellows and Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority. 

 Are there fun things to do off campus? Yes, I love Nashville. 

 What advice would you give to the Class of 2015? Don't fret about finding your perfect college, you will find your match and you will love it!

Catching up with Julia Clarke—class of 2014!

Why did you choose Wake Forest?

I went on my college visit the summer before senior year and immediately fell in love! Wake Forest has such a beautiful campus, small class sizes, and the professors have great relationships with their students. It felt the most like Visitation to me!

The best thing about college is...The amazingly sweet and friendly southern people I have met here!


But what I miss most about Visi is...I miss my friends and the awesome teachers and mentors I gained while at Visi. I also miss going to school in a city!

What courses are you taking?

This semester I am taking Chemistry, Psychology, Spanish, and a writing elective.

Which is your favorite?

I love my psychology class!

Which is the hardest?

Chemistry is definitely the hardest!

Have you joined any clubs?

I am on the rowing team and a part of Catholic campus ministry, admissions, and habitat for humanity.

Are there fun things to do off campus?

Winston is such a cute town! It’s not too big and overwhelming but there are definitely fun things to do. There are a bunch of really great restaurants around campus, the mall is only about 15 minutes away, there is a movie theater and other fun things all within about a 20 minute drive! And we are 2 hours from the beach or mountains if you don’t mind a bit of a longer drive!

BD

Weekly Update for Seniors - 11/3/14

College Counseling Update for the Week of November 3^rd

Transcript Request Deadline on Friday, November 7^th

For any college that has a December deadline, your transcript request form is due to the College Counseling Office on Friday. This would be colleges with a December 1 priority deadline like Clemson, Marquette, or the University of Southern California or others with EA or rolling deadlines in December. Thank you to those of you who have already turned forms in!

College Visits

To attend a college visit, please come get a pass from one of the college counselors. You will need to give the pass to your teacher at least one day before the visit in order to be excused. You do not need to sign up for the visit on Naviance- you must get a pass!

·         Tuesday, November 4^th

o   Wake Forest University- 11:00 a.m.

o   Trinity College- 1:00 p.m.

·         Wednesday, November 5^th

o   No visits

·         Thursday, November 6^th

o   SUNY Oswego- 8:15 a.m.

o   US Air Force Academy- 12:00 p.m.

·         Friday, November 7^th

o   Gonzaga University- 11:30 a.m.

Naviance

Please check the Naviance/Family Connection website regularly. Sign in here: https://succeed.naviance.com/family-connection/auth/login/?hsid=visi

 Things you can do in Naviance

·  Review the college visit list (new colleges are added daily!)

·  Keep track of your  college list

·  Review scattergrams and the Visi admissions history at the schools on your list

·  Review scholarship data

Review all the information we have about local information sessions, open houses, and special campus visit programs

Standardized Testing Dates and Deadlines

·         December 7 SAT and Subject Tests- Registration Deadline is November 8

·         December 14 ACT- Registration Deadline is November 8

Remember to list Visitation’s school code, 090080, when you register for the SAT and ACT

Published by: LP