DHHS Senior Newsletter

October 22, 2020

Hopefully everyone is making progress on their college search and application process. We are heading into the main stretch of admissions application and scholarship deadlines. Make sure you are paying attentions to dates. If any families need assistance, please contact Mr. Dusing. Parchment Upcoming Events If you need a personal October 29th: KHEAA Webinar Topic: FAFSA Frenzy: A FAFSA How To @ 12:00PM copy of your November 8: NACAC College Fair 2-10 p.m. ET transcript, or need to send a copy to a Random College Announcements coach, select “other” in parchment and : Personal Admissions Meetings are available, as well as virtual tours and enter the email In-person tours. address that you want : Recorded Virtual Presentation and Virtual Campus Tours are available. the transcript sent to. Eastern University: The application fee has been waived. Apply through their website.

Morehead State University: The application fee has been waived. Apply through their website and use CODE beaker2021.

University of Dayton: students are invited to apply for an Arts scholarship at the University of Dayton. These scholarships are competitive and worth up to $10,000 over four years. Incoming first-year, full-time students who enroll in a four-year program in Art and Design, Music or Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply for an Arts scholarship is Sunday, November 1, 2020.

University of Kentucky: For more information about UK, check out some quick facts and deadlines or watch an admissions presentation. Also, here is information on UK’s Test Option criteria for admissions and scholarships.

Western Kentucky University: There is a lot of good information, as well as deadline listings in the WKU Counselor’s Newsletter. Also, Saturday and Sunday tours are available.

College Visits

October 28, 2020: Thomas More University Virtual Visit during PRIDE  Any students with to participate need to sign up for the Thomas More University PRIDE Workshop. Students can use this link to attend the presentation.

October 29th: Virtual Visit during PRIDE  Any students with to participate need to sign up for the University of Kentucky PRIDE Workshop. Students can use this link to attend the presentation.

November 4, 2020: University of the Cumberlands Virtual Visit during PRIDE  Any students with to participate need to sign up for the University of the Cumberlands University PRIDE Workshop. Students can use this link to attend the presentation.

November 17, 2020: Gateway Community & Technical College Virtual Health Profession Presentation at 6:00  This presentation will review various Gateway programs in the Health profession. Click here for meeting link.

Need to link your counselor on Common App or a counselor recommendation?

Students whose last name starts with A-G ACT Nicole [email protected] There are many upcoming ACT test dates available. To register, go to https://www.act.org/content/act/en.html. Dixie’s school Students whose last name starts with H-P [email protected] code 180545. Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration

Students whose last name starts with Q-Z Dec. 12, 2020 Nov. 6, 2020 Nov. 7-20, 2020 [email protected] Feb. 6, 2021 Jan. 8, 2021 Jan. 9-15, 2021

April 17, 2021 March 12, 2021 March 13-26, 2021

Is my school Test Optional: Here is a chart (that I stole from another school) that breaks down which schools are test optional for admissions and scholarships FAFSA All students are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The FAFSA opened up on October 1, 2020. This application determines eligibility for federal and state financial aid, including grants, loans, and work study. There is no charge to submit the FAFSA. More information about the FAFSA, and access to the application can be found at https://studentaid.gov/.

FAFSA Completion Guide: This document will assist with preparing to submit the FAFSA. It identifies needed documents and directions on setting up your account.

If you missed the Financial Aid/ FAFSA Presentation by KHEAA on September 24th, you can watch the recording here. Passcode is @x$a6GeX.

If you missed the KHEAA FAFSA Assistance Night for Dixie Families on October 21st, you can watch the recording here. Passcode is h@8WUfPM

If you have any questions about the FAFSA, email our KHEAA Rep, Bob McDermott at [email protected]

Scholarships Scholarships will be posted to Dixie’s Scholarship Page when they are received by the Guidance Office. Please check this site regularly.

Also, check the scholarship page for each College and University. Pay special attention to criteria and deadlines.

Scholarships Available Financial Aid Webinars Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship KHEAA will be hosting a series of webinars to address Financial (Deadline: January 31, 2021) Aid issues. City of Erlanger Scholarship (Deadline: March 12, 2021) List of Webinars offered by KHEAA Rotary Club of Kenton County Scholarship  FAFSA Frenzy: A FAFSA How To: October 29th @ 12:00PM (Deadline: February 26, 2021) Please go to https://kygoestocollege.com/ to register. Pettable Pet Lovers Scholarship (Deadline: December 15, 2020)

Tips for Scholarships and Essays

Start your search early, you would hate to miss a deadline!

Find a unique perspective in your essay

Tell a Story with your application. Applications should tell a story about you that include your passions, interests, and personality. Find ways to show your story through your activities, your essays, and the classes you have chosen to take.

Take your time on the application. Colleges can easily tell who has rushed in an application, and who has taken time and thought about prompts.

Try to find ways to show us your true self – don’t just say what you think we want to hear

Let Colleges know what you are passionate about – what makes you want to get up in the morning? Let schools know about it even if it doesn’t fit into a specific box.

Explain any struggles that might be showing on your application. Schools want to know the full story so they can make an informed decision.

Develop your ideas for the main essay. A single-paragraph essay simply is not a sufficient response to the prompt that we have given you.

Tip: apply early! Applying early for scholarships will give reviewers time to really look over your application and get to know you through your application.

Look at scholarships as a job rather than an activity; it pays well! For example, if you spend 5 hours on a scholarship application, and get a $2,000 scholarship, that turns out to be $400 an hour!

Apply for scholarships at ALL SCHOOLS you are considering. You don’t have to accept any scholarships you win, and it doesn’t mean you are committing to the school to go through the scholarship process.

Apply to scholarships with essays. Less people will take the time to fill them out, which means you have a higher probability to win.

Really think about who YOU are, and why you want the scholarship. Try your best to show authenticity and your unique personality through the application.

Make sure you are explain everything in your scholarship application. Don’t use abbreviations, and explain your involvement. For example, don’t use S.A.D.D., use Students Against Destructive Decisions and explain that you were on the executive board which helped plan an entire school demonstration.

The things you are most passionate about, put on the top of your application. If you hide them within other activities you don’t invest much time in, it all gets lost to reviewers.

Traits to emphasize on Scholarship Applications

Intellectual Curiosity Open to New Ideas Community and School Engagement Self-Motivation Willingness to be Challenged Dedication Academic Excellence Engaged Learners Leadership and Involvement Reflection in Application Excellent Communication Skills Ability to Network Communication While these newsletters will be sent home periodically, sometimes there will be information that is time sensitive. I will post important information and announcements through Google Classroom, Twitter, and Remind. I encourage ALL students (and parents), to make sure they are signed up to receive the information.

Google Classroom Class Code: jcnhngh Students may also join the class by clicking here. Once they have joined, I can invite parents to access the site as well.

Twitter @DXCounselorMan

Remind App Please download the Remind: School Communication App from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. I can only have 150 followers on an account so I made multiple accounts. Please make sure that you sign up for the correct account. All information will be shared on all accounts. Parents: If the first Parent Remind App fills up, I will create another one. Please let me know if you need assistance. Students with Last Name A-G: Send a text to 81010 with the message @dhhsa-g Students with Last Name H-P: Send a text to 81010 with the message @dhhsh-p Students with Last Name Q-Z: Send a text to 81010 with the message @dhhsq-z Parents: Send a text to 81010 with the message @dhhsparent