Senior Newsletter - August Edition

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• Introduction
• Upcoming Events
• College Applications are open!
• Admissions Types & Definitions
• UT Knoxville Admissions Policy Update
• Scholarships
• ACT Information
• Resources
• Featured: Senior Year Month-by-Month Planning Guide for college admissions
• Lawson Counseling Staff
• Previous Newsletter Editions

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! If you're new to James Lawson, my name is Linda Swift, I am the Senior, College & Career Counselor. I look forward to working with you this year to successfully achieve your post-secondary goals! This newsletter will be published monthly over the course of the school year.

I wanted to inform you that I will be out of the office from August 8-16th as I will be getting married! During my absence, please rest assured that our dedicated counseling team will be available to support your children with any needs they may have.

Students can get a head start on college applications in August, but there should not be any college admissions deadlines during this time. Upon returning, I will begin meeting with seniors individually to review their progress towards graduation and develop a plan to support your student in their post-secondary goals.

• Urgent questions can be directed to our Lead Counselor, Ashley Shaver, at 📨Ashley.Shaver@mnps.org.
• Schedule change requests -- process will begin on Wednesday, a link will be made available to students requesting changes to their schedule.

• Non-urgent questions can be added to this form, which I will respond to upon my return.

Thank you,

Ms. Swift

• August 22: Belmont University - Bell Tower Scholarship Info Session: Belmont University Admissions staff will be on campus at Lawson. Please sign up to attend and learn more about Belmont and the Bell Tower Scholarship.
• August 24: HBCU College Fair (please scroll down for more information & RSVP)
• August 29: University of Tennessee - Knoxville Info Session: UTK Admissions staff will be on campus at Lawson. Please sign up to attend and learn more about UTK.
• September 9: MNPS College & Career Fair
• September 16-20: Tennessee Free College Application Week
• September 17: Christian College Fair @ Franklin Christian Academy 5:30-7:30pm
  
• October 24: Nashville NACAC College Fair @ AG Expo Park (Franklin) 6:00-8:00pm

There are three main ways to apply to college online:

1. Common Application - known as "Common App"
2. Through an individual college's website
3. Common Black College Application - Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) only

As of August 1st, the Common App, Common Black College App, many college applications, and the TN Promise Scholarship are all open!

Common App:

• What is the Common App? Watch this video for an overview!
• Allows students to easily apply to over 1000 different colleges through one single account

Common Black College Application

• Similar to Common App, allows students to easily apply to 66 HBCUs through one application and a single $20 fee

TN Promise Scholarship (due by Nov 1):

• State funded scholarship that offers 2-years free at TN Community Colleges & Technical Schools
• Social Security Number required to apply
• More information and the application can be found here

There are five different types of admissions deadlines, read through the differences below.

Reminder: Early Decision (ED) is BINDING -- if you apply ED and are accepted, you MUST withdraw your other applications and commit to attending that school.

Come join us at the University School of Nashville (2000 Edgehill Ave) for an exciting event where you can explore various Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Meet representatives, learn about programs, and discover your future educational path. University School of Nashville has hosted this fair for the Nashville community for two consecutive years. Past HBCUs present include Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Alcorn State University, American Baptist College, Bethune-Cookman University, Clark Atlanta University, Fisk University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Hampton University, Jackson State University, Morehouse College, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, Spelman College, Tennessee State University, Tougaloo College, Tuskegee University. We will also have speakers including a financial aid expert. Register here!

Last year, UT Knoxville released a new in-state admissions policy that guaranteed admissions for students with a 4.0 GPA or who fell in the top 10% of their high school class. There has been an important update to this policy released last week.

Students must meet all three qualifications:

1. Apply to the Early Action Deadline (November 1st)
2. Score a 24+ ACT composite with both a 19+ Math ACT subscore AND 19+ English ACT subscore
3. Earn a 4.0+ UT Core GPA OR be in the top 10% of your class

Read the full admissions policy on UT Knoxville's website here.

This section will be updated monthly with notable scholarships with upcoming deadlines. We're starting by highlighting our MNPS specific scholarships based on partnerships with schools here in Nashville.

Metro Nashville Public Schools proudly introduces the University MNPS program. A collaborative effort between MNPS and some of Nashville's most renowned educational institutions, the initiative offers an array of scholarship opportunities exclusively for exceptional Academies of Nashville high school seniors. Deadlines vary.

Participating Institutions / Scholarships:

• Belmont University "Bell Tower Scholars"
• Fisk University "Flight to Fisk"
• Lipscomb University "Liftoff to Lipscomb"
• Nashville State Community College "Nashville GRAD"
• Tennessee State University "Trailblazing to TSU"
• Vanderbilt University MNPS Scholarship (requires Early Decision application)

The Gates Scholarship - due September 15 - link to apply

• Highly competitive last-dollar scholarship for high-achieving, low-income, minority students
• African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian & Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American
• US citizen, national, or permanent resident
• 3.3+ GPA
• Demonstrated leadership ability & exceptional personal skills

QuestBridge College Match Scholarship - due September 26 - link to apply

• One of the most competitive full-ride scholarships for low-income, high-achieving students
• Typically from a household earning less than $65,000 annually with minimal assets (household of four).

• Earning primarily A's in most challenging courses (average 3.92 unweighted GPA)
• Partners with ~50 specific colleges (list here) students can be "matched" to a college

There are millions of scholarships out there, no one website or list contains them all. A good scholarship search involves time and effort. You should regularly check various websites for upcoming scholarship opportunities you are eligible for.

Here's a few reputable scholarship search ideas:

• Bold.org
• Going Merry
• Scholly
• Fastweb
• ScholarshipOwl
• Employers -- students & parents/guardians -- check with your employer to see if they offer any scholarships for employees or dependents of employees.

All 11th grade students were offered the ACT for free in March 2024. Students can access scores through their MyACT account. Class of 2025 will test again for free at school on October 22.

If you'd like to take the ACT again on your own, you can register through your MyACT account. Here are the upcoming National ACT Test Dates:

• September 14, 2024 (register by August 9)
• October 26, 2024 (register by September 20)

Please note, the ACT costs $68 per administration. See info below re: Fee Waivers.

Your student may already be eligible for a ACT Fee Waiver (meaning they can register to test for free). Please contact Ms. Swift (linda.swift@mnps.org) to see if you qualify.

Parents can complete the MNPS Fee Waiver form to determine if students are eligible to receive College Application and ACT Fee Waivers. Once the form is completed, counselors can see if students qualify for a fee waiver and can provide that for college applications and ACT tests.

MNPS Fee Waiver Form Link: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Home/PickDistrict

Review and print out or screenshot the calendar for College Admissions to stay on track this year.

Designed for high school students across the state of Tennessee, the Next Guides are a resource to help students prepare for what’s next after high school graduation.

There is one guide per grade level as well as one for families. Access all guides here: https://www.collegefortn.org/next-guides/

College for TN also has a whole host of resources for the college going process here.

• College Admissions Overview Webinar
• Senior Year College Application Timeline - English | Spanish
• Free Guide to Writing a Personal Statement (aka the College Essay)

• College For TN - Resources for college planning, financial aid, & career planning

• ACT Prep Resources:

• ACT Question of the Day
• ACT Official Study Guide & Practice Tests
• Methodize Free ACT Course -- CODE: KRJTFL8
• Request a copy of your transcript here