SENIOR College Application Help Sessions

Seniors - if you are in the process of completing your college applications (or would like to start), come to the library after school the next two Wednesdays and I will help you with any questions you may have.  I'll be in the computer lab from 3:00-4:30 to assist you in any way that I can :)

What's new at the Mennonite Colleges

For those of you who were unable to make it out last week to the Mennonite College Fair at WMS, I asked all five colleges to give me a brief version of "what's new".   If you want more details, you can click on the links.

Bethel http://www.bethelks.edu/
*Mennonite Heritage Scholarship (guaranteed $40,000 in institutional scholarships over four years for ANY WMS GRADUATE)
*New Department Scholarships that can be "stacked" on top of academic scholarships
*New majors: Graphic Design and Sports Management

Bluffton http://www.bluffton.edu/
*Will reimburse HALF of your airfare (up to $500) if you pre-arrange a visit to Bluffton
*Performing Scholars (music) and math, physics, chemistry, pre-med, and dietetics departments
*New majors: Graphic Design and Public Relations and Strength/Conditioning and Sports/Recreation

EMU http://www.emu.edu/
*Last year's Nobel Peace Price winner, Leyman Gbowee, graduated from EMU
*New majors: Kinesiology/Sports Studies and Pre-Engineering

Hesston http://www.hesston.edu/
*Transfer scholarship available for students going from Hesston to any four-year Mennonite college
*New majors: Air Traffic Control and 3 year Registered Nurse (RN) program

Goshen http://www.goshen.edu/
*New and improved academic scholarships to be announced in November (check website)
*Environmental Science sustainability semester in residence @ Mary Lee Environmental Center
*New majors: Kinesiology-Exercise Science, Sports Management, Health, Physical Education

Mennonite College Fair coming to WMS this Thursday

This Thursday is the annual Mennonite College Fair at WMS.  All 8th and 10th grade students will have a structured college fair activitiy this day so that they can get experience talking to college admissions representatives, learn about college majors, activities, and admissions requirements.  The college reps will also be speaking at chapel, sharing their personal testimonies.  All WMS students and parents are invited to stop by the Student Center and talk to the college reps.  There is a sign-up sheet posted outside of my office if you'd like to reserve an individual appointment time during 3rd, 6th, or 7th period or right after school.  The colleges that will be here include:

Bethel  http://www.bethelks.edu/
Bluffton  http://www.bluffton.edu/
EMU  http://www.emu.edu/
Hesston  http://www.hesston.edu/
Goshen  http://www.goshen.edu/

George Fox University (preview weekend and visit to WMS)

George Fox University will be presenting here at WMS during lunch on November 15th.  They will provide lunch and give admissions and program information for interested students and parents.  There will be a sign-up sheet posted outside my (Darlene's) office when time gets closer.   In the meantime, if you are a junior or senior, you might want to consider attending the Bruin Preview, aka Ultimate George Fox Experience on November 8 and 9.  This overnight experience allows you to experience dorm life, food, classes, sports, and activities first-hand so you can see if GFU is right for you.  For more information, and to register, go to:

http://www.georgefox.edu/college-admissions/visit/bruin-preview.html

How to pay "in state" tuition at an "out of state" university

The Western Undergraduate Exchange helps students who want to attend an out-of-state school get "in state" tuition rates.  If you are considering attending a university in one of our neighboring states:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Not every university participates in this program, and you need to apply EARLY to get approved.  Check out more details at:

http://www.wiche.edu/wue

Interested in being a Healthcare Executive/Manager?

The American College of Healthcare Executives has an informative, user-friendly website that will give you more information about specific careers in Healthcare Management.  If you have an interest in management/administration and you would like to work in a healthcare environment, this might be an awesome career for you.  Check it out at:

http://www.healthmanagementcareers.org/whatis.cfm

SAT Testing reminder for Juniors and Seniors

Seniors - you should already have signed-up or taken the SAT this year in order to be on track for doing early applications.  If you haven't done it yet, you have until October 19 to sign up for the November 3 test day (late fee applies).  If you are not doing any early applications, you can sign up for the December 1 test day (registration deadline is November 1).

Juniors - please sign up NOW for the May 4 or June 1 SAT test day (the later the better).  If your SAT score this year is high enough, you will not need to take it next year :)

To register, log into your College Board account at:  www.sat.collegeboard.org

Canadian Mennonite University - affordable Christian education

Are you interested in studying abroad and going to a Christian university, but you think it's not financially possible?  Think again!  Canadian Mennonite University charges only $18,000 (Canadian dollars) per year for full-time students, and this includes the full meal plan, and full dorm fees.  Most students will pay significantly LESS than this, though, once financial aid and scholarships are factored into the mix.

There are four campus visit days coming up on October 19, November 23, February 1, and March 15.  These visits run all day and include the opportunity to:

* sit in on a class
* attend chapel
* meet students, staff, and faculty
* enjoy lunch in the dining room
* explore the campus

Also, if you apply to CMU by November 30, your $50 application fee is waived.  For more information, and to sign up for a campus visit day, go to:

www.cmu.ca/campusvisit.html

Montana State University Informational Meeting

If you are considering applying to Montana State University, sign up for a PIZZA PARTY information session for students and parents at Woodstock Pizza, 1045 NW Kings Boulevard in Corvallis this Thursday, October 18th at 6:30 p.m.  If you plan to attend, please RSVP by noon on Thursday to Heather Wofford's epmail:  heather.wofford@montana.edu

OHSU Dental Career Exploration Program

High school students interested in learning more about the field of Dentistry are encouraged to register for OHSU's Dental Exploring Program.  Monthly meetings are held at the dental school with emphasis on "hands-on" activities.  Application form and details can be found online at http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-dentistry/prospective-students/exploring-program.cfm

The first meeting will be November 7, 2012 from 7-9 p.m.

Young Entrepreneur Foundation Scholarship

Graduating high school seniors who operate their own small business are eligible to receive a 2013 NFIB award.  Seniors can apply online until December 17, 2012.  For more information, go to:

www.NFIB.com/YEA

George Fox University Theatre Scholarships

GFU Theatre features two different theatre scholarships:

Academic Theatre Scholarship application deadline is November 15, 2012
Artistic Achievement Theatre Scholarship application deadline is January 15, 2013

For more information and application, go to:  www.theatrescholarships.georgefox.edu

Parent Webinar Series

Take advantage of FREE webinars that offer practical information and advice for parents of high school students.  Webinars will be online Mondays at 4 p.m. and Thursdays at 6:00 p.m., however, you can visit the website to view archived webinars if you miss the "live" one.  Some upcoming topics include:

Finding Sources of Financial Aid - October 11
Making College more Affordable - November 12/15
Completing the FAFSA - January 14/17
Learning at the Collegiate Level - February 11/14

To learn more and register, go to:

www.cedarville.edu/parentprep

These webinars are sponsored by Cedarville University, a Christ-centered university in Ohio.

Willamette University coming to WMS

If you are interested in information about Admissions process to Willamette University, sign up to attend a lunch presentation this Thursday at the WMS Student Center.  The sign-up sheet is posted just outside my office door, and if you sign up before 12:30 tomorrow (Wednesday), they will provide your lunch :)

College Campus Visit Dates

Although you can visit colleges almost any time by contacting their admissions offices, sometimes it helps to do an "overnight" or "weekend" visit to get a real feel for what their campus life, dorm, food, professors, coaches, etc. are like.  Here are some upcoming visit days/weekends to consider:

Canadian Mennonite University (October 19, November 23, February 1, or March 15)
www.cmu.ca/campusvisit.html

Dordt College (October 12, November 2, November 16, November 30, December 7)
http://www.dordt.edu/admissions/visit

Calvin College (October 12, November 2, November 16, February 8)
www.calvin.edu/visit

Eastern Mennonite University (October 25, November 15, February 21, March 23)
www.emu.edu/campusvisit

East Coast University Information Sessions in Oregon

If you are considering attending an East Coast university and would like to get admissions and financial aid information without all the travel expenses, consider attending one of the following information sessions to be held in Oregon soon.  Click on the links provided to register for these events.

DARTMOUTH - October 24 at 6:30 p.m. at EcoTrust, Portland, Oregon
http://www.dartmouth.edu/admissions/nearyou/sessions_list.html?OR

DUKE - October 28 at 7 p.m. at the Portland Mariott, Portland, Oregon
https://admiss.ugrad.duke.edu/discover-duke/?id=182cc84d-3983-4eca-955e-8564caf4a7af

Credit for Proficiency in World Languages

English Language Learners can earn up to 2 years of high school World Language credit by scoring well in the SAT Subject Test in their native language.   The languages that are available are:

Chinese
French
German
Japanese
Korean
Spanish

If one of these languages is your first language, and you want to receive high school credit, you need to register for the "Languages with Listening" SAT Subject Test sometime before October 19th as these exams are only given once a year.  You can register by logging in to your College Board account (the one you use for your PSAT and SAT).  Most of you already have an account, but if you don't, you can create one by going to: 

www.sat.collegeboard.org

Upcoming College Fairs

Welcome back to school!  I can't believe it's college fair time already!  The first one coming up is thix coming Monday/Tuesday, and it's the Christian College Fair.  The closest one to WMS is at Rolling Hills Community Church 3550 SW Borland Road in Tualatin on Monday, October 8th from 6-8 p.m.  Admission is FREE and there is also a financial aid workshop.  For more information and a map, click on the link below:

http://myblueprintstory.com/christian-college-fairs/portland-south-or


Also, all of the WMS Juniors will be attending the National College Fair at the Portland Convention Center all day on Friday, October 26th.  We provide the transportation for the students, but parents are encouraged to drive up and attend the awesome parent workshops and talk to college admissions reps alongside their student.  For more information about the colleges and workshops that will be at this event, click on the link below:

http://www.nacacnet.org/college-fairs/FallNCF/Pages/Portland.aspx