Senior Newsletter September Edition

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• Upcoming Events
• Free College Application Week
• Fall Financial Aid Night
• TN Promise & UT Promise
• Scholarships
• Senior Info: Picture Day, Baby Photos, Senior Quotes
• ACT Information
• Resources
• Lawson Counseling Staff
• Previous Newsletter Editions

During September & October, Ms. Swift is meeting with every senior individually for a brief meeting to discuss graduation status, any missing requirements, and begin to review plans for after high school. As such, she is spending most of her school day in classrooms with students. Please email for the fastest response, linda.swift@mnps.org.

Over 100 colleges and organizations from around the country will be in attendance! Drop in between 3 and 6:30pm to meet with representatives!

September 10: Senior Credit Recovery Day -- Students missing credits will be pulled from class to begin making up credits to get back on track for graduation.

September 14: Black Male STEAM Summit @ Cal Turner Family Center for Student Education at Meharry Medical College 8am-2pm

• Focused on engaging and empowering African American males in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM)

• Tennessee Tech University - Thursday, September 5 - sign up!
• Lipscomb University - Thursday, September 12 - sign up!
• Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) - Thursday, September 26 - sign up!

October Colleges: Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky University (WKU), University of Tennessee - Chattanooga (UTC)

• October 22: Senior ACT Retake Day @ Lawson 7am (regular school day)
• October 24: Nashville NACAC College Fair @ AG Expo Park (Franklin) 6:00-8:00pm
• October 28: Senior Formal Photos

Colleges in Tennessee will waive their application fees the 3rd week of September. Sign up to come into the College & Career Center to submit a college application for free this month! See the list of participating colleges linked below.

The FAFSA will open this year on December 1st! Get prepared and learn more about the financial aid process and affording college at our Fall Financial Aid Night (no RSVP needed).

TN Promise Overview:

Tennessee Promise is both a scholarship and mentoring program focused on increasing the number of students who attend college in our state. The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees not covered by other scholarships and grants. Students may use the scholarship at any of the state’s 13 community colleges or 24 colleges of applied technology.

Deadline to apply: November 1

Apply here: https://www.collegefortn.org/tsacstudentportal/

To create a Student Portal account, you will be asked to provide the following:

• Student’s First Name and Last Name (as it appears on the Social Security Card)
• Student’s Social Security Number
• Student’s Date of Birth
• Student’s Personal Email Address (Not School Email)

UT Promise Overview:

UT Promise is an undergraduate scholarship program guaranteeing free tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying Tennessee residents attending UT Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin & Southern.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Complete TN Promise application by November 1
• HOPE Scholarship Eligible (3.0+ unweighted GPA or 21+ ACT)
• Adjusted gross income under $75,000 a year and a total maximum asset amount less than $75,000
  

Deadline to apply: December 15

Learn more and apply here: https://tennessee.edu/ut-promise/apply-high-school-seniors/

This section will be updated monthly with notable scholarships with upcoming deadlines.

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" - due October 15
• Fisk University "Flight to Fisk" - due November 1
• Lipscomb University "Liftoff to Lipscomb" - due January 1
• Nashville State Community College "Nashville GRAD"
• Tennessee State University "Trailblazing to TSU" - due December 1
• 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

Coca Cola Scholarship - due September 30 - link to apply

• Very competitive scholarship $20,000 scholarship
• 3.0+ GPA
• Citizen, Permanent Resident, Refugee, Asylees

Scarlett Family Foundation Scholarship (local Middle TN Scholarship) - opens September 15, due December 15 - link to apply

• Local Middle TN Scholarship for 4-year college/university
• Business & STEM Majors only
• 21+ ACT
• 2.5+ GPA
• Financial Need (demonstrated by 1040 tax returns)

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:

• 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

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