Nov 12, 2006
- EVERY Bridge student MUST apply to ETSU. Please give us your ETSU application and we will pay the $15 application fee for you.
- Please visit the UB website (http://www.etsu.edu/ub) OFTEN and look under the Bridge section
- I (Rachael) will be out of the office (and probably not checking email) from November 10-19. AGH! If you have any pressing questions, please don’t hesitate to call me but please send all email inquiries to Stephen (hendrixs@etsu.edu).
- All seniors should register for a personal identification number (PIN) on www.fafsa.ed.gov. You MUST have a PIN to complete your financial aid application in the spring. One parent will also need to register for PIN. That’s 2 PIN numbers.
October 2, 2006
- Please send Rachael your current email address. You can email it to her at barnettr@etsu.edu
- Do not fall for scholarship scams. You should NEVER pay any money for an organization to "help" you find a scholarship. If they ask for money or guarantee a scholarship... it's probably a scam
- If you are interested in going to UT Knoxville next year, the priority early admission deadline is November 1. That's in ONE month folks! Students applying by this date will receive information concerning their admission status by early January. Students applying for competitive scholarships must submit completed applications for admissions and for scholarships by this date. The October SAT or ACT scores will be accepted for the November 1 priority application deadline.
- Thinking about attending Tennessee Technological University (http://www.tntech.edu) or Austin Peay State University (http://www.apsu.edu)? Then we have the trip for you! We are going on a college visit Oct 26-27 to visit both of these schools. Please sign up if you are interested as space is very limited.
- The most important thing to remember as a high school senior... ASK QUESTIONS!!!!!
September 1, 2006
- Tennessee Association of Special Programs (TASP) Merit Award. The award is for $400 which may be used to help with the costs of your college education in the fall of 2007. Please complete the scholarship application IN FULL and return it to the UB . Dr. Gross will write one of your recommendation letters, but you will need to ask another community member (outside of Upward Bound) to provide a letter of recommendation, as well. All application materials should be returned to the Upward Bound office by Friday, September 29. Click here to download a copy of the application.
- We will be taking an overnight college visit on October 26-27 to Tennessee Technological University and Austin-Peay State University. Watch for more details!
- Do NOT fall for scholarship scams this year. If ANY organization requires a fee to help you look for scholarships, it is a scam. That’s what Upward Bound is here to help you do. That information is free.
- REMINDER: If you want to take the ACT on October 28th, the DEADLINE is
September 22!! Don’t forget! If you need a voucher, please call us ASAP. All
seniors should take the ACT in October or December. That way you can take it
again in the spring if you want to improve your scores. DON’T FORGET THESE DEADLINES FOR THE ACT:
- TEST: October 28………………Deadline: September 22
- TEST: December 9………………Deadline: November 3
- TEST: February 10………………Deadline: January 5
- TEST: April 14………………Deadline: March 9
- TEST: June 9………………Deadline: May 4
Announcement from Rachael
August 1, 2006
Hello Bridge Class of 2007! I’m so looking forward to working with you all in the coming year. Your senior year of high school is one of transition. At times, it can be overwhelming and very hectic. Upward Bound is here to help you! There is so much important information to cover this year, but I have one very important piece of advice: listen up! We will be throwing a lot of information your way through school visit agendas (read them), newsletters (read them) and seminar sessions (attend them).
Here are some important pointers to keep in mind this year:
- Set reasonable goals when applying to colleges. Remember that many schools outside of Tennessee will require expensive out-of-state fees (and no Lottery Scholarship). Small colleges have a larger price tag, too, but are often flexible with negotiating financial aid. If a small private school offers you a $10,000 scholarship, that’s wonderful!! However, tuition may be $20,000 which leaves you with another $10, 000 to come up with.
- Just because a college sends you information in the mail and tries to recruit you does NOT mean they are going to offer you money to attend. Make sure you are aware of tuition costs.
- Beware of scholarship scams! You should NEVER pay a company to help you find scholarships. That information is free online and that is what Upward Bound can help you do. Do not throw your money away!
- We will constantly be giving you opportunities to apply for scholarships. Do not pass up these opportunities! It’s money in the bank.
- Be aware of your deadlines!!! For example, at ETSU, the scholarship office will award an academic scholarship to someone with a 25 on their ACT that applied ON TIME before they will award a scholarship to someone with a 30 on their ACT that does not meet the deadline.
- Don’t stress out if you do not have a major picked out at this time. You have plenty of time to decide. Be open to changes!
- Communicate, Communicate!! As we get close to next summer, there will be a lot of forms to fill out and paperwork for your Bridge summer. Please stay in touch with me!
- Every Upward Bound student must apply to ETSU to participate in the Bridge Program. The Upward Bound program will pay for your application fee to ETSU. We are not able to pay for application fees to other schools.
- Fill out an ETSU scholarship application even if you are not planning on attending ETSU! It’s not painful. I’ve seen so many students miss out on scholarships because they never applied for ETSU scholarships when they thought they would go elsewhere.
- HOPE: 21 ACT or 3.0 GPA—$3,300 for 4-year or $1,650 for 2-year.
- ASPIRE: Additional $1,500: Adjusted Gross Income of $36,000
- MERIT: Additional $1,000: 3.75 GPA AND 29 ACT (if eligible for both Aspire and Merit, you will only receive the Aspire).
- HOPE ACCESS: 2.75 GPA and 18 ACT AND Adjusted Gross Income of $36,000 or less. $2,400 for 4-year or $1,575 for 2-year institutions.