1. Essay

2. Announcements TRANSCRIPTS Practice ACT signups – do it right now!
I’m serious. Right now. Get out your iPad.
You must take at least TWO practice ACTs throughout the CoFo year. You can take the November & December ones, or take one of them and take the other in February.
I would suggest that everyone takes the February one, as we will be doing some intensive ACT prep before then.
If you are interested in LEDA (the conference that’s taking place this summer at Princeton), let me know!
I will help you with the application process because I want you guys to go!!!
Application due date is November 14
Tentative program dates are June 20 – August 9

3. Vocab term of the week: Cost of Attendance (COA)
This is, well… the cost of attendance.
This includes tuition, room, board, books, and estimated other expenses, such as travel from your school to home, and going out with friends.
What you see is not what you get! Almost nobody pays full COA. I promise.

4. Tuition & books This is the cost you pay to attend classes
Tuition is priced per credit until you reach full-time attendance, which is usually 12 credits per semester. Full-time tuition is a flat rate, which is what you see on most websites.
Most classes in college are worth 3 credits, so a full-time load is 4 classes or more
Some schools charge extra if you go over 18 credits
HOW TO SAVE ON TUITION & BOOKS:
Make sure you are taking a full-time load! Going part-time might sound like it saves money since it costs less, but then you take longer to graduate, which costs more in the long run.
Take an average of 15 credits per semester. For most majors, taking credits per semester will ensure timely graduation.
For books, the school bookstore is not your best bet. Check Amazon, Chegg, and the local library. Often times older editions work just as well.

5. Room & board Place to live and food.
Most schools require freshmen live with another person in the same room.
Yes, you can request a roommate!
Most schools have different styles of living: at Stony, we had traditional dorms, suite style dorms, and apartments.
If you live on campus, you may be required to purchase a meal plan. There are two types of meal plans:
A la carte: You put a certain amount of money on your card, and each item you purchase has a certain cost.
You Swipe Your Card and You Eat All the Food (YSYCYEAF): Okay, I’m kidding with the name, but this is actually pretty common. Buffet style. You pay for a certain number of swipes.

6. Room & board cont. HOW TO SAVE ON ROOM & BOARD:
Live in a “double” room, or “triple” if you have the choice. “Single” rooms are great for privacy but always the most expensive.
Live off-campus! You won’t have to buy a meal plan, which is better for your wallet and your health. Also off- campus apartments are often less expensive.
Become an RA!!! (I was one and it was the best choice of my college life :) )
RAs are also called resident assistants or resident advisors
RAs are undergrad students who act as student leaders in their dorms. They gain skills in conflict resolution, community building, and leadership.
They also gain a free room and reduced or free board.

7. Brainstorming pt. 2
Now that you have your three activities and your one goal you will relate these activities back to, the next step is to start writing the body of the essay!
What? You might be asking. I know I said to start at the beginning but I changed my mind.
Write about your three activities.
What are the activities?
What is your role?
What skills do you have as a result of these activities?
If any of your classmates do the same activity, go ahead and pair up with them to talk about the different skills you use during the activity.
For those of you who want to go ahead and start your essay: please do it in a Google doc and share it with me

8. Essay topic C (for your reference)
Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extra-curricular activities might help you achieve your goals.