Opportunities for Juniors and Seniors at UT

Upcoming Events

Bus Trips

The University of Tennessee will host the annual multicultural bus trip Sneak Peek for interested high school minority Juniors departing from Memphis February 27 & returning February 28, 2015. The deadline for students to return their transcripts and parent permission forms is February 6, 2015. This website has details: http://admissions.utk.edu/sneakpeek

The JUMP Overnight Visit Program will is the annual admitted senior minority student program that will take place April 10 & 11. The website will be updated soon: http://admissions.utk.edu/JUMP

Open House

The University of Tennessee is looking forward to announcing Spring Open House dates very soon for March and a date on campus for the Orange & White football game in April.

Summer Programs

Engineering

The University Of Tennessee College Of Engineering is hosting several week long summer enrichment programs for middle and high school students. Please share the website with interested students:

http://www.engr.utk.edu/diversity/

Business

The University of Tennessee College Haslam College of Business is hosting two summer programs for students interested in business. Please see their website for more details and share with your students:

http://diversity.bus.utk.edu/

Mailing List

All students interested in University of Tennessee should register online to get updates about admissions, scholarships, and programs

https://vip.utk.edu/register.asp

Scholarships!

Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship

Are you a minority student interested in studying computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science? If so, you should apply for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Go to their website for full details. The deadline is January 14, 2015.

************************************************************************************

The Community Friends of ICS Scholarship

Did you attend Head Start as a child? If so, you are eligible to apply for the Community Friends of ICS scholarship. 26 students will be awarded a $1000 scholarship. The scholarship requires a completed application and an essay on "How this scholarship will benefit me." The scholarship also requires a recommendation letter. 

Applications are due by March 20, 2015. Applications are available in the Guidance Office.

Be on the look out for more scholarships coming soon! Second semester is the "time" for scholarships.

Scholarships

Northwest Region-Mississippi Counseling Association Community Service Scholarship

• Current high school senior living in Northwest Region of MS
• 1 page, typed resume documenting extracurricular activities and community service projects
• Essay about a significant community service project and his/her role in the project and how this project changed his/her view on community service and/or volunteerism.
• Deadline March 10

2014 Jubilee College Scholarship-available to students planning to enter a science-related field

• Complete application
• 2 letters of recommendation
• One page typed essay to justify your candidacy to the scholarship committee
• Deadline January 31

Copies are available in Mrs. Brown's office!

Also, don't forget about the Get2College scholarship for Juniors and Seniors. The deadline is December 15. Visit get2college.org for the application. 

Dual Enrollment Opportunities for Second Semester

First semester is almost complete! For the next few weeks we will be involved in some type of testing so please make sure your student is at school and prepared for their test. These tests (Biology, English 10, Algebra, and US History) are required for graduation.  If you have questions about these tests please contact me or your student's teacher.


As we get ready to move into the second semester, please take a minute to look at the information about Dual Enrollment. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to get a jump start on college credit.

Dual Enrollment Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be a junior or senior
• 3.0 GPA

Admission Requirements:

• Completed Northwest Transcript
• Official High School Transcript
• Letter of Recommendation from Counselor

Lewisburg High School is offering four different Dual Enrollment classes. All classes will be taught at Lewisburg one afternoon a week from 3:30-6. The following classes will be offered:

Monday-English Composition II (must have English Comp I completed)
Tuesday-English Composition I (must have 17 or higher in English on ACT)
Wednesday-American History
Thursday-College Algebra (must have 19 or higher in Math on ACT)

The cost of each course is $220. Checks should be made out to Lewisburg High School. If you are interested in any of these classes, please talk to Mrs. Brown before Christmas break.


There are also Dual Enrollment courses available at Northwest DeSoto. Follow this link for a full list of course offerings. The same requirements apply to classes at Northwest DeSoto, however, the cost is not the same. Again, if you are interested in these course, please talk to Mrs. Brown as soon as possible.

Princeton Review and Recommendation Letters

The Princeton Review just published their list of colleges with the happiest students. These ratings are based on surveys taken by thousands of college students. Check out the article in the Huffington Post or see the full list by creating an account with the Princeton Review.

Juniors (and some seniors) if you need help narrowing down your college search take a minute to create an account with the Princeton Review. They have several "lists" broken down by academics, campus life, athletics, administration, politics, social scene, anything you could imagine! This is a great resource especially if you are looking at schools outside of Mississippi.

The Princeton Review also offers free online ACT prep classes. The next class is November 19. They offer one class each month. This is a great option if you cannot make the classes offered at the Get2College center in Southaven. The Get2College Center offers subject area intensive classes the week leading up to the ACT. Check out their schedule at Get2College.org

Finally, recommendation letter season is upon us. If you need a letter of recommendation from me these are the steps you will need to take:
1. Request a letter from me, preferably via email at least one week in advance.
2. Provide me with a copy of your resume and fill out the Jr/Sr Survey. I will email you the link after you request your letter.
3. Be prepared to give me details about the scholarship or program to which you are applying. Committees don't want me to re-write your resume; they want to know specifics about you and how your involvement has made the school/community a better place. Below are four questions I use to write your recommendation letters:

• How does this student balance academic achievement with school and community involvement?
• What is the one accomplishment, qualification or quality that sets this student apart from his/her peers?
• How has the student's school involvement made an impact on CHHS?
• How has the student's community involvement made an impact on the Olive Branch area? 

Scholarship Opportunities from Delta State

I just received this scholarship update from DSU. If you are interested in DSU, you can access the scholarship application here.

Academic Scholarships 2015-2016

Priority Deadline: December 1, 2014

Final Deadline: March 1, 2015

Note: Scholarship Application is attached. Please return scholarship application along with a 250 word or less essay and resume to: Delta State University ▪ Office of Admissions ▪ KWH 117 ▪ Cleveland, MS 38733

Delta State University Scholarship Policy: Institutional, foundation, state, and federally funded scholarships and grants are all subject to a maximum yearly amount not to exceed the actual cost of tuition, average room and board, and a $600 per year book allowance. Scholarships are applied to student accounts to cover institutional costs of attendance.

First-time freshmen:                                                                     year                                       Total

National Merit Semi-Finalist                                                              $3,750                                     $16,875

National Merit Finalist                                                                        $5,000                                     $22,500

Opportunity Award                             ACT 22-25 (SAT 1020-1160)    $2,000                                     $  9,000

Achievement Scholarship                   ACT 26-28 (SAT 1170-1270)    $3,006 (Half Tuition)              $13,527

Academic Excellence Scholarship      ACT 29-36 (SAT 1280-1600)    $6,012 (Full Tuition)               $27,054

Scholarship Guidelines:

1. A complete scholarship application (including resume and essay) is required for consideration: priority deadline is December 1, final deadline is March 1.
2. Scholarship applications are reviewed for freshmen that have been admitted to Delta State University with a minimum 22 ACT and 3.00 cumulative non-weighted high school grade point average.
3. The ACT/SAT composite score from a national test prior to enrollment is acceptable; super-scoring is not acceptable.
4. Scholarships are awarded to current year high school graduates only.
5. The FAFSA must be completed for privately-funded scholarship consideration.
6. Scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time.
7. Scholarships are available for undergraduate study only, up to the completion of 140 earned hours.
8. Scholarship guarantees may be paid with institutional, foundation or privately funded monies.
9. Dismissal from the University will result in forfeiture of all scholarships.
10. Scholarships are not available for summer sessions.
11. Scholarships are renewable each year based on continued eligibility (completion of 30 semester hours with a 3.0 DSU GPA).
12. Scholarship awards are dependent upon available funds; a limited number may be offered.

Salutatorian Scholarship

Award: 1 time award only of $500

Initial Eligibility: verification as indicated by official high school transcript, awarded to current year high school graduates. May be stacked with academic and privately funded scholarship.

Valedictorian Scholarship

Award: 1 time award only of $1,000

Initial Eligibility: verification as indicated by official high school transcript, awarded to current year high school graduates. May be stacked with academic and privately funded scholarship.

Privately Funded Scholarship

Award: varies depending on scholarship

Initial Eligibility: less than 140 earned cumulative hours, criteria as set forth by the scholarship donor. May be stacked with first-time freshmen academic scholarships.

Junior Opportunities and Blood Drive

Below is a list of opportunities for juniors. I know it seems early to start thinking about college or scholarships but it will creep up on you-just ask the seniors!

1. NorthCentral Electric Power Association spoke with your students today about their Youth Leadership Tour and essay contest. NorthCentral selects one student from each school they serve to go to Jackson, MS for a three day leadership tour in the spring, followed by a trip to Washington DC over the summer. This is a great opportunity for your student to enhance their leadership skills while seeing how our government works first hand. To be considered for the Youth Tour, students must submit an essay about electric cooperatives by November 26. They can turn essays in to me before we leave for Thanksgiving and I will make sure they get to the NorthCentral office. Each junior should have received a packet today with more information. If your student did not receive one, please have them come by my office to pick up a copy.

2. The Get2College Center in Southaven is hosting a scholarship competition for high school juniors. The application is very short; it only requires them to answer two questions and submit a resume. The deadline is December 15. Here is a link to the application http://get2college.org/north-ms-get2college-junior-scholarship/

3. The application for MS Governor's School is now available. Again, this is a great opportunity for our students to gain leadership skills and earn college credit. If your student applies, encourage them to print a copy of their completed application prior to submitting. We had a few students last year that had to re-submit their applications at the last minute because of technical issues with the online application.  The application and more information can be found on the MGS website, http://web3.muw.edu/govschool/apply. The deadline to apply is February 4.


In other news, Student Council is hosting it's annual Blood Drive Tuesday, November 25.  We encourage students and parents to give if you are able. Life Blood gives a scholarship (or scholarships) to a senior(s) based on the number of units we collect through our drive. If you have any questions about the Blood Drive you can contact Megan Chapman at megan.chapman@dcsms.org.

Have a great weekend!