DestinationCollege2018
Crosby Scholars Senior Program Newsletter - July 2017
Senior Year is Here!
Timelines for Success
Have We Met? Summer Guidance Meetings Going on Throughout July
Your Summer Guidance Meeting is all about YOU. If you haven’t signed up for yours yet, don’t wait–sign up now!
When you come to your summer meeting, you need to bring your ACT and/or SAT scores, your list of target colleges, a draft of your activities and awards resume, and a list of possible recommenders. With all this information in mind, you and your summer guidance counselor will discuss your college and career goals to make a plan to reach them. Get this meeting done as soon as possible so you’re prepared for your next steps!
You need to sign up for this meeting by July 14th and complete it by August 16th. This meeting is required for all Crosby Scholars seniors.
I Don't Want Financial Aid...Said No One, Ever. Make Your FSA ID Today!
The first step to getting financial aid is applying for your Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID), and you can do this now. Your FSA ID lets you complete, submit, and make changes to your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. Think of your FSA ID as your legal, government-verified, electronic signature. As such, students and parents must each create their own unique FSA ID using different email addresses and/or cell phone numbers. Your FSA ID cannot be shared with anyone else.
The process of creating an FSA ID is simple. It's no more complicated than setting up an online account with other online vendors and should take about five minutes. After you’ve completed the application and agreed to the terms, don’t forget to verify your mobile phone number and email address you provided. You will receive a text message and email with different codes that you will have to enter in the website.
Simple, right? Here’s the catch. Once you’ve completed this process, you have to wait--one to three days--for the Social Security Administration to verify your information. Once it’s verified, you’ll get an email letting you know. However, if they cannot verify you based on the social security number and other information you provided, you will have to clear that up with the Social Security Administration before being able to electronically sign your FAFSA. This can take valuable time, which may mean missing out on some financial aid and scholarship opportunities. So, start the financial aid process now. Create your FSA ID today.
Summer Senior Academies
ASVAB Career Exploration -- July 18th, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. (Closed)
Engaging Your Future: Presenting the Best Version of YOU (July 29th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
SAT/ACT Boot Camp (Aug. 5th, 12th & 19th, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.)
Telling Your Story: Writing Your College Application/Scholarship Essays (Two dates...Aug. 8th, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. AND Aug. 21st, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.)
Featured Senior Academy...
Engaging Your Future: Presenting the Best Version of YOU
NEW This Year: North Carolina Residency Determination
All students planning to attend college in North Carolina need to complete the NC Residency Determination process. This new process is the result of a 2013 state law (SB402) to centralize the determination of residency for the purpose of in-state tuition at public universities and community colleges and for state-funded financial aid at public and private colleges in North Carolina. You can complete this process up to 18 months before enrollment.
For those of you who will be entering college before January 2019--that’s most of you--you can determine your residency status now. This determination is good as long as you are continuously enrolled at the school you initially enroll in. Reasons for having to complete residency determination again are, you don’t start school until more than 18 months after your residency determination, you take a break from school (not “continuously enrolled”), you transfer to a new school, or the school requires you to re-apply for any reason.
Complete your NC Residency Determination by logging in with your CFNC.org account. (You may have already created this account to explore careers and college majors, search for colleges, and submit your high school transcript to in-state schools.) You’re required to provide your social security number (SSN), individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), alien registration number (ARN), or US Citizenship and Immigration Service number (USCIS). If you don't, you'll be classified as an out-of-state student. Also, you may be required to provide additional proof of residency, such as an NC driver’s license, federal or state tax return, vehicle registration, and others. If this is necessary, you will be given instructions at the end of your application, including a deadline for submitting these documents. Once you've submitted everything, the determination could take as many as 15 business days--a good reason to start now. If you don't provide the information requested in the timeframe required, the state will classify you as an out-of-state student. There is an appeals process, but it’s best to get it right the first time.
If you have any questions about this process, you can get more information on the NC Residency Determination web site (http://ncresidency.cfnc.org) or call their toll-free number for students (844-319-3640).
Senior Advisor Assignments
If you have a senior advisor listed in your portal already, please disregard it. This is your summer guidance counselor, NOT your senior advisor. Senior Advisor assignments are confirmed beginning in August. Your Senior Advisor’s name will be posted in your Crosby portal as soon as the assignment is made but no later than August 31st.
If you have self-selected an advisor, your advisor is required to attend one training session held in August. The training dates are now posted in the advisor portal and on our website. Crosby staff will send an email to your advisor; however, you should discuss the training dates with your advisor.
Senior Advisor training dates:
July 31st at 12:00 p.m.
August 9th at 6:00 p.m.
August 10th at 9:00 a.m.
August 22nd at 6:00 p.m.
August 30th at 10:00 a.m.Summer College Visits
College is Ready for YOU!
The Common App and the Coalition App are two options for completing your college applications. Check to see which application the majority of schools you plan to apply to use.
Schools that use The Common App
Schools that use the Coalition App
Then, get to know the application before they open on August 1st by creating your Common App or Coalition App account today. While every school has a different list of college-specific requirements, the general application information will remain constant for all schools on your list if you use one of these applications.
Telling Your Story: The Application Essay
For the Common App, one requirement is an essay. The essay requirement varies for the Coalition App depending on the school you are applying to. Some will require an essay; others will not. You’ll have to research each school you’re interested in to learn about their essay requirements if you're using the Coalition App.
Remember, in your essay, you’re trying to give admissions counselors insight into who you are beyond your test scores and transcripts. They should learn something about you they won’t get elsewhere in your application. There are a lot of essay options, so choose the one that will let you tell your story best. To learn how to write a powerful essay, attend our senior academy, Telling Your Story: Writing Your College Application/Scholarship Essays--there is still space available in the August 21st session.
2017-2018 Common App Essay Prompts (650 word limit):
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
2016-2018 Coalition App Essay Prompts (suggested length between 300 - 550 words):
Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.
Senior Program Requirements
Iredell County Crosby Scholars Senior Program
Email: jwynblatt@crosbyscholarsiredell.org
Website: crosbyscholarsiredell.org
Location: 124 4th Crescent Place, Statesville, NC, United States
Phone: (704) 873-5005
Facebook: facebook.com/crosbyscholarsiredell
Twitter: @iredellcrosby