Weekly College Update

Dear Senior Thunderbirds, Snow Leopards, Huskies, and Bulldogs,

I have to say, I’m a little envious of you all right now. Next week when all of the adults at Summit are working on professional development, you all get the week off from school! It’s okay, you’ve been working hard and I’m glad you’re getting a chance to relax. I also hope you use this time off wisely to support your college goals for next year.

This week’s focus is making college part of your plans for February break!

Here are some suggestions for how you might use some of your time away from school next week to support your college process:

• Visit college campuses

  • Except for the President’s Day holiday on Monday, most colleges will be in session next week. It’s a great chance to get on campus and see what a typical day looks like for students. If you call ahead to the admissions office, they might even help you arrange to sit in on some classes.

• Work on financial aid applications

  • If you have not yet submitted all of your financial aid applications, take care of that as soon as possible! Remember, financial aid is first come, first served, so the sooner you get your applications in the better your offer will be. Everyone should submit the FAFSA or Dream application. Students applying to private schools may need to do the CSS Profile as well. And, don’t forget to create your Webgrants account after you submit the FAFSA so you can be eligible for Cal Grants, free money for college!

• Apply for scholarships

  • Remember that your financial aid offers from colleges may not cover all of your financial need. Scholarship money can help you fill in the gaps and take out less loan money. Deadlines are approaching for many scholarships for next year, so take advantage of this time to apply.

• Catch up on school work

  • I know, it’s hard to focus on school when you have time off. But, it will continue to be hard to stay focused this spring with all the excitement of graduation. So, use this time to catch up or get ahead before “senioritis” really takes over.

I hope your break next week is relaxing AND productive.

Ms. Hannon
Director of College Readiness
khannon@summitps.org

16 Scholarships Totaling Over $6.2 Million

Examiner.com recently featured this list of scholarships that together are worth a total of $6.2 million! All of them have deadlines in February or later. It just goes to show that there's still a lot of unclaimed scholarship money for college out there, so get busy applying today! 

Silicon Valley Community Fund Scholarships Now Open! 

Silicon Valley Community Foundation administers a variety of scholarship programs that grant up to $40,000 to high school, community college and university students. The majority of our scholarships are designated for current or former residents of San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties. Since 2007, our scholarship programs have awarded more than $11.2 million to help students pursue higher education.

Find a Silicon Valley Community Fund scholarship you can apply for byclicking here!