New Scholarships

The Massachusetts Junior Chamber International Senate Inc. Scholarship

Each year, the U.S. JCI Senate Foundation grants $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who plan to continue their education at accredited post-secondary colleges, universities or vocational schools. Applications must be postmarked no later than January 8, 2009.

For more information and to download an application click this link.


The Janice M. Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund, Incorporated

Qualification/Eligibility

• U.S. Citizen or permanent resident
• GPA 2.5/4.0 or higher
• High School Senior who must matriculate at a US accredited four year college or university full time during the 2009-2010 school year.
  
• Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participating in community services, extra-curricular or other activities.

Applicants must submit an application, official transcript, two letters of recommendation, FAFSA documentation and an essay. The deadline is March 31, 2009.

More information and an application can be found in the guidance office and here.

The Rebekah Assembly of Massachusetts, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Scholarship

• Personal statement explaining your goals, financial status, members of your family, etc.
  
• Statement of needs of a scholarship (include family circumstances)
• Two academic letters of recommendation
• Transcript
• One personal recommendation from outside of school

The deadline for this scholarship is March 15, 2009. More information and an application can be found in the guidance office.

The GAR College Scholarships

Five high school seniors will receive college scholarships of $12,500 per year to attend any nationally accredited four year college for full time study.

The scholarship is open to all high school seniors who:

• have shown high academic achievement
• have financial need
• have a parent/guardian working in the financial services industry (banks, etc).

Application deadline is February 28, 2009

For more information and application:

www.gordonrich.org

For printed material or answers, contact:
Joyce Gross (212) 325-2227
joyce.gross@credit-suisse.com

Calendar Mistake pt 2!

I apologize, I was wrong again! That should be Tuesday, November 11!

I am glad someone is paying attention!

New Scholarships

There are two new scholarships we would like to make you aware of.

Westfield State College "Be a Science Teacher" Scholarship

• Scholarship winners will be chosen on the basis of academic record and their interest in teaching science. They must continue as Chemistry or General Science majors at Westfield State, be enrolled in a teacher licensure program, and maintain a GPA of a "B" to retain the scholarship each year.
• Students need only to fill out an application for Westfield State College and write "Chemistry" or "General Science" in the appropriate space indicating major field. The deadline for receipt of applications is February 1, 2009.
• Go to http://www.physci.wsc.ma.edu/dept/schol.html for more details.

The Central New England Multiple Sclerosis Society Scholarship

• Anyone with multiple sclerosis, or anyone who is the child of someone with multiple sclerosis, who will be attending an accredited post secondary school for the first time is eligible.
  
• Applicants must reside in the geographic area of Massachusetts or New Hampshire.
• The minimum amount granted is $1000 and may increase according to need.
• The application will be accepted from October 15, 2008 to January 15, 2009.
• Applications are available in the guidance office.
  

Guidance Calendar Mistake

Veterans Day was incorrectly added to the calendar as occurring on Monday, November 11. It was corrected and changed to Tuesday, November 12-NO SCHOOL.

Article Regarding the Impact Today's Economy has on College Admissions

This article was posted on a blog written by Mason University's Dean of Admissions. I thought it was very interesting. There are many other great articles on this blog as well. I encourage you to check them out!

http://notjustadmissions.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/how-should-the-economy-impact-your-college-search/

Interesting articles

There has been a lot of buzz about the efficacy in using the SAT as a determinant for admission to college. The debate roars on, as the the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) suggested this week that colleges put less weight on the SAT and the ACT. NACAC has also released survey results regarding recent trends in early decision applications.

Read more here
http://www.acedmagazine.com/content/view/1817/54/

http://blog.scholarships.com/?p=310

College Newsletter

Each month, we will be posting a college newsletter. This newsletter will contain a great deal of information regarding college open houses, unique opportunities, college fairs and more. Please take some time to print this document out and consider which of these events you would like to attend.

You can access this months newsletter here.

College Fair-Peabody Veterans Memorial High School

Peabody Veterans Memorial High School wishes to announce that the Annual College Fair will be held on Thursday, October 2, 2008 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM. You can get directions HERE.

PSAT Registration

All juniors in the Class of 2009 are encouraged to take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. Sophomores in Honors English and/or math are also encouraged to take the PSAT. Counselors will distribute the scores individually and assist students in the interpretation of the PSAT results in early December.

The deadline for signing up for the PSAT's is October 9th. The cost is $25.00. Late registration, which runs from October 10th until October 15th is $35.00 and the walk-in fee is $45.00. The test date is Saturday, October 18th at 7:30AM at Masconomet. See Mrs. Simi in the guidance office to register.

SENIOR PARENTS NIGHT

Attention Parents of Seniors! Don't forget to attend our Senior Parents College Night on Monday, September 15 at 7:30PM in the large dining hall. It is a great time to hear about important information pertaining to college planning. Counselors will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have.

Senior Folder Items Added

The guidance department is currently meeting with all members of the Class of 2009 as part of our Senior Orientation Program. Each student will meet with their guidance counselor for an entire period to review all of the information they need to begin the final phases of their post-high school planning. I have posted most of the information that was passed out to them in their white folder on this website(to the right under Forms/Info). ==>

After a student has their small group meeting, they are responsible for making an individual, full-period meeting with their guidance counselor in the near future.

SAT/ACT Registration Deadlines

The college admissions cycle is starting to kick into high gear, and a large percentage of high school seniors take the October SAT and ACT exams. Don't lose track of the registration deadlines -- they come weeks before the actual exams:

* October 4th SAT: Register by September 9th
* October 25th ACT: Register by September 19th

For a late fee, you can register for a week or so after these deadlines. To find online registration information and forms, visit the SAT website and ACT website.

Welcome Back

As the start of the 2008/2009 year approaches, the guidance department has been working feverishly preparing for another busy and productive year. The online guidance calendar is updated and can be accessed on this website. We encourage you to check it often. As you can see, things start very quickly! Here is a summary of some upcoming events and deadlines:

-The registration deadline for the October 4^th SAT I/II is September 9^th. If you plan on taking the SAT’s in October, please make sure you are registered at www.collegeboard.com.

-The Masconomet SAT Prep course registration is from September 4^th – 11^th. Seniors get first priority during the registration period. See the flyer under FORMS/INFO on this website for more information.

-Senior Orientation begins September 11^th. Guidance counselors will be meeting with all seniors in small groups to go over all aspects of post-high school planning.

-Senior Parents College Counseling Night will be held on Monday, September 15^th at 7:30PM. It will be held in the east dining hall.

-PSAT registration for the October 18^th exam will be held from September 15-October 9. The cost during this time will be $25. After October 9^th, the cost is $35. See Mrs. Simi in the guidance office to register.

College Acceptances 2008

You can download the list of colleges that the members of the class of 2008 plan on attending this Fall. There were 314 students who graduated in the class of 2008. There were more than 1800 applications submitted (an average of 5.7 per student). Ninety-four percent of the class of 2008 plan on attending either a two or four year college next year. You can view a more detailed statistical analysis below as well.


Class of 2008 Future Plans

Detailed Application Statistics for the Class of 2008

Have a great Summer!!!!

Summer School Information

Summer School forms are available here and in the main office.

College Calendar Website

Here is another very useful website that you should take a look at. It is simple to use and has some very powerful features. You will need to register for an account first. You can add specific colleges that you are interested in, or just use the basic calendar.

Let me know what you think.


http://www.mycollegecalendar.org/

Chronicle Career Library On-Line

The guidance department has purchased access to the Chronicle Career Library On-Line service. By utilizing this website, you will have immediate access to information on more than 2,000 occupational titles, including 650 four-page comprehensive occupational descriptions, ranging from those that require a high school diploma or less, through professional careers; that's more than 95% of the jobs in the workforce!

You can only access this website from a Masconomet computer, as it is limited to our IP address. You can login at http://www.chroniclecareerlibrary.com

See your guidance counselor for information on signing in from a computer outside of Masco.

Financial Aid Resource

Paul Lynskey, Director of Secondary School Relations for MEFA, sent an email to us with numerous outstanding resources for financial aid. You can download and print this information here - MEFA Financial Aid Handouts for Parents

2008 An Active Year for Waitlists

College admissions trends have been in a state of dramatic flux for the past few years. With a seemingly unlimited amount of statistics at our fingertips, predicting college acceptances can be quite a challenge. One reason for this may be attributed to the great increase in the amount of applications that colleges receive each year. Not only does this impact a colleges overall acceptance rate, but their yield as well.

I found an interesting article which addresses this topic here.

Bay State Games

If you are a junior who intends to participate in the Bay State Games, please come see your guidance counselor regarding a scholarship associated with Bay State Games. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is June 11^th. The application can also be found online here.

A Fun and Interactive Website

I came across this the other day and really liked this website. It is a great resource, especially for those who are just starting out, researching colleges.

Give it a try!

http://www.jellyvision.com/examples/connectedu/

Junior Guidance Appointments

Juniors - Don't forget to make a full period appointment with your guidance counselor to discuss your future plans. If you haven't already done so, please see your counselor as soon as possible!

Gerondelis Foundation Scholarship

For the eighteenth consecutive year the Gerondelis Foundation will grant scholarships to first year college students in the amount of up to $3000 each, depending on the number of qualified applicants who meet the following eligibility requirements

The applicant MUST:

a. Reside or attend school in Essex County and be a member of the 2008 graduating class of any public or private high school;

b. Rank in the upper fifteen percent of his or her class or have achieved a combined verbal and math schore of at least 12oo on the SAT I test;

c. Officially be admitted to a four year college or university; and

d. Be of at least one-half Greek lineage.

Applications are available in the guidance office.

JUNIOR PARENT'S NIGHT

Don't forget about Junior Parent's Night tomorrow. We will begin the evening with a presentation by Susan Garity Ardizzoni, who is currently the Director of Admissions at Tufts University. She will discuss the college application process from an admissions perspective. After this presentation, parent's will have a chance to break into groups with their son's/daughter's guidance counselor to discuss the college exploration process at Masco and to answer any specific questions you may have.

This event will be held tomorrow evening, April 1st at 7:30PM in the Large Dining Hall.

AP Exam Information

You can access the AP exam schedule here.

There will be a pre-test session on Wednesday, April 30th for all students who plan to take one or more AP Tests this spring. It will be held at 7:45AM in the small dining hall. This is a critical session. ALL STUDENTS MUST ATTEND.

Mascononomet Regional Scholarship

The MRSF application is due on March 31, 2008. Applications can be found in the guidance office or online. Return your completed application, with your resume and the SAR (Student Aid Report) form that your received after filing the FAFSA. You can download a copy of the application here.

Scholarship Chart Updated!

Newly updated scholarship chart.

Topsfield/Boxford Community Club Scholarship

Eligibility: any current Masconomet student or recent graduate who resides in Boxford, Topsfield or Middleton and has been accepted into a two or four year accredited program in a health related field.
Instructions: The application may be completed before the student has been notified of his/her acceptance by the school to which he/she has applied. However, final action by the scholarship committee will await such notification. The completed application should be returned by April 15th to the Masconomet Guidance Department Office in a sealed envelope marked "Topsfield-Boxford Community Club Scholarship Committee"

Applications are available in the guidance office.

College Fair

There will be a national college fair at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston on Tuesday, April 8 from 9:00AM to 12:00PM/6:00PM to 9:00PM and on Wednesday, April 9 from 9:00AM to 12:00PM.

Over 350 colleges and universities will be in attendance. For more information and directions, go to www.baysideexpo.com/attendees.php

More Scholarships

TERI, (The Education Resources Institute) is a national leader in promoting access to college in the Boston area, across Massachusetts and New England. They have a great database of local scholarships that you should take a look at.

Scholarship Chart Updated

Go here to see the most up-to-date chart of all recent scholarships.

Junior Program

The Junior Program begins today.

The Guidance Deptartment conducts a small group orientation to post-secondary planning. The purpose of this orientation is to (a) provide information on registering for the SAT's to be taken in May, or the ACT’s to be taken in April, (b) discuss the career and college exploration process, and (c) review the materials in the Guidance office including the web-based Naviance system. All students will spend two full periods out of their history classes to participate in this program. Following the group orientation sessions, juniors are required to make an appointment to see their counselor for a full period to review records, discuss plans and get help in the planning process.

Updated Scholarship Chart

Here is the most recently updated scholarship chart.

Masconomet SAT Prep Course Registration Flyer - Registration will begin Thursday, January 31st in the Guidance Office. The registration deadline is Friday, February 8.

Masconomet Regional Scholarship Fund Application - Complete this form and submit it to Mrs. Simi in the guidance department by March 31, 2008. Your resume and a copy of the Student Aid Report (SAR) from the FAFSA should be attached.

Masconomet Financial Aid Booklet - This booklet has been developed to assist students and parents in their search for financial aid. The Financial Aid process is very complex. DO NOT hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance.