DMCS SECONDARY GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT NEWS

REPEATING THE ACT ASSESSMENT

Students in ever increasing numbers are retaking the ACT Assessment. They do so because of a desire to raise their scores to meet the requirements of a certain scholarship agency, to meet college entrance requirements, or for their own personal satisfaction. However, it is rare when the score improves significantly. The average score increase is approximately 0.8.

There are no limitations on how often students can retake the ACT Assessment. However, because of the time involved, the cost of taking the test, and limited score improvement, repeating the assessment is a decision requiring some thought.

Students should consider re-testing if they:

1. misunderstood directions or did not feel well

2. are not satisfied that their scores accurately represent their abilities

3. have subsequently completed course work in areas covered by the ACT Assessment

If students decide to retest they should make the necessary effort to improve their readiness for the assessment. Some students find it helpful to order a copy of the test questions, a list of their answers and a list of the correct answers to help them analyze their mistakes. The fee for this service is $10.00.

Students who are planning to take the test twice are usually counseled to test in April of their Junior year and in October of their Senior year.

THE COLLEGE DECISION PROCESS

The following is the first in a series of articles on how to better prepare students and parents for the transition into higher education.

Before students get very far along in the college decision process, they should first address the following questions:

1. Why am I going to college in the first place?

The decision has often been made for them by others. Students often have no ownership of this crucial phase of the process. As a result, students vaguely believe this is even the best path for them to take.

2. Have I realistically assessed my academic skills?

Students must review their academic record and determine if it supports the educational goals being considered.

3. Have I made an accurate assessment of my career interests? Students who have made a career choice have made the college selection process easier. However, lets see what the statistics reveal.

--Fifty % of all college grads enter careers unrelated to their major

--The majority of college grads change majors at least twice.

--More and more students are taking 5-6 years to complete their BA degree.

4. Have I acquired basic time management skills?

Effective time management is required if students are to survive the freshman year. Getting up in the morning, getting to class, monitoring study time, and making certain that work is completed on time is essential.

5. Have I made any plans to meet college costs?

For some students the cost of higher education becomes a factor in college choice. For other students it becomes a barrier.

Senior students will try to work through these questions in classroom meetings with counselor Larry Milledge. Parents who have questions on any guidance matter are encouraged to visit with him on the phone or to schedule a conference.

CHOOSING A COLLEGE

Let's assume that your student has made the decision to enter college after graduation. You must remember that the college making decision is a process that is ongoing.

What should he/she be doing now in the early months of the senior year? Listed below are some of the things to be working on.

** Developing a "short list" of potential colleges. A good working number would be 3-5. Approximately 45% of college freshmen will drop out at some point in their college years. This can most often be attributed to making a poor college selection decision.

** Use all available resources to collect information about those colleges which are of interest. This would involve using college catalogs and other reference material such as the internet, attending a college fair, and scheduling visits with college representatives when they come to the school.

** Compiling criteria on what is important about the college that I choose. Examples might be; distance from home, size of the enrollment, religious affiliation and organizations, cost of the college, housing options, admissions criteria, etc.

** Now, try to get a "match" by rating the important criteria in each college on the "short list." This evaluation may reduce the length of the list.

** Schedule a college visit. Students should try to schedule a visit while classes are in session. However, many colleges now provide the option of a Saturday visit to those students whose schedule will not permit them to visit during the week.

** Begin to send out early applications. In addition to the admission decision, schools make use of information found on the application to identify qualified students of scholarship opportunities.

** Get educated about college financing. Parents may want to review the application form for financial aid to understand what kinds of information they and their student will have to supply. This form should be available in the guidance office by late November.

** Stay focused and keep working. Students who perform poorly during their 7th and 8th semesters may find themselves placed on "wait lists" or even denied admission.

Parents of college bound students need to be cautious when receiving mailings that;

1. promise to deliver scholarships
2. promise an increase in the financial aid package
3. want to recognize students and include them in a directory.

Parents and students must realize that most of these companies are simply trying to market a product and are not all that concerned with helping the student. These companies will deliver just enough to prevent them from being fraudulent.

Companies may charge fees ranging from $49.00 to several hundred dollars for services that the student and parent can often do on their own. Several companies lead you to believe that they will conduct a scholarship search for students when in reality all they provide are scholarship sources.

Many students in the Des Moines area have recently received a mailing inviting them to a financial aid seminar at no cost. However, at the close of the meeting they and their parents were asked to sit down with financial aid consultants who would help them complete the financial aid form. A substantial fee was charged by the consultant for this service.

Another company writes to students telling them that they are part of an exclusive group of students who have been nominated to submit their picture and biography for a Scholar Directory. The student is then asked to buy the directory. Thev most likely are neither nominated nor part of an exclusive group.

Parents and students should be very cautious when receiving that are filled with promises. Talk to a counselor and try to do some research before making a commitment.

It happens in millions of homes each fall as sons and daughters begin that Annual Rite of Passage known as Going to College. There is something adventurous about it, even romantic. It's almost ritualistic in our country, a sort of coming of age "going to college." Summer was good and you've given much thought about the upcoming "best 4 years your life." You've heard the myths and the stories about college life and you believe it all.

We hope you'll remember us and keep in touch
'cause we're going to miss you very much.

So you're ready for college. As you know many exciting challenges lie just around the corner. The first challenge you face is paying for college. And unfortunately, college costs continue to rise. But help is out there in the form of financial aid. Financial aid can help pay for tuition, books, room and board and many of the other costs of higher education. Most college students receive some kind of aid. All college bound students should apply for financial aid, even if they think they will not qualify. What exactly is financial aid? Simply put, its money--but not just any money. Financial aid is the money you and your family can get for educational expenses. It's designed to supplement the amount you and your family contribute. You'll encounter four basic types of financial aid; Grants, Scholarships, Work Study and Loans.

• Grants are typically awarded on need. Grants can come from state and federal programs and also from the colleges themselves You do not have to repay grants. The Pell Grant is the foundation for most financial aid awards.
• Scholarships don't require repayment either. You can get scholarships from many sources, but you may have to do some detective work to uncover them. One source that is often untapped is parents place of work. It is a myth, however, that millions of unclaimed scholarship dollars are just waiting to be won. Those who make this claim are usually scholarship finding services who are trying to claim a few of your dollars for themselves.
• Work Study is a federal program offering part time jobs on campus. Most schools limit students to 12-15 hours of work study.
• Educational loans are funds borrowed from a financial institution or the federal government. These loans have a very low interest rate and students do not begin their repayment until 6 months after they have graduated or left school. Parents and students should consider loans their last resort. Try to exhaust all other resources before considering loans. Loans may be necessary, however, students can leave school with a huge debt if they rely too heavily upon them.

How do I get started? The first step is to pick up a Free Application for Federal Student Aid from the high school guidance office. The FAFSA will require tax information that will determine how much money you and your family can contribute each year for your education. The second step might be for you to attend a financial aid meeting for senior parents. This meeting will be held at DMCS on January 6 beginning at 7:00 and will be conducted by a financial aid counselor from the Iowa College Aid Commission.

Paying for college brings anxiety into our lives but as a Christian we must remember that God has promised to provide for our needs. And that includes your college needs. We can jog our memory about God's faithful provision by looking at Psalm 139:13-16 and Jeremiah 1:5. We were never more helpless than we were before birth but God had his eye on us even then.