A Sunnyside Community Services Publication

AAAAHHHHH!!! What a hectic fall season! Completing applica-

tions, revising personal statements, scheduling interviews, taking

SATs, SAT IIs and ACTs, requesting teacher recommen-

dations, completing CSS profiles, meeting early deci-

sion/action deadlines... Whew! If you are a graduating

senior and haven’t begun the treacherous college admis-

sions process, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU WAITING

FOR?!?!?! Make your way to Sunnyside’s College Readiness Pro-

gram immediately for help! See you soon my malnourished,

stressed out graduating seniors! Tee Hee. Peter

THE COLLEGE FRONT

Greeting 1

Greeting/

Announcements

1

Timelines 2

SAT Questions 2

Interview Dos & Don’ts 3

9 Steps to a Great

Essay

3

New Ivies: 25 Hot

Schools

3

Scholarships 4

Inside this issue:

Volume 4, Issue 1 December 2006/January 2007

www.nymentor.com

www.petersons.com

www.collegeboard.com

www.kaptest.com

www.collegenet.com

www.nasfaa.com

www.fastweb.com

www.xap.com

www.efollett.com

www.aworkout.com

www.finaid.com

www.allaboutcollege.com

www.dictionary.com

www.campustours.com

www.usnews.com

www.students.gov

December 2nd to January 6th Weeknights 4:00-8:30pm

Saturdays 10:00am-3:30pm The time is now!!!

Important College Readiness Program Dates to Remember

December 25th— CRP Closed

December 29th—30th— CRP Closed

January 1st— CRP Closed

January 8th— Classes resume at SCS

January 9th— Classes resume at the Beacon

January 15th— CRP Closed

January 25th— Last day of classes at the Beacon for the fall

January 26th— Last day of classes at SCS for the fall

February 9th— Registration for Spring program at SCS

February 13th— Registration for Spring program at the Beacon

Important Application Dates to Remember

December 15th— CUNY Honors applications due

December 22nd—Last registration day for January

2007 SAT/SAT IIs

January 1st, 2nd, 15th, February 1st, 15th, & March 1st—

College application due dates

January 30th— Complete & submit CSS Profile

February1st— Complete & submit FAFSA

Mid-February— Check with advisor re: submitting

mid-year reports

(d) The South

(e) The Midwest

U.S. History

The introduction of canals, railroads, and new

factory technology in the mid-nineteenth cen-

tury affected which of the following regions

LEAST?

(a) New England

(b) NY and Penn.

(c) NJ and Del.

College/University Preparation Timeline

PAGE 2 THE COLLEGE FRONT VOLUME 4, I SSUE 1

December

Mail applications, or turn them in at schoo l. Beg in working with your parents on the Free Application for Fed-eral Student Aid form and CSS Profile.

January

File all federal financial aid forms and apply for state aid. Verify that all your applications materi-als have been received. Don’t give in to “senioritis.” Your admission is contingent upon your final grades.

February

Check with colleges/universities to make sure that they have all the documentation they require. Also, be sure your high school sends your midyear grades along to the colleges/universities you’ve applied to.

December

Review your PSAT results with your counselor and register for an SAT prep course. You can also im-prove your scores by reviewing previously administered exams.

January

Identify the characteristics of a col-lege that matter to you: size,

geographical location, aca-demic rigor, social envi-ronment, or diversity, to name some key exam-

ples. If you hope to play a sport and may qualify for an ath-letic scholarship, contact coaches at the colleges you’re considering.

February

Check with colleges that interest you to see if they prefer—or re-quire—the ACT, the SAT I, the SAT II or none of them. Most schools will accept either the SAT I or the ACT.

December

Discuss your PSAT scores with your guidance counselor, and figure out how to make improvements if needed. Look into possible SAT prep class, you may want to do more reading in your free time, take more challenging courses, or practice on old SAT tests.

January

Look into National Collegiate Athletic Association require-ments if you want to partici-pate in sports in college. Consider whether your experience jibes with your college plans: Do schools that interest you field teams in your sport? Do you have a chance of playing on them? Begin checking out community service and volunteering opportunities.

February

Teacher’s pet? Keep it up. You need teachers to write your college recommen-dations. Maintain a strong grade point average to allow better college options in the future.

Can you answer these SAT questions? See the next issue for answers.

If |–3x–7| = 5, x =

(a) –2/3

Critical Reading

Her scholarly rigor and capacity for

— enabled her to undertake research

projects that less — people would

have found too difficult and tedious.

(a) fanaticism .. slothful

(b) comprehension .. indolent

(c) analysis .. careless

(d) negligence .. dedicated

(e) concentration .. disciplined

Writing

Finland’s national epic, the Kalevala,

based on an oral tradition that the

Balto-Finnish people preserved for

some 2,500 years despite the upheavals

of history and the pressure of foreign

domination.

(a) based on an oral tradition that

(b) being based on an oral tradition

that

(c) is based on an oral tradition; this

(d) basing itself on an oral tradition

which

(e) is based on an oral tradition that (b) –4

(c) 4

(d) 2/3 or – 4

(e) –2/3 or –4

Math

Biology

During the process of respiration, energy is

transferred from glucose molecules to molecules

of

(a) ACTH

(b) DNA

(c) RNA

(d) ATP

(e) BCG

days before proofreading. Then, ask someone else to review it as well. Careless mistakes communicate to the reader that your work is sloppy.

6. Do choose strong words: expres-

sive verbs and descriptive nouns.

7. Don’t agonize over word choice

and style until the later drafts of the essay. If you focus on those things too early on, your ideas won’t flow.

8. Do use a catchy lead-in that in-

cludes a clear idea of your theme.

9. Don’t use fancy vocabulary just to

impress. You’ll make far more of an impression if your writing is simple and easy-to-understand. Though in theory, it might seem like a fancy vo-cabulary is important in an essay, in practice, it’s far from the most impor-tant thing.

1. Do be specific, personal and hon-

est. Surprise the reader and take chances to go beyond the obvious. Stay away from the overused “How my summer vacation taught me to be independent,” and try to come up with something more original.

2. Don’t be sarcastic or overly emo-

tional. Strive for a balance between fact and thoughtfulness.

3. Don’t try to be funny unless

you’re sure that others will appreciate and understand the context. Everyone has a different idea of humor and many essays backfire when the writer’s stab at comedy falls flat.

4. Do use imagination and origina-

lity, but don’t do anything too way out. Now’s not the time to start ex-perimenting with style.

5. Do put away your essay for a few

9 Steps to a Great Essay

PAGE 3 THE COLLEGE FRONT VOLUME 4, I SSUE 1

or a family drama- think long and

hard about whether you’re going to

mention it and how.

Be on time, even a few min-

utes early.

Make eye

contact.

Be passionate. Figure out

what lights your fire and then find a

way to talk about it. How? Hijack

the question. Try something like

this: ―I’m not sure how to answer

that question, but what I found fas-

cinating was _________.‖

Do what your mama says.

Keep your cell phone off for the du-

ration. Shake hands before and af-

ter. Write a thank you note the next

day- and remember to mail it.

Don’t wear a bathing suit.

While most admissions directors don’t

expect suits and ties, they don’t want

to see your most intimate tattoos and

piercings. Clean and presentable is

the way to go.

Do your homework. When look-

ing at colleges, one ivy-covered admis-

sions building can start to look like

the next. Before you show up on cam-

pus, try hitting the college’s website.

Don’t ask bad questions. Do

research on the school. Most questions

can be answered there. Ask questions

like: ―Can I double major and still

take a junior year abroad?‖ as opposed

to one like: ―Do you have an engineer-

ing school?‖

But don’t be overly personal. If

you’ve had some trouble in life– reco-

very from an addiction, mental illness

Boston College

Bowdoin College

Carnegie Mellon

Claremont Colleges: Harvey Mudd

and Pomona

Colby College

Colgate University

Davidson College

Emory University

Kenyon College

Macalester College

University of

Michigan at Ann

Arbor

New York University

University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill

Notre Dame University

Olin College of Engineering

Reed College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rice University

University of Rochester

Skidmore College

Tufts University

University of California, Los

Angeles

Vanderbilt University

University of Virginia

Washington University at St. Louis

Daylon E. Kinney Scholarship

Description: The scholarship is open to students who will

be attending an accredited college or university in 2006 or

2007. Applicant must write an essay in fewer than 600

words that describes your most interesting college spring

break experience. Explain how this experience influenced

your life and why you believe you are deserving of this

scholarship.

Deadline: December 15th, 2006

Award Amount: $100-$2,000

“Win $5,000—No Essay Required”

Description: The contest is open to current students who

are over the age of 15 and have completed a FastWeb

search. Applicant must be a legal resident of the 50

United States. Applicant will earn one entry into the

contest for every friend that is referred to FastWeb using

the online form.

Deadline: December 31st, 2006

Award Amount: $5,000

All-Ink.com College Scholarship

Description: The scholarship is available to students who

are enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited college

or university with a minimum 2.5 GPA, is a US citizen or

permanent resident. Applicant must write a 50-to-200

word essay on who has had the greatest impact on your

life and a 50-to-200 word essay on what

you hope to achieve in your personal and

professional life after college.

Deadline: December 31st, 2006

Award Amount: Varies

Dale E. Fridell Memorial Scholarship

Description: The scholarship is open to students aspiring

to attend a two- or four-year college. Applicant must

submit an essay on “Why is the competition of a postsec-

ondary program important to you, and what do you hope

to achieve once you get a degree?”

Deadline: January 14th, 2007

Award Amount: $1,000

For more scholarship opportunities, see

Peter or Carole in the college office.

Patricia M. McNamara Memorial Scholarship

Description: The scholarship is open to students who are

attending or planning to attend an institute of higher edu-

cation within a year of the award deadline. Applicant must

submit an essay in 1,000 words or less on the following

topic: “Define diversity including an experience in which

diversity has effected your life in a positive or negative

aspect.”

Deadline: December 31st, 2006

Award Amount: $5,000

Ronald Reagan Future Leaders Program

Description: The program is open to students who demon-

strate leadership on behalf of the cause of freedom,

American values and constitutional principles. Applicant

must write an essay describing their background, educa-

tional and career objectives, leadership and achievements,

among other criteria. Applicants will also be asked to sub-

mit at least two letters of recommendation.

Deadline: January 16th, 2007

Award Amount: $2,500-$10,000

AXA Achievement Scholarship

Description: Applicants are asked to describe in detail an

outstanding achievement they have accomplished in a non

-academic activity or project.

Deadline: December 15th, 2006

Award Amount: $10,000 -$25,000, a computer and

the offer of an internship at an AXA office.

High School Scholarship Program

Description: The scholarship is designed to assist high

school students of Hispanic heritage obtain a college de-

gree. Applicant must be a graduating senior, be of His-

panic heritage, a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident,

have a GPA of 3.0, apply for federal financial aid as well

as answer three essay questions.

Deadline: December 15th, 2006

Award Amount: $1,000 -$2,500