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September 2010

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graduation.xs Whether it’s university, community college, or trade school, helping your children navigate the next chapter of their lives is a great adventure and sometimes can be a great challenge. Included here are resources to help you and your child explore the resources and options.

Transferring to a University of California

Here are some websites which will inform you regarding the transfer process from community colleges to the UC's.
• Assist A broad look at transferring from a community college.
• How to Transfer to a UC.
• Transfer Admission Guarantees (UCs).
• Transfer Alliance Project. Cal doesn't have the Transfer Admission Guarantees, but this is the closest thing to it. The students involved in this program have an 80% admit rate to Cal. The lay out of the site isn't the greatest, but if you're interested you should give them a call to ask for more info. UCLA has a similar program.
• The Transfer Center at Cal. They have a great program called the Starting Point Mentorship Program (community college students get paired up with a current Cal student, that transferred from a community college, and are able to ask all the questions they want- a tremendous opportunity).

• ACT test & registration dates:
Test       Register By:
Oct. 23        Sept. 17
Dec. 11         Nov. 5

• SAT: Most students take the SAT for the first time during the spring of their junior year and a second time during the fall of their senior year
Test    Register By:
Oct. 9           Sept. 10
Nov. 6            Oct. 8
Dec. 4            Nov. 5

Mentors: Talking to Your Teen
from KnowHow2Go

It may not always be easy to talk with your teen. But it's important that you support your teen throughout the college planning process. Help him or her organize the process, meet deadlines and talk with the right people. Click here for a few tips to consider. (Offer in Spanish too)

AP (Advance Placement) Classes are they worth it?

AP can change your life. Through college-level AP courses, you enter a universe of knowledge that might otherwise remain unexplored in high school; through AP Exams, you have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities. By taking AP classes in high school you can save a lot of money by not taking the same courses in college.

The College Boards website can answer all your questions. What AP classes are there? What if my high school doesn't offer an AP class I want to take? How much are the AP exams? When are the AP exams?

The College Visit — does it do any good?
by Steven Winn, Chronicle Arts and Culture Critic

From a distance it looks like some stylized military exercise, or maybe an elaborate hazing rite devised for fraternity and sorority pledges. On college campuses across the country, large ... Read more on SFGate.com

SFkids Tip: Make college tour appointments early as they fill up. Make a schedule of the schools you want to tour and make a plan and timeline to tour.

Cheap Textbooks?
Purchasing textbooks can be expensive. We have a few cost saving tips:

- Purchase a used book on Amazon.com, Craigslist or an online resource.
- Rent textbooks from Chegg.com
- Purchase used textbooks from the school book store or post text wanted on the school bulletin boards or dorms.

Looking for Financial Aid for College?

Here's a list of web resources for financial aid and scholarships:

You can afford to send your kids to college!
Financial aid is available from colleges and universities, the state and federal governments, businesses, and other organizations.

• Families looking at college for next year, 2010-2011, are reminded that you need to fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. File it no matter what colleges you're applying to -- California public, out-of-state public, private. It can't be submitted until Jan. 1, 2010, but it's a big project and you should be starting early. In California, the deadline is March 2, 2010, to qualify for state assistance.

Check out the FAFSA4caster. You can use FAFSA4caster to learn about the financial aid process and get an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid.

• What is federal student aid?
• CalGrants: College seniors with at least a 2.0 grade point average can apply for grants to attend a qualifying California university, college, or technical school.
• California Chafee Grant Program provides $5,000 annually to foster youth for career and technical training or college courses.
• What is a 529 College Savings Plan? The Beehive offers clear information about strategies for saving for college.
• What is an Education Savings Account (ESA)? It is an account in which you may purchase investments such as stocks and bonds. As long as you use that money for valid education purposes, you will not have to pay federal taxes on it.
• Another way you can save for college is to open a UGMA or UTMA account. These options allow parents, grandparents, etc. a flexible way to give assets to a minor (child under 18) to use for college expenses.

SFKids Feature

Don't know the first thing about getting into college? Where to start in five steps: a guide for students and parents. By Caroline Grannnan

Learn about the University of California's "A-G coursework" requirements – the high-school classes UC requires for admission. That list is viewed as the gold standard. The California State University standards are . . . (click here to read the whole article.)

College AdmissionsTesting Information

• California Colleges answers questions on what courses to take in high school, visiting campus,
• Understanding College Admissions Tests, by GreatSchools.net staff
•The ACT Test: The ACT® test assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work.
•The College Board: Among its best-known programs are the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®).
• FairTest, The National Center for Fair & Open Testing: They work to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluations of students, teachers, and schools are fair, open, valid, and educationally beneficial. They offer information for K–12 schools as well as university level.

California College Search

• The San Francisco Unified School District has a page on their website with a list of local colleges and universities.
• Sallie Mae: The nation’s leading provider of student loans.
• University of California: information pages on admissions, applications, and an online counselor to help in the process.
• CSU Mentor: The California State University information page for campus information, admissions, applications etc.
• California Community Colleges: Bay Area colleges and universities, (916) 324-8593
• City College of San Francisco is a great two-year community college. Many students transfer from City College and go to San Francisco State or UC Berkeley.

Trade and Technical Schools
• San Francisco Technical Schools: a great listing of local colleges and institutes.
• California Vocational and Technical Schools

• Also check out the San Francisco Unified School District's School-to-Career Page. The SFUSD works with educators, businesses and community partners to provide all students a relevant education that includes awareness of and access to career opportunities, and preparation for post-secondary education and lifelong learning. The School-to-Career department coordinates Career Technical Education in the SFUSD.

Local Resources

• The San Francisco College Access Center provides culturally relevant, comprehensive college preparation information and assistance. Although open to the community, the program targets students who are from low-income families and who are the first of their families to attend post-secondary education programs. Services include academic planning, financial aid and college application assistance, SAT prep, scholarship search, and much more. They are located at the Main Library, 100 Larkin Street.

• High School and Beyond Career and Education Planner from the SF Public Library is a great resource to explore interests in a variety of careers, and find training for those careers. There are several trade school and vocational weblinks. Get resources on how to package your skills, market yourself, and find a job.

• College Bound, A Weekly Guide to Higher Education, from the San Francisco Chronicle.

• CollegeAdmissionsBeast.com is a personal blog written by a local San Francisco parent with admissions information, articles and resources.

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