Mindak January Circle Call Notes
In the Mindak call, we spoke mainly of two things: Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Financial Aid:
FAFSA
There are some partner organizations such as TRIO Program that may aid with filing the FAFSA financially or with advice. TRIO Program requires that you are a first generation college student, low-income, or disabled.
Make sure you complete and pay your taxes as soon as possible! The form is sometimes due prior to when your taxes are normally done, but this is essential. If your taxes are not paid, your financial aid will not be processed till May, and this could lead to a lesser package.
DATA Retrieval Tool: this can be used two weeks after you send in the FAFSA. You probably want to do this or your form may be selected for verification (which is a much more strenuous process).
CSS Profile
There is a $9 processing fee and $16 for every school.
If you absolutely need it, there is a fee waiver for up to 8 colleges. This waiver is granted automatically based upon the information entered and is not applied for.
IDOC (Imaging Documentation Service)
This is an extra service that may be necessary. However, if it is, you will receive an email with the request to file it.
**More information on this process can be found on the previous post by Tammy Goerger specifically about financial aid.
Scholarships:
General:
There are some academic, some need-based, and some based off of community involvement.
If you are a direct descendent of a veteran, the American Legion is overflowing with scholarships. This does not have to be a parent-child relation.
Start Early! There are some October deadlines, and a few scholarships can or must be applied for in your junior year!
List of Scholarships:
National Honor Society
Gates Milennia (8 essays of 1000 words, 2 recommendations, 1 nominator)
FiSCA (April deadline)
Don't disregard "small," local scholarships. They can add up.
A list of scholarships both national and Mindak regional can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-cp_IB5ndQDNOcOzyW2YkHSddn_K4PMY4dTVhnkrpuw/edit?usp=sharing
Miscellaneous:
Common Application/College Applications:
Seriously start early, juniors. The common app opens August 1st and sometimes they reuse questions. The questions did not change between 2013 and 2014. If at all possible, start thinking of responses over the summer.
If the amount of essays feels overwhelming, don't worry! Start with filling in your basic information and then move on to the essays as you feel inspired. Personally, I always kept the questions with me until they were all written so I could reference them in the middle of class or wherever.
The hardest part is probably sounding unique throughout the essays. To help with this, spread out the essays and try to not fall into only throwing an essay together just to check it off the list. Always read and re-read your essays.
For your recommendations on the common app, waive your right to see them. Your teachers may show you anyway, but this shows the colleges that you are not influencing what the teachers write.
Interviews:
Many interviews are pretty relaxed and in places such as coffee shops, over the phone, or Skype.
The questions focus around who you are as a person and why you would like to attend X school.
You may have to lead the way if the person is quiet and does not as many questions. If this is the case, do not be afraid to expound freely on your accomplishments/reasons for X.
That being said, the interview process does not hold a lot of weight. Some people do not receive interviews, so it is usually not a make it or break it situation (unless your character portrayed in the application is completely different than your actual person).
Consider bringing a résumé and transcript. They may or may not want it, but at least you will be able to reference it if needed.
Resume
Write one up to have a list of your extracurriculars, academic achievements/honors, employment, and volunteer experience at an easy disposal for filling out scholarships.
This usually is not given to a school or a scholarship committee directly, but it is useful to reference.