PHS College & Career Corner

In this week's edition of the PHS College & Career Corner, we'll take a look at the Cost of College, including tuition trends, helpful financial aid webinars, and scholarships for our juniors. Additionally, It's Time to Prepare for the SAT/ACT by taking a practice exam and making sure you register on time. Finally, we'll look at Career and College Planning, spotlighting a school's focused on the success of its graduates, visits from outsiders, and an invitation for our career speaker series!

Is the cost of college actually increasing? The AP takes a look at how College tuition has fallen significantly at many schools, reinforcing the need to maximize your opportunities of receiving financial aid at the federal, state, and institutional levels, as well and applying for scholarships! You will not know your final cost of attendance (COA) until your receive your financial aid award letter from each college. Pay attention to the details - deadlines, forms, and yes, all those emails that you receive from your potential colleges (some might be inviting you to apply for specialty scholarships).

Resources

• Net Price Calculators: For those of you still exploring options or hoping to learn more about what your cost will actually be, try using the Net Price Calculator Center

• FAFSA Link & Support: FAFSA® Application | Federal Student Aid (filling out the FAFSA is free) and Contact Us | Federal Student Aid

• THE CSS PROFILE: Some colleges (mostly private institutions) also require families to complete the CSS profile to be eligible for financial aid. There is a $25 cost per school to submit the form and eligible students will automatically have the fee waived at the time of submission through College Board. For more information: CSS Profile

• Upcoming Deadlines: Financial aid form deadlines may be at the same time as the regular decision deadline or have a priority filing date that is in early to mid winter (1/15, 2/15). Check each individual school's website.

• PHEAA State Grant Application: You must first complete the FAFSA before filling out the application for the PA State Grant. They will email the student's address used to complete the FAFSA 5-10 days after filing and hope to get started with applications by the end of this month: PA State Grant Program: Apply or Renew

• Free Webinars: Please check out the webinars provided by PHEAA and Revolution Prep to help you with the financial aid process.

Dear Penncrest High School Families,

Paying for college can be overwhelming, especially with recent changes to financial aid policies. That’s why we’re excited to share an upcoming webinar hosted by Revolution Prep:

Affording College – Expert Advice from NYU’s Financial Aid Leader

Date: Wednesday, January 29th

Time: 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM EST

Register Here

Scott Wallace-Juedes, NYU’s Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid (and former Director of Financial Aid at Yale), will share expert advice on FAFSA and CSS Profile updates, scholarships, grants, and strategies to finance your child’s education.

This is a must-attend event for families of high school students who want clarity and confidence in navigating the financial aid process.

We hope you’ll join this informative session!

Warm regards,

PHS Counseling Team and our colleagues at Revolution Prep

PHEAA Webinars for the months of January, February, and March 2025. Register at: https://pheaa.org/virtual

January 2025

Borrowing for education – which loan is right for me?

1/16/25 Thursday 6:30 pm

1/30/25 Thursday at Noon

Description:

I have found the schools I would like to attend, filed the FAFSA and State Grant Form, searched for Scholarships, researched higher education costs, and calculated the funding gap. I see that education loans are a necessity, but where do I go from here? What loan programs are available? What are the advantages and disadvantage of the various types? Join Suzanne Sparrow, Daniel Wray, and William McGinley of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for a 1-hour webinar to review the different borrowing options and examine the details associated with each option. The PHEAA loan team will answer your questions as you sort out the information and make decisions that are right for you and your family.

Searching for Scholarships and Affording the Balance

1/14/25 Tuesday at Noon

1/28/25 Tuesday 6:30 pm

Description:

There are many ways to pay for education and one important step is to search and apply for Scholarships. More free money equals less borrowing. This presentation will review the types of options available, along with tips of applying. It will also offer samples of fun scholarship options to get you started. We will then review what to do about the balances that might be left over to make affordable higher education decisions. Join Suzanne Sparrow, Daniel Wray, and William McGinley from Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for an hour of detailed information on this topic.

February 2025

Improve Your Credit – Get Your Loan

2/13/2025 Thursday 6:30 pm

2/27/2025 Thursday at Noon

Description:

For most families, borrowing for education is part of the equation and can be confusing as families look for the best options to fit their needs. Join Daniel Wray, Suzanne Sparrow, and William McGinley of Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for a 1-hour webinar to increase your financial literacy and knowledge on the process of credit, how to maintain or improve ratings and comparison points to help make informed and affordable education borrowing decisions.

Advance Planning for Financing Higher Education

2/11/2025 Tuesday at Noon

2/25/2025 Tuesday 6:30 pm

Description:

The thought of Higher Education costs can be overwhelming, however planning and identifying what you can do to help lessen those costs is an important step. It’s never too early or too late to start understanding what those costs are and what is available to help maintain, plan and help you make affordable decisions. Join Daniel Wray, Suzanne Sparrow, and William McGinley of PHEAA’s PA Forward and Keystone Student Loan programs in a one-hour webinar to begin that process and become prepared.

March 2025

Financial Aid Timeline – Know what to do when

3/10/2025 Monday at Noon

3/24/2025 Monday 6:30pm

Description:

This one-hour presentation will provide the starting points and web resources for effective research before, during and after your student makes post-secondary decisions. The journey will begin before high school and end in the land of understanding choices. One thing is for certain – it is never too early to start planning for a successful higher education experience. Join Suzanne Sparrow, William McGinley, and Daniel Wray of PHEAA’s PA Forward and Keystone Loan programs as they guide you along the exciting, and sometimes bumpy, road to planning for an affordable education. Knowing what to expect and to plan for it is the key, as failing to plan, is planning to fail!

Understanding the Offer Letter and Balances

3/12/25 Wednesday 6:30pm

3/26/2025 Wednesday at Noon

Description:

The Offer Letter, or Financing Plan, that you receive to provide an idea of the costs associated with attending post-secondary education can be confusing as each school formats their information differently. PHEAA, represented by Suzanne Sparrow, William McGinley and Daniel Wray of PA Forward and Keystone Loans will assist you, in this one-hour webinar, in understanding and navigating through the types of Aid that are listed, what you are being offered and identifying the balances and next steps needed so you can make knowledgeable and affordable decisions. Q&A interaction is encouraged.

The Horatio Alger Scholarship Program aims to differentiate itself from other scholarship opportunities and is available for juniors and seniors heading to a traditional baccalaureate program and career/trade schools. As stated on their site:

While most other scholarships focus exclusively on academic achievement or leadership potential, Horatio Alger Scholarships are also intended for promising students who have critical financial need, demonstrate integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity, and are determined to succeed.

Additionally, for qualified students who have faced a physical challenge (vision, hearing, or physical impairment), the Lions 14A Charitable Foundation offers scholarship opportunities. Please see Ms. Allen if you believe you might qualify for these scholarships to obtain an application.

Our freshman seminar teachers do a wonderful job helping students navigate their transition to high school and empower them to advocate for themselves, their needs, and their futures! Ms. Allen had the opportunity to conduct lessons in these classes about career awareness and self-reflection/personal interests. These lessons culminated with activities conducted on Naviance that are used to help students build their required Career Portfolio, as outlined in the Career Education Work Standard by PDE. For more information see PA Career Ready

As Penncrest works to grow its career exposure and awareness for all students, we are seeking individuals who may be interested in serving as a guest speaker on a career panel for our future events. We welcome professionals from all backgrounds in all fields. Please complete the form and our Career and College Counselor, Ms. Cassandra Allen, will be in contact about future opportunities as they arise: Penncrest High School - Career Speaker Series Interest Form

Juniors: Now is the time to register for the spring SAT/ACT! While some colleges remain test-optional in their application process, others have moved back to Requiring test scores for admission, in particular large, public schools in the south and some of the Ivy League/most selective institutions. We encourage you to prepare for taking either the SAT or the ACT to ensure all postsecondary options are available to you! You can start Taking SAT practice tests with Bluebook (article) | Khan Academy, a free test prep and tutoring program partnering with College Board, or by completing Free ACT Practice Tests and Prep for ACT practice.

Sophomores: You may want to consider taking a late spring SAT, especially if you are in a higher level math course. See your counselor or Ms. Allen if you have any questions.

Register for the SAT at www.sat.org (you must have a College Board account)

• Offered at Penncrest on March 8th and May 3rd
  • Register ASAP but no later than February 21st and April 18th
  • SPOTS WILL FILL UP!

Register for the ACT at www.act.org

• Offered at Penncrest on June 14th (Register by May 9th)
• Offered at Strath Haven April 5th (Register by February 28th)
• Late registration for the February 8th test day is January 20th

If applying for accommodations, see your school counselor or school psychologist as soon as possible to make the request which can take weeks to process. Any accommodations must be approved by outside agencies and are not guaranteed. Review the SAT Process: College Board Accommodations and ACT Process: Requesting Accommodations for the ACT Test

We love finding hidden gems when it comes to wonderful schools with great reputations that you may not have heard of previously! Of course we recognize the well-known institutes of technology (MIT, RIT, George Tech), but do you know Colorado School of Mines? A public R1 (research) institution, all majors offered are STEM-focused, they have 17 types of engineering majors and are ranked #1 for Mineral & Mining Engineering in the world. With an emphasis on a collaborative, team-oriented learning environment, Orediggers unite in the classroom, in field expeditions and on the field with their Division II sports teams! Check out their straight-forward financial aid website to see if this school could be a good fit for you!

As shared in the last C&C Newsletter, Summer Program deadlines, including options through the military academies, the state, and other precollege programs are approaching. Please be mindful of application requirements and dates!

It's time to schedule your Junior Meeting! Families, encourage your students to book an appointment with their counselor and complete all required tasks prior to the meeting to enable the most valuable use of their time together. Details can be found on Schoology at Junior Planning Meeting Directions

• Applications for the 25-25 school year are now available for Delaware County Technical High Schools. Visit Career & Technical Education / Apply Now to apply. Need help? Register on Minga for a DCTS I/E Application Help Session with Ms. Allen. Starting this month and running through the deadline of February 28th, 2025.
• Learn about program offerings by reviewing the 2025-2026 DCTS Program Guide and request a visit to see all the action in person: DCTS Visitation Day Permission Form
• Parents/guardians, please reach out to Ms. Cassandra Allen if you would like to visit!

Email: callen@rtmsd.org

Click here to schedule an appointment with Ms. Allen