If you would like assistance with completing the FAFSA, please contact Miss Little by emailing [email protected] or by calling 744-1647 x3216. Appointments for help with the FAFSA are available during, before, and after regular school hours.
Haven’t completed a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) yet? There’s still time to get it done! Although the priority deadline for filling out the FAFSA was March 1st, students and parents have until June 30, 2016 to complete a FAFSA for the 2015-2016 academic year. However, it is best to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible as some funding is first-come, first-serve. By completing the FAFSA, students could receive grants, loans, or work-study to help pay for college.
If you would like assistance with completing the FAFSA, please contact Miss Little by emailing [email protected] or by calling 744-1647 x3216. Appointments for help with the FAFSA are available during, before, and after regular school hours.
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February is FAFSA Month! (Unofficially that is.) The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used by colleges and universities, the state government, and the federal government to help determine how much money they will contribute to paying for your student’s college expenses. With the March 1st priority deadline for completing the FAFSA less than a month away, it is important to start working toward getting the FAFSA finished. Not sure what you’re doing? No problem! There are several opportunities coming up where you can get help filing your FAFSA. Every Friday in February and March, MCC will be offering FREE help with the FAFSA during their FAFSA Friday sessions. These sessions run from 1-3pm in room 116A. Can’t make it on Fridays? A FAFSA Fill-In Night will be held Tuesday, February 17 from 6-8pm in the LMC computer lab at Reeths-Puffer High School. Stop by anytime during these two hours to get help completing your FAFSA. Please see the list of documents required by the FAFSA that you will need to bring with you to this event. (Note: Even if a student is unsure whether they will be attending college this fall, it is best to go ahead and complete the FAFSA now as money may be lost by waiting to apply. For students who have not yet applied to a college, they can list a college they are interested in on the FAFSA so their financial information will be sent there, and then they can apply to the college later. For students graduating in June who plan to start college in the spring or summer of 2016, they will still need to fill out the 2015-2016 FAFSA form which, again, has a priority deadline of March 1, 2015.) The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will open January 1, 2015 for the 2015-2016 academic year. All families with seniors planning to attend college next year must fill out the FAFSA in order to receive financial aid from the Federal Government to help pay for school. The state of Michigan also uses information from the FAFSA to distribute funds, as do many colleges and universities, making the FAFSA the #1 best way to get financial aid for college. To find more information on the FAFSA, you can go to https://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa . Students should fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible on/after January 1, 2015 as some types of aid are first come, first serve. To receive priority consideration for financial aid from the state of Michigan and from most colleges/universities in Michigan, you MUST complete the FAFSA by March 1, 2015. Starting in January, there will be several events taking place in the Muskegon area where you can get valuable information on financial aid and the FAFSA. To find a calendar of financial aid and/or FAFSA events happening in the Muskegon area, go to http://rpcollegeadviser.weebly.com/financial-aid-events.html . Have questions about college? Get answers! College Week Live will be hosting a virtual college fair next Thursday, December 11th from 10am to 10pm. Students will be able to chat live with admissions officers and current college students at over 80 colleges and universities. Participating institutions include Western Michigan University, Lawrence Technological Institute, Purdue University, University of Wisconsin-Stout, the United States Coast Guard Academy, Kent State University, and many more! There will also be live video presentations throughout the day on topics such as essay writing, test prep, and paying for college. To sign up, you or your student can create an account at collegeweeklive.com/MSUCAC Participating students will also have the opportunity to win a scholarship worth $2,500. For details on how to enter, go here: www.collegeweeklive.com/scholarships From today through Thursday, seniors and juniors will be able to sign up to go on a field trip to Muskegon Community College. The trip will take place Wednesday, November 19th from 9:00-12:45. Students will tour the College, hear from a few of the professors, play games for prizes, and be fed lunch. The cost is FREE. However, there are only a limited number of spaces available so it is important to sign up as soon as possible. Interested students must sign up in the Counseling Office by Thursday. They must also return a completed permission slip to the Counseling Office by Monday, November 17th.
It's College Application Week! If a student hasn't submitted an application already, now is the time to do so. One common reason why students don't apply to college is cost. They are concerned about the cost of going to a school or they are concerned about the cost of applying to a school as some colleges charge an application fee. It is important to keep in mind, though, that in the vast majority of cases no student pays the "sticker price", which is what a college looks like it will cost before financial aid has been applied. Therefore, it is a good idea for students to apply to colleges they are interested in and then make the decision about whether they will attend a college in the spring after they have received information about their financial aid package and any scholarships they qualify for.
If a student is concerned about the fee for applying to a college, application fee waivers are available to students who qualify for free/reduced lunch, are eligible for an ACT waiver, receive public assistance, are experiencing financial hardship (example: their parent lost a job), etc. Students can talk to their counselor or college adviser about getting a fee waiver. During College Application Week, some schools are also waiving the application fee for all students making it FREE to apply from November 3-7. A complete list of application costs and which colleges are waiving their fees during College Application Week can be found here: https://michigancollegeaccessnetwork.app.box.com/s/emhrbtf885g04kba3p7y October is College Application Month! Seniors, if you have not applied to a college yet, you should apply by October 31st. Applying by this date ensures that you are meeting most deadlines for maximum scholarship consideration. Applying early also means that you will receive an admissions decision faster so you can start planning for next year. Additionally, it lessens the chance that you will be turned down because a school runs out of space. In order to apply, you need to do a few things: 1. Submit an application to any school you are interested in attending. Leave yourself options by applying to 3-5 schools. 2. Make sure that all application materials have been sent including a completed application, your school transcript(s), ACT/SAT scores, and any application fees. (If you qualify for free/reduced lunch, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver from the Counseling Office.) 3. If you need a letter of recommendation, try to ask your teachers, coaches, employers, etc. for them at least 3-4 weeks in advance of the application deadline. 4. Revise and proofread any required essays. Have someone else read them also such as a parent, a teacher, or your college adviser. The most important thing is to APPLY NOW to ANY schools you are interested in. Sometimes students feel like they should not apply to a school either for financial reasons or because they do not feel they will be admitted. Do not let the cost of a school prevent you from applying. It is rarely the case that you will end up paying a school’s “sticker price” (i.e. what it looks like the school will cost before financial aid and scholarships have been applied). Similarly, do not let fear of being rejected keep you from applying as schools look at multiple things to determine your admittance. If you are a little low in an area, it does not mean that you will not be accepted. For those of you who need further incentive to apply, you could win GIFT CARDS or a $1000 SCHOLARSHIP just for working on an application. For more information and to be entered in the drawing go here: https://cappex.wufoo.com/forms/college-application-month-submissions/ On Monday, September 22nd from 6:00-7:30 pm, representatives from more than 50 colleges will be at Collegiate Hall on Muskegon Community College’s campus as part of Muskegon County College Night. During this event, which is free to the public, students and their families will be able to speak with these visiting college representatives and learn about the different colleges and what they have to offer. Anyone interested in attending college is encouraged to go to College Night as it is a great chance to find out about multiple schools all in one location. We encourage you to come prepared with all your questions about academic programs, financial aid and scholarships, etc. so that you can ask them directly to the college representative of the school you are interested in.
Also, try and take some time to speak with representatives from colleges which you may not have heard of before or may not have thought about applying to. They could end up being your dream school! Hello, Rockets! I would like to welcome you back to what will hopefully be another great year at Reeths-Puffer High School. For all of the freshmen coming to high school for the first time today, welcome! We are glad to have you here. I just want to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Miss Little and I am the new college adviser at Reeths-Puffer High School. I will be working in the counseling office throughout the school year. My purpose here at the school is to help all grades to plan what they want to do after they graduate from the high school. Maybe you want to go to a university. Maybe you would like to join the military. Maybe you want to start working as soon as you leave school. It is never too early and never too late to start thinking about your future. I encourage you to come see me in my office or contact me through email, phone, or via this website so we can start working on how you can be "Ready to Launch" when you graduate. I look forward to talking to you! |
AuthorHi! My name is Miss Heidi Little. I am a college adviser with the MSU College Advising Corps working in Reeths-Puffer High School during the 2015-2016 school year. Archives
March 2016
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