Attending College Out of State – Without Breaking the Bank!

/in /by

ATTENDING COLLEGE OUT OF STATE – WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK!

Are you interested in attending a university outside of California but are concerned with the out-of-state tuition cost? Do you know what the University of Arizona, Washington State University, University of New Mexico, University of Nevada Reno and Washington State University have in common?  These are just a few of the more than 150 four- and two-year institutions that are members of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).  The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is one of the program initiatives of WICHE that focuses on 15 western states.  Students who are residents of WICHE states are eligible to request a reduced tuition rate of 1.5 times the rate of resident tuition at participating two- and four-year college programs outside of their home state.  WICHE members include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Here’s an example of how it works at the University of New Mexico…Students with a 3.0 GPA and SAT score (CR+M) of 910 or ACT score of 19 are eligible for a WUE scholarship valued at approximately $12,800.  Students with a 3.0 GPA and SAT Score of 1030 or ACT score of 22 are eligible for the WUE Plus scholarship valued at approximately $16,128.  In 2013-14, WUE and WUE Plus scholarship recipients paid annual tuition of only $7,888 and $4,550, respectively!  WUE scholarships are renewable for four years provided the student meets the stated requirements.

As you can see, WUE is a great option for students who desire to attend college outside of California but are afraid of the out of state tuition sticker shock. In some cases the overall cost can be lower than attending a UC or CSU institution! Application requirements, deadlines and program exclusions vary by institutional members of WUE.  For more detailed information about WUE and WICHE, go to http://www.wiche.edu/info/publications/wueHandout.pdf.

For more information about upcoming workshops, available services and additional college planning resources, go to www.antoinettebattiste.com, email adviser@antoinettebattiste.com or call (408) 270-1930.

 

Making Summers Count! – Tips for High School Students

/in /by

MAKING SUMMERS COUNT! – TIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

By Antoinette Battiste

Summertime is upon us.  It’s that time when high school students get to take a break, right?  Well…that’s not entirely true!  There are many things students can do during summer vacation that will benefit them as they begin or continue along the path to college readiness.

Seniors should be finalizing their college lists, working on their personal statements, doing test prep for the SAT and ACT, visiting colleges, and searching for scholarships.  And don’t forget about summer enrichment programs and community service opportunities!  You should also identify those teachers and counselors from whom you will request letters of recommendations. Did you know that the UC application for the 2015-16 admission cycle will open on August 1, 2014 – two months earlier than usual?  While you still cannot submit applications until November 1, 2014, students will have additional time to work on their applications.

Juniors and sophomores should also find opportunities to visit college campuses, prepare for the October PSAT, participate in meaningful enrichment programs (academic, performing arts, athletic, etc.), research prospective colleges, and engage in community service activities.  This is also a good time to update your “brag sheet” with extracurricular activities, awards and honors, work experience, etc.  Now is your chance to take time and think about your goals, interests, strengths, areas for improvement – self-reflection exercises that will help guide you on your college preparation, application and admission journey.

As you enter high school, freshmen students should think about what will be important to YOU to make a successful transition.  What clubs or groups would you like to join? Are there new activities you want to try? Should you brush up on math or other academic subjects so that you can start the academic year strong?

The goal for students is to leverage the summer months to organize and prepare themselves to hit the ground running once the academic year begins.  You won’t be alone as you embark on this journey. Think about the role your support team plays (check out http://www.cappex.com/media/choosingYourTeam.pdf).

Navigating through high school and preparing for college admission is a process.  The Journey Begins With You…

For more information about available services and additional college planning resources, go to www.antoinettebattiste.com or contact adviser@antoinettebattiste.com .

High School Juniors: Let’s Talk About College!

/in /by

HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS:  Let’s Talk About College!

By Antoinette Battiste

 Junior year is the time to get serious about your plans beyond high school.  This is the time to assess your educational path, academic interests, extra-curricular activities, and your current thoughts about college.  You should review your academic plan with your counselor and continue working hard and smart to get good grades.  You should continue getting to know your teachers and counselors, because you will be asking them to support your college and scholarship applications with letters of recommendation; you should begin to identify who you will ask to write those letters.  Hopefully you took the PSAT in October and reviewed your test results so that you can develop an appropriate strategy to prep for and take the ACT and/or SAT.  Remaining test dates for this academic year can be found at http://actstudent.org (ACT) and http://sat.collegeboard.org (SAT).

Are you involved in extracurricular activities?  If so, you should seek out leadership roles in those that are of greatest interest to you. If you are an athlete and would like to continue athletics in college, be sure to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (http://ncaaeligibilitycenter.org).

Junior year is also the time to begin developing a preliminary college list.  Initially you should target around 20-25 schools for which you will conduct further research.  This initial list should include schools at varying levels of selectivity (often referred to as reach, target and safety schools) and have 2-3 other characteristics that you find attractive about a college.  While 20 schools seems to be a lot, your preliminary list will be refined over time, resulting in a final list of perhaps 8-10 schools to which you actually apply.  So what’s the best way to research schools?  Successful methods include using websites like College Board’s Big Future (http://bigfuture.collegeboard.org), College Navigator (http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/), or similar programs that allow you to do college matches based on criteria you specify.  While conducting your research, remember to explore the financial aid resources offered by each institution.

The best way to understand if you would fit at a particular institution is to visit the campus. Scheduling campus visits during your Spring Break is often a great time to see campuses without interrupting your normal school attendance. If there are family plans for vacationing during the break or summer, investigate what colleges are in the area where you are planning to travel.  Colleges and universities that are within driving distance can easily be visited throughout the Spring.  Campus visits can be time consuming and expensive, but it is an important part of the college research and application process – you need to “feel” yourself there!

Good luck!

For more information about available services  and additional college planning resources, go to www.antoinettebattiste.com or contact adviser@antoinettebattiste.com.