OHS Guidance Department Rhonda Gibbs (205)

Need Money for College? Scholarships – Merit Based – awarded by the institution Academic, ACT, SAT Leadership Service Departmental Talent/Skill – Need Based – FAFSA – Student-specific – minority, religion, gender, other – Career-specific – pursuing a specific field of study (departmental scholarships) – Private/Local scholarships – available at the Financial Workshop 2/11/14 – Athletic (register with )

Counselor’s Corner Please visit the school’s website to view updates on the “Counselor’s Corner”. Important test dates Testing information (ACT, COMPASS, etc.) Homework and tutoring services NCAA Information College websites Financial Aid (FAFSA, Scholarship info, etc.)

Financial Aid Workshop Tuesday, February 11, 2014 beginning at 6:00pm in the high school library. Senior parents can bring their filed income taxes and receive assistance filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Patti Morgan, Career Coach, will be the guest speaker. Local scholarships will be first available at the workshop.

Web Sites to Help in the Search for Scholarships Narrow your scholarship and college searches using GOOGLE! - Search with phrases that are specific to you and your interests, i.e. “college scholarships for male nursing majors” etc.

To Do List for Juniors and Seniors APPLY & COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTS REQUESTS Summer before senior year is better. Fall may be okay. Later may be too late, depending on the school and situation. (A common final deadline is December 1.) Take the ACT, SAT (Either one, or both—more than once!) Consider taking a prep course for the ACT, SAT, &/or PSAT ( Free or cheap ones are available. The ACT Online Prep is free for you. Please see Mrs. Gibbs for your login information)

con’t. To Do List for Juniors and Seniors Check grades to see if you meet requirements for admission Register with NCAA Eligibility Center, if applicable Research scholarship/financial aid possibilities Update your resume Get organized Keep a calendar; maintain a log and folder; make copies of everything sent Don’t let up! Colleges will check back for your FINAL transcript.

Transcript Requests Be sure to apply to colleges online and submit before requesting for your transcript to be sent. Transcript deadlines: - Jan deadlines is December 1 st. - Feb/Mar deadlines is January 10 th. *FINAL Transcript Requests must be done between April 1 st and May 23 rd. All seniors must complete the FINAL Transcript Request!

What is a federal grant? Grants are “free money” for which students qualify because of demonstrated financial need. Remember... Grants are Great! – PELL Grant does not have to be re-paid Qualification is very limited Maximum PELL Grant for ranged from a low of just over $600 to a maximum of $5635 – FSEOG Grant also does not have to be re-paid Preference goes to PELL recipients

Need Help with the ACT? For students in grades 10-12, the ACT Online Prep website is free to you this school year. Please see Mrs. Gibbs for your log in information.

Auburn University Changes CHANGES TO THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE & UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS: Please take note that there are new guidelines for scholarship applications for both the university and the College of Agriculture! Starting this fall, students must apply to university scholarships separately from your general application for admission (students must also be admitted before they can apply for scholarships). This separate scholarship application will put students in the running for both university and College of Agriculture scholarships. The new application is live. For more information visit:

Appointments Please Parents: If you would like to speak to Mrs. Gibbs, please make an appointment either by or phone. Open door policy for all students. If the counselor is on the phone or with someone, please wait outside the office. Otherwise, please come back during one of your elective periods. Thank you and have a blessed day!