The Weekly SENIOR Update
January 5, 2024
Dear Seniors and Families,
Happy New Year!
Welcome back from break, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends.
Yesterday we welcomed 8 FHS Class of 2023 students back into the building to share about their first semester experiences at their respective colleges. What a great hour! FHS grads shared their challenges and surprises, their study habits, day to day schedules for the life of a college student, dining hall ups and downs, and more! Ask your student about it! We had over 250 students attend, and lots of questions were asked of the grads. I think by the end of it, our current seniors were very excited about their own future college experience!
FAFSA application has been open since late December! Students and families can login and complete the application. Please make sure students can create a login to FAFSA and create their FSA ID, and enter their parent (s) email information. Both the student and the parent (s) need their own FSA ID login prior to completing the actual FAFSA. (https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch).
If you were unable to attend the Financial Aid information session on the FAFSA application, here is the slide presentation that was presented by Jack Zegeer, Campus Financial Aid Manager from NVCC. If you would like to listen to the entire presentation from this fall, here is the recording: https://vccs.zoom.us/rec/share/-IvaGeloqsbEZLDFmuuu3a6OoDs28cztirIig-3WC3eLGGGA1jH0UrE2DTFTBqkq.BG916z_-n3UsRWrl
Passcode: 2jgvyq*2
UDPATE on FAFSA WORKSHOP-NEW DATE!
Mr. Zegeer will be coming to Freedom High School on February 15th at 6:30pm at Freedom High School. This session will be a workshop-style format, where families and students are welcome to attend and bring your laptop and other documents. Staff will be on hand to help you through the process of completing your FAFSA.
Have a great weekend,
Lisa Wood
College and Career Specialist, Freedom High School
NEW DATE - MARK YOU CALENDARS!
FREE COLLEGE APPLICATION OFFERS!
Seniors-there are some colleges that are offering Free Applications now! I will keep adding them as I hear of free waivers/or free application weeks!
Radford University - Always free to Apply!
Mary Baldwin University - Always free to Apply!
Randolph Macon College - Always free to Apply!
Stevenson University - Always free to Apply!
RADFORD ANNOUNCES TUITION PROMISE!!
Are you applying to the University of Mary Washington?
If so, feel free to use their Fee Waiver when applying to the University of Mary Washington using the Common Application. Fee Waiver Code is: UMW54
Temple University is Hosting an Open House
Interested in learning more about Temple University in Philadelphia? Visit Temple.edu or go right to this page to register for one of their upcoming On-Campus Preview Days.
Interested in Applying to Shenandoah University?
In case you missed the visit this week, here is the Fee Waiver Code to use when applying using the Common Application. Fee Waiver code: GO2SU
Factors in the College Admission Decision
Parents and students,
NACAC (the National Association of College Admission Counselors) has put together this information sheet after compiling data from thousands of institutions. It shows what colleges look at most when reviewing applications.
To better view it, simply click on the image.
Still interested in taking the ASVAB?
Different Loudoun County Schools will be offering the ASVAB exam during the school year. Here is the GOOGLE FORM to review and sign up for an exam day that works with your schedule. Still have questions about the ASVAB exam? Ask Mrs. Wood!
SCHOLARSHIP CORNER
I will continue to add scholarship opportunities each week! Check back often to learn of new opportunities, and also check SchooLinks for additional listings-there are currently over 40 different current scholarships listed there!
STUDENTSCHOLARSHIPS.ORG!
Starting to look for scholarships to help finance college? In addition to SchooLinks, here is a newsletter available for PDF download, listing multiple local scholarships with deadlines between Dec. 1 and April 1, 2024. Explore THIS list today!
The 2024 NHSDA Artistic Merit, Leadership and Academic Achievement Award Application is Now Open!
Students who have been inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) Secondary Program** at their school or dance studio and are current juniors and seniors in High School are eligible for the NDEO Artistic Merit, Leadership and Academic Achievement Award, the highest student dance award in the nation. The National Winner of the award will receive up to a $1,000 scholarship and a certificate. The 3 National Finalists will receive up to a $250 scholarship and a certificate. There will also be Honorable Mention Recipients. Applicants may be eligible for a state level award if their NDEO State Affiliate chooses to present one.
Students should hit the SUBMIT button in the online application
no later than January 29, 2024.
Attention Senior Golfers! VSGA Scholarships!
The VSGA-VIP Scholarship Foundation was founded to help Virginia high school students with an interest in golf continue their academic pursuits. 6 dedicated scholarships are provided each year, with amounts between $7500-$10,000. Please visit their website for full scholarship descriptions and eligibility criteria: vsga.org/learn/vsga-vip-scholarship-foundation
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP PAGE
Are you applying to James Madison University? Did you know there are multiple scholarships you can apply for?
Madison Scholarships Hub - Each year JMU awards more than 400 one- to four-year scholarships to incoming students. The primary criterion for merit-based scholarships is exceptional academic performance. Some of the scholarships take a more holistic review and look at a student's leadership experience, service to the community, extra-curricular involvement, and career goals. The Madison Scholarships Hub, which opened on October 5th, is the one-stop-shop for most scholarship opportunities at JMU. After a student applies to JMU, they will access the Hub in their MyMadison account. While we do automatically consider all students for some merit-based scholarships, there are additional opportunities that require supplemental information/an additional application to be considered. Please encourage your student to utilize and continuously check the Hub for scholarship information. Visit HERE to learn more!
Are you applying to the University Of Michigan?
The Gloria Will Bell and Carlos R. Bell Scholarship Program is for any first year students attending the University of Michigan and entering the College of Engineering or the College of Literature, Science and the Arts . Recipients must be enrolled and pursuing undergraduate degrees in engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science or another related scientific field. Scholarship support is for four years or through graduation, whichever is less, and annual renewal is contingent on satisfactory academic progress. This scholarship will program will provide up to $80,000 over four years of study for students selected from the Commonwealth of Virginia. To apply and find additional information, please visit www. bellscholarship.org
Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Opportunity
The Cooke College Scholarship Program is an undergraduate scholarship program available to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need who seek to attend and graduate from the nation's best four-year colleges and universities. Recipients can receive $55,000. Students can apply through the Common Application or in SchooLinks.
https://www.jkcf.org/our-scholarships/college-scholarship-program/
FASTWEB SCHOLARSHIP SITE!
Seniors, check out this National Database with all kinds of scholarships to apply to - complete with filters and matching options to help you find applicable scholarships!