High School: Guidance: College & Scholarship Information

College and Scholarship Information

by WHS Counselor Terry Kopish

April 26, 2008

Click HERE to view local & regional scholarships added in February.
Click HERE to view local & regional scholarships added in January.
Click HERE to view local & regional scholarships added in December.
Click HERE to view local & regional scholarships added in November.
Click HERE to view local & regional scholarships added in October.
Click HERE to view local & regional scholarships added in September.

Please click the following link to access December's "College News Snippets": December College News Snippets
Past Snippets: October College News Snippets, September College News Snippets

Please click the following link to access a listing of local scholarships only (local scholarship applications are available at the bottom of this page): Local Scholarships

Click HERE to access the 2007 Central Community College (Nebraska) Financial Aid and Scholarship Guide.

Click HERE to access the Metro Community College "CollegeNOW!" brochure, offering 50% tuition discounts to high school juniors and seniors taking Summer 2008 courses at the Fremont Area Center.

Please click the following link to access the May 2008 EducationQuest Foundation Bulletin (a monthly college planning guide for Nebraska high school students): EducationQuest Bulletin

Will you be visiting with a college representative? If so, click HERE for a list of questions that you should ask!

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CollegeBoard.com

College Prep Action Plans, sponsored by CollegeBoard.com. These Action Plans provides college-bound students, grades 9-12, with the steps they should take during fall, winter, spring, and summer to adequately prepare for what lies ahead after graduation. Click the following links to view the Action Plan for your grade:

FRESHMAN
SOPHOMORE
JUNIOR
SENIOR

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College Savings Plan of Nebraska
"The College Savings Plan of Nebraska is a great way to save for college - it's tax-advantaged, affordable and flexible. The Plan is sponsored by the State of Nebraska and became operational January 1, 2001."

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Click on the following link to access FastWeb: www.fastweb.com

This is a great site for scholarships, colleges, jobs and internships.

SCHOLARSHIPS: "The most complete source of local scholarships, national scholarships, and college-specific scholarships . . . 1.3 million scholarships worth over $3 billion!)"

COLLEGES: "Search and compare detailed college profiles including college scholarships. Recommended by 15,500 high schools and 3,500 colleges."

JOBS & INTERNSHIPS: "Internships for students in your field. Find part-time job openings near your home or school. Learn tips for success in your career."

Please click the following link to access the October/November 2007 FastWeb Student Bulletin: FastWeb Bulletin

Click HERE to access past FastWeb Bulletins.

FastWeb recently produced a short video geared towards students called "The Five-Minute FAFSA." Our video explains what the FAFSA is, and helps to make the process less intimidating for students. As a reminder, the FAFSA is the first step in qualifying for federal financial assistance and sometimes, even the first step in qualifying for some scholarships. You can watch the video by visiting: www.fastweb.com/sp/fafsavideo.

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Federal Student Aid
All parents and students need to know about student financial aid and college planning. This is an excellent source of information.

Click HERE for two further Federal Student Aid Resources:
PLANNER TIMELINE: "Find out what you should be doing each year of high school to start preparing for college, from concentrating on your GPA and taking the SAT to building your profile with volunteer work and extra studies.
STUDENT PLANNER: "Enter your high school courses and standardized test scores to determine whether you meet the minimum requirements of the schools in MyFSA."

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Lincoln Community Foundation Scholarships
The Lincoln Community Foundation currently manages approximately 70 different scholarship funds, which have been established by caring donors who have a commitment to higher education and wish to provide opportunities and assistance to students who want to further their education. Each donor has outlined the specific criteria for his/her scholarship, and as a result, the scholarships have varying criteria for eligibility and are available to students living in--and outside of--Lincoln, Nebraska.

Scholarship amounts typically range from $500 to $2,000. The actual amount of any given scholarship award can vary from year to year due to fluctuations in investment returns and in the number of qualified applications received. The Foundation determines, on a yearly basis, the number of scholarship awards and the amount awarded from each scholarship fund.

Please visit the web site for further information.

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www.ncaastudent.org
This site is dedicated to helping you understand the balance between academics and sports required of every student-athlete for a successful life in school, and out. Here you can learn about the NCAA, download the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, and discover how you can go pro in something other than sports.

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Click on the following link to access Nelnet.com: www.nelnet.com

A great source for college searches, scholarship searches, college financing plans, and on and on. Check it out!

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Click on the following link to access Scholarship.com: scholarships.com

Scholarships.com is a free scholarship search and financial aid information service. Helping students find money for college since 1998.
Search 3,000+ scholarship sources worth over $3 billion in aid, get customized, relevant results, application letters and more.

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students.gov
This site is posted by the U. S. government for students who are thinking about going to college and are wondering how they should prepare for college, or how they will pay for their college education. From this site, students learn about options in distance education, read how to find and apply for college loans, and learn what's involved in military service and the educational benefits that are available through the different branches of the armed forces. Check it out!

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OTHER WEB RESOURCES:

Sources of Aid
AmeriCorps
City Year
CSS/PROFILE
Direct Loans
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
FAFSA PIN Registration
FAFSA 4Caster (federal aid projection tool)
JobCorps
Resources by State
Student Tax Info

College Admissions
Common Application
COOL (College Opportunities Online Locator)
NACAC (National Association for College Admissions Counseling)
NACAC Admission Trends
NACAC College Fairs

Financial Aid Information
FinAid
FastWeb's College Gold
College Goal Sunday
Federal Student Aid for Students
Mapping Your Future
Project Scholarship Scam
Student Guide to Federal Aid
U.S. Department of Education

Choosing a Major/Career
Monster (Job Search)
Career Planning
America's Career InfoNet
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Outlook Handbook

LOAN INFORMATION:

Perkins Loan
    * Awarded based on exceptional need
    * Interest is subsidized and fixed at 5%
    * Favorable benefits may be lost upon consolidation
Repayment begins 9 months after graduation or dropping below half-time enrollment status.

Stafford Loan
    * Fixed interest rate is 6.8% if loan originated on/after July 1, 2006
    * Subsidized - Interest accrues starting 6 months after graduation
    * Unsubsidized - Interest accrues during school
Repayment begins 6 months after graduation or after dropping below half-time enrollment status.

PLUS Loan (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students)
    * If loan originated on/after July 1, 2006:
        Direct PLUS fixed interest rate is 7.9%
        FFEL PLUS fixed interest rate is 8.5%
Repayment begins within 60 days after last disbursement of loan.

Federal Consolidation Loan
    * Combine loans to one lender
    * Fixed interest rate is the weighted average of the federal loans rounded up to the nearest 1/8 of a %
    * Interest rate capped at 8.25%
    *Lower monthly payments

Private/Alternative Loan
    * Interest rates and fees based on borrower's and co-signer's credit scores
    * More expensive than Federal loans
    * May have more flexible repayment provisions
For more information on private/alternative loans, visit: www.finaid.org/loans/privateloan/phtml

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LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS:

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For more information, please contact the Guidance Department of Wahoo High School at (402) 443-4332, ext. 3229, or email Ms. Kopish at tkopish@esu2.org.