COLLEGE COUNSELING

Contact rcraft@orangeburgprep.com (Rose Marie Craft, Academic Counselor) for any questions concerning scheduling, courses, scholarships, grades, or to schedule a conference with one of our teachers.

Here are some web sites to check out for financial help for colleges:

www.fafsa.ed.gov
www.fastweb.net
www.scholarships.com
www.sccollegeaid.org
www.gmsp.org
www.collegenet.com
www.che400.state.sc.us
www.wiredscholar.org
www.collegeboard.org

THE IMPORTANCE OF GPAs BEGINS IN THE NINTH GRADE...DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOUR SENIOR YEAR. Click here for more information on GPAs!

Reminders: Please make sure your student has applied to at least 3 - 4 colleges, especially if their grades and/or test scores are not stellar. The most popular colleges in SC continue to become more difficult to be accepted to, so other schools should be applied to as well.                                    

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Parents, don't forget to start working on your FAFSA so that you will be ready to submit when your W-2's are returned to with total yearly income. Check with each of the colleges that your student has applied to for their FAFSA deadline!
2. USC does have certain scholarships that students must apply for SEPARATELY from the entrance application process. There is an Alumni Legacy Scholars Award for those students who have a close family member who is a USC alumni AND have a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and at least an 1180 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT. There are also a number of other scholarships that you must apply for SEPARATELY, some whose deadline application date is November 15. Please come by OPS Guidance to see a listing of deadlines and requirements for these; OR go to USC's website-----www.sc.edu/admissions.
3. USC announces a new major! It is the Bachelor of Science in Information Science offered through the USC School of Library and Information Science. Information Science is the knowledge of how people create, access, use, store, communicate, or transfer info. Graduates may find employment in such careers as information architects, knowledge management consultants,  online researchers and/or analysts, or decide to go to grad school in the library and info science field. Students, when a college creates a new degree, this indicates that there is a demand for graduates in that field, which means a good-paying job should not be that hard to find when you graduate! This is not so in all fields of study! For more info, come by and pick up a flyer.
4. Seniors need to be completing their application to colleges NOW. Check out the application deadline dates for each. Also, download the form that Guidance needs to complete and deliver it to Guidance with your name filled in. We can then start our part of the process. In the meantime, begin your part of the application and submit.Also, make sure you have submitted your SAT/ACT scores to each college you are applying; colleges usually require the scores to come directly from the testing company (you can do this online).
5. The Wendy's High School Heisman Award application process is now open. Each high school will have one female and one male winner; this will be based on excellence in academics, athletics, and student leadership. To enter this contest, the person must be a high school senior, have at least a “B” average, and participate in at least one high school sport. To apply and to find out the prize details, visit www.wendysheisman.com.
6. If you have an interest in attending Columbia College, their freshmen scholarship info is worth looking at. If you have an SAT(reading +math) of at least 1300, you are guaranteed the Founders Scholarship, a full tuition scholarship. If your SAT is between 1180-1290, you qualify for the Presidential Scholarship, which is $12,000 per year for 4 years. The Trustee Scholarship is given to students who make between 1020-1170 on the SAT; this is $10,000 per year for 4 years. If you qualify for the Palmetto, Life, or Hope scholarships, these scholarships would be in addition to the above Columbia College scholarships! The college also says it has a very healthy budget for Art major scholarships, based on the quality of the student's portfolio and other factors.
7. PC also announces their establishment of a School of Pharmacy; it will open in Fall of 2010.
8. Students who are interested in applying to Anderson University can apply online free---no application fee!
9. If you want an early start on financing college, go to www.scstudentloan.org. This will give you an idea on what is available. Example: If you child is interested in teaching, search on this site for the TEACH program!
10. If interested in applying/attending Francis Marion University, the McNair Scholars Program may for you. If you are a SC resident, have a 3.0 GPA or higher, at least an 1100SAT, aspire to a career of public service, will submit 2 original essays, and will agree to participate in service learning and study abroad opps while you are at Francis Marion, you could be awarded the McNair Scholarship. The 2 winners will receive free tuition, fees, book allowance, and room and board for 4 years while at the college. The first step to this process is applying to Francis Marion. You may also want to note that you are interested in this opportunity when you send your application in to FMU.

college deadline/dates of EVENTS and admissions

1. DECEMBER 2008--Spartanburg Methodist College announces full tuition scholarships for those students who have at least a 3.0 GPA upon graduation. SMC also says that many of the students who qualify for the above will also be eligible for additional scholarship dollars, such as the $700-$1100 “Early Decision Scholarship”, or others, if the student's reservation deposit is paid before December 2008. Please come to Guidance if you are at all interested in this opportunity.
2. DECEMBER 12-- Deadline to bring payment--Tim Jantzi will present a 4.5 hour session of his "Strateies for Success" on Tuesday, January 20. This is a mini-SAT strategy session that has been presented here last year and was well-liked by the students. All juniors will be required to attend; also, sophomores that are taking either Honors Geometry or Honors American Literature are required to attend. In addition, any seniors who would like to attend are welcome. Please bring cash or a check written to OPS in the amount of $40 to the Guidance Office no later than Friday, December 12th.
3. DECEMBER 12--Coastal Carolina has invited you to take a virtual tour of its campus. The web address to do so is http://www.coastal.edu/admissions/virtualtour.html. Coastal also encourages students to come visit the campus; there are already tour dates set for December 12 and January 12. Admissions telephone # is 800-277-7000.
4. JANUARY 15--Furman University deadlines are as follows: Regular Decision—January 15. If you apply online using the Furman app, your $50 app fee will be waved; there is also no need to complete a supplement when you use the Furman app instead of the common app.
5. JANUARY 19--Converse College will have Senior Open House on Monday, January 19, from 9Am-2PM. Call 800-766-1125 or visit www.converse.edu/admissions/preview_days.asp. Campus tours are available Monday-Friday at 10AM and 2PM and on Saturdays at 11AM.
6. JANUARY 30, 31--Columbia College will be holding an Arts Weekend on January 30-31, 2009. Women in music are encouraged to interact with others in art and dance, attend performances and master classes, and audition for scholarships. Please contact Mrs. Craft in the guidance office ASAP if you are interested in attending.
7. FEBRUARY 1--Presbyterian College has announced the remaining application date. It is as follows: Regular Decision, Feb.1. Come by guidance for a description. Those applying by November 15 will have the application fee waved and be eligible for their Quattlebaum and Founders Scholarships and their Chinese Scholars Program.
8. FEBRUARY 10--A representative from the South Carolina Student Loan Association will be giving a presentation at Orangeburg Prep on Tuesday, February 10, in the multi-purpose room. Any parents of students in grades nine through twelve are welcome!
9. FEBRUARY 15--The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has a recommended deadline of February 15 for fall admission and scholarship consideration. Besides submitting an application, the student should also send a portfolio, audition or writing submission.
10. FEBRUARY 20, APRIL 18--Limestone College announces its Open House dates, Feb. 20 and April 18. For more info or an individual visit, please call the school at 1-800-795-7151 or visit the website at www.limestone.edu.