Volume 4 | February 2019
A Note from Sam
In this Newsletter
A Note From Sam

Featured Article

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

Class Specific Monthly Focus

College Spotlight

Test Prep Opportunities

Internship, Job and Volunteer Opportunities

Summer Programs

In Other News

Helpful Resources
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We are now officially in the second half of the school year and the focus of the College and Career Center has shifted to the Juniors. At the end of January students came into the College and Career Center to hear a presentation on Naviance and how to utilize it during the college application process. To help parents prepare, we have created a new Google Drive filled with important and helpful information. You will find all the details below in the Juniors section of Class Specific News.

February also marks the beginning of regular admissions college decisions. For many students that means they are likely to receive some rejections letters. As humans we often find comfort in numbers so, the College and Career Center is excited to be launching the Colleges Missing Out Wall. It is a way for students to come together in solidarity and recognize they are not alone. The wall will be a place to hang rejections letters and will be housed outside of the Student Union from February 15 - May 1. We are very excited about this initiative and hope you encourage your students to participate. Further details can be found under the Senior section below.

I would like to take a moment to give a special thank you to a parent volunteer, Stephanie Brady. Without her, this newsletter and many of the improvements and additions to the College and Career Center this year wouldn't have been possible. We are excited that this month marks our fourth edition of the newsletter and we would love your feedback. Please take a moment to complete our very brief survey to let us know what you like, what we can improve upon and what you'd like to hear more about. Hearing from you will help us achieve our goal of providing you with relevant and important information, so thank you in advance for your participation.
Samantha Stuber
College and Career Center Advisor
SStuber@auhsdschools.org
925-280-3935
Featured Article

Helping with the Rising Costs of College Tuition:
An Overview of Scholarships
The cost of college tuition has hit record highs over the last few years and is continuing an upward trend. With price tags ranging from $20,000 - 70,000 a year, scholarships are an important part of the financial aid process. While there are tuition savings programs such as WUE to consider, there are also thousands of scholarships available. Scholarships can range from $100 to help pay for textbooks, to full-tuition scholarships given by universities and large organizations. The key is understanding the options and knowing where to find them.

Categories of scholarships
Merit: Merit scholarships are awarded on various factors of success such as leadership involvement, community service, athletics, GPA or other skills.

Need-based: Need-based scholarships are often determined based on a families income. Many universities and organizations use FAFSA or the CSS Profile to determine a students financial need.

Types of scholarships
University Scholarships
Most universities and colleges will offer both merit and financial need scholarships. Depending on the school, a student might automatically be considered for scholarships when applying while some require a separate application. These details can be found on individual university websites.

Athletic Scholarships
Only about 0.12% of all high school athletes receive a full ride athletic scholarship to a university. Athletic scholarships are merit in nature, as they solely depend on a students athletic ability. Scholarship money for athletics is allowed within Division I and Division II by the NCAA regulations.

ROTC
ROTC is a college program offered at over 1,700 colleges and universities that comes with a military service obligation upon accepting a scholarship. Different branches of the military offer a variety of scholarships ranging from full tuition to smaller partial scholarships.

Company & Non-profit Organization Scholarships
Within this category, there are scholarships given by organizations such as Boy and Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, and Coca-Cola. If you are a parent, check to see if your employer offers scholarships. Also check with any organizations or professional memberships you are a part of to see what they might offer. Many companies and organizations will offer scholarships to a specific high school or county, which reduces competition and increases the chances of your student winning.

When to start the process
August of senior year is a good time to begin the scholarship search process. With most scholarship application deadlines occurring in March starting early provides ample time to sort through the options. It also allows you to not miss any of the early deadlines for bigger scholarships like Coca-Cola or Boy Scouts of America whose deadlines both fall in October.

Where to look
When doing a search for scholarships please note there are some scholarships scams. A good rule of thumb is if the scholarship requires you to pay to apply or asks for your social security number it is a scam. There are also many reputable sites for national scholarships that house many options including:


Additionally there are some popular local scholarships to consider :

  • Assistance League of Diablo Valley High School Scholarships - Up to $6,000 - Due March 18th
  • Rotary Scholarships - Up to $2,000
  • AAUW - $2,000 - Due March 1st
  • Scholars.Shop - Multiple Scholarships

With hundreds of scholarship options available, the cost of attending college can be reduced. It may be a smaller award used to pay for books or a larger one to significantly offset tuition. The key is knowing where to look, as well as, having the patience to sort through the information and complete the applications. In the end, any scholarship helps. For a full article on scholarships and where to find them, please see  ‘ How to Get a Full Ride Scholarship ’ . For more articles on scholarships, please see the blog here .
Upcoming Events and Deadlines
Class Specific Monthly Focus
Seniors
Colleges Missing Out Wall
Starting February 15 the College and Career Center is launching its first annual wall of college rejection letters. The wall will be housed outside the Student Union and will serve as a way for students to find comfort in seeing they are not alone. To participate here is what you need to know:
  • Students can turn in their letters starting February 1 to the College and Career Center and we will put them up beginning February 15
  • After February 15, students can add letters to the wall on their own. Supplies will be on a table inside the Student Union
  • Students can black out their names if they wish to remain anonymous (sharpies will be in the supply basket)
  • Letters will remain up until May 1 - National Decision Day
Recognizing others are having similar experiences creates a sense of community and support.
Juniors
Thank you to the parents who attended the Junior Naviance and Applying to College Night! If you missed the presentation, I have uploaded it to our New Google Drive. If you attended, we would love your feedback to help improve it for future junior parents. Please provide any feedback using this link.

Naviance Parent Login
All parents have access to their students Naviance accounts. You can login using this link with your email and password. If you need help or the 'Forgot your password?' link on that page is not working, please reach out to Samantha Stuber.

New Google Drive for Parents
The College and Career Center has launched a new Google Drive for parents of Juniors. It will be filled with important information relevant to the college process including:
  • A Guide to Naviance - Junior Year
  • Timeline and Checklist
  • How to Interpret Transcripts and GPA's
  • Letters of Recommendation - Who to Ask and How to Ask
Test Prep Opportunities
SAT Comprehensive Course - Miramonte High School - March 5th- April 30th on Tuesdays from 3:45 PM – 5:45 PM, 8-weeks, 16-hours of in-person instruction, 8-hours of online testing. $499

SAT Bootcamp - Miramonte High School - March 2 and 3 - 9am - 1pm. Tuition is $195. For more information on this special prep opportunity or to enroll, call 800-235-0056, sign up at https://catalystprep.com/bootcamp_su , or email info@CatalystPrep.com. The deadline to enroll is Wednesday, February 27.

For more test prep opportunities at schools in our district, see the Tried and True Tutoring webstore here.
College Spotlight
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
The University of Waterloo is located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is a public institution with almost 20% of its student population comprised of international students. Waterloo is home to advanced research and teaching in computer science, engineering, health, environment, arts and social sciences. As a member of U15, a group of Canadian Research Institutions, it affords students the opportunity to participate in intensive research beginning their first year. Aside from research, Waterloo has the largest
co-operative program in the world with nearly 80% of its students participating at some point during their college years. Applying to colleges as an international student has many advantages as well including: higher acceptance rates, an opportunity to experience a different culture and an increase in career options upon graduation.
Internship, Job and Volunteer Opportunities
Internships
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s High School Summer Internship Program provides students with exposure to career opportunities in the field of transportation by placing them with local public transit agencies in departments such as planning and public works; helps students understand the role of transportation agencies in the community, county and region; and offers professional skill-building opportunities and enrichment activities during all phases of the program while providing assistance to our partner transportation agencies. For more information and to apply, click here .
Jobs
Splash Swim school is hiring swim instructors and lifeguards. Instruct children, ages 6 months and up on basic water safety skills and how to swim. Communicate with staff and parents on the progress of the students. part-time hours. Teaching shifts are available in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings, Monday through Sunday. Applications may be picked up at the Splash Swim School or printed from the website at www.splashswimschool.com .
Volunteering
Wagner Ranch Nature Area Monthly Cleanup and Activities: 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Roll up your sleeves and work with nature for a couple of hours every second Sunday of the month. The next cleanup will be held on February 10, 2019. Join Toris and the team to learn about nature and how to take care of it. Sign up here .

If you have volunteer hours you would like to record, please use this Google form and email or turn in a confirmation letter to Ms. Stuber in the CCC.
Summer Programs
Juniors: Camp Royal and Camp Venture applications are now open! Three current juniors will be selected, two for Camp Royal and one for Camp Venture, to attend this summer. Camp Roya l is the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Conference and a premier leadership training opportunity organized each June in the mountains of northern California. Camp Venture is a five-day training and motivational camp for students who are interested in pursuing a career in business, particularly as entrepreneurs. Applications for both programs can be found using the link below and must be turned into Ms. Stuber by email or in person by Friday, March 1st. Interviews will be held Wednesday, March 6th during academy.

In Other News
DNA Testing, Race and an Admissions Lawsuit
Federal judge allows to proceed a suit in which white student says an admissions officer told her she might improve her odds of getting into medical school by discovering Native American or African American lineage.

'College meltdown': Small private schools disappear in face of changing educational landscape
One-fifth of small private colleges nationwide were under “fundamental financial stress” that could lead to closure, merger or program cuts.

Freshman applications dip at UC for the first time in 15 years. Is it the start of a trend?
For the first time in 15 years, the number of would-be freshmen applying to the University of California has dropped, the first sign that a national trend of declining college enrollment could be hitting the West Coast.

Helpful Resources
Miramonte College and Career Center