21st Century Scholars Senior Exit Interview

Congratulations, 21st Century Scholar!

Senior Exit Interview Topics Keeping the Pledge: Affirming Your Scholarship Preparing for College Applying for Financial Aid Using Your Scholarship

KEEPING THE PLEDGE: AFFIRMING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP

PLEDGE AFFIRMATION In order to receive the 21 st Century Scholarship, you must affirm that you kept the Scholars Pledge that you signed when you applied to the program. Your Affirmation Form can be completed online by visiting or by contacting your school counselor and requesting a paper copy of the Affirmation Form. The deadline to submit your completed Affirmation Form is March 10, 2013.

PLEDGE AFFIRMATION The Scholars Pledge requires that you: Graduate with an Indiana High School Diploma from a charter school, freeway or other Indiana school recognized by the Indiana Department of Education Achieve a cumulative high school GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale Not use illegal drugs or alcohol or commit a crime Apply for admission to an eligible Indiana college, university or proprietary school as a high school senior Apply on time for state and federal financial aid

PLEDGE AFFIRMATION Fill out the Affirmation Form in its entirety. Missing information could delay or cost you your scholarship. The paper or online form must be signed by you as well as your parent or legal guardian to be considered complete. Be sure to provide the correct date of your expected high school graduation as well as the name of the high school that will issue your diploma.

PLEDGE AFFIRMATION Your Affirmation Form may be selected for verification. If selected, you must comply with the verification request in order to receive the scholarship. You will be notified by mail if your affirmation has been selected for verification.

PLEDGE AFFIRMATION High School GPA Requirement: 21st Century Scholars must graduate high school with a cumulative high school grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. High school guidance counselors will report your GPA to the 21st Century Scholars program. 9

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE

Selecting a College or School What is your eventual career goal? Which school is the top choice for this kind of training? Which school will provide the best financial aid package? What are alternate schools in case you can’t get into your top choice school? Always have a Plan B!

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Deadlines Matter! Remember the key deadlines that exist for almost every aspect of planning for college. Make certain you have a calendar and are keeping up with specific admission deadlines and other key dates, such as those affecting financial aid.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Take the SAT or ACT Register and prepare for the SAT or ACT. Select colleges and universities that should receive your scores. Once the scores arrive in the mail, review them with a guidance counselor to see how the scores relate to qualifications for specific colleges and scholarships. Consider retaking the test with stronger preparation if unhappy with scores.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Take the SAT or ACT You can an register online at: SAT: ACT: Test fees for the SAT may be waived once as a junior and once as a senior.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Differences Between the ACT and SAT The ACT is an achievement test measuring what a student has learned in school. The SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities. The ACT has up to 5 components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test (which needs to be taken if required by the college to which you are applying). The SAT has 3 components: Verbal, Mathematics and a required Writing Test.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Differences Between the ACT and SAT The SAT has a correction for guessing. That means that points are taken off for wrong answers. The ACT is scored based on the number of correct answers with no deduction for guessing or incorrect answers.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE ACT Test Dates Registration DeadlineTest Date September 21, 2012October 27, 2012 November 2, 2012December 8, 2012 January 11, 2013February 9, 2013 March 8, 2013April 13, 2013 May 3, 2013June 8, 2013

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE SAT Test Dates Registration DeadlineTest Date October 4, 2012November 3, 2012 November 1, 2012December 1, 2012 December 28, 2012January 26, 2013 February 8, 2013March 9, 2013 April 5, 2013May 4, 2013 May 2, 2013June 1, 2013

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Key Deadlines: Fall Semester Schedule campus visits for the colleges that you are interested in attending. Create a separate folder for each potential college. Make a checklist of the admission requirements (transcripts, application fees, test scores, letters of recommendation, essays and financial aid applications). Make a special note of the admissions deadlines of the colleges. Make sure to allow enough time for recommendation letters and for the submission of transcripts.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Key Deadlines: Fall Semester Consider retaking the SAT or ACT if not satisfied with scores. Attend as many college fairs and financial aid workshops as possible. Update list of all involvement, awards and recognitions. It may be needed next semester for scholarship applications.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Key Deadlines: Spring Semester Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) ( This will determine eligibility for grants and loans to help cover the costs of college Attend College Goal Sunday ( Attend Cash for College (cashforcollegeindiana.org) Continue with campus visits

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Key Deadlines: Spring Semester If needed, forward mid-year grades to the selected colleges. Your counselor can help. Choose the college you will attend. Feel free to make one last visit to make sure it is the right fit. Work with the college's financial aid office to apply for any scholarships and additional financial aid. Create final list of all involvement, awards and recognitions. It may be needed during the Freshman year of college for scholarship applications.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Key Deadlines: Summer Make sure to request that a final transcript be sent to the college you will be attending. Plan for the coming year in college by developing budgets, schedules and a list of telephone numbers for important services and support. Get a part-time job to gain work experience and extra money to help cover college costs.

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE Incentives for Scholars In addition to the 21st Century Scholarship, a number of schools offer additional incentives of which Scholars can take advantage, such as application fee waivers. Visit review the list of incentive offered by participating schools and colleges.

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID

There are three main types of financial aid: Federal Financial Aid State Financial Aid Institutional Financial Aid

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to the college or state deadline, whichever is first. FAFSA must be received by the federal processor on or before March 10, 2013 in order to be eligible for Indiana state aid. To ensure maximum consideration for federal, state, and college aid, check information from each school to determine: Required application materials Application deadlines

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): Collects family’s personal and financial information used to calculate the student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Available in English and Spanish May file FAFSA in one of two ways: Electronically via FAFSA on the web at Paper FAFSA

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Good Reasons to File Your FAFSA Electronically: Built-in edits to help prevent costly errors Skip-logic allows student and/or parent to skip unnecessary questions More timely submission of original application and any necessary corrections More detailed instructions and “help” for common questions Ability to check application status online Simplified renewal application process

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Registering a FAFSA PIN To file your FAFSA electronically, a PIN is needed A PIN is your electronic signature Student needs PIN Parent(s) of Dependent Students need a PIN Website: Can request PIN before January 1, 2013 May be used by students and parents throughout aid process, including subsequent school years

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Registering a FAFSA PIN

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Free Assistance with the FAFSA Online Guide to the FAFSA Online presentation that walks you through the FAFSA filing process and addresses many topics, questions and potential pitfalls to help you file your FAFSA correctly the first time Available at

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Free assistance with the FAFSA College Goal Sunday: The event is for high school seniors and other Indiana students who qualify for undergraduate admission to a college or technical school in 2013 and need financial aid. Attend College Goal Sunday at 2 p.m. local time, Sunday, February 24 at any of the 40 sites throughout the state and receive free help from financial aid experts in completing the FAFSA. Students should attend with their parent(s) or guardian(s) and bring their parents’ completed 2012 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 form or other 2012 income, asset and benefits information.

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID eStudent is the State’s self-service website for students who have filed a FAFSA as residents of Indiana.

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID What does eStudent do? Indicates if there are any issues with the FAFSA that could prevent students from receiving state aid Allows students to see their state grant award and state grant history Allows students to view their grant application which includes information from the FAFSA, the high school diploma type, 21st Century Scholar and National Guard status and their school of choice Allows students to update their school of choice

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Registering Your eStudent Account After you file your FAFSA, visit When registering: Data must match your FAFSA One student per address

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID Six Signs of a Scholarship Scam “Scholarship guaranteed or your money back” “You can’t get this information anywhere else” “May I have your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship?” “We’ll do all the work” “The scholarship will cost some money” “Surprise! You’ve been selected or you’re a finalist!”

USING YOUR 21ST CENTURY SCHOLARSHIP

USING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP Graduate from an Indiana high school with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) Submit your completed 21st Century Scholars Affirmation Form by March 10th of your senior year File for state and federal financial aid by completing and submitting the FAFSA by March 10th of your senior year Make any required corrections to your FAFSA by May 15th 39

USING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP File your FAFSA by March 10 th and make corrections by the May 15 th deadline every subsequent year Apply for admission and institutional financial aid at the Indiana college you will attend by the deadline for each college Enroll as a full-time student within one year of graduating from high school Maintain your Indiana residency 40

USING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP Covers tuition and regularly-assessed fees only, not room and board, books, or computers Guarantees 100% tuition at state public colleges and at Ivy Tech Community College Pays partial tuition at approved private or independent state colleges equivalent to that of Ivy Tech Community College Pays partial tuition at approved for-profit specialty or proprietary schools equivalent to that of Ivy Tech Community College Provides up to 8 semesters of tuition assistance toward an undergraduate degree 41

USING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP Remember, your 21st Century Scholarship covers the cost of tuition at an eligible public college or university and partial tuition at eligible private colleges and proprietary schools equivalent to that of Ivy Tech Community College. However, your 21st Century Scholarship is supplemental to other state aid. If you receive state aid such as the Frank O’Bannon Grant (FOB), which is based on your financial need, your 21st Century Scholarship is applied after the Frank O’Bannon Grant is applied, up to the cost of full tuition at a public school or the partial tuition amount at a private college or proprietary school. 42

USING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP In this example, the student has an Expected Family Contribution of $0 (calculated from the student’s FAFSA). 43 SchoolEst. TuitionMaximum AwardFrank O’Bannon Award21 st Century Scholarship Total State Aid Public University or College IU Bloomington$9,000 $4,000$5,000$9,000 Ivy Tech$3,250 $3,000$250$3,250 Private University or College Butler University$30,558$7,056$5,500$1,556$7,056

USING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP In this example, the student has an Expected Family Contribution of $20,000 (calculated from the student’s FAFSA). 44 SchoolEst. TuitionMaximum AwardFrank O’Bannon Award21 st Century Scholarship Total State Aid Public University or College IU Bloomington$9,000 $0$9,000 Ivy Tech$3,250 $0$3,250 Private University or College Butler University$30,558$7,056$0$7,056

DON’T FORGET! You must submit a completed Affirmation Form by March 10th You must file your FAFSA every year by March 10th You must correct any errors to your FAFSA by May 15th You must enroll as a full-time student by Fall 2013 and continue to be enrolled as a full-time student You must continuously be enrolled as a full-time student and maintain satisfactory academic progress each semester You must remain a resident of Indiana 45