CRC NEWSLETTER

Staff: Diane Ahlberg and Maggie Campbell September 15, 2011

The CRC newsletter is provided on a monthly or semi-monthly basis to provide information on activities and events that are helpful to Park Center students and their parents. This publication is also on Park Center’s website (www.district279.org/sec/pcsh (under Services).

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Test Date		Registration Deadline			(Late Fee of $21 Required)
	September 10, 2011		August 12, 2011	August 13 – 26, 2011
	October 22, 2011		September 16, 2011	September 17 – 30, 2011
	December 10, 2011		November 4, 2011	November 5 – 18, 2011
	February 11, 2012*		January 13, 2012	January 14 – 20, 2012
	April 14, 2012		March 9, 2012	March 10 – 23, 2012
	June 9, 2012		May 4, 2012	May 5 – 18, 2012

Basic registration fee (per test option)

ACT (No Writing)	$34.00
Includes reports for you, your high school (if you authorize reporting), and up to four college choices (If you do not choose colleges to receive your scores when you register, you will be charged $10 for each report sent later).
ACT Plus Writing	$49.50
Includes reports for you, your high school (if you authorize reporting by indicating our high school code of 240-319), and up to four college choices (if valid codes are provided when you register). The $15.00 Writing Test fee is refundable, on written request if you are absent on test day or switch to the ACT (No Writing) before testing begins.

Students should check on line at www.act.org to see if your college requires the writing option.

Students are encouraged to register on-line at www.actstudent.org The CRC has a limited number of registration packets available, but the preferred method to register is on-line.

SAT TEST DATES AND FEES can be found on-line at www.collegeboard.org

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY OPEN HOUSES AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS

A Performing and Visual Arts College Fair will be held on Thursday, October 6 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Coffman Memorial Union. Schools with specialized programs in dance, art and graphic design, will be available to share information on their academic programs, admission requirements and financial aid. For more information go to www.nationalcollegefairs.org.

The National College Fair will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Tuesday, October 4^th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. an d4:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. AND on Wednesday, October 5^th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. There will be approximately 400 college representatives available to distribute information about their programs and campuses. More information is available at www.nationalcollegefairs.org.

New York University is hosting an information session on September 17^T,h at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center in Minneapolis beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Alexandria Technical College is having an open house on Sunday, October 30^th. For complete details, visit their web site at www.alextech.edu

Lawrence University Admissions will be in Minneapolis at the Double Tree Hotel on Sunday, October 1 from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Bloomington on October 21, 22, 23. They will be conducting interviews for interested applicants and providing information about their academic programs. Contact Chuck Erickson at chuck.erickson@lawrence.edu ) to make an appointment.

Lawrence University is also sponsoring a bus trip to campus on October 19^th and 20^th. Seniors can spend the night on campus, visit with professors and attend information sessions. Cost of the trip is $40 and students can sign up by e-mailing chuck.erickson@lawrene.edu

Bethany Lutheran College is having a Fall Open House on Thursday, October 20^th and Friday, October 21^st. Programs begin at 9:00 a.m. and will include information on majors, activities, student life, financial aid and more. For more information or go register go online at www.blc.edu

Princeton University is coming to Edina High School on Monday, September 19^th from 7:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. They will be providing information on academic programs, campus life and outlining the process for applying for admission. Go online to www.princeton.edu/pr/admissions/u/ep for further information.

Evergreen State College (Washington) will be conducting interviews in Roseville at Panera Bread on Thursday, October 13^th from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and at Panera Bread in Edina on Tuesday, October 11^th from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Interested students must schedule an interview by e-mail to schwarts@evergreen.edu. The representative from Evergreen will also be in the CRC on Wednesday, October 12^th at 9:00 a.m. to meet with interested students. Sign up in the CRC for a pass.

Washington University in St. Louis will be at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott Bloomington on Sunday, October 9^th from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. to meet with interested students and parents. Information on academic programs, life on campus and admission procedures will be covered. Go online for additional information at admissions www.wusl.edu

University of Wisconsin-River Falls will be hosting Fall College Visit days throughout the fall. Go online to www.uwrf.edu/visit for further information and to sign up.

Montana State University will be offering millions of dollars in scholarships and awards to non-resident freshmen who apply for admission for the fall of 2012. Students must apply to MSU at https://www.msuadmissions.org/applicaiton/ and have their official ACT or SAT scores sent to MSU. Apply early! These scholarships and awards may only be available for a limited time.

Bates College (Maine) is having Fall Open House(s) on Monday, September 19^th and Monday, October 10^th. Students can meet one on one with admissions representatives and visit with professors. Go online to home.bates.edu/fall-2011-open-house for complete details.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville is offering a Women in Engineering program on Friday, December 2^nd – Sunday, December 4^th for students in grades 11 and 12. Cost to attend is $75.00. Register at www.uwplatt.edu/wep/reachingforsky.html.

Northern State University is offering several campus visit days throughout the fall. Go online to www.northern.edu for complete details.

DeVry Institute is offering free preparatory review for the ACT Assessment throughout the fall. Classes run from 9: 00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and will be taught by DeVry professors. The goal is to help student prepare for the math and science sections of the ACT. Lunch will be provided. Reserve your spot early by e-mailing Sherrie Leichtnam at sleichtnam@devry.edu.

ITT Technical Institute will be having an Open House on Thursday, November 3^rd from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tours and information on programs and admissions will be discussed. Call 763-549-5900 for further information.

University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse School of Education will be hosting a Future Educator’s Day on campus on Tuesday, October 11^th from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Come learn about the education program at LaCrosse and more!

Contact Xiong Vang at vang.xio2@uwlax.edu for further details.

Columbia University will be at Highland Park Senior High School on Saturday, September 17^th at 2:00 p.m. to meet with prospective students and their parents. Information on admissions, academics, student life , financial aid and more will be provided. RSVP at ugrad-ask@columbia.edu

Questbridge is proud to announce the 2011 National College Match program, which helps outstanding low-income students gain admission and full four-year scholarships to leading colleges. Colleges that partner with Questbridge include Yale, Stanford, Amherst, Emory and MIT among others. Questbridge is accepting applications from high school seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence and who come from households earning less than $60,000 annually for a typical family of four. The application and complete selection criteria are available at their web site www.questbridge.org Deadline for applying is September 30, 2011.

Students with an interest in Applied Engineering and Manufacturing should visit www.360mn.org. 360° is a consortium of 10 MNSCU institutions led by Bemidji State University who work to streamline the career pathway for talented individuals who are interested in careers in manufacturing. By the end of August 2010 manufacturers reported needing to fill approximately 200,000 jobs which is a 40% increase from the previous year! 360° is helping to develop manufacturing training programs that offer the latest technology utilized by today’s advanced manufacturing companies. Go online to www.360mn.org for more information.

PARENTS OF SENIOR STUDENTS: The CRC is continuing a program this year whereby we will e-mail to interested parents a copy of our scholarship bulletin and our CRC Newsletter, publications that comes out every two weeks. The Scholarship Bulletin is a publication created by the CRC staff which lists many current national and local scholarships. There are a variety of scholarship programs sponsored by local organizations that often choose residency in Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center or attendance at Park Center or a District #279 high school as one of the criteria. In the past, we have not had a very good response to some of these scholarships and feel students are missing a “golden opportunity” when they don’t apply for monies that have only a select number of students eligible to apply. So…we decided to give the information to the parents as well in hopes that it would increase our participation! If you would like to be added to our distribution list, please e-mail me from the address to which you want to receive the information. I will then add you to the distribution list. My e-mail address is campbellm@district279.org. You will also be receiving the CRC Newsletter which has many opportunities available at college campuses plus more!

PARENTS OF SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS: We will be doing a similar e-mail distribution for our CRC Newsletter to parents of sophomores and juniors. The newsletter contains vital information on local programs offered to all Park Center students. If you would like to be added to our CRC Newsletter, please e-mail me at campbellm@district279.org.

TIDBITS FROM THE CRC STAFF

Excerpt from Princeton Review, 2011

What Does Your High School Transcript Say About You?

You're probably (painfully) aware that your high school transcript is a record of every grade you earned in high school– and that all of those grades are averaged to produce a single number, your cumulative GPA. But admissions officer have their eyes on more than the bottom line. There are other things they examine to get a sense of what kind of college student you'll be. Freshman Grades In case you were thinking they weren't important, now you know otherwise. Your freshman grades make up (approximately) one–quarter of your cumulative high school GPA. If you tank freshman year, it will follow you for the next three years. (That includes art class, gym class, music class or anything for which you receive a grade.) Pass / Fail Don't elect to take a pass / fail. To colleges, a "P" might as well be a "D". Trends Colleges expect your grades to be consistent or improve. If you received As in sophomore year, and Cs in senior year, they will conclude that you are a capable student who became lazy. Coursework High school graduation requirements vary from school to school. Most students have the opportunity to take more classes (or credits) then are required to graduate. If you take only the minimum, colleges will conclude that you are doing the least you must do to get by. If you take extra classes (or credits) but they are soft-ball classes (like basket-weaving or calisthenics), this looks just as bad. The best high school transcript will show consistent grades in a challenging course load with challenging classes. AP classes or advanced classes impress colleges and tell them that you are ready for college–level work.