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Post by doctorwho on Oct 5, 2010 8:59:16 GMT -6
In talking to schools re: scholarships- the attainment on the PSAT has been a plus for us - as has the PLAN results. The more you can have to separate yourself the better we had a totally different experience when it came down to it. Colleges were all over DS when first results came out, but frankly I believe they have our zipcode pegged as a full-pay area, so why not. I mean seriously - MIT, Harvard, Chicago etc... it was just all mailing lists... these schools don't fill their rosters by recruitment - don't need to. When push came to shove there was no place on any of DSs 10 apps for PLAN, PSAT... especially anything self-reported. Every school would take SAT or ACT and used whichever was higher. Some super-scored (taking the highest of each subject area on the SAT/ACT, then combining for a new super-scored composite), but that is becoming less available. SAT2 areas for some schools were specific, while at others they were optional or not considered. A few observations - Most required reports from all sittings of the SAT or ACT. I know some "work their way up" to a better test score, and that is a big thing around here, but seriously, a kid with a 28 first sitting holds more weight than taking three tries to get it. Worth doing for $$ though. I've said this before so bear with me... "Everyone knows Neuqua so they take that into consideration" LOL! I mean ROTFLMAO!!! To think that 204 schools are so much better than other schools nationwide? Versus national averages, sure, but there are tons of great schools out there. I dare say the total lack of guidance at Neuqua hampered DSs college search tremendously, thankfully we saw this early and it was literally a part-time job on my part finding the best options for him. I can promise you, Indian Prairie Scholar, Ill. State Scholar, National AP Scholar, NM Commended etc... son's counselor does not know who is is or what college he accepted a full-ride merit scholarship to. Wow - sorry guys, i could go on and on about this - I do see some recognition that they are lacking in this area with the new Soph., Jr., Sr. meetings, so maybe things will get better. Going into it with my eyes wide open for DS#2. "I've said this before so bear with me... "Everyone knows Neuqua so they take that into consideration" LOL! I mean ROTFLMAO!!! I have to admit Al I laughed at thhis also......I can tell you Benet with an ACT score of 28.2 is not known outside of the imnmediate area - same thing with Ignatius - Whitney Young - New trier.... the impact of the school name is dwarfed by results- plain and simple. that 'super weighting' used to be done by the NCAA Clearing House I know ( now renamed NCAA Eligibilty Center) - and was most valuable to kids whose scores changed dramatically. My oldest never had a score move by more than 2 point across junior and senior year. so the overall benefit was +1 on the 'new composite' - not enough to excite anyone , anywhere. I also remember getting virtually NO support in college search when she was at WVHS..and her college coundelor then is now a Principal. I learned everything the hard way as it sounds like you did Al. I got lucky in that a few full ride offers made a lot of the academic wrangling more inconsequential..that was 10 years ago and I think everything is more competitive now. For #2 I am much wiser- started much earlier etc.. We may get lucky again as a few of the top choices academically are interested athletically but I can tell you the schools much more interested in the academics as well than they seemed to be 9 - 10 years ago. I am glad to have a second academic counselor - one for everyday and one for Naviance direction - I can't remember my oldest attending any college visits during the school day--( they may have been offered I just don't know-shame on me)- whereas now #2 goes to one every other week or so depending on who it is- some weeks have someone every day there recruiting. |
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Post by casey on Oct 5, 2010 11:06:25 GMT -6
I've said this before so bear with me... "Everyone knows Neuqua so they take that into consideration" LOL! I mean ROTFLMAO!!! I also find that extremely funny. We visited mostly Big 10 Midwestern schools (U of I, Iowa, Purdue, Indiana, MN, etc.) and discovered the same thing. My favorite was when one the admissions counselors at U of I pronounced it "neck wa valley". I couldn't help but smirk. |
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Post by casey on Oct 12, 2010 8:32:18 GMT -6
Oh, just thought of one more extremely important pearl of wisdom. Make certain that you register your child for the ACT/SAT tests the exact same way your child is registered in high school (in other words their official legal name) and the same name to be used on college applications. Do not mix up names or there's hell to pay down the road. For example, if your child's legal name is Nicholas do not sign them up as Nick or Catherine for Cathy or the colleges will have 2 separate files created for your child. I just found out that a few of the transcripts that Neuqua sent out sat in a dead pile at some of the colleges. The name did not match the legal name - whoops!
Thankfully my other children have just one single way to use their name with no nick names. I won't have to deal with that potential mistake again
Just wanted to sure so no one makes the same mistake I did.
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Post by doctorwho on Oct 12, 2010 16:35:36 GMT -6
Oh, just thought of one more extremely important pearl of wisdom. Make certain that you register your child for the ACT/SAT tests the exact same way your child is registered in high school (in other words their official legal name) and the same name to be used on college applications. Do not mix up names or there's hell to pay down the road. For example, if your child's legal name is Nicholas do not sign them up as Nick or Catherine for Cathy or the colleges will have 2 separate files created for your child. I just found out that a few of the transcripts that Neuqua sent out sat in a dead pile at some of the colleges. The name did not match the legal name - whoops! Thankfully my other children have just one single way to use their name with no nick names. I won't have to deal with that potential mistake again Just wanted to sure so no one makes the same mistake I did. learned this the hard way as both of my kids have hyphenated first names ( no middle names) - my oldest stopped using the hyphen and became two different people on some records |
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Post by casey on Nov 4, 2010 13:49:08 GMT -6
National ACT Test Dates December 11, 2010 (Registration deadline tomorrow 11/5/10) February 12, 2011 April 9, 2011 June 11, 2011 Also, when you sign up for certain dates, ACT offers the possibility of seeing test questions and student answers with a grade report after the test. The cost is $18.00 and is well-spent money, IMO. Unfortunately, the option is not available for every single test date. Remember, the ACT is not always offered at Neuqua or Waubonsie. The December date is not available here so your student needs to go to Aurora West, Bolingbrook HS, etc. to take the test. No big deal but just an FYI. Also, I've heard people state that the ACT scores are often higher/lower depending on when the test is taken. Rumor is the December and February dates are "easier". I guess the number of kids who take the test are the "gene pool" and set the measuring stick. I don't know if this is true or not but in my child's case, she did do better on the February date than the April date. Also, keep in mind that all Juniors take the April ACT at their high school but there is another April ACT test (April 9) that is a paid for National ACT date. The school ACT in April would definitely have the most number of students taking the exam. According to my own senior (who seems to know everything  ) no one does better on that exam. One could make the case that it would be an opportunity to actually do better since all juniors (not just college-bound smart ones) must take it. I don't reall know - just passing along info. Based on my own child's experience, I would not recommend taking the ACT only once in April. I do think scores improve with a repeat test. Again, this is only my opinion, but I think $48 is well-spent money if it's going to save big money on scholarships down the road. |
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Post by casey on Dec 8, 2010 16:58:18 GMT -6
Last night was Financial Aid Night at Neuqua. Thanks so much to the speaker, Marty Rossman, Director of Financial Aid at North Central College. Personally I was glad to see a professional come from a college and not just a 204 counselor or other employee presenting. Marty did a great job giving preliminary financial aid information. Nothing he shared was completely earth-shattering yet it was good to hear the information if anything to ensure that we're on the right path with regard to financial aid. I did learn though that I must request a PIN (personal identification number) for my child and self (or husband) before 1/1/11 to use for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). A PIN can be used to eliminate the need for paper signatures and information will be quicker to receive. Go on www.pin.ed.gov to request a PIN. Also, Marty shared an example of a North Central College Award Letter (their letters go out in April) which spells out the exact cost (net cost/bottom line) of the school. It takes into account all grants, loans, work study programs, etc.. Just as we all know what you see listed on the website or in literature is probably not what you will be paying for school (especially private university). It does seem as if private institutions have a lot more creative ways to give money away and make the cost more affordable. Lastly, take a look at the following websites for scholarships: www.fastweb.com, www.scholarships.com, www.fastaid.com. Hope this info helps:) |
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Post by casey on Dec 21, 2010 16:12:58 GMT -6
Those of you with seniors don't forget to request a PIN. It must be completed before the end of the year to complete the FAFSA right away. Speaking of FAFSA those are available beginning January 1. Regardless of whether or not your family will qualify for any financial aid (and let's face it most around here probably do not) you still must complete it. I just noticed today that College Illinois requires it just so schools can receive payment from the fund. That was news to me.
Oh and as a side note, my daughter did get into U of I. Quite happy around here and what a wonderful Christmas present. I have to say though it appeared to be quite a crap shoot. She had NV friends get denied (?!!) with 29 ACT, 3.6+ GPAs applying for the College of Media and friends get deferred with 28 ACT, 3.8+ GPA for College of Education and School of Business. It truly was a puzzle as to who got in and who did not. My daughter remembered the admissions counselor on our visit point out how the admissions process at U of I was a very thorough overview of each application and that seemed to be the case. My daughter was one of the lucky ones who got in but it appeared to be no rhyme or reason as to who did and who did not. Couldn't help but wonder if the Tribune's investigation last year into U of I admission scandal helped or hurt Neuqua kids.
I would tell any child applying to colleges this advice - have a parent or another adult review your application before sending it in!! I know I mentioned it earlier but the U of I application in particular seemed to be so intimidating (with regard to English grammar and mechanics). I couldn't help but wonder if applications got turned down simply because they weren't following the rules of the English language. It seriously was that detailed.
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Post by al on Dec 21, 2010 18:29:07 GMT -6
^ congrats on your daughter's U of I admission, no use trying to figure out the numbers and decode the whys, just happy she got in!
As far as the FAFSA, while it certainly cannot hurt to fill out, it is absolutely NOT a requirement for all schools if you are not going to be eligible for financial aid. It still makes sense in that, if you ever need aid in the future, the form is all in and good to go, but totally depends on the college as far as if it is required or not. We did not fill out the FAFSA and it had no bearing whatsoever on our son's ability to receive a full scholarship merit award to attend his school.
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Post by doctorwho on Dec 22, 2010 8:12:05 GMT -6
^ congrats on your daughter's U of I admission, no use trying to figure out the numbers and decode the whys, just happy she got in! As far as the FAFSA, while it certainly cannot hurt to fill out, it is absolutely NOT a requirement for all schools if you are not going to be eligible for financial aid. It still makes sense in that, if you ever need aid in the future, the form is all in and good to go, but totally depends on the college as far as if it is required or not. We did not fill out the FAFSA and it had no bearing whatsoever on our son's ability to receive a full scholarship merit award to attend his school. As far as FAFSA, with the few things considered on there you have to be living under a viaduct in a cardboard box it seems to get any monies... however I know I had to fill it our because my daughter was on athletic scholarship. The school needed the forms submitted for their own accounting purposes - I guess somehow to show where they had spent their money. I never bothered for a full explanation. |
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Post by sam2 on Jan 5, 2011 10:02:39 GMT -6
For what it's worth, our son was offered a decent scholarship from a private school, without completing any financial aid forms. If he had attended, the forms would have been required. Instead, he selected a state school in Indiana.
We debated filing the FAFSA as I hate to give that much information to who knows how many people, especially when the indication was that our EFC was far more than the cost of the school. In the end, we filed it and were pleasantly surprised to get a late award -- small dollars relative to the cost of the school, but better than nothing. My guess is that they had unclaimed aid money and distributed it in some manner.
We also filed it in January and amended it in February as we completed our tax returns.
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Post by EagleDad on Jan 5, 2011 22:00:51 GMT -6
learned this the hard way as both of my kids have hyphenated first names ( no middle names) - my oldest stopped using the hyphen and became two different people on some records Missed this the first time and saw it on the bump. The Social Security Administration has had my birth date wrong by one day sine the day I was registered (due a simple mistake/typo by my mother, departed 10+ years ago, on paperwork done 40 years ago). I have tried for over 20 years to get it corrected, visited the Aurora SSA office once personally (not pleasant at all), and have since learned to live with it and use the wrong date when needed (i.e. filing taxes in my case). Sad but true. Sometimes you just cant fight the hoardes of ignorance that comprises city hall. |
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Post by southsidesignmaker on Jan 18, 2011 20:16:28 GMT -6
Scholarships available
From submitted reports Jan 18, 2011 06:00PM
The Will County Center for Community Concerns is offering a limited number of partial scholarships to income-eligible residents of Will County. Scholarship funding is provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must reside in Will County, meet income guidelines and attend an accredited institution of higher education in Illinois during the 2011 calendar year.
Applications are available at 304 N. Scott St., Joliet. Completed applications must be returned by Feb. 10. For further information contact Maureen Pool at 815-722-0722, ext 222.
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Post by casey on Jun 8, 2011 22:02:46 GMT -6
It's been awhile since anyone has posted here so I thought I'd add a few new things. I continue to learn as I go along. Line up your summer college visits NOW. Many of the more popular schools get full and then you can't get a "true" visit. Try to schedule a college admissions visit and not just walk around with your child by yourself. Do your best to keep your mouth shut when discussing what you like/dislike about the campus and school. Everything you say can and will be used against you by your child. You don't want your kid to look back and remember some stupid comment you made about the school and of course, they will remember. At some schools (including U of I) whatever classes your child took and earned (As in AP, A in regular, Bs, etc.) won't make a darn difference when they go to sign up for their freshman schedule. Unless your child gets a 5 on the AP exam (and most do not) they won't get credit for any of those APs at U of I. In addition their class availability will be based on their entrance/placement exams (my daughter had to take chemistry, math, and foreign language). In other words they don't care if you took AP Calc if you don't do well enough on the placement exam you'll go back a level or two. Alternatively even if you've never taken AP Calc and you score high enough on your ACT and Placement Exam you'll go up a level or two. Foreign language was especially interesting. The admission counselor stated that most kids do not qualify to take second and third level classes even if they've had four years of a foreign language. They often have to go back to Spanish 101, 102, 103, or 104. I have to give kudos to Neuqua as they did a great job preparing my student. My daughter was one of the few who did test into the higher level classes and did not have to repeat anything. I talked to a family at registration and their daughter had 4 years of Spanish (including AP) and had to go back to Spanish 104. Incidentally my daughter did well enough on her entrance placement exam that now she takes the proficiency exam and could get 4-7 hours of credit - all WITHOUT ever taking AP Spanish. So, see there is hope for those students who just take "regular" classes. Overall, I was very impressed with how well Neuqua did getting my kid ready for U of I. She goes into freshman year better prepared than many! WORD TO THE WISE: if you have an incoming freshman and they're considering a school like U of I have them take ALL 4 YEARS of foreign language in HS. They will meet the language requirement and not have to take any additional years in college (unless they choose to major or minor in it). I'd think Spanish would be much easier in 204 than college. They may hate the class and beg to get out but again for a competitive school it's better to get it over with in high school. Ok, and on a side note, just found out that NCAA requires official transcripts from ALL high schools attended. Meaning, those of us who have kids who were moved to another high school will be required to get both transcripts to them. That is definitely NOT what was told to us when our kids were in transition. Granted it's just a minor inconvenience but I do worry it will translate into a long future of headaches when it comes time for transcripts (think college applications, scholarship applications, job applications, etc.). Great, we'll just always be reminded of how stupid it was to move sophomores.  |
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Post by doctorwho on Jun 9, 2011 7:07:40 GMT -6
It's been awhile since anyone has posted here so I thought I'd add a few new things. I continue to learn as I go along. Line up your summer college visits NOW. Many of the more popular schools get full and then you can't get a "true" visit. Try to schedule a college admissions visit and not just walk around with your child by yourself. Do your best to keep your mouth shut when discussing what you like/dislike about the campus and school. Everything you say can and will be used against you by your child. You don't want your kid to look back and remember some stupid comment you made about the school and of course, they will remember. At some schools (including U of I) whatever classes your child took and earned (As in AP, A in regular, Bs, etc.) won't make a darn difference when they go to sign up for their freshman schedule. Unless your child gets a 5 on the AP exam (and most do not) they won't get credit for any of those APs at U of I. In addition their class availability will be based on their entrance/placement exams (my daughter had to take chemistry, math, and foreign language). In other words they don't care if you took AP Calc if you don't do well enough on the placement exam you'll go back a level or two. Alternatively even if you've never taken AP Calc and you score high enough on your ACT and Placement Exam you'll go up a level or two. Foreign language was especially interesting. The admission counselor stated that most kids do not qualify to take second and third level classes even if they've had four years of a foreign language. They often have to go back to Spanish 101, 102, 103, or 104. I have to give kudos to Neuqua as they did a great job preparing my student. My daughter was one of the few who did test into the higher level classes and did not have to repeat anything. I talked to a family at registration and their daughter had 4 years of Spanish (including AP) and had to go back to Spanish 104. Incidentally my daughter did well enough on her entrance placement exam that now she takes the proficiency exam and could get 4-7 hours of credit - all WITHOUT ever taking AP Spanish. So, see there is hope for those students who just take "regular" classes. Overall, I was very impressed with how well Neuqua did getting my kid ready for U of I. She goes into freshman year better prepared than many! WORD TO THE WISE: if you have an incoming freshman and they're considering a school like U of I have them take ALL 4 YEARS of foreign language in HS. They will meet the language requirement and not have to take any additional years in college (unless they choose to major or minor in it). I'd think Spanish would be much easier in 204 than college. They may hate the class and beg to get out but again for a competitive school it's better to get it over with in high school. Ok, and on a side note, just found out that NCAA requires official transcripts from ALL high schools attended. Meaning, those of us who have kids who were moved to another high school will be required to get both transcripts to them. That is definitely NOT what was told to us when our kids were in transition. Granted it's just a minor inconvenience but I do worry it will translate into a long future of headaches when it comes time for transcripts (think college applications, scholarship applications, job applications, etc.). Great, we'll just always be reminded of how stupid it was to move sophomores. This was either incompetence when it comes to NCAA knowledge from 204 - or they just didn't give a crap at the time -- but I found them of little help in 2003 also- so lack of caring likely the better answer. btw - Benet sent around notes to the kids telling them about the transcript needs for NCAA and NAIA and where they need to go-- and to come and pick them up before school broke for summer hindsight tells me I should have posted something-- also these transcirpts will be key to getting a verbal agreement to compete for these schools during summer and they HAVE to have them before you can sign. Also if you have an athlete and have not already done so- you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center ( former called Clearing House ) - this porcess takes some time so set aside 45 minutes or so... web1.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.html" |
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Post by doctorwho on Jun 9, 2011 7:11:13 GMT -6
Everything you say can and will be used against you by your child
Laughed at loud when I read this- oh soooo true !
Also great advice on visits - especially if you do not have a coach or someone arranging for you and that has a vested interest in you getting in. The better schools fill up fast for complete visits and every school has different requiremnts for academic allowances-- and I have found them to vary greatly. Don't assume if one school is going to give you say $10K that another will do the same for academic prowess-- it may be more- it may be less.
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) no one does better on that exam. One could make the case that it would be an opportunity to actually do better since all juniors (not just college-bound smart ones) must take it. I don't reall know - just passing along info.
