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Scholarship Gold Consulting- Helping students prepare for college and compete for scholarships
                                             Elizabeth Hartley, coach/consultant/author 
March 2013
Vol 2, Issue 1

 

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"College Wise

 

 a free monthly newsletter by Elizabeth Hartley,  

ScholarshipGold.com 

 

 Personal Note

Hi college bound friends- 

 

Happy Spring!  Many of you non-seniors are in the midst of SAT and ACT tests, preparing for AP exams, planning next year's courses while the seniors are hearing back from their last few schools, working through financial aid and making their final commitments to their school of choice.  It's an exciting and sometimes stressful time.  Keep communications open with your student to make sure they (and you) reason through these important decisions thoughtfully.

 

Students- As you plan your courses for next year, attempt to find that balance between challenging yourself and overwhelming yourself.  Colleges really do weigh the rigor of your high school courses as part of their decision process so choose wisely.  On the other hand, if you take a full schedule of AP courses, you may find yourself sleep deprived and miserable.  Excel in the areas in which you are strongest but don't feel like you have to be perfect at everything.

 

This is a time of year when I get to celebrate with my seniors- so many happy success stories and wonderful awards and scholarships- but I also encounter many families of juniors who are just starting to panic with the realization that the have a lot of work ahead of them and some complicated decisions.  I encourage you to keep the lines of communication open with your student, don't confuse encouragement with pressure and talk through the details together.  A well-organized system of deadlines and checklists can take the stress out of the process.  And, know that you have resources like me around to help smooth out the wrinkles and answer questions.

 

I hope you enjoy the information below!  Happy Easter!

 

 

  Elizabeth     color head shot

 

NCAA Rules Changing-  Prospective College Athletes Need to Get Informed

Any athlete hoping to be recruited to play for a Division I or Division II college needs to register with the NCAA on www.elgibilitycenter.org during their junior year. (Students who plan to play for a DIII school don't need to register.)  Your guidance counselor will need to forward your transcript to the NCAA and you will have to also send your SAT or ACT scores to the NCAA as well in order to be deemed eligible for recruitment.  You can also create a free online profile on such sites as www.berecruited.com.  

There are strict NCAA rules about who on a coaching staff can reach out to potential players and exactly when and how that contact can be made.  Recently, some major changes were approved to this process, although a few of them now are being revisited and revised.  So, be mindful of the fact that just because you knew the rules last year doesn't mean you're up to date this year.  

You can download the FREE NCAA 2013 Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete by clicking here and choosing the FREE DOWNLOAD button.  

Last Call- College Bound Essentials Class in Lake Wylie March 23
Essay Writing for Admissions and Scholarships April 14

 
 
College Bound Essentials!-  If you want an organized, extremely thorough workshop on preparing for and navigating all elements of preparing for and applying to college, finding scholarships and negotiating financial aid, then don't miss
College Bound Essentials on March 23rd from 9 am to noon.  Student admission is only $75 but parents are strongly encouraged to come along at no charge.  A large workbook for resources is included.  For details and registration, click HERE.  
 
Essay Writing for College Admissions and Scholarships-
 The majority of college applications will require between 1-8 essays and almost every scholarship application is equally as demanding.  A well-crafted essay often tips the scale in the student's favor!  Normally, I only teach this workshop in the fall, when students are scrambling to complete their applications, but for the first time, I'm offering to teach this class only ONE time this spring so that students can learn how to write them early and even complete many of them over the summer.  
 
So....Don't procrastinate!
 Use your summer to knock out these essays and reduce your stress next fall.  Click HERE for details and registration for the Essay Workshop on April 14th from 3:00-6:00.  

Reminder-  You can always find my upcoming workshops and public speaking engagements on the Events Tab of ScholarshipGold.com.

College Fairs THIS weekend - Don't Miss!

  

 

Natl Assoc of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) College Fairs are extremely well attended and host representatives from hundreds of colleges.  To register as a student who will be attending and/or to see a list of all of the colleges that will be present, click here.

 

When you go to a college fair (and I highly recommend them), it can speed up your time at each table if you take preprinted mailing labels to put on the colleges' contact cards. (Include name, school, mailing address, email and graduation year)

  

Charlotte National College Fair March 17th
The Park Expo and Conference Center
Charlotte, NC
12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m
 
Greater Raleigh National College Fair March 19th
Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, NC
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m
 

Register for SAT/ACT 

 

SAT TEST DATES:  Register 4-6 weeks ahead on www.collegeboard.com.
$49 to register, $75 if late
SAT DATE  
May 4th  -     register by April 5th
June 1st -     register  by May 7th

 

Not sure which test to take?  Take one of each and compare your scores.
013 ACT test dates
  (Yes, take  writing portion.)
ACT TEST DATES- Register 4-6 weeks ahead on www.actstudent.org.
 
April 13th  late registration going on now
June 8th    register by May 3rd
 
Practice Interview Question of the month 

Essays, admission interviews and scholarship interviews involve addressing questions that require reflection and self-awareness. Each month I provide you with a commonly used question for you to consider.  How would you answer this one?

"Tell us about a time that you encountered a person or situation that caused you to change your belief about something."



  

Helpful Websites

 

For a full reference page of helpful and (mostly) free sites and resources that I use frequently in my consulting, click here.   I like to pass along a good thing!
 
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That's all for this edition!  I hope this information will help you navigate your college admission and scholarship pursuits a bit better.  If there is a topic you would like me to cover in an upcoming
newsletter, please e-mail me at HartleyGold@yahoo.com and let me know!  
 
I work with schools, districts, homeschool groups and individual students with respect to being fully prepared for college admission and scholarship competition.  Visit my site at www.ScholarshipGold.com anytime to review my credentials, services offered and events planned.
 
If your organization or students would like to discuss these services, please e-mail me at the address above for availability and rates.  It's your future-- make it remarkable!
                                                                   

Elizabeth Hartley                 

Scholarship Gold Consulting                                         

 

704-608-1807
 HartleyGold@yahoo.com                                                  www.ScholarshipGold.com 

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