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Tougher standards proposed for Bright Futures Scholarship

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

by Miami college counselor Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors

Lawmakers are preparing to make the Bright Futures scholarship more difficult to get and keep. This will happen if a proposal made Tuesday in a Florida Senate budget committee wins favor.

The legislation is an effort to close a $3 billion budget hole.

The Bright Futures college scholarship program was originally designed to pay full tuition costs for top-performing university and state college students.

Changes under consideration this year:

— Increasing the academic standards to qualify for the scholarships, from a 1270 SAT score to a 1290 by 2013 for the top award and from 970 to 1050 for the secondary award.

— Prohibiting students from renewing their Bright Futures scholarships if they lose their eligibility.

— Requiring students to use their scholarships within four years, as opposed to the current seven-year limit.

— Reducing the number of credits covered by Bright Futures from 110 percent of a program’s requirements to 100 percent.

— Maintaining Bright Futures at its current level of $126 per credit hour, essentially making it ‘flat’ award –even though tuition could rise as much as 15%,

— Requiring students to fill out a federal student aid form when applying for Bright Futures scholarships. It would give the state access to financial information on Bright Futures students and their families.

According to The Miami Herald, nearly 185,000 students are attending college with help from the scholarship. More than 95 percent of students at University of Florida use Bright Futures, as do the majority of those studying at FSU.

The changes would make the scholarship more competitive and leave less wiggle room for students who want to take extra classes, said state Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach and head of the Senate’s budget committee.

In contrast to the Senate’s budget team’s sweeping overhaul of the Bright Futures program, the head of the House’s budget committee proposed a simpler change: a 6 percent cut in funding for the scholarship. This means up to $450 less for Bright Futures students next year.

The college advisors at International College Counselors have extensive knowledge regarding the Bright Futures Scholarship. Whether you live in Orlando or Miami, college counselors at International Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

International College Counselors

Main office: 954.253.5719

Mandee Heller Adler

mandee@internationalcollegecounselors.com

Barry Liebowitz

barry@internationalcollegecounselors.com

International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. Mandee Heller Adler, college admissions consultant and Founder of International College Counselors tailors her college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Our college advising company works with domestic and international students. Let us help you make the best decisions in choosing, getting into, and paying for college.

Tags: bright futures scholarship, college advisor miami, college advisor NYC, college counselor miami, college counselor NYC, international college counselors, mandee heller adler
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Make Summer Count

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

by Mandee Heller Adler, President of International College Counselors

Students who want to shine on their college applications should not forget about the summer as well. You don’t need to go to Costa Rica to build huts, but you do need to do something that raises your APA (application point average). If you’re not planning to take classes or attend an enrichment camp—get a job, volunteer or get an internship. Summer is coming up fast so here are some ideas to get you thinking about how to make the most of your summer.

Get a great summer job or internship

There are many opportunities in Miami. And college counselors at International College Counselors know that summer jobs and internships are great ways to show colleges, and your parents that you are successfully maturing into a responsible adult. And there are few better ways to earn a little respect and gain valuable real-world experience. In a tight job market like the one we’re experiencing now, your best bet may be the internship. An internship is a pre-professional work experience that provides students with an opportunity to gain unpaid experience in a field you’re interested in. So what you don’t gain in cash, you gain in experience. Think of it as a summer course. But with persistence and luck, you can land an internship in your dream career. If you think you might like to try advertising, check with your local agencies to see what internship opportunities are available. Think you want to be a lawyer, see if you can work in a law firm. An internship is also great way to secure yourself a recommendation and get your foot in the door for future networking.

If you’re looking for available internships opportunities here in Miami, college counselors at International College Counselors can help you. Opportunities can also often be found on company websites and social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

Volunteering gives back

It can be profitable to work for nothing. You can make a difference, gain experience and explore your interests. For example, if a career in medicine interests you, you could volunteer a few hours a week at a hospital or nursing home. Interested in animals? Volunteer at the local animal shelter. Feeling entrepreneurial? Start a non-profit of your own. The choices are endless and all your hard work and time can pay off. Colleges and universities truly adore students who can demonstrate that they make the effort to help others. You may not be making money but you can make friends, and networking connections. You’ll also be creating fodder for those application essays. Then there’s always the fact you will be doing good — a wonderful reason to volunteer in itself.

Take a Virtual Class or Try Dual Enrollment

Flush out your resume and explore something new. Virtual classes and dual enrollment programs offer you a chance to choose something you want to learn. Try out a course from a major you’re interested in. Explore aeronautical science or 17^th century literature. At some schools taking a virtual class or participating in a dual enrollment program can even help raise your GPA . Both can also help save you time and money if you take classes that count both for high school credit as well as college credit. Depending on their school, students who enter college with credit can reduce their course load per term or even graduate early.

Enjoy your summer – wisely!

Tags: college advisor miami, college advisor NYC, college counselor miami, college counselor NYC, international college counselors, mandee heller adler, summer internships
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International College Counselors is Now on Twitter

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The college admissions experts at International College Counselors are now tweeting.

See the most recent application and essay tips, deadline reminders, important updates, congratulation notices, article links, and more by following us @College_Experts

Tags: college advisor miami, college advisor NYC, college counselor miami, college counselor NYC, international college counselors, mandee heller adler, twitter
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The Alumni Interview

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Approximately 25% of schools count an alumni interview towards admission, and not only in Miami, college counselors know. When alumni interviews are not required for admission, this experience can benefit students as a valuable source for learning more about a school.

Different schools have different ways of arranging the interviews. Your chance of being asked to attend one really depends on how organized your area’s alumni are and whether the school counts the interview. It also depends on where you live. International students or students who live in remote areas, may need to do an interview over the phone, or skip it all together.

If you’re not working with International College Counselors, the best way to be sure is to call the school yourself and ask the admissions office how the alumni interview process works – and if it counts towards admission. If you’ve already been contacted by an alumni for a mandatory evaluative (one that counts) interview, make sure you prepare, go and follow up with a thank you note.

If your school of choice only offers informational interviews, you may need to be the one to initiate the process. Whether or not you are offered an interview may be more dependent on how organized your local alumni are then whether the school is seriously considering you.

Each year, the first interview assignments are typically sent out to local alumni chapters in early September. Early decision applicants should expect to hear something about their interview by mid-November. Otherwise, the general rule is regular decision applicants may be contacted as late as mid-February.

International College Counselors Tip: Students need to know the alumni interview policy of the colleges about which they are serious. Many universities have limited alumni who will interview, and so interviews are on a first come first basis. So, the earlier you send in your application, the better chance you have of getting an interview.

At International College Counselors, we don’t always recommend the interview for our students. Are you exceptionally shy? Insecure? While an interview can help, it can also hurt an application.

Putting things into perspective, when the alumni interview is used as part of the admissions consideration process, it rarely makes or breaks an application, and far more often than not, it works in the applicant’s favor. When applying to an institution where it is not required, students should use the interview as an opportunity to learn more about the School and the community from the perspective of an alumnus.

If you need interview tips and coaching, International College Counselors can help

Tags: alumni interview, college advisor miami, college advisor NYC, college counselor miami, college counselor NYC, international college counselors, mandee heller adler
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Get Free Money for College!

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen: Free money is available from a variety of sources and offered as scholarships. What makes these money trees even more attractive is that you won’t need to repay the money.

However, you do have to work to earn your “pay”. The first step is finding the right scholarships for you. The second step is applying to them.
Scholarships are available from a variety of sources, including federal and state governments and private sources, such as employers, corporations, professional associations, and educational institutions.

Some scholarships are based on financial needs. Others are awarded to students with special abilities qualified as academic, artistic, or athletic achievement. Still more are reserved for people who have certain religious affiliation, ethnicity, memberships, hobbies, or special interests. Some, scholarships, like the scholarship essay offered by International College Counselors, require an essay. Others require illustrations. Then there is a spate of unusual scholarships that I’ll also get to.

HOW TO FIND SCHOLARSHIPS & APPLY FOR THEM
You don’t have to look farther than your computer to find scholarships to apply to. Several free scholarship databases are available online, offering millions of different scholarships worth billions of dollars. International College Counselors recommends the scholarship database FastWeb.com. It’s large, most often accurate and frequently updated.

Our college advisors also recommend searching for scholarships using a web search engine. Include the word “scholarships” in your search keywords and see what comes up.

Scholarships can also come with unusual eligibility requirements, such as a scholarship for left-handed students. There aren’t many of them, but it doesn’t hurt to see what may be out there. Start by typing “unusual college scholarships” into the search engine. Then use keyword combinations to match your “specialties” with the word “scholarships”. A few examples of the more esoteric scholarships out there:

Chick Evans Caddie Scholarships
For all of you who spent summers lugging bags across greens: Each year, the Western Golf Association awards scholarships to more than 200 student caddies. Among other things, scholarship winners must demonstrate excellent academics, financial need, exceptional character and, naturally, a strong caddie record.

The Duck Brand Duct Tape “Stuck At Prom®” Contest
Contest participants must enter as a couple (two individuals) and attend a high school, home school association or other school-sanctioned prom held in the spring, wearing complete attire and/or accessories made from Duck brand duct tape and submit a photo of yourselves to their website. Ten finalists are selected and visitors to the site then vote on them. First prize is a $3,000 scholarship and some cash for the event hosting school. This year, the Prom Contest starts on March 1, 2010.

Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship
The Annual Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship of $3000 is designed to assist a student attending an accredited college or university who wishes to pursue the academic study of the science of parapsychology.

International College Counselors Tip: If you have to pay money to get scholarship money, it’s probably a scam. Scholarships that sound too good to be true usually are.

Of course, the most prestigious scholarships attract the most attention because they are among the most lucrative and competitive awards. Many colleges also offer full tuition academic scholarships. There are also many school and community specific scholarships, and scholarships for Hispanic and Latino students.

Florida students should not forget to apply to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program provides scholarships based on high school academic achievement. Now is the time to apply.

College advisors know that scholarships pay off in other ways as well. They get you free money, AND look good on your college applications.

Next week, I’ll write about How to Apply for Scholarships.

APPLY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS SCHOLARSHIP NOW. All students in 9th through 11th grade are eligible to participate.

http://internationalcollegecounselors.com/index_essay.html

Mandee Heller Adler and the expert International and Miami college counselors are available for questions.

Florida Bright Futures Scholarship – Apply Now

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Hi Seniors,

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship program is currently accepting applications. As a reminder the Bright Futures program offers three levels of scholarship awards- the Florida Academic Scholars award, the Florida Medallion Scholars award and the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award. Basic requirements and dollar amounts for each of these awards can be found here.

To apply for a Bright Futures Scholarship, you must submit a completed (error free) Initial Student Florida Financial Aid Application during your last year in high school (after December 1 and prior to graduation). YOU MUST APPLY DURING YOUR LAST YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL- BEFORE GRADUATION- or you will forfeit all future eligibility for a Bright Future Scholarship.

To apply on line, visit www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org , select “State Grants, Scholarships & Applications” and click “Apply Here.” Then you can click “Initial State Student Application” to go directly to the application.

The application gives the Florida Department of Education permission to evaluate your high school transcript and test scores for eligibility for state scholarships and grans, including a Bright Futures Scholarship. You may apply prior to meeting all requirements.

NOTE- YOU SHOULD APPLY for a Bright Futures Scholarship even if you are considering not going to college, are planning to go out of state, are taking a few years off, or are enlisting in the military. Eligible students have up to three years from high school graduation to begin using the scholarship.

To qualify for a Bright Futures Scholarship, you must earn the minimum required test score for the award for which you wish to qualify. It may make sense to re-take your SAT or ACT just to reach the minimum.

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

International College Counselors
Main office: 954.253.5719

Signs, Symptoms, and Dangers of Senioritis

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Symptoms: Laziness. Skipping classes. Failing to study hard for tests or to write coherent papers. Disinterest in school-related academics and activities.

Diagnosis: Senioritis

Prescription: Graduation

Avoid the epidemic. Don’t catch senioritis. Slacking off in your senior year may seem like something you feel you deserve, but chances are you’ll do yourself more harm than good.

One, you’ll miss out on a half-year worth of learning. This will leave you less prepared for college.

Two, college admissions officers really do pay attention to what you’ve accomplished in your senior year. They look at your grades and your activities and, in some cases, your more recent Facebook postings.

The temptation to blow off school and all the work involved is especially strong when students have already have been accepted into college.

But, did you notice if your college application package included a form called the mid-year grade report? Your counselor will fill it out and send it off to your college when the time comes and it will become part of your full admissions evaluation.

Colleges do have the right to block your admission and students do get booted. Read your college acceptance letters carefully. Many times colleges include clear warnings to students, informing them that admission is contingent on successful performance throughout senior year.

The number of students who get their acceptance offers withdrawn is small as the drop usually needs to be significant before colleges go that far. However, colleges can and do punish in other ways. A student may receive a harsh letter warning them to get it together. Or he or she may need to explain, in a letter or a phone call, what happened with their academic performance. A drop in performance can also result in consequences such as getting dropped from an honors program or having your admissions postponed. These situations are not as rare as you may think.

Generally, the more selective the college, the more weight is put on what you do in your last semester.

Don’t plan on doing anything really stupid either no matter where you plan to go to college. Colleges regularly rescind admissions offers from students who get arrested or suspended from school for unlawful or prohibited activities like drinking.

The International College Counselor recommendation is to take preventative care. Senioritis may not be curable but it is treatable: Stay active. Stay involved. Stay focused. Stay on your regular schedules. Take a college course to get yourself more prepared for college. The credit may even count at your school and that’s one less class you’ll need to take.

You have a whole summer to goof off if that’s what you want to do in between shopping for new towels

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

International College Counselors Main office: 954.253.5719

Tags: college advisor miami, college advisor NYC, college counselor miami, college counselor NYC, international college counselors, mandee heller adler, senioritis
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Community Service Projects that Make an Impact!

Monday, November 16th, 2009

One thing that should definitely become a part of the college-bound high school student’s experience: community service.

Students can find volunteer opportunities through clubs, school, religious institutions, family, friends, or on their own.

There are many reasons to do volunteer work.

1. It’s a requirement for certain scholarships. Engaging in community service projects may also help you earn high school credit and graduation recognition.
2. Colleges have come to expect it.
3. Volunteer work is great for college essays

However: Not all volunteer work is considered equal.

You can work 100-200-1300 hours a year. However, the quantity of volunteering hours is only one important factor to colleges. They also want to know WHY you volunteered, HOW you chose the assignment, and HOW you handled your responsibilities.

Hours are important for you to show a pattern of consistency. (On the application you must write hours per week/ weeks per year) And it is important to be consistent. It’s better to be really involved in one or two volunteer activities than just do a few hours here and there or spend your time on lots of little meaningless projects and quit numerous positions.

The ultimate goal is for you to become part of something important and show that you made an impact.

The person who will get the most attention from the colleges is not the one that claims, “I volunteered 400 hours in one year.” What will get the college admissions officer’s attention is, “I volunteered at a inner city school where I started a therapeutic art program for low-income children, raised funds to support it, recruited and trained more volunteers, got the art supplies donated, and gained the project community recognition in the local paper.”

In other words, what is most critical is that you found a passion, stuck with it, and made an impact. This requires consistency and commitment.

Best of the best is if you earn a position of leadership with a title. Perhaps you can appear in your local or school paper- or, even a national publication (it has been done).

You get bonus points from colleges for choosing a volunteer opportunity that is consistent with your educational or career goals. If you’re interested in going to medical school, volunteer in a hospital or with children with disabilities. If you want to be a lawyer, try working on an environmental campaign. If you have good PR skills, consider organizing fundraisers for good causes. If you like to cook, work at a soup kitchen. Find something you enjoy doing and you’ll have no trouble earning the hours.

Of course, the worst, worst is doing no volunteer work at all.

Tags: college advisor miami, college advisor NYC, college counselor miami, college counselor NYC, community service, international college counselors, mandee heller adler
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Before You Go to College get a Job

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Even the College Board says that a “cutting-edge internship or a job that requires responsibility and leadership” can look as good on your college applications as attending Harvard summer school. Our expert college advisors say the same thing at International College Counselors.

The trend in the past couple of years for competitive college-bound students was doing volunteer work, the more exotic the better. But then, taking two weeks out of the summer to help malaria victims in East Africa started to become the norm on college applications.

Admission officers looked for something new to set students apart from one another. The result: many college applications now ask for your “paid employment” experiences.

Interesting as well, admissions officers at several elite schools say they are giving more credit to students who have real-world jobs and less to students who have taken on “meaningful” activities that say resume padding louder than passion. (For community service to really count you need to show a solid pattern of volunteer activity)

Admissions officers recognize that jobs can benefit students in college. In a job, young people can: increase their real-world problem solving skills, build a sense of responsibility, learn to take orders, experience working with others from diverse backgrounds, and gain valuable experience in handling boredom.

Having a job can help students in other ways as well. Besides looking good on your application, we all know that the best way to know if you really want a job is by trying it. Having a job can help you narrow down your interests and help you discover what you like to do and what you don’t.

Take a job as a salesperson, and maybe you’ll find that you hate nothing more than having to deal with people. Work in an office and perhaps you’ll discover nothing but drudgery. Working with an architect or at a television station might strip away the glamorous façade of the career and show you what the day to day can really be like.

Now is the time to start thinking about the future, not just college, but beyond. As importantly as where do you want to go, you need to answer the questions of what do you want to do? If you fall in love with agricultural science or primatology (look that SAT word up) going to Harvard is not going to help you.
Check in with us for opportunities – or tips and suggestions on how you can create your own opportunities.

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

International College Counselors

Main office: 954.253.5719

Mandee Heller Adler

mandee@internationalcollegecounselors.com

Barry Liebowitz

barry@internationalcollegecounselors.com

Kate McKenna

kate@internationalcollegecounselors.com

Tags: broward college advisor, college advisor miami, college counselor miami, international college counselors, mandee heller adler
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Florida Bright Futures Scholarship – Important Updates

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Parents with students who are hoping to apply for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship need to be aware of the changes made to the program, says Miami college counselor Mandee Heller Adler of International College Counselors.

You can see some of the 2009 Legislative updates as well as information on further changes at
http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/PDF/2009_BF_SummerNotice.pdf

We have also listed a few of them below to give you an idea of what you can expect.

For parents new to this, the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program was created by the Florida Legislature in 1997 to reward students for their academic achievements during high school by providing funding to attend postsecondary education in Florida.

The following are some of the more major changes, cut and pasted from the site:
2009-10 Awards

Bright Futures recipients will receive a fixed cost per credit hour award based on:
·award level [Florida Academic Scholar (FAS), Academic Top Scholars (ATS), Florida Medallion Scholar (FMS), or Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholar (GSV)]
·institution type (4-year, 2-year, or Vocational/Technical), and
·credit type (semester, quarter, or clock hour).

See the award amounts on the Bright Futures Web site at
www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org/ssfad/bf/newsrenew.htm

Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) Expense Allowance is No Longer Available
·The FAS college-related expense allowance is no longer available. The Florida Legislature amended Section 1009.534(2), Florida Statutes, by removing this provision of the FAS award.

Repayment for Courses funded by Bright Futures that are Dropped/Withdrawn
·Students will be required to repay the cost of any course dropped or withdrawn unless an exception is recommended by the financial aid office at their home postsecondary institution. An exception will be based on a verifiable illness or emergency beyond the student’s control.

·Repayment for the cost of dropped or withdrawn courses is required to renew a Bright Futures award for a subsequent academic year.

Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars (GSV) Remain GSV
·The Legislature removed the provision which allowed GSV recipients to renew as Florida Medallion Scholars.
·GSV students may receive funding for up to 90 semester hours.

Renewal Criteria
·As of the 2009-10 academic year, Bright Futures recipients are required to meet new minimum credit hour requirements to renew their award each year. The Florida Legislature now requires full-time students to earn at least 24 semester hours, or the equivalent in quarter or clock hours, to renew their award (prorated for part-time students) at the end of the spring term.

The Bright Futures Initial Eligibility brochure for 2010 high school graduates can be printed as a 2-page booklet. For your convenience, we have placed booklet printing instructions on our Web site. The brochure is accessible at: www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/SSFAD/bf/ under Brochures/Posters

The instructions to print Bright Futures and all State Programs brochures booklets are available at
https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/pdf/Bookletprinting.pdf
You must have Adobe Reader to print as a booklet.

Apply for the International College Counselors scholarship at www.internationalcollegecounselors.com We’re awarding 4 scholarships worth $250 each.

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. Mandee Heller Adler, college admissions consultant and Founder of International College Counselors tailors her college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreamsof each student. Our college advising company works with domestic and international students. Let us help you make the best decisions in choosing, getting into, and paying for college.

International College Counselors
Main Office
Mandee Heller Adler (954) 253-5719
Barry N. Liebowitz (954) 658-4570
mandee@internationalcollegecounselors.com
barry@internationalcollegecounselors.com

International College Counselors
European Office
Kate McKenna
Dialing from the USA call: 011 + 359 + 88-810-9427
Dialing from Europe call: 00 + 359 +88-810-9427
kate@internationalcollegecounselors.com

Tags: bright futures scholarship, college advisor miami, college advisor NYC, college counselor miami, college counselor NYC, international college counselors, mandee heller adler
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