Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School

Counseling Department School-Year Reminders

The CSU/UC application deadlines have passed, but it is not too late to improve your SAT or ACT scores. See your counselor for more details. Also, many CSUs will be extending their application deadlines past Nov. 30, so look or those. As the application season comes to an end, students should be refocusing on scholarship opportunities that are becoming available. The scholarship page will continue to be updated, so keep checking the SJND website for the latest news. Good luck on finals!

Applications for both systems are available from the counseling office and online at www.ucop.edu/pathways and www.csumentor.edu.

Seniors: All seniors have met with their counselors at least once for college advising. Please call your student’s counselor if you have questions.

Applications to private schools must be requested from the schools themselves. Questions regarding applications should be directed to your student’s counselor.

If you need to sign up to receive Senior Update, please contact Ms. Costa at jcosta@sjnd.org.

Senior Financial Aid and Free Applications: Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications will be available by late November or early December. This document must be completed by students who intend to apply for educational aid from the state of California, the Federal Government, and from all colleges. SJND Financial Aid Night is Jan. 9, 2009.

CSS/Financial Aid Profiles are due by Dec. 6 for seniors applying to private colleges. Click here to get a form.

Financial Aid Resources

Everything you need to know about Cal Grants - and more. www.csac.ca.gov

A complete website for financial aid online, where students and parents can access information on financial aid, read about financial aid scams, etc. Become familiar with this site as it will help you navigate this process. www.finaid.org

Financial Aid Calculators:

http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_welcome.jsp

www.finaid.org/calculator

Loans for parents with discounted rates. These loans are not need based - anyone can apply. Often overlooked, this is a valuable resource for parents funding their child's education. www.parentplusloan.com

Fastweb is a free searchable database of 400,000 scholarships. The monthly newsletters have valuable, up-to-date information on scams, money for college, and the application process. Downloadable in Adobe Acrobat. www.fastweb.com

Scholarships.com is a free search database for scholarships. http://scholarships.com

College fee waiver for children of disabled veterans- www.cacvso.org/uploads/dvs40.pdf

www.MeritAid.com —new FREE resource that helps students find merit aid and scholarships from colleges before they apply

FAFSA-- http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

SAT/ACT: Seniors who intend to apply to UC and CSU for Fall 2009 admission must complete required board tests by the December test dates. Registration forms are available from the counseling office or online at www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org

SJND Events

SJND’s Financial Aid Night--Jan. 8, 2009. This program includes guest speakers from the UC and CSU systems, and private colleges. Come find out how to pay for your college education. Seniors and their parents are encouraged to attend. *Please note that this date is correct and is different from the date in the student handbook.

Senior Update Has Valuable Information
The SJND Counseling Department is preparing members of the Class of 2009 for their future. The Senior Update is a newsletter designed for seniors and their parents. It provides information about college deadlines, scholarship and financial aid opportunities, college fairs, and college rep visits, both on campus and off. The Senior Update will be emailed on the first and 15th of each month for the first quarter. If you have any questions or are not receiving your newsletter, please call Jennifer Costa in the Counseling Department at 510-995-9458.

Counseling Office Contact Information

Frances Romero
A-F
fromero@sjnd.org, 510-995-9449

John Gunty
G-M
jgunty@sjnd.org, 510-995-9450

Nick Martin
N-Z
nmartin@sjnd.org, 510-995-9448

Senior Testing

SAT Reasoning Test and Subject Tests and ACT Schedule

For more information or to register for the SAT, visit www.collegeboard.com/

For information or to register for ACT, go to www.actstudent.org.

For study tips and ACT questions with detailed answer explanations, visit:
www.actexampracticetests.com.

College Scholarships

Click here for a list of college scholarships currently available.

On-Site College Visits

These are opportunities to meet with representatives from the admissions offices of many universities and colleges who come to our campus to recruit our students.

Refer to this list or listen in homeroom for the visiting schools, dates and times.
Choose the ones you want to meet with.
Sign up on the bulletin board in the counseling office or call or email Mr. Martin no later than 3 p.m. the previous day.
A pass will be sent to you in class before the presentation
Go to class, get teacher signature/permission

Additional Links

Columbia University enhances their financial Aid program
http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/finaid/enhancements/

The Top 50 Colleges for African American students
http://legacy.blackenterprise.com/lists/college.asp

Find the complete November 2008 issue of UC Notes online at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/ucnotes

Please contact the counselors if you have any questions or concerns.

Counseling News