CRC NEWSLETTER

 

Staff:  Diane Ahlberg and Maggie Campbell                         September 23, 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)

 

 

 

 

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

 

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is hosting an Open House for Multicultural Students entitled Experience Minnesota on Saturday, October 8, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  Students can learn about multicultural programs available at the U, majors, student life and financial aid.  If a student applies for admission during the open house, they will get their application fee of $55.00 waived.  RSVP at http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/experiencemn

 

Emerson College (MA) is having an information session on Wednesday, October 5th at The Hotel Minneapolis, 215 Fourth Street South from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m.  Emerson is noted for their programs in communication and the arts.  Information on all academic programs and financial aid will be discussed.  RSVP online at emerson.edu/admissions/ontheroad. 

 

Duke University is hosting an information session at the Minneapolis Marriott, 5801 Opus Parkway on Monday, October 3rd beginning at 7:30 p.m.  Questions about the admissions process, financial aid and much more will be discussed.   To register to online to www.admissions.duke.edu

 

North Dakota State College of Science is hosting a variety of special events during the year.  Health Career Day, Dental Day, Auto/Diesel Day, Ag Day and many more.  For complete details and to register go online to www.ndscs.edu/visit

 

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 4th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. AND on Wednesday, October 5th 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.

 

Alexandria Technical College is having an open house on Sunday, October 30th.  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 19th and 20th.  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 20th and Friday, October 21st.  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

 

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is having an open house on October 28 or 29th beginning at 9:00 a.m. For more details go online to www.openhouse.uwm.edu.

 

Anoka Ramsey Community College is having an Open House on October 13th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Details on admissions, financial aid and transfer options will be discussed.

 

Simpson College is having fall visit days on Saturday, October 1, October 8 and Friday, November 18.  Register online at www.simpson.edu/admissions.

 

Buena Vista University is having an information session at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory on November 6th from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.  RSVP to MaryJo Litwiller by emailing litwillerm@bvu.edu

 

North Hennepin Community College is having information sessions about Theatre, Film and Music majors on Tuesday, October 11th and on Art and Graphic Design majors on Tuesday, October 25th.    Both sessions begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center and will cover academic degrees and certificates offered at NHCC in these areas.  For more information, go to www.nhcc.edu/calendar

 

South Dakota State University is having Senior Day on October 15th beginning at 12:30 p.m.  Learn about their 175 fields of study, financial aid and take a campus tour.  Register at www.sdstate.edu , (keyword: Senior day)

 

Evergreen State College (Washington) will be conducting interviews in Roseville at Panera Bread on Thursday, October 13th from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and at Panera Bread in Edina on Tuesday, October 11th 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 12th 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 9th 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 http://www.msuadmissions.org/application/ 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.

 

University of Wisconsin-Platteville is offering a Women in Engineering program on Friday, December 2nd – Sunday, December 4th 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 on October 1, November 19, January 16, March 17, and May 19.  .  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 3rd 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 11th 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.

 

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

Excerpts from Simple Tuition, September 2011

 

3 Tips to Narrow the College List Affordably

 

With so many different college options, how do you help your students create their college lists? Here are 3 actions you can suggest to your students to plan better:

 

1.      Visit the school. Back in the days, students and their families hit the road for college tours. In this time of cut backs and searching for cost savings, there are so many other ways to “visit” schools without spending much, if any, money out of pocket. Virtual tours simulate the college campus, using multimedia elements such as images, sound effects, music, narration, and text. Many college admission websites include virtual tours. Also, several websites like YOUniversity TV allow users to view campus tours for multiple schools from one place.

 

2.      Get organized. As you start to narrow your list based on geography, size, culture, and academics, use a calendar to keep track of the deadlines for all the possible colleges on your list. Consider using tools like the Cappex College Fit Kit, which has interactive tools and handouts to help you through the different stages of the college search.

 

 

3.      Learn about financial aid. Don't let the sticker price eliminate options. Check out each college’s financial aid webpage to find out unique deadlines and forms. Use the net price calculator on the college website (available at all schools as of the end of October) to give an idea of how much grants and scholarships. In addition, consider using SimpleTuition’s College Cost Adjuster to see the monthly loan payments when choosing loans to finance a portion of the college costs and create the balance of family vs. student borrowing using a convenient slider.