One of the greatest investments a person can make is education for a chosen future, and the college fair is coming to Kauai with representatives from over 70 colleges able to answer questions about their school’s admissions process, scholarships and
One of the greatest investments a person can make is education for a chosen future, and the college fair is coming to Kauai with representatives from over 70 colleges able to answer questions about their school’s admissions process, scholarships and more. Students and parents from all schools are welcome to attend this free two-day event.
Day one is 4 to 6 Sunday at the Main Hall in Island School. It includes a panel discussion of admission reps from UH Manoa, Oregon, Cal Poly – SLO, Creighton, Santa Clara, Whitworth, and the University of Puget Sound who will discuss issues regarding admissions, scholarships, and graduating in four years.
A reception follows from 5:30 to 6 p.m. to have some personal time with individual panelists. This is sponsored by Lappert’s Hawaii and Island School. This event is an excellent opportunity to learn how to prepare for the admissions process, what is involved, and how to find scholarships. Questions are welcome. That’s what the reps are there for, so don’t be shy. This is very important for you living the life of your dreams in the most efficient and least expensive way possible.
From 9-11 a.m. Monday at Wilcox Gymnasium at Island School is the Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling College Fair. It’s impressive that over 70 colleges and universities will be represented on Kauai. Just imagine if all the students and parents had to fly to the colleges!
The three women who helped bring this fair to Kauai are Robin Pratt, Joan Shaw, and Patti Pears. They are all HACAC members. Shaw is the Island School college counselor and hostess of this event. Pratt is an educational consultant who volunteers at Island School and in the greater community, and Pears is an independent educational consultant, who is also a member of HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association). She works with families on Kauai and the Mainland to prepare students for college. Her website is www.123Admissions.com.
Patti periodically creates newsletters to help students and parents with various aspects of college admissions. Her most recent was “Tips for reducing college costs: Prepare for college early. Some highlights include:
1. Take Advanced Placement courses or community college courses while still in high school. It is possible to earn enough credit to skip a semester or more of college — saving thousands of dollars.”
2. Study hard for the ACT and SAT tests. Standardized test scores are a large factor for merit scholarships. Take practice tests and correct your incorrect answers. Also, free online test prep is offered at www.number2.com and www.knanacademy.org.
3. Keep up your grade point average. Students earning the most competitive scholarships will usually have a GPA of 3.5 (out of 4.0) or higher, and will have taken challenging coursework.
4. Research different schools before you apply. Get specifics on freshman retention rate, admissions criteria and take a virtual campus tour. Sometimes private schools can cost less when merit and need-based scholarships are applied.
5. Apply early for scholarships and be aware of deadlines.
6. Many local scholarships can be found atwww.haaiicommunityfoundation.org starting Dec. 1. They are usually valid for just one year. Additionally, national scholarships can be found through search engines such as Fastweb.com.
7. Public colleges offering tuition discounts through WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange) can be found at www.wiche.edu/wue/students. But be aware that the WUE tuition rate is not automatic. Some colleges limit how many students receive WUE awards each year.
8. The Free Application for Federal Aid, which is mandatory for need-based scholarships, becomes available Jan. 1, and needs to be completed each year at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
There’s more, and you can contact Patti at Patti@123admissions.com, or 634-9991.
If you were going to spend a lot of money on a new car, chances are that you would not just look the car up online and go buy it. You’d want to talk to a company representative, or sales person who can direct you to information about what you want to know, someone who was experienced in different cars, and loan options. You’d want to look at similar cars, and try them out. That’s why they have car shows. And the college fair is even more significant to you life! Hooray, the college fair is coming Oct. 25 and 26!
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Hale Opio Kauai convened a support group of adults in our Kauai community to “step into the corner” for our teens, to answer questions and give support to youth and their families on a wide variety of issues. Please email your questions or concerns facing our youth and families today to Annaleah Atkinson at aatkinson@haleopio.org For more information visit www.haleopio.org
