College Visitation Schedule

Quick reminder to our NHS students, the following colleges are visiting this week:

Tuesday        9/28  Pine Manor at 10am
Wednesday   9/29  Assumption College at 12pm
Thursday       9/30  College of St. Joseph at 9am (Rutland, VT)
Thursday       9/30  Worcester State University at 12pm
Friday        10/01   Fisher College at 10am

Get a pass during homeroom and come meet the admissions representative that will be reading your application!

UMass Amherst Field Trip

Our trip is full and we have 15 people on the waiting list.  Thanks everyone!

Nursing Programs in New England

Mrs. Baffuto has been hard at work compiling a list of colleges and universities that offer nursing programs throughout New England.  We enccourage our students to apply to as many schools as they can in hopes of gaining entrance into these highly competitive programs.  We heard that one school already had a full programs last year before their application deadline hit so apply early - by Halloween!  Nurses are in high demand but college training programs are small because their student/teacher ratios must be low and there are a limited amount of placements available at hospitals.  Just to give you an idea, last year UMass Amherst enrolled 4,500 students of which only 60 were nursing majors (average 3.8 GPA).  Worcester State University had 80 spots in their nursing program and had over 800 applicants! 

Massachusetts:

American International College, Anna Maria College, Boston College, Becker College, Curry College, Elms College, Endicott College, Fitchburg State University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (MCPHS), Northeastern University, Regis College, Salem State University, Simmons College, Westfield State University, Worcester State University, UMass (entire system), Community Colleges (all - though many have waiting lists)

Connecticut:

Central Connecticut State University, Fairfield University, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Joseph College, Southern Connecticut State University, University of Connecticut

Maine:

Husson University, Saint Joseph's College of Maine, University of Maine, University of New England, University of Southern Maine

New Hampshire:

Colby Sawyer College, Rivier College, Saint Anselm College, University of New Hampshire

Rhode Island:

Rhode Island College, Salve Regina, University of Rhode Island

Vermont:

Castleton State College, Southern Vermont College, University of Vermont

College Visitatation Schedule 2010-11

College Admissions Representatives come to North High during the fall semester to meet with interested seniors.  This list is updated frequently.  Subscribe to the blog or check back frequently to see if your school is coming.  If you are interested in meeting with the person who will read your application please get a pass from guidance either the day before or during homeroom the day of the visit.

Mon. 9/27   10am   Framingham State University
Tue.   9/28   10am   Pine Manor College
Wed. 9/29   12pm   Assumption College
Thu.   9/30     9am   College of St. Joseph, Rutland, VT.
Thu.   9/30   12pm   Worcester State University
Fri.    10/01  10am   Fisher College
Tue.  10/12  12pm   MCLA (Mass. College of Liberal Arts)
Wed. 10/13  9am    Newbury College
Mon. 10/18  8am    New England Institute of Technology
Mon.  10/18  10am  Boston University
Tue.   10/19  12:30pm Boston College
Wed. 10/20  10am  Anna Maria College
Wed. 10/20  12pm  Western New England College
Mon. 10/25    8am   St. Anselm College
Tue.  10/26  10am    Nichols College
Tue.  10/26  12pm   Fitchburg State University
Wed. 10/27  8am    UMass Amherst
Wed. 10/27  12pm  University of Southern Maine
Tue.  11/02   12pm  Suffolk University
Wed. 11/03   8am   Wheelock College
Wed. 11/03   9am   College of the Holy Cross
Fri.    11/05 10am   Baystate College
Tue.  11/09    9am   Southern New Hampshire University
Fri.    11/12  10am   Wheaton College
Mon. 11/15   9am    Becker College
Tue.  11/16   12pm  Mitchell College

Week of 9/13/20

GEAR UP Staff will be at a financial aid training hosted by MEFA on Tuesday 9/14/10.  On Wednesday 9/15/10 we will be volunteering at the United Way Day of caring. 

Don't fret though, the SAT waivers are good until the end of September for the October test.  See us on Thursday if you qualify for a waiver and/or you need assistance with registration.  Take care all,

GEAR UP.

College Spotlight - Rhode Island College (RIC)

Rhode Island College (RIC) - http://www.ric.edu/admissions/


Recently a professor from RIC mentioned that Worcester now falls into the Metropolitan Region making this college an affordable option for our students. The Metropolitan Tuition Policy (MTP) as defined on their website: (http://www.ric.edu/bursar/tuition_metro.php ) “Effective Summer 2009, students whose permanent address is one of the following Massachusetts/Connecticut cities/towns (http://www.ric.edu/bursar/tuition_MTP.php ) are eligible for a special tuition discount at Rhode Island College of the in-state tuition rate plus 50%.”

The 2010-2011 tuition and fees (http://www.ric.edu/bursar/tuition.php ) under MTP is $4,990.  Keep in mind the total does not include room and board, which for 2010-11 would be an approximately another $8,000 (see their website for exact pricing: http://www.ric.edu/bursar/tuition_room2010-11.php). This price puts RIC in direct competition with the Massachusetts in-state pricing structure.

Take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with the academic offerings of RIC. Here’s a small preview from their admissions website (http://www.ric.edu/academics/ ):

Rhode Island College offers more than 90 undergraduate and 30 graduate academic programs including a wide range of programs in management, education, nursing, and social work, as well as in the performing and fine arts.

TOEFL Fee Reduction Vouchers

Students that do not speak English as a first language will most likely need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  It has been my experience in Massachusetts that any student with ESL on their transcript or any student that indicates they do not speak English at home needs to submit TOEFL scores.  Some schools may waive this test if students have high SAT/ ACT scores, but not always.  Students need to check with each institution.  Seniors tend to be overwhelmed at the application process and skip over terms they are not familiar with.  This can lead to applications not being reviewed by colleges because until applications are complete (test scores received) they are not read. 

This is an expensive test, $170 in the US.  Unfortunately ETS only uses a fee reduction voucher as opposed to a fee waiver.  This means that ETS will reduce the cost of the test to $85 (which in my opinion is still a hardship for families that qualify for free and reduced lunch).  This is not a simple process and it takes quite a long time for students to receive their vouchers, another barrier to kids in a rush to get completed applications to colleges before the holidays.  This process should be done during the first week of school.  Vouchers are only available to students during their senior year.  In order to get the voucher students and counselors must work together and follow the steps listed below. 

• Counselor must print and fill out the TOEFL Fee Reduction Service Voucher: http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_fee_reduction_voucher_request_form.pdf 
• Student must fill out the TOEFL iBT Voucher Request form and return it to the counselor (or mail it directly to ETS) along with the $85 check or money order.
• The link for the country and region codes need for registration can be found at: http://www.nocheating.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/07_08_toefl_ibt_country_region_codes.pdf
• The link for the native language codes needed for registration can be found at: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/2009-10/iBT_NativeLanguageCodeList.pdf
• Once the student submits their form and payment it may take up to three weeks for students to receive an email containing their ETS identification and voucher numbers. 
• Once they have their ID and Voucher numbers they (or counselor) must call ETS at 1-800-468-6335 and tell the operator that you need to register for the TOEFL with a voucher.  Request the first available testing date.  Student should have a list of their top four schools they would like to send the results to at this time as well.
• If students are applying to more than four schools have them find out which schools require the TOEFL, some institutions may not.
• Finally, if you need some support I was fortunate enough to find an email address last year that was incredibly helpful: TOEFLFeeReduction@ets.org