An Introduction to GA College 411/Hope Updates/ Dual Enrollment Information

What is GA College 411?  GA College 411 is a website that allows high school students to explore careers, plan for college and search for financial aid  org org

GA College 411 offers Career Planning which includes:  Career assessments to match interests with careers  Resume builder  Cover Letter Creator  Job Interview Practice (practice answers to all kinds of interview questions)  Thank You Letter Builder

Continued:  Library of Advice from Career Experts  Links to Local Job Banks (GA DOL, GA Simply Hired, Job Central for GA)  Links to National Job Banks (Career Builder, Employment Guide, Job Central, Monster)

GA College 411 offers College Planning which includes:  Steps to take during each year of high school – right courses to meet college requirements  Free test prep for SAT, ACT, and GRE  Find colleges/universities that best suit your goals  Find programs that might interest you

Continued:  Find out how college credits transfer among institutions in Georgia  Apply to colleges or have them recruit you  Ask questions and discuss experiences

GA College 411 offers Financial Aid Planning which includes:  Learn about HOPE  Financial Aid 101 (research options for paying for college)  Financial Aid Calculators (determine cost of college, savings, loans, and scholarship amounts)  Find scholarships

Continued:  Build Your Financial Aid Plan  Financial Aid Applications (access scholarships, grants, loans, and FAFSA)  Financial Fitness (strategies to manage money, avoid serious debt and use credit wisely)

GA College 411 offers High School Planning which includes:  High School Planning Timeline (learn what you should be doing each year to be successful in high school)  Succeeding in High School (advice on getting and staying ahead including a homework helper)

Continued:  Learn about earning college credits while in high school (access ACCEL application here)  Ask questions and discuss experiences

Now Let’s Transition to Updates on the HOPE Scholarship

Little Known Facts About HOPE  HOPE means: Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally  HOPE is a state of Georgia student financial program that provides scholarship and grant assistance to Georgia Residents attending eligible postsecondary institutions in Georgia

Continued:  The components that comprise HOPE are the Zell Miller Scholarship Program, HOPE Scholarship Program, HOPE Grant Program and HOPE GED Grant Program  HOPE is funded Georgia Lottery appropriations

Dollars and Cents In , there were almost 43,000 HOPE recipients and over 21 million dollars in HOPE awards In , there were over 167,000 HOPE recipients and over 380 million dollars in HOPE awards Today, the HOPE Scholarship covers about 83% of a student’s tuition; whereas the HOPE Grant covers 76% of a student’s tuition

What’s the Bottom Line??? Beginning with the graduating class of 2015, a HOPE scholar must receive credit in at least two of the courses from the academic rigor coursework list Beginning with the graduating class of 2016, a HOPE scholar must receive credit in at least three of the courses from the academic rigor coursework list Beginning with the graduating class of 2017, a HOPE scholar must receive credit in at least four of the courses from the academic rigor coursework list

Below is the Academic Rigor Coursework List:  Advanced Math (Advanced Algebra Accelerated, Math III, AP Statistics)  Advanced Science (Chemistry, Physics, Biology II)  Advanced Placement courses in Core subjects (AP English Lit, AP Language, AP US History, AP World History, AP American Government, AP Micro/Macro Economics, AP Statistics)

Continued:  Courses taken at a unit of the University of Georgia in Core subjects (Dual Enrollment)  Advanced foreign language taken at an eligible high school or postsecondary institution (III or IV)

How Do I Qualify for the HOPE Scholarship?  A student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale  When calculating a student’s high school GPA for purposes of HOPE Scholar designation, the Commission will remove the weighted portion, added by the student’s eligible high school, from any grade earned from AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment coursework and will convert the grade to a 4.0 scale.

How Do I Qualify for the HOPE Scholarship?  The Commission will then add a standard weight of.50 to grades for AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment  The Commission will remove the weighted portion, added by the student’s eligible high school from any grade earned from honors courses or other special courses  Each grade earned for attempted coursework in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language that could satisfy a Core graduation requirement must be equated to a grade on a 4.0 scale such as an “A”= 4.0, “B”= 3.0, “C”= 2.0, “D”= 1.0, “F”= 0

How Do I Get a Full Ride???  The Zell Miller Scholarship is given to a HOPE Scholar who has a 3.7 or higher GPA (unweighted) AND either a 1200 on the SAT (CR&M) or a 26 ACT (Composite) or is either the Valedictorian or Salutatorian of his/her graduating class!

So, What is Does Financial Aid Consist Of?  Believe it or not, student loans qualify as financial assistance (financial aid)  Financial Aid consists of: scholarships, grants, fellowships, internships, loans  Most scholarships have no strings attached (free money based on academics, merit, or other things)  Some scholarships (like HOPE) are renewable year to year but certain requirements have to be met and/or maintained

Continued:  Grants are another form of free money that do not have to be paid back  Loans do have to be paid back after you graduate from college– loans get a bad rap often, but ultimately they are a form of low interest debt that help you pursue a higher degree and get training in the career of your interest

Now Let’s Talk About Dual Enrollment!