NON Dual Credit Students

If you are NOT in dual credit courses and have not taken any while you are in high school, THIS IS FOR YOU!!!

Prior to enrolling in college, most students are required to take a placement test before enrolling in classes. The test is designed to measure skills in English and mathematics. The scores are used to determine the most appropriate course placement for each student. Some students may place into college level courses, and some students may need to enroll in developmental classes.

YOU need to check with the institution of which you are wanting to enroll to verify WHICH test they prefer that you take and the details of their TEST EXEMPTIONS. Students that scored high enough on their TAKS and/or SAT/ACT scores may be exempt from taking this test. Again, you need to check with your institution for particulars. Each school has their own policies and requirements.


Placement tests usually include one or more of the following: Compass, Accuplacer, Thea, Quick THEA. Some require prior registration for testing to take place.


TJC's testing center is a great LOCAL facility for you to complete these exams. Do not put this off until summer when your brain is no longer functioning properly!! :) Do it sometime this spring.
Here is a link for TJC's info on testing. http://www.tjc.edu/AvailableTesting/PlacementTestFAQ.php

Their phone umber is 903-510-2200... and ask for testing for hours of operation, costs, registration information, etc. 
Don't forget: You must check with your school to ensure you are taking the right test!!!!

Free study Guides: www.studyguidezone.com, www.testpreview.com, www.studytips.org, www.thea.nesinc.com/practice.htm.

TRANSCRIPT REQUEST

Don't forget that submitting your application is NOT the final step. ALL schools will require an official high school transcript. One that will be used for review now, and they will also require a final transcript to be sent upon graduation. DON'T FORGET to do this VERY important step. Deadlines are here.
PS. You can do this in the counselor's office.

Faulconer Candidates

Remember, the deadline is February 1st for ALL pieces to be turned into me! NO EXCEPTIONS will be made. You have had plenty of time.
One piece of advice.... if you will be the first to attend college in your family, address this in your essay!!

Scholarships

I know you are sick of hearing that word, but that's the NUMBER 1 requested piece of information.
LISTEN...are you listening??? OK, even if admission applications aren't dated until later, scholarship deadlines are often in Feb, March, and April at the latest. Money is first come first serve many times!
Example. SFA- scholarship deadline is Feb 1st!!! TJC is March 1st!
Be looking the sources I've talked about before, but ALSO the scholarship/financial aid website of the college(s) you are applying and would like to attend.

Deadlines

You need to be working on your applications for both admissions and scholarships. Deadlines are HERE! Now is not the time to slack off and allow your senioritis to take over.

Don't forget to be referring to your senior handbook and the scholarship section on our website (http://www.lindaleeagles.org/school/Lindale-High-School/Counselors). I am continually updating it as scholarships are coming in. This spring will be a happening time for the local organizations.

Also, remember that the FAFSA application is now available. Be in communication with your parents. Encourage them to be filing taxes as soon as possible. Once this is complete, you will use this information to complete the FAFSA application. EVEYRONE needs to complete this information as colleges often require to review this data before they will consider awarding additional aid/scholarships.

Apps to prepare for college - $4.99 and under

I'm not promoting..... just passing along information.

Juniors and seniors are either thinking of where to apply to college, taking an ACT or SAT, writing an essay or comparing their choices. So many decisions, so many costs! Here are a list of apps to assist, all under $6.00 (with two exceptions). Apps are for either the iPhone or iPad. 

Essay Apps
Essay Writing Guide $1.99 holiday sale- By arranging the elements of writing graphically around three wheels (Content, Style, and Organization), teachers and students are better able to visualize how the elements of writing develop style, coherence, and meaning.

SAT and ACT PREP
Complete SAT Free for iPhone or iPad. For complete course $24.99. Free app includes mini diagnostic test and topic videos.

SAT Math Pro Test $1.99 - 80% discount. This app covers 50 topics including detailed videos. 100s of original SAT math practice problems, nine SAT math tests and detailed reports.

Flash of Genius SAT Vocab Free. Use with iPod, iPhone or Ipad Written by Harvard and MIT Professors, this app adjusts the order of the flashcards to suit each user. It also inserts mini-lessons, so users learn the word roots, the connections between the words, as well as the words themselves.

SAT-ACT vocabulary builder $4.99 Phone, iPod touch, and iPad. 500 of the most commonly tested vocabulary words on the SAT® and ACT® exams. 1000 illustrative sentences, spaced repetition feature, automatic statistics, search features, quiz mode and more.

College Guides
College Search Guide Handbook $2.99 Includes over 3000. Information about each college includes:

• Degrees Offered
• Campus Setting (rural, suburb, large city, etc)
• Campus Housing Availability Information
• Student population with charts on diversity
• Religious Affiliation
• Credit Accepted
• Estimated Student Expenses for three years
• Financial Aid Information
• Enrollment Information
• Freshman Retention Rate
• Programs and Majors (students in each major)
• Varsity Athletic Teams
• Accreditation
• Campus Security Information for three years
• Federal Loan Default Rates
• User Reviews

Peterson's College Guide Free. Includes over 60 official data points on over 4,000 two- and four-year colleges in the United States. Search for the perfect college by any combination of state, size, tuition, sports majors offered or selectivity.

Budget and Financial Aid
Ace Budget $.99 For iPod, iPhone and iPad.  A personal finance app. Users create daily, weekly, monthly, semimonthly, quarterly, and yearly budgets and schedule recurring transactions, set reminders, view graphs, compare historical data, and more.

College Fafsa Finder Free.  Provides the most essential information for US college applicants around the world:

• Freshmen class academic profiles and estimated cost of attendance
• College contact information, including admission office information and website link
• Each college’s FAFSA code (public institution) or CSS code (private institution)
• Three ways to search colleges: by name, by FAFSA code or by CSS code. 

College Tools
College Survival Kit $1.99- Programs in the app help ease the stress of applying to schools. Users touch the control panel, choose the "Brain Wave" desired to improve their mental state. Also included are a personal alarm and memo pad. 

iStudiez-Pro - $2.99 I have recommended this app before as a back-to-school app. Helps users organize their schedule, follow up with homework, and summarize what has to be done.

Complete Class Organizer $4.99  Take notes while recording lectures and the audio syncs to the text. Manage homework and exam dates, store and calculate grades, and organize info for every class. 

Two Apps above $10.00
Fiske Interactive College $19.99 Students organize their college tour with built-in map function. Other features include:

• Locate critical school deadlines (such as application dates)
• Email admissions departments directly from the app
• Browse each college website
• Explore schools that compete with one another (“overlap schools”)
• Lists to narrow down your search
• Flag schools you’ll want to look at again
• Make lists of  “Safety Schools,” “Probable Schools,” and “Reach Schools”

High School Writing plus College Prep $17.99 College Prep writing app.  Includes a Live Help Desk to answer questions, lessons on writing many types of essays, brainstorming, dual-web browser view and more.