Keeping parents and students abreast of what is happening with testing and other information relevant to college planning and admissions.
TESTING INFORMATION:
Register for the ACT at http://www.act.org.
Register for the SAT at http://www.collegeboard.com.
NRCA SCHOOL CODE: 343-223
*Please make sure to use this when registering for testing so that we receive
an official score report for your student. Otherwise, you will have to bring
a copy of the score report to the school.
SAT Dates and Deadlines
| Test Dates | Test | Regular Registration Deadlines | Late (fee applies) |
| 10/4/08 | SAT & subject tests |
9/9/08 | 6/16/08 |
| 11/1/08 | SAT & subject tests |
9/26/08 | 10/10/08 |
| 12/6/08 | SAT & subject tests |
11/5/08 | 11/18/08 |
| 1/24/09 | SAT & subject tests |
12/26/08 | 1/6/09 |
| 3/14/09 | SAT only | 2/10/09 | 2/24/09 |
| 5/2/09 | SAT & subject tests |
3/31/09 | 4/9/09 |
| 6/6/09 | SAT & subject tests |
5/5/09 | 5/15/09 |
ACT Dates and Deadlines
| Test Date | Registration Deadline | Late Fee Required |
| 10/25/08 | 9/19/08 | 9/20/08 – 10/3/08 |
| 12/13/08 | 11/7/08 | 11/8/08 – 11/20/08 |
| 2/7/09 | 1/6/09 | 1/7/09 – 1/16/09 |
| 4/4/09 | 2/27/09 | 2/28/09 – 3/13/09 |
| 6/13/09 | 5/8/09 | 5/9/09 – 5/22/09 |
Should You Take the ACT Again? (Info from ACT.org.)
They should consider retesting if:
They had problems during any of the tests, such as
misunderstanding the directions or illness. They ran out of time
during testing. They are not satisified that their scores
accurately represent their abilities in the areas tested. They
see a discrepancy between their ACT scores and their high school
grades. They subsequently complete coursework or an intensive
review in the areas covered by the ACT. They want to apply to a
college requires or recommends the Writing Test and have not
taken it.
TEST PREPARATION RESOURCES:
Mastermind http://www.mastermindprep.com
Sylvan Learning Centers http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com
-Spring Forest Rd. 954-1241
-Knightdale 217-0609
-Wake Forest 562-8180
-Creedmoor Rd. 844-3372
-Garner 498-2338
Kaplan http://www.kaptest.com
Scholarship info for Ohio Northern: Scholarships available to students with SATs > 1090 and GPA >3.2 to students with SAT > 1320 adn GPA > 3.5. See Mrs. Lilly if interested. ONU has Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering, Pharmacy, and Law.
Bluefield College Financial Assistance: offered to all incoming freshmen accepted prior to January 31. Guaranteed scholarship amounts up to $3,000 per year for the first 30 students who meet the qualifications, 20 $2,000 awards, 20 $1,000 awards. See Mrs. Lilly if interested.
New Scholarship Dates for ECU: The deadline for submitting completed ECU Academic Scholarship Applications has been move up to December 1, 2008. The form is available at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/admissions/apps.cfm. Click on "Download Academic Merit Scholarship Application." They MUST be mailed and cannot be submitted electronically!
Hollins University Scholarship Info: Awards available for leadership, science and math, and the fine arts for $5.000 per year. Contact huadm@hollins.edu for details. All materials due February 1.
Burger King Scholars Program: If you have a 2.5 or higher, work part-time an average of 15 hours per week 40 weeks per year, are actively involved in community service, demonstrate financial need, go to www.bk.com/scholars for info on how to apply.
Elks National Foundation Scholarship: Need-based scholarships through the Elks Lodge. Applications available at www.elks.org/enf/scholars. Contact Carrol Snodgrass at 919.847.1979.
Top students interested in Bates College should schedule interviews through Bates Admissions Office before November 15. (207)786-6000 or www.bates.edu.
Calvin College waives application fee through December 1. All applications are considered for merit-based scholarships. They offer "Fridays at Calvin" for visiting prospective students to experience the campus. Go to www.calvin.edu/visit.
Merit Scholarships at UNC Greensboro applications are available online at www.uncg.edu/fia/meritawards. Mrs. Lilly has fliers about the scholarships if interested.
10th and 11th graders: Please see Mrs. Lilly if interested in Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics.
Top students interested in Randolph College: Please see Mrs. Lilly for scholarship information. Nominations due by November 1.
Gates Millennium Scholars: One thousand students selected on the basis of the following criteria: 1) are African American, American Indian/ Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American, 2) are a citizen/legal permanent resident of US, 3) have unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher, 4)will be enrolling for the first time as full time student at accredited college or university in fall of '09, 5)have demonstrated leadership abilities through community service, extracurricular or other activities, 6)meet Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria. For more information call 877.690.4677 or email info@gmsp.org. Deadline is January 12, 2009.
Top students interested in th NC Teaching Fellows Program should begin the application process at www.teachingfellows.org. Deadline for submitted materials is October 17 by end of school.
FREE FINANCIAL AID SEMINARS: Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, NC is offering two free financial aid seminars on Tuesday Evening, October 7. The first begins at 7 p.m and the second at 7:45. These free seminars will be conducted by Anthony Gurley, Director of Student Financial Services at Guilford College. Mr. Gurley's children graduated from WCA, (a school much like NRCA) and is passionate about helping parents learn how to pay for college. The seminars are conducted during WCA's Christian College Fair. While most of these colleges will be in attendance at NRCA's College Fair the next morning, (as well as many public and non-religious private universities) I wanted to make you aware of this Financial Aid opportunity.
Top students interested in NC State can self-nominate for the Park Scholarship at www.ncsu.edu/park_scholarships/.
Writers interested in UNC-CH: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers full undergraduate support for student writers who win the Thomas Wolfe Scholarship. Complete information about this scholarship is available at http://english.unc.edu/creative/tws and questions should be emailed to TWS@unc.edu. The application deadline is November 2, 2008.
NC STATE PRE-COLLEGE SUMMER PROGRAMS: NC State offers pre-college programs in cultural education, design, engineering, leadership, math, science, technology, writing and more for elementary through high school. Visit the Office of Pre-College Programs website at wwwe.ncsu.edu/precollege or call 919.513.1370.
Residential Anatomy and Physiology Camps at Appalachian State University: for 9th through 12th grades interested in medical, therapy or science fields. Please contact Greg Landry at 828.262.7625 or LandryGL@AppState.edu. Go to www.AnatomyCamp.com for details.
University of Tennessee School of Music Auditions: Please sign up for an audition date online at www.music.utk.edu/future/apply_undergrad.html or call UT School of Music at 865.974.3241.
Army ROTC Scholarships: Information on this AMAZING scholarship program, available at more than 1100 colleges nationwide is available in Mrs. Lilly's office. Go online to find out more at armyrotc.com.
AXA Achievement Scholarship: For more information on this scholarship please go to www.axa-achievement.com. Apply by December 15.
Students interested in the College of Education at NC State: You can register to spend a day at State attending an admissions seminar, speak with current students, and ask questions by registering online at http://ced.ncsu.edu/student_services/spend_a_day_request.htm or email Jeffrey Leonard at jeff_leonard@ncsu.edu. There are scholarship opportunities available at http://ced.ncsu.edu/student_services/scholarship_info.php.
OUT OF STATE FEE SCHOLARSHIPS: The following schools offer scholarships that waive all out of state tuition fees for qualified students (these are the ones I am aware of; if you know of more PLEASE tell me): Louisiana Tech University (just found out about that one), Clemson University, University of South Carolina, University of Georgia. The qualifications vary from school to school: for instance Clemson requires around 1350 on the SAT while University of South Carolina requires around 1250 (but we all know that is because Clemson is a far superior university -- Go Tigers!) Contact the admissions offices at the respective universities to find their specific requirements. This is an incredible opportunity to consider some schools that may have never been considered otherwise.
UPCOMING OPEN HOUSES:
| Duke University: |
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING IN FOCUS Saturday, October 4 on campus 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. www.admissions.duke.edu DISCOVER DUKE PROGRAMS Duke Admissions officers, students, and alumni present info and answer questions about Duke, admissions, financial aid. To register visit www.admissions.duke.edu. Saturday, October 11...2:30 p.m. Buncombe County Libraries Lord Auditorium Asheville, NC 28801 Sunday, October 12...3:00 p.m. Sheppard Memorial Library -- Room A Greenville, NC 27858 Tuesday, October 14...7:00 p.m. Greensboro Public Library Tannenbaum/Sternberger Room Greensboro, NC 27401 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): |
Information Session Cary Academy Sunday, October 12...2:00 p.m. http://web.mit.edu/admissions/falltravel/ |
| NC State: |
Fall Open House Saturday, October 18 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for more info call 919-515-2434 or email undergrad_admissions.ncsu.edu |
|
NC State College of Natural Resources: |
Saturday, October 18 12 to 3 p.m. 1216 Jordan Addition Register online at CNR.NCSU.edu |
| Louisiana Tech University: |
October 18 Time out for Tech www.latech.edu/time-out-for-tech 1.800.528.3241 |
| UNC-Greensboro: |
Explore UNCG Saturday, October 25 Saturday, November 8 www.uncg.edu/adm/visit 336.334.5243 |
| NC School of Science and Mathematics: |
Fall Open House Saturday, November 1 9th and 10th grade students www.ncssm.edu/admissions register 9/5 through 10/17 |
| Bluefield College: |
Fall Open House November 15 www.livethechallenge.com |
| Sewanee: The Unversity of the South: |
Fall Preview Days Nov. 15 register online at www.sewanee.edu Multicultural Experience Weekend November 13-15 to register or for more info: www.sewanee.edu 800.522.2234 October 1 registration deadline |
ADMISSIONS TRENDS SURVEY RESULTS
The National Association for College Admission Counseling conducted a survey on admission trends. These are the results of that survey as published in SEEN, fall/winter 2007 edition. The chart below shows the percentage of colleges attributing different levels of importance to factors in the admissions decision last year, 2006.
| Factor | Considerable importance | Moderate importance | Limited importance | No importance |
| Grades in college prep courses | 75.9 | 17.4 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
| Strength of Curriculum | 61.5 | 25.3 | 7.6 | 5.6 |
| Admission test scores (ACT, SAT) | 60.4 | 27.9 | 7.3 | 4.4 |
| Grades in all courses | 51.2 | 36.4 | 9.5 | 3.0 |
| Essay or writing sample | 27.9 | 30.6 | 21.5 | 20.0 |
| Class Rank | 23.1 | 38.6 | 24.6 | 13.7 |
| Counselor Recommendation | 21.2 | 40.7 | 28.0 | 10.0 |
| Student’s demonstrated interest | 20.8 | 31.2 | 25.8 | 22.3 |
| Teacher recommendation | 19.5 | 41.1 | 27.8 | 11.5 |
| Interview | 10.4 | 23.1 | 34.7 | 31.8 |
| Extracurricular activities | 7.6 | 37.0 | 39.9 | 15.5 |
| Subject test scores (AP, IB) | 7.6 | 23.5 | 35.5 | 33.3 |
| State graduation exam scores | 6.3 | 13.4 | 28.3 | 52.1 |
| SAT II scores | 5.2 | 8.5 | 24.5 | 61.8 |
| Work | 2.9 | 21.5 | 44.5 | 31.0 |
SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES:
While you are busy gathering information for the application process for the schools you are interested in, take note of any scholarship opportunities that may be available for that school. Your test scores, GPA, and extra-curricular activities may not automatically enter you for consideration for merit-based scholarships. Many universities have separate applications that must be completed. Neither should you assume that you do NOT qualify for need-based opportunities. You can register your financial aid information on-line at www.collegeboard.com. You may also want to seek scholarship opportunities from sources outside of the college of your choice. There are a number of resources on the web to get you started. The largest free scholarship service on the net is FastWEB at www.fastweb.com. Also try Scholarship Resource Network at www.srnexpress.com. Remember, do not hesitate to call the financial aid office of the college or university you are interested in and ask for help.
ACT RESEARCH ON COLLEGE READINESS
Only 23% of students in NC met all four college readiness benchmarks on the ACT last year. Meeting these benchmarks indicates that a student has a 50% probability of achieving a B or better in the corresponding freshman level college class (College Algebra, College Biology, English 101, and Psychology or Sociology 101) and a 75% probability of achieving a C or better. The benchmarks are: English 18, Math 22, Reading 21, Science 24.
