College Goal Sunday, FAFSA Frenzie, local Missouri locations

The Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP) and the Missouri Department of Higher Education have partnered to expand the College Goal Sunday program for 2010. This year, the program name has changed to "FAFSA Frenzy" and sessions will be offered on three dates during "financial aid season," rather than just one Sunday, as was the case historically.

This statewide program is free, offering high school seniors and their families the opportunity to meet with financial aid professionals and to get hands-on assistance with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Dates, times, and locations for "FAFSA Frenzy" hosts on the Missouri side of the state line in Kansas City and Saint Joseph are noted below:

Avila University 11901 Wornall Road Sunday, February 21 2pm to 4pm Blue Springs High School 2000 NW Ashton Drive Sunday, February 21 2pm to 4pm Educational Opportunity Center 3100 Main Street Saturday, March 6 Sunday, March 21 2pm to 4pm Metropolitan Community College Maple Woods Campus 2601 NE Barry Road Sunday, February 21 2pm to 4pm Missouri Western State University in Saint Joseph 4525 Downs Drive Sunday, February 21 Saturday, March 6 Sunday, March 21 2pm to 4pm University of Phoenix 901 East 104th Street 10150 North Ambassador Drive Saturday, March 6 Sunday, March 21 2pm to 4pm

Free (or Cheap) Test Prep for High School Students

Here are a few FREE (or cheap) test prep opportunities to consider: • Utilize Twitter? Follow @ACTStudent for the daily link to the ACT Question of the Day and @SATquestion for the SAT question of the day.** • Or, simply log on to the ACT website to access the ACT question each day.** • Visit the SAT question of the day or sign up to have the question emailed to you daily.**

**You are provided with reasons why a correct answer is correct and why incorrect answers are incorrect. It is a learning opportunity, rather than just a guessing game.

• Have an iPhone or iPod touch? There are multiple ACT and SAT study apps beginning at only $.99. • ACT Prep Online o $19.95 for a one year “subscription” o practice tests with real ACT test questions o practice essays for the new optional ACT Writing Test, with real-time scoring o comprehensive content review for each of the tests—English, Math, Reading, and Science o diagnostic test and personalized Study Path o anywhere, anytime access via the Internet

Remember, academic curriculum and effort toward daily homework and testing is the best test prep. These opportunities, though, allow students to become acquainted with standardized test format and content so there is a degree of familiarity and comfort on testing morning.

Seeking Top Notch Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation are either required or requested from most college/universities as part of the admission and/or scholarship application.

While letters are only one part of a complete application and typically will not make or break an admission decision, they still are important in educating the admission staff about the kind of student you are and the qualities of academic integrity and community involvement you will bring to the college campus.

Here are some tips regarding letters of recommendation:

• Establishing a solid relationship with teachers must begin freshman year.
• Be aware of your actions at all times.
• Typically, letters must be from a teacher from junior or senior year who teaches a core subject.
• You may submit one extra letter from an additional adult (mentor, coach, pastor).
• Status of the writer is of no importance, what the letter says impacts admission decision.
• Letters should correspond with, not emulate, other aspects presented in the admission application.
• Think outside the box; a letter from a teacher in a subject that is easy for you is expected.

Questions to consider when selecting a faculty member to write on your behalf:

• What do you know about this teacher outside of the classroom?
• What does this teacher know about you besides your coursework in his/her class?
• What would this teacher be surprised to learn about you?
• What is your favorite thing about this teacher and his/her class?
• What is the most important thing you have learned from this teacher?
• What would you say to a younger student about this teacher and his/her class?

Once you know the teacher has mailed your letters of recommendation, make sure to send them a thank you note. Teachers often spend as much time writing a letter of recommendation as you will spend writing your college admission essay!

Getting Organized for the College Search Process

If you are disorganized during the college search, it will likely be an unpleasant experience for you and your family. Here are a few suggestions for optimizing your organizational skills and maintaining sanity during your application process:

• When you begin receiving mail (likely after taking the PLAN and PSAT), begin TWO...two piles, two boxes, two bags, or two bins. One for schools that interest you and one for schools that do not. Early on in the college search, sort through the materials at least once a month. You may see schools shift from one pile to the other.

• Grab a spiral notebook. Keep track of all involvement and awards. Include all of your community service projects, babysitting jobs and employment, leadership roles, and athletic endeavors. This will help later when you create your student resume listing all of your activities and accomplishments.

• As you get serious with your search, continue to sort through the incoming college materials. Once you have an established list of schools that interest you, recycle the other mail.

• For the schools to which you will apply for admission, create a specific organization system, whether a crate with hanging folders or a binder with dividers for each school. Any time you get mail from that school, include it in the correct location. Copies of your application for admission, as well as any communication you have with the school via email is also helpful to include.

• Create a master calendar for all admission, scholarship, and financial aid deadlines.

• Once you have applied for admission to a campus, it is imperative that you read the mail from that school when it arrives, whether by postal mail, email, or text. It is not enough to simply file it properly.

Maintaining an organization system throughout the college search will help ensure a less chaotic approach, better communication at home, and no missed opportunities.

Completing the FAFSA

The FAFSA is now available for high school Class of 2010 families to complete.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used by college bound students to apply for federal student aid including grants, work-study, and loans. The FAFSA is also typically used to apply for available state aid. High school seniors, you should have already requested a PIN for BOTH the student AND one parent. If not, that must be done prior to completing the FAFSA. You may request PINs at www.pin.ed.gov. The PIN will serve as your electronic signature and should always be saved in a secure location, treated as safely as your social security number. www.fafsa.ed.gov is the CORRECT website for submitting the FAFSA. Do NOT use www.fafsa.com or other similar sites. They are scam sites that charge you money to complete the FREE form. It is recommended that you complete your 2009 tax return before filling out the 2010-2011 academic year FAFSA. However, you do have the option of submitting your FAFSA using an estimate of 2009 income and tax information. If you estimate, you must log back in once your taxes are filed and correct any information that is different from what you originally stated on your FAFSA. Submit your 2010-2011 FAFSA online (or by mail) between January 1 and June 30 for the fall semester. Many states have earlier deadlines for state aid, and colleges/universities often have specific FAFSA filing deadlines, too, so be cautious about waiting too long.

One you have sent your FAFSA, you are invited to check the status of your financial aid application by selecting “Check Status of a Submitted FAFSA or Print Signature Page” under the “FAFSA Follow-Up” section.

You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) within three weeks (although usually quite a bit faster). Carefully review all of the information on the SAR to make sure that it is correct. If anything is incorrect, promptly follow the instructions for modifications. If your family has any special or unusual circumstances (such as loss of employment, extreme medical bills, etc.) that might affect eligibility for federal student aid, communicate directly with the financial aid offices at the schools you have applied to for next year. Many schools offer an appeal process, but it does require additional documentation from the family. Colleges/universities utilize the information provided on the FAFSA to craft financial aid packages, so it is vital that all college bound students complete this process.