Mr. Basil Abu-Hamdeh Portland State University Student ISMET/OIA Alumnus

I remember when I was you… Don’t take your friends, teachers, administrators, school for granted. Count your blessings, be grateful of the fact you’re an Oregon Islamic Academy student. Be the best you can be.

Think…College! Attend SAT classes provided during the summer, if not provided then search for classes at local institutions. Schedule campus visits to schools you’re interested in. Register for SAT’s at an appropriate time. Consider taking the ACT’s. Mark the deadlines for college applications and scholarships. Review essays you need to write for admissions

College Application Deadlines (Regular Deadlines) Oregon State University University of Oregon Portland State University Lewis & Clark College University of Portland February 1st January 15 th June 1 st January 15 th Source: College Board

Registering for SAT’s and ACT’s Make sure to register for either placement tests before the registering deadline or else there will be late fees assessed. You can locate the dates and times for placement tests near you on collegeboard.org under the SAT/ACT tab. You are allowed to take both placement tests as many times as you’d like. Remember, you can submit your highest score to institutions. Make sure to send scores to every school you’ve applied to. You do not have to wait for SAT scores to apply for colleges.

Applying for FAFSA & Scholarships FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Start applying for FAFSA as soon as January 1 st. I recommend you apply as soon as possible. Use fafsa.gov rather than fafsa.com (two different sites) Make sure to add each school that you have applied to on your financial aid account, do not remove schools until final decision is made. As for scholarships, apply early and often. Locate scholarships on a school’s website and be aware of deadlines. Keep in mind, the deadlines for scholarships are sometime between the admission application deadline and the acceptance period. Do NOT wait until acceptance to apply.

Grants/Scholarships vs. Loans Grants and scholarships are often called “gift aid” because they are free money—financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid. Grants are often need-based, while scholarships are usually merit-based. Loans are money taking out of federal dollars that are repayable. They vary in interest fees and repayment options.

OSAC Scholarships & Grants OSAC = Oregon Student Access Commission Apply for scholarships here at oregonstudentaid.gov. There are so many scholarships for so many people. Apply early and often. Essays are required for particular scholarships. Deadline is March 1 st, 2013.

Acceptance Narrow list down to a few schools. Make sure to meet deadlines for informing a school of final decision whether you’re attending the institution or not. If you are a still unsure of decision, do NOT register for housing. If you decide to back out for any reason, addition fees will be assessed for that reserved space. Make a diagram of the pros and cons the school has to offer. Consult with family about final decision. Schedule another campus visit if needed

Picking a College Shadow a student from that particular institution you are interested in. Check out the majors and programs this institution has to offer. What are your preferences? (weather, diversity, classroom ratio, size, setting, etc.). Besides family, do not be heavily influenced by others when picking a college. Make the best decision for YOU, not your friends.

College Life Time Management is key! Instructors will give out syllabus in beginning of year, manage your time around it. Study, study, study, and do some more studying. Apply for campus jobs, and school positions. Be active in school clubs. Create your own club if need be. Use ratemyprofessor.com before picking a class. When picking classes, balance out the difficult classes with some easy ones. As a freshman, you do not want to take too many credits.

College Life (continued) Avoid the freshman 15, be active. Play a sport or exercise. Get involved in activities around campus. Do not stress out and be overwhelmed with too much work. Do not skip classes, you’ll miss out on material covered. Write a lot of notes in class. Procrastination may have worked in high school, but does not work in college. Utilize your resources. Use your down time to meet with professors during their office hours if any of the coarse material is unclear. Do not hesitate to ask a tutor for help.

College Life (part 3) Unlike MET, professors won’t ask you why you didn’t do your homework. So, please do it. It’ll only hurt you. Speed of teaching in college is x 10 faster than in high school. You have to be able to review material after class to keep up. All work is done electronically, no hand-written assignments. Locate your Musallah, if not, designate a room for one at your university. Be ready to experience some strange things. Make sure to stay true to your faith and avoid unlawful temptations.

Lastly, don’t be an…

Conclusion For any questions or an executive-like experience campus visit (by me) contact me through Oregon Islamic Academy has helped you prepare well for college throughout the years, just work hard and everything will fall into place inshallah.