CUNY step by step application

Step by Step FAFSA Completion Instructions

COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER

Welcome to College and Career Center !

Welcome to the College Office! If you are a student then you belong here. Please come by to room 230 and see Ms. DiGiorgio to start planning for your future!  The college and career planning process begins in the 9th grade.  See me for a fee waive today.

Please look at the emails from my office for updated information. I will be sending emails through your  Google Classroom 

Check out the School Calendar for Colleges Visit  to meet YOU!

 

 College and Career Center

Ms. DiGiorgio , School Counselor

Aviation High School-Room 230

Parents if you would like to set up an appointment to discuss you child's college plans please contact
me by calling 718-361- 2032 or by email at scuervo@schools.nyc.gov to schedule a time and date.

Start your college search go to: 
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/  

Take a moment to review the attached college information and college handbook, as presented by Ms. DiGiorgio at our Parent Association Meeting. 

To see the presentation click here 

 

Click here to download the handbook  College Handbook 2024 1.pdf     

 

 


 

         

 

 

 

 

For the first time, SUNY, CUNY, and More Than 40 Private Colleges and Universities Are Banding Together to Waive Application Fees During College Application Month!

Este mensaje seguirá en español.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that over 130 colleges and universities throughout New York State will have free college application opportunities for high school seniors during the month of October. This is the first time that SUNY, CUNY, and New York’s private institutions have joined together to waive application fees for students applying during New York State https://www.hesc.ny.gov/cam 

Click below for the full announcement, waiver dates, and a complete list of participating colleges. 

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-application-fee-waivers-across-nys-public-and-private-colleges

 

**********

¡Por primera vez, SUNY, CUNY y más de 40 colegios y universidades privadas se están uniendo para eximir las tarifas de solicitud durante el mes de solicitud universitaria!
 
La Gobernadora Kathy Hochul anunció que más de 130 colegios y universidades en todo el estado de Nueva York tendrán oportunidades gratuitas de solicitud universitaria para estudiantes del último año de secundaria durante el mes de octubre. Esta es la primera vez que SUNY, CUNY y las instituciones privadas de Nueva York se han unido para eximir de las tarifas de solicitud a los estudiantes que presenten su solicitud durante el estado de Nueva York https://www.hesc.ny.gov/cam
 
Haga clic en el enlace de abajo para ver el anuncio completo, las fechas de exención y una lista completa de las universidades participantes.
 

Scholarships

Other Scholarship Resources

Many companies, foundations, community organizations and clubs sponsor grants or scholarships. Grants and scholarships from these private organizations are called outside, or private, scholarships. These can be big scholarships that cover a lot of costs, to small scholarships for books or expenses. Outside scholarships can be very helpful in funding your college education, but you are more likely to get financial support from the college or institution you attend. In most cases, you shouldn’t plan to rely entirely on outside scholarships to fund your education, but again, they can definitely help!

College Green Light- www.collegegreenlight.com for low income and first generation students

Fast Web - www.fastweb.com 

Federal Trade Commission Scholarship Scams Info - https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0082-scholarship-and-fnancial-aid-scams 

FinAid - www.finaid.org 

Free Guide to Financial Aid: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/financial-aid/financial-aid-for-online-colleges/ 

Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards  - http://www.hispanicheritageawards.org/ 

College Peas Scholarship - http://www.collegepeas.com/scholarshipgreen/

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators - http://www.studentaid.org

Higher Education Services Corporation - www.hesc.state.ny.us 

Scholarship Database - http://www.free-4u.com/ 

United Negro College Fund  - http://www.uncf.org/index.asp

Ayn Rand Essay Scholarships - http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_contests_%20atlas >

Black Alliance for Educational Options Scholarships - http://www.baeo.org/

Brand Essay Competition - http://www.instituteforbrandleadership.org/IBLEssayContest-2002Rules.html 

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation - http://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/

College Board Scholarship Search - http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp 

Easley National Scholarship Program - http://www.naas.org/senior.php 

Educator.com - Annual $2,400 Student Scholarship https://www.educator.com/scholarship/

Federal Scholarships & Aid Gateways 25 Scholarship Gateways from Black Excel -http://www.blackexcel.org/25scholarships.htm 

FinAid: The Smart Students Guide to Financial Aid scholarships - http://www.finaid.org/ 

Good Call - https://www.goodcall.com/scholarships/

Guaranteed Scholarships - http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com/ 

HBCU Packard Sit Abroad Scholarships (for study around the world) - http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/scholarships.htm

Hispanic Women’s Corporation - http://www.hispanicwomen.org/contentpage.php?id=10

Historically Black College & University Scholarships - http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/scholarships/hbcu-scholarship
International Students Scholarships & Aid Help - http://www.iefa.org/ 

National Assoc. of Black Journalists Scholarships (NABJ) - http://www.nabj.org/?page=SEEDScholarships

New Visions - Tons of Scholarships for NYC Students - http://www.newvisions.org/scholarships-for-new-york-city-students/scholarships-for-new-york-city-students

New York Scholarships, Resources and Information - http://www.college-scholarships.com/new_york.htm

Presidential Freedom Scholarships - http://www.learnandserve.gov/home/site_map/index.asp 

Scholarship & Financial Aid Help - http://www.blackexcel.org/fin-sch.htm 

Scholly - www.scholly.com

ScienceNet Scholarship Listing - http://www.cse.emory.edu/sciencenet/undergrad/scholarships.html 

Student Inventors Scholarships - http://www.invent.org/collegiate/ 

The Roothbert Scholarship Fund - http://www.roothbertfund.org/scholarships.php 

Tuck Sleep Foundation- https://www.tuck.com/sleep-scholarships/

William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship for Minority Students - http://www.apsanet.org/opps/

Xerox Scholarships for Students - http://www.xerox.com/jobs/minority-scholarships/enus.html

Financial Aid Resources for Hispanic Students -  http://www.onlinecolleges.net/for-students/financial-aid-hispanic-students/

New App for Undocumented Students To Find Scholarships - http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/04/03/new-app-helps-undocumented-immigrants-find-college-scholarships

 

Financial Aid

Financial Aid:

 How will you pay for College?

 You can begin to apply for financial aid. Go to www.FAFSA.ed.gov (This is a free application). The sooner you complete your FAFSA the sooner schools can provide you with a Financial Aid Package. Please note if you have not completed the tax forms for 2017 , when completing your tax information in FAFSA you can put your information for 2017 and select will file as an option. Schools will then give you an estimated Financial Aid packet, but you MUST go back and make a correction once your 2017  taxes have been filed to have the most accurate information.

 Do Not forget to also apply for TAP!

 

 Do you want extra money for College that you won't have to pay back??

 Check out the thousands of scholarships and grants available to you located in our office!

Click on the links below under Resources for more links to scholarships, and come by the College Office and ask to see our Scholarship book! Please keep in mind that there are numerous deadlines you must pay attention to!

 Examples of Scholarships!!!!!

CSO Opportunity Scholarship, Gates Millennium Scholars Program, Dell Scholars Program, United Negro College Fund, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund, GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship, KFC Colonel's Twitter Scholarship, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award, Scholastic Art & Writing Award, SAE Engineering Scholarships, and many more......

 Graduating Seniors please review the scholarship resource section.

Sources of Financial Aid Terminology

Grants are funds, often awarded by the college or universities, that do not need to be paid back. Students do not need to complete an application for grant monies, other than the FAFSA/HESC.

Work Study is a federal program that gives students financial assistance through campus employment.

Loans are a form of financial aid that must be paid back after graduation. Below is a list of loan providers:
  • Stafford Loans can be subsidized or unsubsidized. In the case of subsidized loans, the government pays the interest while a student is in school. For unsubsidized loans, the student pays the interest on the loan and can defer payment until after graduation. Stafford Loans are awarded based financial need.
  • Perkins Loans are awarded to students with exceptional financial need.
  • PLUS Parent Loan are awarded to parents, and have an interest rate higher than that of the unsubsidized Stafford loans.
  • Private Loans

Types of Aid Applications

FAFSA: Primary financial aid form. Required by all colleges for the financial aid process. Determines eligibility for need-based financial aid from the federal government (Pell Grant, Federal Loans, Work Study). Even if you do not qualify for aid, many colleges require the FAFSA to be filed in order to consider students for merit scholarships.

TAP: New York State Residents for NYS colleges only. Determines eligibility for need-based financial aid from the New York State Gov't (TAP Grant, Excelsior, Enhanced Tuition Award).

>> The easiest way to complete the TAP is immediately after the FAFSA!

CSS Profile: Required by many private colleges (list here). The CSS Profile is a longer, more in-depth financial aid form that colleges use to gather additional information about your family’s financial situation.

NYS Dream App: NYS DREAM Act is a new state program that makes undocumented students and others (including students whose custodial parents live out of state) eligible for grants and scholarships within New York State, such as the TAP and Excelsior Scholarship.

Information for Filing FAFSA (Students & Families, Class of 2023)


Step 1: Create an FSA ID for the student applying for aid and 1 parent. The FSA ID is the log-in information the student will need to begin their FAFSA, as well as the “digital signature” the student and parent will use to confirm their FAFSA at the end. 

Step 2: Gather financial documents from the year 2021. Your 1040 (federal tax form) from 2021 is the most important document you will need! The 1040 looks like this.

Step 3: Got to fafsa.gov (or https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa). Remember, it is the student’s FAFSA and the student should log in with their FSA ID to begin the process. NOTE: families must complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA not the 2022-2023 version (The FAFSA year matches the student's expected first year of college). 

Resources & Events for Completing the FAFSA!!!

Career Search

Career:

SYEP Applications are open!! Apply today

  •     Don't know what to major in when you get to College?
  •        Wondering which career choices are best for you?

 If you are wondering about which career path to take or you are wondering which colleges may have the programs you might be looking for, below are a few helpful resources that may assist you in the process of figuring out what to do.

Feel free to provide the College Office with some feedback on these links, and feel free to share any additional helpful links you've found that could help your classmates with their search on careers!

 Helpful Career related links

 *Career One Stop: Provides information about the different career opportunities and career paths one can take. Have an idea of what you want to do but don't know where to start looking for colleges? Career One Stop has a link for students under the 'Education & Training' tab. Follow the instructions below in order to view the schools that may have the programs or occupations you may be interested in. It provides you with the list of schools in each state that has the program(s) you are looking for. It also provides a link to the schools admissions process.

            Follow these steps:

  1. Click on Education + training
  2. Select  Programs at colleges
  3. Select Education and Training finder
  4. Under Occupations browse or include key words with the occupations you are looking for
  5. Select the state you are interested in attending
  6. Browse the list of schools that appear with your intended major and/or occupation.

     Explore career- Careerzone.org this site assists students with exploring different careers and provides additional resources that could help you figure out the best career path for you.

Mapping  Your Future- Provides resources for students, families, and educators about career selection, career awareness, college planning, and other supportive tools. 'Explore Careers' tab has free tools that help students make the right choices with a link to assess skills and interests, develop career plans, resources about finding work, and additional guidance and job search resources.

NY Career Zone-  NYCareerZone is an online resource that aides with career exploration and planning. It includes current job market information based on the information from the NYS Department of Labor. Link also includes self- assessments and specific information about the careers that exist today.

O*Net- Provides information on a myriad of occupations that exist in the workforce today. Provides skills and interests self assessments, as well as additional resources that may help with your career search.

Careers  in the Military-  This link provides information for students inquiring about specific careers with the Army, Navy, Air force,  Marine Corps, Coast Guard and  National Guard. This is an opportunity to explore careers as well as information on job requirements and training needed for selected career paths.

 

NEWS

REMINDERS AND RECENT NEWS

Recent Scholarship opportunities


Excelsior scholarship opens on May 23rd. 

HESC.org - the STEM scholarship, Excelsior and the more

      BigFuture.org is a great resource please use it, it is extremely helps, see you in September

 

Gates scholarship is back.

A list of scholarships are in the college office.

Online winter break pre-college courses

Share with your high school students

The University of Rochester has an inspiring program for motivated high school students this winter break.

We are offering a selection of our popular online courses designed for students ages 13 and older to help them prepare for college and beyond during their time off.

We promise your students a stimulating experience. Rochester is a leading research university, with a tradition of breaking boundaries—always pushing and questioning, learning and unlearning. We transform ideas into enterprises that create value for our changing world.

Please share this email with your students so they can use their winter break to get ahead.

 

View our winter break courses <>

 

 
   
Sincerely,Robert AlexanderDean of Admissions, The University of Rochester

 

You will be getting emails from the college office with new scholarships regularly, so read the emails from Ms. DiGiorgio

 

 

 Register to Collegeweeklive.com for live chats with admission counselor's and virtual tours of colleges.

 

Update News

CLASS of 2023- College Acceptance Results

NYU, Hamilton College, Cornell University, Columbia University, Boston University, Vanderbilt University, University of Wisconsin - Madison, United States Air Force Academy, Lehigh University, John Hopkins University, University of Notre Dame, Becknell University, Case Western University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union College, Binghamton University, University at Buffalo, University at Albany, Fordham University, Salve Regina University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, University at Delaware, University of Connecticut, Valparaiso University, Hunter College, Baruch College - City College of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Manhattan College,  St. John's University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, St. Joseph University, SUNY Farmingdale,  SUNY College at Plattsburg, SUNY College of Brockport, Vaughn College of Technology, Adelphi University

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Please stop by my office to let me know where you were accepted to and will be attending. 

 

Class of 2024 WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

 

 

Announcements

Announcement

Hi  Seniors -  As we move into the end of the year, I am sending a few key reminders please check your Google Classroom Please stop by or email me if you have any questions.

👀 Keep Your Eyes Out for Admissions decisions!
It’s that time of year -- regular decision admissions results starting the next couple weeks and through mid-April. Please follow these reminders...

  • If you heard a denial, remember, the most competitive colleges are receiving applications from top students around the world and are only admitting a small percentage. But, no matter what, I know rejection always hurts. I have tissues in my office, and I am happy to talk through the emotions and plan for next steps. More on next steps for waitlist/deferrals below.
 
📄 Check for any missing documents - admissions or financial!
Again, at this point, colleges are in the final decisions about admissions. PLEASE check your email & admissions portals to see if any necessary items are missing and follow up to complete these. Colleges may also add items - such as scholarship applications - through email or portals. Make sure you are frequently checking for any updates or changes.

💗💗  Get Ready to Make Your Choice. 
As you get admissions results, you’ll want to begin reviewing your options for after high school. Make a list of pros and cons, and begin getting more information. Many colleges have Admitted Student’s Days or other events to help you get to know the school, either on campus, virtual, or sometimes receptions in New York City. But remember, don't rush your decision. YOU DON'T NEED TO COMMIT UNTIL MAY 1

💸💸 Review & Compare Your Aid Award Letters
Colleges provide financial aid award letters that explain their costs, the financial aid and scholarship, as well as loans that students and families are being offered. Unfortunately, sometimes these letters can be confusing and sometimes purposefully deceptive. 
 
💰💰Upcoming Outside Scholarship Apps
I've been updating a list of scholarships on this google page.(scroll down to see the posting of any new scholarship!)
 
✏ Following Up on Deferrals & Waitlists
If you have heard back and you were deferred or waitlisted, get ready to send more information to the institution. You can update them on academics, internship experiences, and more and reaffirm your interest in that institution!

 Continued Interest Letter Formats

As well, if the financial aid award you received is not sufficient -- and your family has a legitimate reason that you think you were not given enough aid (loss of job/change in income, additional unconsidered family circumstance) you can "appeal" for more aid. You can also appeal for more merit income, if the college often offers merit income to students.

Sample Need-Based & Merit-Based Fin aid appeals here:

 Sample Financial Aid Formats
Additional tips for appealing here.
 
💲💲Complete Your TAP Application (NYS Aid)
Many students have still not completed their TAP Grant application (an application for New York State Aid grant, free $ that can be applied to any New York State public or private college). It is recommended you complete the application NOW. If you haven't completed your TAP, you may have received an email notification from HESC, the organization that runs the TAP grant program. 
 
Direct Link to the TAP Application: https://webapps.hesc.ny.gov/hescpin/main
Who should complete the TAP Application: Students considering attending any college in New York City/State (public or private) whose family income is less than $80,000 a year, students interested in the Excelsior Scholarship (free tuition at SUNY + CUNY for families making less than $125,000 a year - TAP is a first step to later complete Excelsior), and students considering Macaulay Honors college.

Tips for completing the TAP: 
  • Click "Start My Application" then click the blue link that says "First Time Users Click Here to Register With HESC" to set up your account.
  • Much of your information will be automatically input from the FAFSA. The application is short, and usually takes 15-20 minutes.
  • You'll need your parents' 2021 New York State taxes (NY-201, tax form with a little picture of NYS in the corner) to complete the TAP.
  • Remember, you can only add one college to your TAP right now, and it doesn’t matter what that college is (as long as it’s located in New York). When you make a decision at the end of April about where you will attend, you will log back into your TAP application and enter the correct college.
  • More information can be found here. To "sign" the TAP at the end, your parents need their driver's license number OR you can print out and hand sign the paper. 
  • If you need to upload a supporting document, go to this direct link!
AGAIN PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAILS + PORTALS FREQUENTLY!


FEE Waivers for the SAT/ACT and applications,
you must see Ms. DiGiorgio

SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE COLLEGE AND CAREER Center

JUNIORS SAT March 2024

Your College Essay

Make the topic your own and write from your heart. The more your parents and friends tinker with your writing, the less authentic it will read, and admissions counselors will be able to sniff out a doctored essay with ease. Instead, ask for help proofreading your writing and take any of their feedback into consideration, but make sure the emotions of the piece comes from you!   

In reference to letters of recommendations, students your deadline is more critical than the recommenders is. Do your part first, have you done that?


 

 Juniors if you need to register for another SAT/ACT see Ms. DiGiorgio next test for you after March's test is JUNE

Students should have an account with College Board in order to register for your next SAT . To register please go to www.collegeboard.org . To Register for your ACT you need to go to ACT.org

 

If you need further assistance with registering for the SAT and/or ACT, please come to the College Office if you have not done so already. 

 Students who need a fee waiver for the SAT and/or ACT you need to bring your parents/guardian's 1040 Tax forms or documentation verifying their income to the College Office in order to get a fee waiver for your next exam and College Applications

 Juniors, Seniors and Projected 5th year students

 Test Dates for Academic year 2023/2024

   ACT

 Test Dates:  Oct, Nov, Dec, March, April, May, June
  

    SAT

Test Dates: Oct. Nov, Dec, March, April, May, June

 

See Resources  at the bottom of this page for additional SAT links to Information such as Test prep, SAT vs. ACT information , schools, scholarships, etc.