Sierra Club Summer Internship

A summer opportunity -

Working with Sierra Club's Inner City Outings, Building Bridges to the Outdoors, and Volunteer Vacations Programs, our lucky intern will make a video blog of their experiences and help raise awareness across the country of the critical work the Sierra Club does introducing youth to the outdoors.

The intern will get a $2,000 gift certificate from The North Face to outfit them with all the gear they need for their summer of adventure. We'll also cover all travel expenses and pay a stipend.

Applications are due by March 16th.

Cal Grant

Information about the Cal Grants program can be found here: http://www.calgrants.org/index.cfm?navId=10

Note that the deadline is March 2nd, and applying for a Cal Grant requires the FAFSA as well as a GPA verification from Oak Grove.

Cal Grants are one of the smartest ways to get cash for college. For starters, it's money you don't have to pay back. If you're a graduating high school senior or recent graduate, meet academic, financial and eligibility requirements and submit two forms by the Cal Grant deadline, you may receive a Cal Grant!

What is the Cal Grant deadline?
You must apply by March 2 to maximize your opportunity to receive an award.
If you miss the March 2 Cal Grant deadline AND you plan to attend a community college in the fall, you have until September 2 to apply. However, the number of Cal Grant awards is limited.

How Much Money Are We Talking About?
With a Cal Grant you can get up to $11,124 a year to pay for college expenses at any qualifying California college, university or career or technical school in California. Depending on which Cal Grant you get, the money can be used for tuition, room and board, even books and pencils. The best part is, it's yours to keep and you don't have to pay it back.

Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program

Here is another scholarship opportunity - http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=125

The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program (Scholarship) is a federally funded competitive program designed to promote student excellence and achievement. Scholarships are awarded solely on the basis of academic merit to recognize students who show promise of continued academic excellence.

This is for California residents only.

McDonald's Scholarship Opportunities

There are four scholarships offered - information can be found at http://www.mcdonaldssocal.com/scholarship-programs

Deadline is March 11, 2011.

104 scholarships of $2000 each will be given out to students from LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernadino and Ventura counties.

Scholarship Opportunity

Here is an opportunity that came through my email lately -

http://www.reaganfoundation.org/REAGAN-SCHOLARSHIP-PROGRAM.aspx
Deadline: March 18th

In its 12th year, the Reagan Presidential Foundation Scholars Program awards seniors graduating from Ventura County, Calif., high schools who exemplify outstanding leadership skills and personal character with $50,000 in scholarships annually.

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In applying for this award, candidates honor both our nation’s 40th President and his lasting legacy of leadership. Candidates must:

• demonstrate leadership skills and strong personal character at school, in the workplace or within the community;
• receive three recommendations by authority figures who have observed them in a leadership role;
• demonstrate strong academic performance (3.0 or greater GPA or equivalent);
• be a citizen of the United States of America;
• graduate from a Ventura County, Calif., high school in Winter 2010 or Spring 2011; and
• use scholarship funds for student tuition, room, and board while pursuing a bachelor’s degree at an accredited U.S. college or university in Fall 2011.

Happy New Year!

It's a new semester - welcome back!  Oak Grove's seniors are still in India and scheduled to be back at school on January 25th.   Being such a small school, their absence is very much felt!  I am looking forward to hearing about their travels and listening to their stories once they come back to school and are back in advisory with me.

While they are gone, Oak Grove is making sure that we send out Mid-Year Reports and transcripts to the schools that our students have applied to.

This semester my plan is to get into the eleventh grade advisory more often and begin some of the college search process with them, before summer break.  Ideally, the class of 2012 will return to school in the fall already knowing what schools they want to apply to. :)

Taking and Re-Taking the SAT/ACT

Students and parents often wonder if it's worth it to re-take the SAT, or to take both the SAT and the ACT.  Here is one perspective, offered in the blog The Choice at the NY Times: An Argument Against Taking (and Retaking) the SAT and ACT. 

I think the short answer is, as it is for so many questions in life, "It depends."  If a student scores particularly well on either test and is satisfied with his/her results, then great!  Why go through it all again?  On the other hand, maybe a 100-300 point increase is possible now the student has more math under his/her belt, or an SAT review course, or whatever.  Maybe they had the flu the day they took it the first time, or for some reason simply weren't at their best that morning.  Taking it again makes a lot of sense in that case.

If one test score seems much, much better relative to the other (ACT vs. SAT) then stick with the one that's better!  Not sure if the colleges in question accept the ACT?  Go to their web site and check out their requirements for admission.   (As an aside, some schools are even "test optional" meaning they don't require the SAT or ACT at all.)