Join these Paterson students who are planning their life after. Wanna Go? Edition. financial aid... campus visits... admission tests...

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1 Wnn Go? Look inside to lern bout college opportunities for Pterson students... finncil id... cmpus visits... dmission tests... timelines... Join these Pterson students who re plnning their life fter high school. As symbol to their commitment, they stnd before the fmed rch t Rmpo College where ll grdutes wlk. Go with them! Your journey to college strts NOW! Your Nme Here Edition This guide is produced by the Communictions Acdemy t John F. Kennedy High School in coopertion with the Pterson Eduction Fund nd The Herld News

2 O n e i l l H e r n n d e z Rmpo College F r e d d y A c o s t Willim Pterson A n t h o n y S n t o s Nursing N y s i h R e e s e Montclir J m i c k E v n s D n i e l D e L C r u z Nyck K e l l y B e l t r n P i l r B y l o n Willim Pterson Journlist Techer R b y S u l t n Mth C e c i l M i t t o o Mimi University College Stff College nd Creer Gols University A s h l e y J o h n s o n Nursing

3 Tble Of Contents Pge 4 & 5 Timelines to follow for the college dmissions process Pge 6 & 7 Undocumented students & the chievement gp Pge 8 & 9 Things to consider bout college Pge 10 & 11 High school progrms to help students into college Pge 12 & 13 College dmission tests Pge 14 & 15 New Jersey colleges Pge 16 &17 Pying for college Pge 18 Specil needs students find success in college The college guide ws produced by the Communictions Acdemy t John F. Kennedy High School in Pterson, New Jersey in coopertion with the Pterson Eduction Fund nd The Herld News: Editoril Stff of the College Guide Freddy Acost Jmick Evns Nysih Reese Pilr Bylon Oneill Hernndez Anthony Sntos Kelly Beltrn Ashley Johnson Rby Sultn Dniel De L Cruz Cecil Mittoo Adviser: Lories Nye-Slockbower Specil thnks to: Irene Sterling, Ann Villlongo, Rosie Grnt, nd the Pterson Eduction Fund, The Herld News, Bob Konig, JFK Principl Dr. Irby MIller, nd ll the Communictions Acdemy techers: Mry DeMoor, Amy Distsio, Eric Sdowsky, Luis Delgdo, Jerry Engstrom, Robin Cpoor, Dvid Kott, Cheryl Krphol. Also, Kristen Heller, JFK guidnce counselor. Additonl thnks to the funders of this project: the Gerldine R. Dodge Foundtion, The Schumn Fund for NJ nd the Wshington Mutul Foundtion. Articles represent the views of student uthors. Responses/inquiries welcome. The Communictions Acdemy cn be contcted t , Ext , or t JFK High School, Prekness Ave., Pterson, NJ, The Pterson Eduction Fund cn be contcted t 152 Mrket St., Pterson, NJ, 07505, Pge 19 Thinking of militry service? Pge 20 Eductionl choices fter high school Pge 21 Historiclly Blck colleges nd universities Pge 22 Adult lerners Pge College success stories Pge 26 & 27 Your personl college plnner nd test trcker The editoril stff of the College Guide is composed of juniors nd seniors who re Journlism III students t John F. Kennedy High School. 2

4 Thoughts on college My college concerns re My concern is tht I find loction, money, nd rules. I college with solid lerning would like to ttend locl environment where I cn college. Money is n issue, too, prticipte in mny ctivities. becuse most colleges re very I m looking forwrd to getting expensive nd to get good good eduction nd to study to qulity college, it costs lot. be n English techer. Nvil Rules re concern to me Gomez, JFK junior becuse most colleges cre bout wht students do or not; some re strict nd some re not....alici River, JFK freshmn I do believe I m prepring for college now with high school clsses tht re teching me wht I would be going through in the rel world nd the steps I would need to tke in order to rech my gols of becoming successful in life. Eddie Smith, sophomore My gretest concern is money becuse I must mintin 3.0 GPA to help my scholrship to college or else it becomes lon. Hrold Mrtinez, senior 3

5 Angel Btist, freshmn Fll Attend freshmen orienttion if you school provides it! It will give you chnce to see wht your school is bout. Get involved in fter-school nd weekend progrms in your school nd community, or t college, university, or museum. Meet with your dvisor in the erly fll to: review your credits, grdes, nd test scores. If necessry, mke plns for retking clsses nd/or exmintions filed in the previous yer. discuss this yer s courses nd the courses you nticipte tking next yer. Mke sure you re tking the courses nd fulfilling the requirements you need to grdute Mke sure you re tking courses tht chllenge you, such s lgebr, biology, chemistry, nd geometry. Colleges wnt students who push themselves. Jnury - June Lern how to clculte your grde point verge nd keep trck of it. As soon s it slips, seek extr help to rise it. Do your best in clss. Grde point verge nd clss rnk re key fctors in college dmissions September nd October Consider tking the PSAT in October. Register for it with your dvisor s soon s school strts. It will help prepre you for the SATs nd could qulify you for scholrships. Get involved in fter-school nd weekend progrms in your school, community, college, university, or museum. Mny progrms hve ppliction dedlines. November nd December Did you meet with your dvisor yet to review lst yer s nd this yer s courses nd discuss your extrcurriculr ctivities? If not, do so now! Visit New Jersey college cmpus. If you took the PSAT in October, see your dvisor to receive your results nd identify the test skills you need to develop before tking the rel thing in junior yer. Set up n ccount t to keep up to dte with test preprtion nd relted issues. I m lredy looking t colleges nd finding out their requirements. Freshmn Yer Mster the bsics in reding, writing nd vocbulry skills. Improve typing skills. Meet with your dvisor to: discuss your cdemic progress this yer s well review your current courses nd decide on the clsses you will tke next yer Visit college cmpus. Strt journl bout your impressions, questions, nd concerns bout college. Open houses re generlly held in the spring. Summer Remember colleges will wnt to know how you spend your time ech summer. Look for summer progrms, internships, or jobs tht cn build your resume. Red some good books! It s proven tht good writers re good reders. Go to the librry nd red books in res you find interesting. Sophomore Yer You hve to work rel hrd to get redy for college. It s not difficult if you pply yourself. Jnury nd Februry Check in with your dvisor nd prents/gurdins to let them know how you re doing. Keep trck of your grde point verge (GPA). Mrch nd April Are you using your time fter school productively nd hving fun? Strt reserching summer progrms internships, or youth employment opportunities. Visit nother college cmpus, nd updte your journl. Give specil ttention to your course scheduling for next yer to mke sure you hve the credits nd courses you need. Sf Iss, JFK sophomore My nd June Finlize plns for prticipting in summer ctivities tht cn help build your resume. Summer Look for summer progrms, internships, or jobs tht cn build your resume nd ern money for college. Red some more good books. Do prctice SAT tests either on-line t collegebord.com or from smple test books. 4

6 September Through your guidnce counselor, register to tke the PSAT in October if you didn t tke it lst yer. Tlk with your counselor bout how to prepre. Ask for prctice test. Go on- line nd borrow books for more test prep. October Tke the PSAT! Check in with your counselor nd sk bout fll college firs. November See your counselor to receive your PSAT results nd identify the skills you need to develop before tking the rel thing next spring. December Review your PSAT results with your guidnce counselor. Continue with test preprtion for the spring SATs. Jnury Finncil Aid Awreness Month. If you hven t fmilirized yourself with the Finncil Aid Section of this Guide, now is the time!!! (See pge 16 & 17) Tlk to your counselor nd your fmily bout the finncil id process. September Register to retke the SAT for chnce to rise your scores. Write the first drft of college nd scholrship pplictions; show it to n dvisor. Aim to hve your pplictions completed by Dec. 31. October Some Erly Decision nd Erly Action dedlines re now! If you re certin bout your college choice, explore the erly options. Meet the dedlines! Tke the SAT or register for the Nov. or Dec. SAT 1 nd ACT. November Work on your college pplictions. If you re regulr dmissions pplicnt, give Letter of Recommendtion forms to your guidnce counselor, techers nd others who re qulified to write bout you. December Did you tke the December SAT 1 or ACT? Remind your gurdins tht their tx return estimtes I worked hrd to mintin my GPA nd pplied to college. I erned n thletic scholrship to Delewre University. Don t slck! Ayn Misscot, JFK junior Junior Yer Februry Begin to put together college ppliction list.(use trcker on pge 26) Visit those schools on-line or cll the Office of Admission to request free mterils. Strt file of college pplictions, ctlogs, nd brochures. Mrch Continue reserching. Identify scholrships tht mtch your interest nd tlents. The dedline to register for the SAT or ACT in April, My, or June is pproching. You must tke the SAT I or ACT to pply to most colleges. It s good ide to tke these tests in the spring of your junior yer nd gin erly in your senior yer. (See pges for more tips.) April Don t tke the esiest possible courses! Chllenge yourself! Don t follow the wrong My crowd; choose friends Trck your GPA nd keep it up. This my be your lst chnce to wisely. improve your clss rnk. June Enjoy your summer progrm, internships, job or volunteer work. Mention to summer techers nd/or supervisors tht you my be Senior Yer Dshwn Frzier, JFK senior sking them for letters of recommendtions in the fll. Visit colleges. need to be redy in Jnury so tht you cn submit the FAFSA. Apply for PIN numbers for yourself nd one gurdin through the FAFSA website. These numbers will be e-miled bck to you, so keep them in sfe plce for future use. Give your completed college pplictions to your guidnce counselor. If you pplied on-line, inform your guidnce counselor so they cn mil the officil trnscripts. Use lists on pge 26 & 27 to keep trck of your SAT scores nd college pplictions. Jnury Finncil Aid Awreness Month. The FAFSA will be vilble round Jn. 1. Keep copy of your pplictions before you send them in! Register for on-site college interviews with Guidnce. Februry If you hven t yet, complete nd mil the FAFSA, review your Student Aid Report with prents/gurdins nd mil in chnges. Mrch Mil required forms nd schedule interviews. Mil ny remining scholrship pplictions nd college finncil id forms. April College cceptnce nd rejection letters rrive. My & June If you re registered nd prepred, tke Advnced Plcement tests. Decide on college nd mil deposit for the fll term.

7 6 Undocumented students overcome obstcles to college Grdute sys don t give up drems PCCC is ffordble for undocumented students BY KELLY BELTRAN Sntigo Fernndez ws determined to go to college no mtter how difficult the process even if he didn t hve green crd. Born in Uruguy, Fernndez cme to the U.S. in The John F. Kennedy grdute is one of thousnds of undocumented students who wnt to ttend college but confront the obstcle of lcking socil security number. I felt different when I hd to fill the college ppliction becuse I didn t know wht to put in the spce requiring socil security number, sid Fernndez. As high school senior, Fernndez ws ferful of telling guidnce counselors bout his immigrtion sttus. Coming to Americ s n immigrnt ws hrd, then I relized tht college ws the only thing tht could help me chieve my Americn drem nd to become someone in life, sid Fernndez. I decided to go to PCCC (Pssic County Community College) becuse I tlked to my sister s friend nd she told me tht I didn t need green crd to ttend. Students without green crd don t need to stop their drems. They hve to think bout themselves nd their fmily becuse we leve our country to serve our community nd to become professionl, sid Fernndez. Students without green crd re not eligible for finncil id nd must py out-of-stte tuition which frequently prevents them from ttending college. Finncil id is generlly not vilble for undocumented students nd illegl liens. The mjority of ll student id, including federl student id, requires the recipient to be United Sttes citizen or permnent resident (green crd holder) or n eligible noncitizen. Students without green crd don t need to stop their drems. They hve to think bout themselves nd their fmily becuse we leve our country to serve our community nd to become professionl,...sntigo Fernndez, PCCC student Colleges shouldn t cre bout the socil security numbers, becuse our work, our intelligence, our hours of study re not shown in those numbers, sid Fernndez. However, it is requirement for ll the colleges nd this is destroying mny students drems, he sid, dding, Mny students just get the high school diplom nd think tht is over. It is not over becuse if you py your own tuition, you cn ttend. I know tht is the hrd prt, tht you must strt working prt time to py it. I definitely know tht it s hrd to work nd study t the sme time, but we will notice our effort in the future nd how everything we did is worth it. BY ONEILL HERNANDEZ I strted senior yer worried nd excited t the sme time becuse of concerns bout my illegl sttus nd how I would overcome it. Bsed on the Mrch 2002 Current Popultion Survey, there re 9.3 million undocumented immigrnts in this country. They represent 26 percent of the totl foreign-born popultion. Another interesting fct is tht Mexicns mke up over hlf of undocumented immigrnts 57 percent of the totl, or bout 5.3 million. Another 2.2 million (23 percent) re from other Ltin Americn countries. And tht s where I come from. Being born in the Dominicn Republic nd then rised in Spin nd Americ hs grnted me citizenship in the Dominicn Republic nd Spin, but not Americ. I ve lived in the U.S. for bout seven yers nd Although he is witing his green crd, JFK 2007 grdute Oneill Hernndez is furthering his college eduction t Pssic County Community College which is ffordble. hve not returned to my homelnd or Spin becuse if I did, I wouldn t be ble to return to Americ becuse I don t hve socil security number. My Americn citizenship ppers hve been pending for severl yers nd during tht time I hve been educted in Pterson nd desire to ttend college. During my senior yer t John F. Kennedy High School, I ws rushed nd pressured to file for finncil id nd scholrships s I pplied to colleges. But without socil security number, I ws ineligible for finncil ssistnce. Students must hve proof of New Jersey residency nd permnent U.S. citizenship or green crd which I do not hve. Becuse my fther is citizen nd cn trvel from cost to cost, he hd pplied for my sister, mother nd me. However, this could tke yers. All I hold is letter from the Immigrtion office explining tht my cse is pending. Without socil security number, it ws impossible to complete finncil id forms including the Free Appliction for Federl Student Aid or the FAFSA, during my senior yer. Although I ws ccepted into Rmpo College, I couldn t fford the tuition so I m ttending Pssic County Community College. Hopefully, within the next two yers, my cse will be resolved nd I will hve citizenship. Then I cn pply for finncil id so I cn trnsfer to four-yer college nd complete my bchelor s degree. The Rev. Michel J. Burke, director of legl services for the Pterson Diocese, sees mny undocumented students nd offered this dvice. I encourge students to pply for citizenship nd lwys del with qulified, licensed ttorneys for legl ssistnce. There re too mny scm rtists who promise to help, but do nothing more thn tke their clients money nd give nothing in return, sid Rev. Burke. His office is prt of the Ctholic Fmily nd Community Services, locted t 24 DeGrsse St., Pterson.

8 Achievement gp closing with determintion BY KELLY BELTRAN The chievement gp refers to gp in cdemic chievement between minority nd disdvntged students nd their white counterprts. The federl No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires sttes to estblish the sme performnce trgets for ll students. Ashley Johnson, junior Sometimes I feel like I m not college mteril. I know I m intelligent nd cpble to trvel round the cmpus, but sometimes I think tht I cn t hndle the work. From wht I ve herd, college is difficult becuse of the clss work, but if I m college mteril, I cn hndle it. Attending college ws n bstrct ide to me. When I ws younger everyone told me I needed to go school, tht I could be someone. My fmily lwys pushed me to do extremely well in school. Anything less thn C ws uncceptble. Now I know tht college is my ticket out of Pterson. I ve wnted to be nurse since I ws young. Besides my sister, I ll be the second to go to college in my immedite fmily. I ll mke history when I get ccepted to four-yer college. Yes, I know I m college mteril. I hve the good grdes nd I hve the persevernce to wnt something nd I won t stop until I m stisfied. The Ntionl Center for Eduction Sttistics reported tht 22% of post secondry students re the first in their fmilies to go to college. It s First genertion students wnt to be leders BY FREDDY ACOSTA JFK junior, Ashley Johnson credits her fmily s support in helping her prepre for college to study nursing. not strtling fct becuse some prents don t instill in their children tht eduction is essentil. The percentge should be higher nd I ll be the one to mke tht percentges higher! My min concern s future first-genertion college student is tht I obtin degree nd set n exmple for the younger genertions in my fmily. As son of immigrnts whose prents migrted from the Dominicn Republic to provide better future for me, I hve sense of ledership where I must encourge my brother nd younger cousins to go to college. I m role model to my younger fmily members so they will ttend college nd ccomplish their gols. Mny high school students don t consider the possibility of college becuse they re frid of the responsibility tht they would First-genertion college students shouldn t be intimidted, but proud of themselves for tking tht first step to introduce college to their fmilies...freddy Acost, JFK senior hve to cquire s first-genertion college students. Mny of them re either students who come from low-income bckground, or re children of immigrnts whose prents migrted recently to this coun- Sttistics provided by the ntionl Assessment of Eductionl Progress reported tht Hispnic nd Africn-Americn students re only hlf s likely to ern college degree s white students. Here in Pterson, mny students re beting the sttistics by hving pln, which begins in high school, to succeed in college. Pilr Bylon, junior When you re first genertion student, the typicl obstcles re fer of disppointment nd difficulty djustng to high school, so mny never mke it to college. I cn chieve. I hve n dvntge knowing I hve the legl sttus to pply for finncil id since I ws born in the U.S. nd I m model student. The struggles for me re nothing if I know tht I cn believe in myself. My eyes don t see the obstcles which re frequently mentioned in the chievement gp sttistics. I m focused on my gols nd just tke the next step with the support of my fmily nd techers. Throughout high school, I hve been working hrd to improve my skills nd prepre for college eduction in teching. A member of the Communictions Acdemy t JFK, I hve lso prticipted in Pterson s Future Techers of Americ where I ve hd preprtion for college dmission tests nd for creer in eduction. This fll I will pply to Willim Pterson University s n eduction mjor. I will bet the sttistics of Hispnics who don t finish college becuse I m prepred cdemiclly nd hve determined mind to succeed. try. They often hve lnguge brriers so they hve nother chllenge upon them, which is to lern English. I hve n dvntge becuse I m bilingul; I m fluent in both English nd Spnish. As future first-genertion college student, one more obstcle tht I would hve to surpss is to explin to my prents bout college life. My prents understnd the benefits of going to college, but they re unwre of the ppliction process. I would like to mjor in business, possibly ern degree in sles nd mrketing. I m wre tht Pilr Bylon, JFK junior, is first genertion student who plns to study teching nd hs worked hrd in high school to prepre for the rigors of college. Being role model for his fmily helps JFK junior, Freddy Acost, focused nd determined to obtin college degree. most colleges offer excellent business progrms, so I m willing to pursue ll the opportunities vilble. First-genertion college students shouldn t be intimidted, but proud of themselves for tking tht first step to introduce college to their fmilies, becuse eduction is the only wy tht will help build successful life in Americ. 7

9 10 Rech for the STARS BY KELLY BELTRAN Rcine Dley, 2006 JFK grdute, decided to ccept the NJ Strs progrm nd pursue nursing t PCCC. Wht is NJ STARS? It is New Jersey student tuition ssistnce rewrd scholrship. Initited in 2004, it provides New Jersey s brightest students with free tuition t their locl community college. Since 2004, there re over 1,000 students enrolled in the 19 community colleges throughout the stte. In 2006, this scholrship progrm ws expnded into NJ Strs 2, enbling cdemiclly qulified students to continue their eduction upon completion of the ssocite degree t public four-yer college or university. To be eligible for this progrm t Pssic County Community College, students must meet the following qulifictions: * Grdute from New Jersey high school in the top 20 percent of their clss. * Both students nd prents must be stte resident, U.S. citizen nd or permnent resident. * They re required to complete PCCC dmission ppliction. * Students lso hve to complete the finncil id ppliction (FAFSA) vilble online t * The cceptnce to n ssocite s degree progrm nd enrollment for 12 or more college level credits per semester. To keep the NJ Strs Scholrship t PCCC, students must mintin cumultive college grde point verge of 3.0 or higher, nd hve continuous full time ttendnce (12-15 credits) nd finlly, complete the finncil id process ech yer. Rcine Dley, who grduted in 2006 s number ten t John F. Kennedy High School, chose the NJ Strs progrm. I ws offered finncil id though Equl Opportunity Progrms for Rmpo College, Felicin College, nd Firleigh Dickinson University, in ddition to scholrships nd government grnts, explined Dley. She decided on PCCC becuse of its competitive nursing progrm nd the finncil id she received. At first I intended on pplying to college undeclred, mintin 3.0 grde point verge, nd fter two yers declre my mjor. But then I begn to hve second thoughts, she sid. Wht if I don t get ccepted into Willim Pterson s nursing school nd wind up going into business or something worse? I despise string t computer screen! As NJ STAR pplicnt, I know I will fulfill my drem nd do it for free. PCCC offers vriety of scholrships such s PEPSI nd NJ STARS. I m redy for chllenge, nd I m sure I will find it t PCCC. It s the best plce for me to begin my college creer, she sid. From there, Dley plns to prticipte in NJ STARS 2 which will cover up to four consecutive semesters to those who mintin eligibility t n pproved four-yer public college. Students should grdute from PCCC with n ssocite degree within five semesters, mintin 3.0 GPA, nd be ccepted by one of the prticipting New Jersey stte four-yer public colleges. Immeditely following their grdution from PCCC, they must mintin full time student (12-18 credits) sttus nd complete the finncil id ppliction ech yer, lthough it is not need bsed. If you would like to get more informtion of how to pply for NJ STARS, contct PCCC office of dmissions t (973) or emil dmissions t Interested in teching? BY JAMICKA EVANS Aspiring techers cn get hed strt on their teching creers thnks to progrm clled Pterson Techers For Tomorrow (PT4T). The fterschool progrm is specilized to prepre nd recruit students who pln to tech in the Pterson School district fter college. The progrm s short term gols re to increse litercy, reding, writing verbl nd mthemticl skill of future techers. Prticiption in this progrm will lso increse prtnerships with locl orgniztions nd will help those who wnt to chieve cdemic excellence. Most importntly, the role of the PT4T progrm is to increse the number of Willim Pterson Techers For Tomorrow Scholrs grduting from college with WPU teching progrm certificte nd returning to tech in Pterson. Students who enroll will lso hve the opportunity to tke college level courses for credit. Students in grdes 9-12 cn prticipte from ll high schools in Pterson including John F Kennedy, Estside, PPTA, Ros Prks, nd ll of the Pterson Acdemies. Upon grdution, the Pterson Bord of Eduction will hire nd plce student into elementry or secondry school which will bost them to fster strt. Those who prticipte will meet for Fll 2007 ctivities Tuesdy evenings nd one Sturdy per month t WPU. The ttendnce is mndtory but host of ctivities, field trips, book discussions, presenttions, guest spekers nd tutoring will be held. Sturdy field trips, will include dinner nd trnsporttion Interested students my contct WPU s College of Eduction t Upwrd Bound gives jump strt to science & mth mjors BY ANTHONY SANTOS Students interested in mth nd science cn benefit from free precollege summer progrm clled Upwrd Bound. It is designed to equip low- income, potentil first genertion college students, with the skills nd motivtion necessry to complete high school nd to enter nd grdute from progrm of post- secondry eduction. It is ntionl federlly-funded TRIO progrm which is n eductionl opportunity progrm designed to help low income, first genertion nd/or disbled Americns enter college. Since it begn in 1965, Upwrd Bound is now locted in 800 sites round the country nd ssists more thn 70,000 students. About 91% of Upwrd Bound prticipnts who grdute from high school immeditely enter college, versus only 41% of students who did not prticipte in the progrm. Here in New Jersey, Upwrd Bound prticipnts include Rmpo College, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Montclir Stte University, ASPIRA, d Seton Hll University. The project provides cdemic instruction in mthemtics, science, composition, literture, nd foreign lnguges. tutoring, counseling monitoring, culturl enrichment, nd work-study progrms lso re supported. In Upwrd Bound, students will lern how to study smrt nd mnge time wisely, they ll lso be introduced to new technology. Another dvntge to this progrm is students get hed strt on next yer clsses. During the summer, students get to know wht college life is like by spending time t the cmpus of their choice. High school students who re interested in Upwrd Bound should contct the chirperson of their mth or science deprtment for n ppliction into the progrm.

10 Give bck to the community BY PILAR BAYLON Wht cn be more importnt then giving bck to the community you live in? Meeting nd intercting with new people nd lerning new skills is n importnt pth to leding productive life. When plnning to go to college, think bout how colleges look for person who is well-rounded citizen, just s prospective employees do. Scholrships re often wrded on student s efforts in community service. I loved prticipting nd helping out people tht re in need. It mde me better person nd I cn t wit to prticipte in nother future project, sid Jsmine McNeil, JFK student. She joined other students in feeding the elderly nd homeless who prticipted in the Africn Americn celebrtion dinner, orgnized by Mr. Shelton J. Prescott, resource science techer who introduced the students to community service. I wnted to give these students sense of purpose nd grtifiction. Some young men nd women don t relize how fortunte nd blessed they re until they ssist or fellowship with someone tht is not s fortunte, sid Mr. Prescott. It s humbling experience, he sid. He hs involved the students in community service projects sponsored by Integrity Lodge 51, Prince Hll Msons of Pterson. Community service is one of four components tht should foster lifelong development in the mind, body, nd spirit of ech nd everyone of us. God, fmily, eduction nd community, sid Mr. Prescott. Loclly, there re mny orgniztions tht need volunteers to work with children, the elderly or to be involved in projects like neighborhod clen-ups nd recycling. The list t the right provides just smple of such orgniztions. Check with your guidnce counselors for more more extensive list of community service opportunities. JFK students serve senior citizens nd widows t dinner they helped to prepre s prt of their community service involvement. Community service opportunities St. Joseph s Regionl Medicl Center Retired Senior Volunteer Progrm Pterson, NJ (973) Greter Community Bncorp 55 Union Blvd., Totow, NJ (973) CAMP Youth Development Progrm Pterson, NJ (973) Pterson City of Drug Free Community Support Progrm 125 Ellison St. Pterson St Pul s Community Development Corp. 451 Vn Houten St. Pterson, NJ Children s Services 22 Mill St Pterson, (973) Volunteer Fire Compny 11 Mitchell St. Totow, NJ (973) Americn Red Cross Pterson, NJ (973) A-Step Ahed th Ave. Pterson, NJ Elis of Hope 61 N. Mple Ave. Fir Lwn, NJ YMCA Aging Out Progrm 128 Wrd St. Pterson, NJ Ev s Sheltering Progrm 393 Min St. Pterson, NJ Cs Progrm 53 Oliver St. Pterson,NJ Bergen County Comunity Action 241 Moore St. Hckensck, NJ Senior & Hndicpped Trnsporttion 435 Min St. Pterson, NJ Memoril Dy Nursery 397 Grnd St. Pterson, NJ Boys nd Girls Club 430 Totow Ave. Pterson, NJ Your grde point verge opens or closes doors to colleges BY PILAR BAYLON I think tht student s GPA HSPA, SAT, ACT. is very importnt becuse it Students soon lern wht the Attend clsses regulrly, complete ll your determines whether you get letters stnd for when they get to high ssignments, study for tests nd seek extr help when ccepted to good college, sid school. But wht bout GPA? Chris Kipkoech, who entered his GPA, which stnds for grde needed, Mr. Steven Frith, JFK director of guidnce junior yer t JFK with 3.7 GPA. point verge, is key ingredient to Students cn trck their GPA high school, nd ultimtely, college by looking t the bottom of their success. The college dmissions office seeks multiple of things such s report crds, below the mrking period grdes. Four-yer stte colleges SAT scores, recommendtions, income informtion, dmission essy, nd generlly seek t lest 3.0 GPA, which is B verge. Students with student s grde point verge. lower GPA cn ttend community college to rise their GPA nd pply Clss prticiption nd cdemic performnce demonstrte s trnsfer student to four-yer college. Good grdes in high school, student s bility. High school trnscripts, which re sent to the colleges, students will led to college success. indicte the courses student took nd the finl grde chieved in ech Attend clsses regulrly, complete ll your ssignments, study for clss. The grde point verge of ll their clsses is n importnt criteri tests nd seek extr help when needed, dvised Mr. Steven Frith, director of guidnce t for college cceptnce nd scholrships. JFK. 11

11 12 Colleges require dmission tests SAT offered more frequently BY ONEILL HERNANDEZ An importnt tool used to determine college success is the SAT or Scholstic Aptitude Test. Invented by Crl C. Brighm, it ws dministered to high schools for the first time in Colleges strted looking t the SAT grdes to determine one s eligibility to enter school. The SAT ws recently revised becuse colleges felt certin prts of the test were never tught in high schools, n exmple being nlogies. The New SAT better reflects tody s curriculum nd reinforces the importnce of writing skills, ccording to The SAT contins three prts. The writing section contins multiple choice questions on grmmr nd usge which mesure student s understnding of how to recognize n error in sentence. This portion counts for 70 percent of the writing score. Also, this portion includes student s written essy which mesures student s bility to present ides in logicl formt, develop point of view, nd express his or her ides under timed conditions. Students re given 25 minutes to complete the essy which counts for 30 percent of the writing score. The second prt is the Criticl Reding Section which contins short-reding pssges, which mesure student s knowledge of genre, cuse nd effect, rhetoricl devices, nd comprtive rguments. The third section reflects the mthemtics tht college bound students lern during their three yers in high school. It is suggested tht students bring clcultors with which they re comfortble to tke the SAT. The SAT tkes bout three hours nd 45 minutes to complete nd hs been criticized becuse of its length. Ech section is scored on the fmilir scle, giving totl rnge of points. The essy is scored from 0-12, which is included s 1/4 of the totl writing score. Juniors should pply to tke the PSAT in October nd then tke the SAT in the spring. To register go to or pply through your guidnce counselor. PSAT s cost $15 nd the SAT is $ Students should tke the SAT gin their senior yer. However, students who receive free lunch my be eligible for two fee wivers during their high school creer. Wivers re obtined through guidnce counselors. 1. Answer esy questions first 2. Guess smrt 3. Don t pnic! 4. Use your test book for scrtch work 5. Keep trck of time 6. Prepre in dvnce 7. Don t crm 8. Et helthy brekfst ACT gins populrity in Est BY CECIL MITTO The SAT isn t the only college dmission test. The ACT, most populr in the Midwest, is now widely ccepted by colleges here. The mjor differences between the SAT nd the ACT re s follows: The SAT hs score points per section, dded together for combined score. A 2,400 is the highest possible score one cn chieve on the SAT. However, the ACT is scored 1-36 per section nd n verge score is clculted for composite score of which the highest is 36. Students should register for the ACT bout four weeks before the test dte by going to www. Actstudent.org. The ACT is four section exm (English, mth, reding nd scientific resoning) tht is dministered six times yer. The SAT is tensection exm (three criticl reding, three mth s, three writing, nd one experimentl prt) tht is dministered seven times yer. The ACT hs science section. Mny people void tking the ACT becuse of the science portion of the test. However, students should relize tht this section of the ACT tests resoning skills nd not the ctul knowledge of science. The essy required on the SAT must be completed within 25- minute time period, but is optionl on the ACT. More importntly, the essy fctors into student overll SAT score but not their composite ACT scores. There is no penlty for wrong nswers on the ACT. In contrst, on the SAT, the overll score is ffected by wrong nswers, not omitted nswers. The SAT tends to work slightly more like n IQ tests thn does the ACT. The SAT mth consists of bsic geometry up to lgebr II while the ACT hs trigonometry. So t lest mrginlly, good test-tkers do better on the SAT while good students do better on the ACT. In the end, students need to tke whichever test their prospective colleges require. But if those colleges will ccept either exm, students should probbly mke decision bout where to focus most of their prep efforts. Students my tke both the SAT nd the ACT. A lot of overlp exists between the exms, nd t lest ttempting both of them my give students the best shot of getting the score they need. The cost for the ACT is $29 for the bsic registrtion fee, plus students cn py for the optionl writing section which costs $14 if it is required by their perspective colleges. Test Tking Tips ACT Test Dtes Test Dtes Registrtion Dedline Lte Fee Required Sept. 15, 2007 Aug. 10, 2007 Aug , 2007 Oct. 27, 2007 Sept. 21, 2007 Sept. 22- Oct. 5, 07 Dec. 8, 2007 Nov. 2, 2007 Nov. 3-15, 2007 Feb. 9, 2008 Jn. 4, 2008 Jn. 5-18, 2008 April 12, 2008 Mrch 7, 2008 Mrch 8-21, 2008 June 14, 2008 My 9, 2008 My 10-23, 2008

12 13 The PSAT is vluble prctice ccording to students Students cn prepre for the SAT by tking the PSAT first, in October of their sophomore or junior yer. Similr to the SAT, it tests lnguge rts, mth, nd writing bilities.although the scores re not reported to college for dmission criteri, they cn be used to determine eligibility for scholrships. This yer the PSAT will be given on Sturdy, Oct. 20 t John F. Kennedy High School. Registrtion, through your guidnce counselor, is $13, however, fee wivers re vilble for those receiving free or reduced lunch. If you hve n SAT prep book, you should red nd fmilirize yourself with the directions hed of time. It helps sve time since you won t need to red the directions during the ctul test. When I tke the SAT, I will mke sure tht it isn t during Rmdn so tht I cn et brekfst. Also I need good night s worth of sleep nd I will prepre even more for the SAT by tking prctice tests so tht I cn ern top score. I didn t tke the PSAT nd thought the SAT ws going to be esy. But ws I ever wrong. On the test dy, I didn t et brekfst nd I ws hungry. My mom drove me to school nd I got there on time, but I hd forgotten my ticket My mom hd to drive me bck home nd return to Estside. When I got there, I ws lte. I hd to sit in set tht ws too smll for me nd use two pencils tht needed to be shrpened. When they gve out the test, I wsn t ble to focus. So I nswered some questions, but I fell sleep for some prts of the test. It ws long nd I relly didn t wnt to tke it gin but I did nd I ws better prepred. Tht s the key! I should hve tken the PSAT to know wht to expect nd hve the experience of sitting long time for test. Rby Sultn Dniel De L Cruz When I took the PSAT, I felt relly comfortble knowing tht I ws just tking the prctice test.the mth section ws very difficult considering mth is my wek subject. I prepred myself by tking the prctice book my counselor hd given me. When I tke the rel SAT, I ll tke more prctice tests. My experience with PSAT gve me somewht n understnding on wht I should do when it comes to the rel SAT. Tke the PSAT. It will prepre you for the SAT. When I woke up on the dy of the PSAT I felt very confident. I hd tken prctice SAT tests, understood the strtegies, like nswering the lest difficult questions first. Overll, I think I did well becuse I prcticed. Don t go in to the test cold, prctice! Jmick Evns Pilr Bylon SAT Schedule Test Dtes Test Regulr Dedline Lte ( fee pplies) Oct. 6, 2007 SAT & Subject Tests Sept. 10, 2007 Sept. 14, 2007 Nov. 3, 2007 SAT & Subject Tests Oct. 2, 2007 Oct. 11, 2007 Dec. 1, 2007 SAT & Subject Tests Oct. 30, 2007 Nov. 8, 2007 Jn. 26, 2007 SAT & Subject Tests Dec. 26, 2007 Jn. 4, 2008 Mr. 1, 2008 SAT & Subject Tests Jn. 29, 2008 Feb. 7, 2008 My 3, 2008 SAT & Subject Tests Apr. 1, 2008 Apr. 10, 2008 June 7, 2008 SAT & Subject Tests My 6, 2008 My 15, 2008

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14 14 Nme of School Address website Tuition & Fees Atlntic Cpe Comm. College 5100 Blck Horse Pike; Mys Lnding, NJ $2,520 Bergen Community College 400 Prmus Rd; Prmus, NJ $9,940 Berkeley College Grret Mtn. Cmpus, 44 Rifle Cmp Rd; West Pterson, NJ $16,950 Bloomfield College One Prk Plce; Bloomfield, NJ $15,100 Brookdle Comm. College 765 Newmn Springs Rd; Lincroft, NJ $96 per credit Burlington County College 601 Pemberton-Browns MillsRd; Pemberton, NJ $2,116 Cldwell College 9 Ryerson Ave; Cldwell, NJ $18,010 Cmden County College PO Box 200; Blckwood, NJ $2,430 out-of cou Centenry College 400 Jefferson St; Hckettstown, NJ $19,550 College of Sint Elizbeth Two Convent Rd; Morristown, NJ $18,337 County College of Morris 214 Center Grove Rd; Rndolph, NJ $176 per credit Cumberlnd County College 3322 College Drive; Vinelnd, NJ $2,550 Devry University 630 US Highwy One; North Brunswick, NJ $12,040 Drew University 36 Mdison Ave; Mdison, NJ $31,286 Essex County College 303 University Ave; Newrk, NJ $3,098 Frleigh Dickinson University Metropolitn Cmpus-Teneck; College t Florhm-Mdison, NJ $21,224 Felicin College 262 South Min St; Lodi, NJ $17,100 Georgin Court University 900 Lkewood Ave; Lkewood, NJ $17,924 Gibbs College 50 Church St; Montclir, NJ $25,000 Gloucester County College 1400 Tnyrd Rd; Sewell NJ $2,670 Hudson County Comm. College 162 Sip Ave; Jersey City, NJ $72 per credit (in Ken University 1000 Morris Ave; Union, NJ $7,151 Mercer County Comm. College 1200 Trenton Rd; West Wendsor, NJ Middlesex County College 2600 Woodbridge Ave; Edison, NJ $88 per credit (in $91 per credit Monmouth University 400 Cedr Ave; W. Long Brnch, NJ $19,705 Montclir Stte University One Norml Ave; Upper Montclir, NJ $7,501 New Jersey City University 2039 Kennedy Blvd; Jersey City, NJ $6,550 N.J. Institute of Technology University Heights; Newrk, NJ Ocen County College College Drive, PO Box 2001; Toms River, NJ $9,180 $3,180 Pssic County Comm. College One College Blvd; Pterson, NJ $69 per credit Princeton University PO Box 430; Princeton, NJ $31,450 Rmpo College of New Jersey 505 Rmpo Vlley Rd; Mhwh, NJ $8,081 Rritn Vlley Comm. College PO Box 3300; Somerville, NJ $70 per credit Rider University 2083 Lwrenceville Rd PO Box 3001; Lwrenceville, NJ $22,300 Rown University Svitz Hll, 201 Mullic Hill Rd; Glssboro, NJ w ww.rown.edu $7,970 (in stte) Rutgers Stte University (Cmden) 406 Penn St; Cmden, NJ w ww.rutgers.edu $8,389 (in stte) Rutgers Stte University (Newrk) 249 University Ave; Newrk, NJ w ww.rutgers.edu $8,209 (in stte) Rutgers Stte University(New Brunswick) 65 Dvidson Rd, Rm. 202; Pisctwy, NJ $8,564 Sint Peter's College 2641 Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ $21,190 Slem Comm. College 460 Hollywood Ave; Crneys Point, NJ $3,305 Seton Hll University 400 South Ornge Ave; South Ornge, NJ $23,760 Stevens Institute of Technology 1 Cstle Point on the Hudson; Hoboken, NJ $31,530 Sussex County Comm. College One College Hill; Newton, NJ $70 per credit The College of New Jersey PO Box 7718; Ewing, NJ Richrd Stockton College of N.J. Jim Leeds Rd PO Box 195; Pomon, NJ $8,988 $7,203 Thoms Edison Stte College 101 West Stte St; Trenton, NJ w ww.tesc.edu $3,490 (in stte) UMDNJ, Schl of Helth Rel. Profs. 65 Bergen St, Rm. 101; Newrk, NJ $3,000-$6,000 Union County College 1033 Springfield Ave; Crnford, NJ $3,009 Wrren County Comm. College 475 Route 57 West; Wshington, NJ $140 per credit Willim Pterson University 300 Pompton Rod; Wyne, NJ $7,120

15 Room & Bord Admission Office Phone # Students Type of school none ,177 none ,235 2-yr. public co-ed community college $ 9, ,201 4-yr. privte co-ed college $ 8, Ext ,100 4-yr. privte co-ed college n/ ,724 community college n/ Ext ,519 $ 8, ,200 4-yr. privte co-ed college nty none Ext ,829 $ 8, ,760 4-yr. privte co-ed college $ 9, Ext ,848 4-yr. privte school (Dy-women only; dult undergrd.-co-ed) none ,500 n/ ,000 n/ ,000 4-yr. privte co-ed college $ 9, DREW 1,500 4-yr. privte co-ed univeristy w/grdute&professionl schls n/ ,300 $ *** ,996 4-yr. privte co-ed university w/grdute&professionl schls $ 8, ,700 4-yr. privte co-ed college $ 8, ,000 4-yr. privte liberl rts university n/ ,700 2-yr. privte co-ed school n/ ,610 county) n/ ,400 $ 8, ,000 4-yr. public co-ed university w/grdute school county) n/ ,000 n/ ,000 $ 9, ,212 4-yr. privte co-ed university w/grdute&professionl schls $ 9, ,603 4-yr. public co-ed college $ 8, NJCU 10,000 4-yr. public co-ed college $ 8, NJIT 8,800 4-yr. public co-ed university w/grdute&professionl schls n/ ,436 n/ ,863 $ 10, ,635 4-yr. privte co-ed university w/grdute&professionl schls $ 10, ,631 4-yr. public co-ed college with four grdute progms n/ ,366 $ 9, ,509 4-yr. public co-ed university w/ 18 grdute progrms $ 9, ,400 4-yr. public co-ed college w/ grdute&professionl schls $ 8, yr. public co-ed college $ 9, yr. public co-ed college $ 9, INFO 6,261 4-yr. public co-ed college $ 9, SPC ,000 4-yr. privte co-ed college w/ grdute&professionl schls n/ ,200 $ 10, THE-HALL 9,900 4-yr. privte co-ed college w/ grdute&professionl schls $ 10, ,700 4-yr. privte co-ed college n/ ,496 $ 9, ,961 4-yr. public co-ed college $ 8, ,542 4-yr. public co-ed college n/ ,014 4-yr. public co-ed college w/ grdute school n/ $3,000-$7, ,400 2&4-yr. Privte co-ed school n/ ,300 none ,200 $ 10, ,210 4-yr. public co-ed college 15

16 Where does my finncil id come from? It strts with FAFSA BY RABYA SULTANA Since college cost is the biggest concern for students, it s importnt to first complete the Free Appliction for Federl Student Aid in order to be eligible for finncil ssistnce. The form is completed in senior yer of high school nd revised every yer during college. On this six-pge form, both prent nd students record their finncil informtion from completed income tx forms nd finncil records. It is completed on-line by going to fter Jn. 1 of the student s senior yer. Nothing will be processed through the mil, explined Ms. Kristen Heller, guidnce counselor t John F. Kennedy High School. The FAFSA document is the only wy for college bound student to get ny kind of lon, grnt, nd some scholrships. However, students my record their informtion on the printed FAFSA form first to help them complete the document. This form is vilble through guidnce deprtments. The FAFSA document is the only wy for college bound student to get ny kind of lon, grnt, nd some scholrships. The FAFSA form is used by every college nd university in Americ to evlute how much finncil id student needs for their higher eduction. Once it is submitted, the federl government determines fmily s contribution to college costs. This number is then reported to the colleges chosen by the student. When the student pplies to college, the fmily contribution figure is considered in the finncil id wrd. It s importnt for students nd prents to complete the form on time, sid Ms. Heller, s soon s they complete their txes so they cn submit the request for finncil id while monies re vilble. The student nd one prent must ech pply for the required FAFSA personl identifiction numbers (PIN) by December of their senior yer. These PINs serve s signtures when students nd prents complete the form online. The PINs re e-miled to the students nd must be kept in sfe plce for the entire college experience since it will be used every yer when new FAFSA form must be completed. Ms. Heller wrned tht there re mny scms for unexpected FAFSA filers. Mny people, progrms, nd websites clim tht they will complete the form for fee. It s the free ppliction for student id, sid Ms. Heller, emphsizing the word, free. You do not hve to py for nything. You lso do not hve to py nyone to complete your form or check your document. Just sk your guidnce counselor. The officil website lso offers contct tht is ccessble most hours of the dy nd evening. She emphsized tht www. ffs.ed.gov. is the only website to be used. Mny other sites will look similr to this but chrge money for the ppliction. On verge, it cn tke pproximtely one hour the first time you complete it, s long s you hve the necessry documenttion, sid Ms. Heller. Pterson seniors my lso get help from workshops held in Jnury t the Pssic County Community College in junction with the Pterson Eduction Fund. Trnsltors will be provided. Look for nnouncements from the guidnce office. Lons & scholrships pve the wy BY JAMIKA EVANS With New Jersey college tuition exceeding $10,000 yer, not including room nd bord, funding is mjor concern for students who frequently sk, how will I py for college? Bsiclly, the nswer comes in three forms: lons, grnts, nd scholrships. The federl government is the lrgest provider of student lons which re pid bck monthly over ten yers beginning six months fter the student grdutes college. The stte lso offers low-interest prent lons to qulified borrowers. Grnts nd scholrships re outright gifts offered by the government, orgniztions nd colleges. Of course, students seek these the most to reduce their own costs. Scholrships hve vriety of Umme Hbbib, JFK grdute, won $10,000 scholrship from Nordstrom s Deprtment store. qulifictions nd grde point verge requirements with due dtes tht pplicnts must follow. Guidnce counselors regulrly post these scholrship offerings nd it s importnt for seniors to seek them regulrly. Websites re nother convenient wy of ccessing college scholrship informtion becuse they cn send students informtion through e-mil bout scholrships offered to their qulifictions. For exmple, students cn log onto fstweb.com nd freecollegescholrships.net where they cn register to receive hve scholrship notices which meet their criteri. Registering for these websites is free nd requires informtion including emil ddress, nme, contct number, GPA nd other personl school oriented informtion. However, students lwys hve greter chnce of being wrded locl scholrships which re offered by host of locl civic, religious, nd professionl orgniztions. Locl scholrships give the student better chnce of cceptnce becuse it nrrows the odds of the student being chosen. Mr. Steven Frith, hed of the JFK guidnce office, dvised students to Strt qulifying for scholrships freshmen yer by strting off with good grdes. Mny scholrships require GPA of 3.0 or higher. Remember you build your grde point verge when you wlk into high school freshmn yer. JFK student Ummi Hbbib who pplied for the Nordstorm scholrship when she ws only junior, won $10,000 for being in the top of her senior clss. She ws one of the two people who pplied for it. The problem with most students is tht they get the scholrship ppliction but never bring them bck, sid Ms. Ameli Wright, JFK guidnce counselor. It s importnt for students to complete ll prts of the scholrship ppliction on time to be considered. There s lot of money out there, she sid. She lso wrned ginst scms which chrge for helping students find scholrships. These re flse nd unnecessry. Never py to pply for scholrship. If they chrge, they re not legitimte sources, she wrned. 16

17 EOF mkes college hppen for needy students BY JAMICKA EVANS Mny disdvntged students who meet eligibility my find their wy to college through the stte s Equl Opportunity Fund progrm. Also known s EOF the progrm ws creted in 1967, nd now hs 42 New Jersey s community colleges nd public nd privte four-yer colleges nd universities in its prticiption. However, the ctul number of vilble spces t ech college or university is limited. To prticipte in n EOF progrm, students must be New Jersey residents nd must pply to New Jersey college or university nd file Free Appliction for Federl Student Aid. Becuse EOF is cmpus-bsed progrm, ech cmpus is responsible for student recruitment, selection, progrm services, nd its own specific criteri for EOF dmission nd progrm prticiption. Students must complete the college s EOF form when they fill out the college ppliction. Although student my not think they qulify bsed on their income clcultions, they should pply. Its better tht they deny you, thn you deny yourself, sid John F. Kennedy High School guidnce counselor Mrs. Ameli Wright. EOF provides finncil ssistnce nd support services including Bewre of scms tht promise... * This scholrship is gurnteed, or your money bck. This sttement is not true becuse scholrships cn never be gurnteed. * You cn t get this informtion nywhere else. Students cn find mostly ll the informtion they need for free t CollegeDt s Scholrships Finder. * I just need your credit crd or bnk ccount number to hold this scholrship. This is hcker s wy of sying tht they wnt ll of student s prent s informtion nd money. The money will never be found gin. * We ll do ll the work. A compny will not be ble to write resume or fill out n ppliction for students. Also, if the compny will fill out student s FAFSA form, DO NOT do it becuse there is personl informtion needed tht only your prent or gurdin cn only nswer. * The scholrship will cost some EOF Proposed Eligibility Requirments for Acdemic Yer Applicnts with Household Size Not to Exceed Gross Income 1 $19,600 2 $26,400 3 $33,200 4 $40,000 5 $46,800 6 $53,600 7 $60,400 8 $67,200 ** For ech dditionl member of the household dd $6,800. money. You do not hve to py nything for scholrship. * You ve been selected by ntionl foundtion to receive scholrship. If students didn t pply for progrm tht offers this type of scholrship, then the student should not nswer the scm. * Officil -sounding nmes Never check out site tht no one knows bout. These officil nmes mke their own websites. * Membership fee Some societies give scholrships for fee. Do not give ny kind of pyment. One scm to look out for is The Ntionl Honor Society which gives officil looking mil with $45- $50 membership fee. * Billions of dollrs in unclimed scholrships. The monies re relly for children whose prents/fmily member work for the sponsoring compny. counseling, tutoring, developmentl course work, to students from eductionlly nd economiclly disdvntged bckgrounds who ttend stte colleges. The progrm begins right fter high school grdution. Grnts re vilble for both undergrdute nd grdute studies. Undergrdute grnts rnge from $200 - $2,500 nd grdute grnts from $200 - $4,350 depending on the type of institution nd finncil need. The EOF Progrm lso dministers the Mrtin Luther King Physicin-Dentist Scholrship for students pursuing degrees in medicine or dentistry t the University of Medicine nd Dentistry of New Jersey nd the C. Clyde Ferguson Lw Scholrship for students pursuing grdute studies in lw t Rutgers, the Stte University or Seton Hll University. The Mrtin Luther King Physicin-Dentist nd the C. Clyde Ferguson Lw Scholrships re vilble only to grdute students ttending institutions within New Jersey. For dditionl informtion, contct the Commission on Higher Eduction, EOF Office t (609) Foster children get specil finncil ssistnce for college BY ASHLEY JOHNSON College costs cn be overwhelming to ny student but there re specil opportunities for college bound students in foster cre. New Jersey hs over 7,000 foster children. The federl government provides most students with finncil id. including the Pell Grnt, Supplementl Eduction Opportunity Grnt nd the Tuition Aid Grnt. Finncil id is ssistnce given to students who re in need of money tht pln to expnd their knowledge by going to college, university or trde school. Two scholrships progrms in New Jersey tht id foster youth re Foster doptive Fmily Services Acdemic Scholrships Opportunity Grnts nd Brochure (FAFS) nd the New Jersey Foster Cre (NJFC) Scholrs Progrm. Students involved in these progrms will be ccommodted with tuition nd fees, room nd bord, books nd supplies, trnsporttion, computer specil equipment, child cre costs. According to the Americn School Bord Journl, foster children re most likely to repet grde nd re twice s likely to drop out before grdution. The finncil ssistnce lessens the burden for such students. For more informtion, visit or for scholrship informtion plese see www. FAFSAonline.org/ scholrship.html. 17

18 Disbility did t stop college success for Pterson grd B y A s h l e y J o h n s o n Kelly Johnson did mny things to prepre for college while she ttended Pssic County Technicl Institute. She erned good grdes, focused on her studies nd ws involved in the student council nd Distributive Eduction Council of Americ (DECA) for students interested in business. Now she is sophomore t Pssic County Community College,(PCCC) Johnson continues those sme Kelly Johnson strtegies to be successful. Wht is mzing bout her chievement is tht Johnson is utistic. Autism is neurologicl disorder tht ffects the brin functions. Autism is dignosed by obvious certin chrcteristics. These include socil impirment, lck of verbl nd non verbl communiction, nd poor imgintion. About 1.5 million children re ffected nd the numbers seem to be rising bout 10-17% nnully. When she ws younger, her specil needs were first dignosed. She overcme the obstcles of being tesed nd bullied, but she lwys focused on her work. As it cme time to serch for college, Johnson did her own reserch nd she scored high on her SATs which she only took once. Although Johnson didn t receive grnts or scholrships, she pys for college with some finncil id, her job, nd n uncle s ssistnce. Her books rnge from $100 to $200 ech nd her tuition is over $1,500 semester. However, she doesn t complin becuse fter she grdutes, she ll be pursuing her drem: grphic rts designer. When sked how she knew tht college ws right for her she replied, becuse I wnt creer tht I enjoy doing. She chnged her mjor from communictions to grphic design becuse I decided tht communictions wsn t for me. It ws boring. Johnson mnged to mke the necessry socil djustments which cn be difficult for utistic students. When she strted college, she wsn t fmilir with the compny of thousnds of people nd she chose PCCC becuse it ws convenient for trveling. Being round lrge group of people from different bckgrounds ws chllenging t first but I got use to it, she sid. After completing her courses t PCCC, Johnson hopes to trnsfer to Willim Pterson University to ern her bchelor s degree. Vermont college cters to lerning disbled students b y s h l e y j o h n s o n While locl colleges hve progrms which ssist students with lerning disbilities, there is residentil college only bout five hour drive from Pterson tht specilizes in educting students with specific lerning disbilities. Lndmrk College locted in Putney, Vermont, is one of the only ccredited colleges in the United Sttes tht s designed for students with dyslexi, ttention deficit hyperctivity disorder (AD/HD) nd other specific lerning disbilities. Lndmrk teches techniques, skills nd strtegies for success in the college nd the workforce. Unlike other colleges, Lndmrk doesn t just offer specil progrms for students with lerning disbilities s dd-ons to trditionl curriculum, but provides n integrted pproch to the whole student. It s whole focus is to ddress nd trnsform lerning disbilities into lerning ssets. Students complete n ssocite s degree in generl studies or business studies. They re then redy to trnsfer into successful bchelor degree progrm t four-yer school. Lndmrk grdutes go to to colleges - from Ivy legue to selective, colleges - round the country. During the first yer, students develop study hbits nd cdemic skills. The second yer builds on these skills within the context of liberl rts or business studies. The college offers network of support services which includes counseling, cdemic support, coching. Advisors work one-on-one with students. Also, students live on cmpus, prticipte in sports, clubs nd other college ctivities. Although Lndmrk College is n expensive privte, non-profit, two-yer college, its tutition my be tx deductible s medicl cost. It lso wrds scholrships up to $25,000 nnully, nd prticiptes in ll federl lending progrms. A representtive from Lndmrk will be t the Clifton High School Regionl College Fir on Oct. 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Students interested this college my lso visit its website t college.edu or contct their guidnce counselor. Don t forget to sk... According to LD Resources, there re severl questions students nd prents should sk when visiting college/university: * Spek with current users of support services *Ask if they trck their LD grdutes; if so, where do they go? Grdute school, employment? *Wht s the retention rte of LD students? *Wht types of in service or support does the institution offer fculty re: ccommodting students with specil needs? *Is support, tutoril, instruction in the progrm offered by interns, grdute students, peer tutors or trined professionls? *Ask how ccommodtions re determined nd grnted t the college nd who grnts them. Are they bsed on the high school IEP? This is criticl question s some colleges my link ccommodtions to wht ws on the IEP. Tht mens it s importnt to py ttention to your eduction pln nd wht s on it in high school. They my lso tie ccommodtions to wht ws recommended or discussed in the summry/conclusions of your testing. Any ccommodtions should be documented while in high school. 18

19 Grd opts for Nt l Gurd b y o n e i l l h e r n n d e z Strting his senior yer of high school, 17-yer-old Rfel Mrtinez ws very confused nd undecided bout his future. The whole college dmission process of pplying, visiting, interviewing universities ws stressful. Applying for scholrships nd finncil id ws foreign to his fmily who lcked the college experience. They hd no money for college nd didn t know how to help. He sw n opportunity in the U.S. rmy recruiters nd Ntionl Gurd who cme to school looking for young, new students to trnsform into powerful, strong soldiers for the U.S Army Ntionl Gurd. As the dy progressed, he sked one of the recruiters some questions bout the whole orgniztion nd he got so interested tht he signed up on the sme dy. Money is big reson why I decided to join, sid Mrtinez, but I lso wnt the discipline, the trining, nd the experience to help me chieve my gol, which is being generl in the Army Ntionl Gurd. After his four months in trining, he will receive $4,000. With the money, he will ttend Pssic County Community College for two yers s n eduction mjor then, with the money from his check, nd his bonus from boot-cmp, he ll hve enough to ttend Willim Pterson University full-time nd live on cmpus, sid Mrtinez. He sid tht he is very committed in his field in the Ntionl Gurd. He won t be one of the soldiers in the line of bttle, but the technicin in the bck hndling the computers nd ny electricl device needed to succeed. He chose Willim Pterson University becuse it s closer to his house nd lso one of his sisters who grduted from John F. Kennedy lso grduted from WPU. I m the fourth child in house full of women nd being the third oldest nd the only mn in the house, put me in very wkwrd position. Becuse both my sisters grduted from college, one ttended Willim Pterson University nd the other ttended science nd technology college in New York City, I m now in my sisters shdow becuse they ll succeeded, he sid. He looks to his involvement in the Ntionl Gurd s mens to lern discipline nd responsibility. This will help me go in the right direction towrd my gol to being high school techer nd generl in the Army Ntionl Gurd, sid Mrtinez. Before you join, red the detils b y f r e d d y A c o s t 1. Do not mke quick decision by enlisting the first time you see recruiter or when you re upset. A recruiter is slesperson who will give only positive, onesided picture of life in the militry. Don t mke this importnt decision when you re depressed, hrd up for work, confused or unsure bout your future, or pressured by your fmily. This decision ffects mny yers of your life; don t mke it lightly. 2. Tke witness with you when you spek with recruiter. There is lot of informtion to tke in. A friend cn tke notes nd help you sk questions. 3. Tlk to veterns. Veterns cn give you their view of militry life, good nd bd. 4. Consider your morl feelings bout going to wr. The mission of the militry is to prepre for nd wge wr. If you cnnot in good conscience engge in wr or in killing, you should not consider enlisting. If you become opposed to wr fter you join, you hve the right to seek dischrge, but it is long, difficult, nd uncertin process. 5. Get copy of the enlistment greement. Red the fine print crefully, especilly the prt bout wht the militry cn order you to do. You do hve right to tke this home, look it over, nd sk others bout it. 6. There is no period of djustment during which you my request nd receive n immedite honorble dischrge. Once you hve left for bsic trining, you must fulfill the full number of yers (usully eight, with some of these in the reserves) on your enlistment contrct. You cnnot leve of your own free will. The militry, however, my decide you re unsuitble nd dischrge you without your consent. 7. Get ll your recruiter s promises in writing, but lso remember tht the militry cn chnge the terms (such s py, job, or benefits) of your work. Though there re no gurntees, written sttement my offer you (s service member) some protection if promises re not met. However, the contrct is more binding on you thn on the militry. You re ultimtely responsible for informtion on the form, so don t tell lies, even if pressured. 8. There re no job gurntees in the militry. The militry is not required to keep you in the job you trined for on full-time or permnent bsis. In fct, most recruiters were involuntrily ressigned to their jobs. Plcements re mostly dependent on wht the militry perceives it needs. Most militry jobs re in res tht ccount for only smll percentge of civilin jobs. 9. Militry personnel cnnot exercise ll of the civil liberties enjoyed by civilins. You do not hve the sme constitutionl rights. Your rights to free speech, ssembly, petition, nd exercise of individul expression (such s clothing or hirstyle) re restricted. You must follow ll orders given to you, whether you gree with them nd consider them right or fir. 10. Mny opportunities exist for you to serve your community nd enhnce your skills. Before you decide to enlist, check out other options tht would help you be ll you cn be. Trvel, eduction, money for school, job trining, nd dventure cn ll be found in other wys. Your locl community my even hve opportunities tht you hdn t considered. Selective Service registrtion mndtory for 18-yer-old mles b y F r e d d y A c o s t By federl lw, ll 18-yer-old mles must register for Selective Service. Selective Service is wy the U.S. government keeps list of nmes of men from ges from which to drwn in cse of ntionl emergency requiring rpid expnsion of Americn rmed forces. In crisis requiring drft, men would be clled in sequence determined by rndom lottery number nd yer of birth. Then, they would be exmined for mentl, physicl nd morl fitness by the militry before being deferred or exempted from militry service or inducted into the rmed forces. Almost ll mle U.S. citizens regrdless of where they live, nd mle immigrnt liens residing in the U.S., re required to be registered with Selective Service if they re t lest 18 yers old but re not yet 26 yers old. Some non-citizens re required to register. Others re not. Noncitizens who re not required to register with Selective Service include men who re in the U.S. on student or visitor viss, nd men who re prt of diplomtic or trde mission nd their fmilies. Almost ll other mle noncitizens re required to register, including illegl liens, legl permnent residents, nd refugees. The generl rule is tht if mle noncitizen tkes up residency in the U.S. before his 26th birthdy, he must register with Selective Service. Mles who do not register, could be prosecuted nd fined up to $250,000 nd/or be put in jil for up to five yers. Registrtion is lso requirement to qulify for federl student id, job trining benefits, nd most federl employment. Men 18 through 25 yers old cn register by completing form t the post office. Some high schools hve fculty or stff member who serves s Selective Service Registrr. They cn lso go online t www. sss.gov to sign up. 19

20 20 College or technicl schools? The choice is yours BY DANIEL DE LA CRUZ Where should I go fter I grdute high school? Wht is the best qulity school I cn go to? Two, four yer college, or technicl school? Before students cn mke up there mind, they first hve to look t their creer gols, cdemic rediness, nd finncil bility. There s college for everyone nd finding it cn be little confusing. Students my choose privte or public colleges, two-yer, four-yer college, nd even technicl school. Privte schools re funded by donors nd the student tuition is often more expensive thn public schools. The verge cost of tuition for one yer t privte school mybe $19,000, while t public school it verges $10,000. For exmple, tuition t Montclir Stte University (public) is $8,404 compred to $24,644 t Firleigh Dickinson University (privte). These two schools re both locted in New Jersey nd they hve n $18,116 difference in cost. While tuition is higher t privte colleges, they re generlly more generous with finncil id becuse of dontions which help fund them. Most public re lrger thn privte colleges. Depending on the student, this cn be n dvntge or disdvntge. Privte schools tend to offer more gurnteed housing on cmpus thn public school. Students re lso more likely to get into the course they wnt t most privte thn public. The most difficult issue bout these two is qulity. Mny privte schools re thought to hve stronger cdemic reputtions thn public schools tht offer top-notch eduction. More often tht not it is the student who sees how strong of n eduction he or she gets. Bsiclly, there re severl types of schools from which to choose. Universities re usully lrge, regionlly ccredited schools with gret diversity of offerings. Some universities contin severl colleges, such s the College of Lw or the College of Eduction. Universities offer four-yer degrees (bcclurete or bchelor s degrees.), nd mster s degrees (one or two yers of cdemic credit pst the bchelor s.) Some offer doctorte (Ph.D.) in vrious fields of study. They re often stte-supported, or considered public versus privte institutions. Colleges usully refer to four-yer institutions which grnt bchelor s degrees. Grdute degrees, mster s nd doctorte, my or my not be offered. Colleges re usully smller thn universities nd frequently hve fewer mjors nd course offerings. Community colleges, sometimes referred to s junior colleges, re regionlly ccredited two-yer institutions supported by stte funds nd locl txes. They offer ssocite degrees designed to trnsfer into four-yer institution. They lso offer mny ssocite nd voctionl certificte progrms to be completed in two yers or less. Tuition is generlly less thn four-yer universities/colleges nd privte voctionl schools. Qushee Proctor is 2005 John F. Kennedy grdute who is ttending Pssic County Community College on his journey to become physicl eduction techer. I chose PCCC becuse I needed to rise my grde point verge nd get redy for college level courses, sid Proctor, who looks to ply footbll when he trnsfers to Willim Pterson University. Why did he choose college? I wnt to become P.E. techer nd lso I wnt to hve sense of success, he responded. PCCC is lso ffordble. Finncil id covers everything. Mybe when I trnsfer to university I will need more finncil ssistnce, he sid. For Proctor, tech school would not hve prepred him for teching creer. Voctionl or technicl schools usully trin students in specific creer field, such s ccounting, welding, cosmetology, legl ssistnt, computer technology, nd culinry rts. Mny re privte nd chrge reltively high tuition. Grdutes ern diplom, certificte, or sometimes, n ssocite s or bchelor s degree in two yers or less grdute Qushee Proctor ttends Pssic County Community College nd plns to trnsfer to Willim Pterson University to pursue teching. The ccredittion of voctionl institute is crucil, especilly if students ever wnt to trnsfer credit to nother institution. Qulity voctionl institutions re ccredited by one of severl ntionl ccrediting groups, such s the Accrediting Commission of Creer Schools nd Colleges of Technology, Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges nd Schools, Council on Occuptionl Eduction or the Distnce Eduction nd Trining Council. Mny, if not most, voctionl institutions re privte. There re severl mjor considertions when choosing technicl school over college. Tuition is generlly high for tech schools, s much s $25,000. Their focused progrms concentrte only on the creer specifics, not liberl rts eduction. They hve the dvntge of offering specific courses for specific creer. However, mny of those creer-specific courses will not trnsfer to college towrd n ssocite or bchelor degree. A key fctor when considering technicl school is credit trnsfer. This is n importnt considertion since students frequently chnge creer gols fter tking specific course within the mjor. In contrst, most courses t community college cn trnsfer to ny four-yer college of their choice, except some tht re tken for certifiction courses, such s medicl billing, etc. On the plus side, tech schools don t necessrily require high scores on SAT or ACT exm. However, neither does Pssic County Community College. Mny bost good job plcement rtes, nd instructors usully hve rel-life job experience, s well s good understnding of job mrket trends. But there s down side. The eduction provided t most of these schools is not very brod it s technicl nd oriented purely to wht the mrket wnts t the moment.

21 Historiclly Blck Colleges connect students to their roots BY NYSIAH REESE Wht does Pterson grdute Kevin King hve in common with Mrtin Luther King, Lngston Hughes, Toni Brxton, Spike Lee, Thurgood Mrshll, nd Oprh Winfrey? Like them, he ttends n historiclly Blck college or university. Historiclly Blck Colleges or Universities (HBCU) were estblished before 1964 with the intention of serving the Africn Americn community. There re more thn 100 HBCUs in the United Sttes nd they come in ll types nd sizes. HBCUs cn be public or privte. Some cn be for women or men. My mother ws lwys strong on roots, sid King, 2004 grdute of John F. Kennedy High School, who is ttending Clrk Atlnt University in Atlnt, GA. He reclled is cmpus visit in the fll of The university hs hll which is tribute to Blcks. It s incredible, lined with the pintings of fmous Africn-Americns who hve chieved gret ccomplishments, sid King who found the school inspirtionl nd fostering pride in his culture. Describing the cmpus s beutiful with lot to do, King erned full scholrship to Clrk for his bsketbll tlent. Now junior nd criminl justice mjor, King begn his college creer t Pssic County Community College were he lso plyed bsketbll. At first I mjored in erly childhood eduction t PCCC, sid King, but s I considered creer choices, I determined I wnted to be police officer. He received scholrship offers from Willim Pterson University, Vorrhees in South Crolin, nd Clrk. I didn t wnt to sty in the north; it s too cold. Voorhees is too rurl nd Clrk hs the gret loction of Atlnt. It ws my perfect choice, he sid. King described the courses s chllenging nd hs enjoyed the responsibility of doing lundry, cooking nd tking cre of himself. Living on cmpus is different. It helps you become more independent. Ply sport nd you meet so mny people nd the coches re so helpful, sid King who plns to pledge for Omeg Frternity Phi Si in the fll. He dvised Pterson students to keep trying nd find n outlet like sports to help open doors for college. People cn overshdow you nd get you off trck. But the min gol is to better yourself. Don t llow yourself to get stuck. Push through nd it s cler skies. You will succeed in F.G Clrk Activity Center Southern University in Bton Rouge, Lousin. the end. Students interested in HBCU hve mny choices. Just few re described below. Morehouse College, just outside Atlnt, G., hs been described s the best of historiclly blck higher-eduction institutions for men in the United Sttes. Albm Stte University is historiclly blck university in Montgomery, Al. It ws originlly founded in Mrion, Al. under the nme of Lincoln Norml School. It is historiclly noted s one of the most importnt HBCUs due to the depth of its involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Southern University in Bton Rouge, L. is the lrgest HBCU nd one of the most prestigious universities. From its humble beginnings, Southern University hs become the only Blck university system in Americ with n enrollment of over 15,000 students. More north, Cheyney University in Cheyney, P., hs been known for grdution prominent lumni through its eduction nd journlism deprtments. Chyney, founded in 1837, is the oldest HBCU for the purpose of higher eduction for youth of Africn descent. Lincoln University, just n hour outside Phildelphi, PA, hs been described top-tier university of historiclly blck higher-eduction institutions in the United Sttes nd the second-oldest HBCU (founded 1854) for the purpose of higher eduction for youth of Africn descent. Howrd University in Wshington, D.C. is one of the most prominent historiclly blck higher eduction in- stitutions in the United Sttes. It is comprehensive, reserch-oriented, privte university providing n eductionl experience of exceptionl qulity to students of high cdemic potentil with prticulr emphsis upon the provision of eductionl opportunities to promising Blck students. Howrd produces more Africn Americn doctorte degrees thn ny institution in the world nd lso hs severl notble lumni. Howrd is the only historiclly Blck university to mke the U.S. News & World Report s top 100 colleges nd universities. Florid A & M University of Tllhssee hs been nnounced s the best school for Africn Americns in 2006 by Blck Enterprise Mgzine. It ws nmed College of the Yer by Time Mgzine in Founded on October 3,1887, s the Stte Norml College for Colored Students, the venerble HBCU offers 62 bchelors degrees in 103 mjors/trcks nd provides 36 msters degrees in 56 mjors/trcks. Xvier University of Louisin (New Orlens) is the top school in the ntion in the plcement of blck students into medicl schools nd hs the lrgest number of blck undergrdutes receiving degrees in biology or life sciences. Xvier lso hs the distinction of being the only historiclly Blck nd Ctholic university in the Western hemisphere. North Crolin Centrl University locted in Durhm is rpidly growing institution. It is the first liberl rts college for Africn Americns in the country. Its School of Lw is rnked s one of Americ s top lw schools in the ntion by the Princeton Review. With student popultion of 9,000, NCCU is the ninth lrgest HBCU. NCCU lso hs the HBCU grdution rte in North Crolin. In 2005, NCCU rnked third in North Crolin in dmitting the most Ntionl Merit Scholrs. JFK grdute Kevin King, now junior t Clrk Atlnt University, pprecites the specil tribute historiclly blck colleges provide to Africn-Americns. 21

22 22 It s never too lte to lern BY JAMICKA EVANS Gerth Evns rised her dughters, supported her husbnd with simple nursing degree for 12 yers. Her husbnd erned most of the money with his job s construction worker nd pipefitter while Mrs. Evns mde her side money to buy the food, tke cre of the household needs. All tht worked until, Jmes Evns suffered from stroke nd immeditely hd to retire from work. Wht ws she to do? At the ge of 37, she returned to Pssic County Community College to dvnce her degree in nursing nd ern her license to dmin- Just hve fith nd know tht you cn better yourself nd never let nyone put you down, or tell you it s too lte for you to go bck to school, sid Mrs. Gerth Evns. ister medicine. She becme n registered nursing ssistnt (RNA) which produced more work opportunities. With regulr quizzes nd studying time, it wsn t esy to mnge home. Going bck to college ment hving to blnce work with school, rise two girls nd help her husbnd recover. Mrs. Evns dys were filled with tking her husbnd to rehb nd to his doctors, mking sure her dughters hd food on the tble nd complete their homework. She did ll this nd still mnged to receive her degree nd mintin job. I m gld I went bck to college becuse without tht, I wouldn t hve been ble to mke the money I m mking now, sid Mrs. Evns, reflecting on the effort. Other people were coming into her field nd tking her job becuse they hd both qulifictions of being nurse nd distributing mediction. Tht ws nother fctor tht drove her to continue her eduction nd dvnce in her creer. At times, when things got so difficult, I wnted to just give up, but I knew tht the future of my fmily ws on my shoulders, she sid. I erned good grdes in high school, but continuing my college eduction right fter grdution ws just something I wsn t into. I figured my husbnd mde money so nursing could be extr. She erned her RNA fter three months of trining nd is now certified nurse. She works t nursing home nd At 37, Gerth Evns of Pterson, returned to Pssic County Community College to dvnce her eduction in nursing. since she is certified to dispense mediction, she cn tke on numerous side jobs including home helth cre. Through it ll, she mde it, proving tht it is never too lte to further your eduction. Just hve fith nd know tht you cn better yourself nd never let nyone put you down, or tell you its too lte for you to go bck to school, sid Mrs. Evns. Not ll credits re creted equl BY PILAR BAYLON When plnning course of study, students must consider wht courses will be trnsferrble to four-yer-college. Remedil courses nd certin certifiction courses offered t community college, such s medicl billing, re not trnsferrble s college credit. This could cost the student more money nd time to finish their eduction. To ssist students in the trnsfer process, the stte hs developed website, where students cn pln their cdemic progrm. Students cn utilize the NJ TRANSFER Find Course Equivlencies component to determine the trnsferbility of their courses to prticipting colleges nd universities. Ech Recommended Trnsfer Progrm lists the generl eduction nd mjor deprtmentl requirements. Students re lso strongly encourged to red the text informtion found t the bottom of the grid nd click on links, where vilble, for more detiled informtion bout the institution's cdemic policies nd requirements. Trnsfer students should lso seek dvice on trnsferring to prticipting colleges nd universities from their cdemic dvisor or cmpus trnsfer counselor if ttending New Jersey community college. Students t four-yer institution who pln to complete nd trnsfer course from community college, should first seek permission from their dvisor. When visiting the njtrnsfer website, students my visit college's/university's website, locted under 'NJ Colleges nd Universities' on the drop down menu, to fmilirize themselves with the ppliction/dmissions procedures nd dedlines. To lern more bout n institution's trnsfer policies, dmissions requirements, or to sk specific question, check the NJTrnsfer website. Of course, progrm requirements t two nd four-yer colleges my chnge. Therefore, it is dvisble to consult frequently with Internet resources, including NJ TRANSFER, nd dvisor or trnsfer counselor for chnges in course nd progrm requirements. Community colleges gin populrity 44% of Americ s undergrdute students go to community college About 25% of current high-school seniors will ttend community college next yer 58% of community college students re women 29 is the verge ge of community college student There re over 1,100 community colleges in the U.S -995 public -137 independent 30% of community college students re minorities Averge tuition of community college is $1,518 per yer The verge expected lifetime ernings for grdute with n ssocite s degree is bout $250,000 more thn n individul with only high school diplom. Over 80% of community college students work t lest prttime Source: Americn Assocition of Community Colleges

23 Student thlete erns scholrship to the University of Delwre Hrrison lives on cmpus nd recomas student t John F. Kennedy High School, Sh Ron Hrrison mended ll the students put her hert into bsketbll nd studied hrd to mintin her grde who pln to go to colpoint verge. lege, to live in the dorms At times, especilly during bsketbll seson, completing ssignbecuse it gives the full ments nd prepring for tests ws struggle. But s Hrrison looks experience of college life bck, it ws worth it. The 2006 grdute erned full thletic scholrship to the Univer- nd independence. When sked to sity of Delwre nd couldn t be hppier. She is prt of the growing describe typicl dy on number of Pterson students whose thletic bilities ern them scholrcmpus, she replied, ships to college. clss, prctice nd I love this school. It offers me gret eduction, wonderful studying. cmpus nd gret resources, she sid. My rod to college Now in her sophomore yer, Hrrison credits tht first yer college begn in high school, experience with helping her to become more independent nd seeing sid Hrrison. My Comworld outside of Pterson s streets. muniction Acdemy The trnsition from high school to college wsn't difficult, sid techers helped build my Hrrison, however, it ws just gret chnge for one s life. It is gret chnge becuse you get to experience different cultures, different sense of responsibility ctivities, different skills of teching nd most of ll, the experience of nd my coch helped me get into college. independence. She dded, I cn t A str bsketbll for the Ldy Knights while t JFK, Sh Ron Hrrison commemortes her 1000 point milestone. She now relly sy tht I knew t the University of Delwre on full thletic I cn t relly sy tht I knew tht college ws right for tht college ws right for studies scholrship. me, but I cn sy tht I me, but I cn sy tht I wnted to expnd my eduction wnted to expnd my eduction nd continue to work towrds being nd continue to work towrds being successful,...sh Ron successful, sid Hrrison. She entered college s criminl justice mjor, but hs switched Hrrison, University of Delwre sophomore to humn services so she cn be socil worker in school system fter grdution. BY K E L LY B E LT R A N From mth to specil eduction, student plns to meet needs B Y K E L LY B E LT R A N specil kids tht need me nd I m focused to complete my degree. Living on cmpus, Gilbert works bout 16 hours week in his Kwsi Gilbert, top student in the Science, Technology, Engineercollege cfeteri, where he erns $8 per hour. ing nd Mthemtics Acdemy, thought he wnted to It s relly hrd to work nd study t the pursue creer in mth. sme time, he sid but he hs his mind totlly However, fter experiencing n enriching progrm focused. He sid he hs free time with his t Syrcuse University which wrded him full scholfriends, but tht the prty scene is not for him. rship, he now plns to become specil eduction Mny students get distrcted with excessive techer. drinking nd prtying, but I d rther pursue my Gilbert, 2004 John F. Kennedy grdute, went to eduction, hve some fun, work nd keep everycollege with very open mind, nd the vrious experithing blnced, sid Gilbert who followed tht ences helped determine his future creer. Like lrge sme pttern while high school student. percentge of students, he prticipted in new prowhile t Kennedy, joined the Opertion Linkgrms t college which helped to form his creer up progrm which helped him get to college. interest. Opertion Link-Up (OLU) begn in 1988 s We hd n opportunity to work with specil mens to encourge students from public schools needs children nd I relly gined such stisfction in Pterson to go to college. It works with relting to them. I ve come to relize gret need Syrcuse s summer college to motivte inner-city exists to educte these children nd I wish to be prt minority teens to pursue college eduction. of it, sid Gilbert. OLU encourges students through mentoring, A quiet person who mkes studying priority, Syrcuse University student Kwsi Gilbert, once tutoring nd other services. Pterson students Gilbert hs djusted to the lrge Syrcuse cmpus. mth mjor, now looks to become specil ed techer thnks to volunteer progrm t college. who hve prticipted in the Opertion Link-Up Although he considered himself homebody, he progrm my qulify for Syrcuse University s full hs djusted to dorm life to tke dvntge of the scholrship. Interested students my contct OLU on line t benefits of being t prestigious university, its support services nd or by clling Mr. Crey Jenkins, OLU execuopportunities. tive director, t The progrm is locted t the Christo I m just doing my life. I don t get into my roommte s life, he pher Hope Community Center, 60 Temple St., Pterson. sid. At first I just wnted to return home, but I think bout ll the 23

24 24 Mnging time leds to cdemic & socil success BY RABYA SULTANA For Rumki Chowdhury, senior t Willim Pterson University, commuting to cmpus did not keep her from being hevily involved in ctivities nd excel s student. The 2004 John F. Kennedy High School grdute sid she lerned to mnge her time well to enjoy both the cdemics nd socil life t WPU. In fct, she plns to grdute December 2007, semester erlier. I commute becuse WPU is seven-minute drive from my home. First yer of college, I ws uncertin whether to join ny clubs or orgniztions becuse I wnted to be focused on my coursework. However, I could not resist nd ended up running for secretry of the South Asin Students Assocition nd won!, she sid. She dvnced to vice president nd then president of the orgniztion. I hve begun n online mgzine clled Sense South Asi, which is imed towrd the modern South Asin nd others who wnt to lern bout the South Asin culture. I spire to get it to print sometime in fll, 2007, she sid. As freshmn, she lso becme stff writer for the cmpus newspper, The Becon, nd dvnced to fetures editor nd then, editorin-chief. It ws n experience to remember s the newspper is student-run nd similr to smll business. I lerned mny skills from Ad-sles to QurkXpress, sid Chowdhury. I must sy tht being Editor-in-chief of The Torch t JFK High School prepred me with the diligence necessry to run newspper. Since Chowdhury s Muslim fith is n importnt prt of her life, she lso wnted to join the Muslim Students Assocition but thought she might not fit in. I ssumed tht the MSA ws strict nd I did not cover or wer hijb (hed covering). However, the president persuded me to join nd I discovered tht MSA is open to nyone nd everyone, filling minds with the knowledge of Islm through guest spekers nd open student forums, she sid. So enthusistic bout the group, Chowdury becme its public reltions officer. Responsibility is in the students hnds cdemiclly nd socilly. Therefore, they should remember tht if their prents re pying for the eduction, then why let tht money go to wste? Why not mke the most of their college experience?...rumki Chowdhury, Willim Rumki Chowdury, who plns to grdute from Willim Pterson University in December 2007, mde time for cdemics nd ctivities s commuter student. Pterson University senior I tried to help other students understnd tht it does not mtter whether one is covered or not, or even Muslim. The MSA is ntionwide orgniztion nd with links to other universities nd colleges. Within WPU, there hve been events where different religious groups hve joined us in peceful discussions bout our fiths, she explined. A student within the Science, Technology, Engineering nd Mthemtics (STEM) Acdemy of JFK, Chowdhury credited her involvement in school ctivities s preprtion for her ledership roles in college. Becuse I hd entered vrious competitions in speech nd poetry reding throughout high school, I lerned to spek in front of lrge crowds. Public speking is one skill necessry when being leder in ny orgniztion, she sid. She prticulrly remembered junior yer for its college preprtion ctivities. It ws very stressful for me especilly with the mount of courses I ws tking including AP nd Honors; however, I mnged. Orgniztion is key; in fct, orgniztion is one skill tht students will crry into their college creers, she sid. In mking the trnsition from high school to college, Chowdhury stressed the importnce of responsibility in order to be successful. The difference between high school nd college is tht students re entirely responsible for themselves. There is no one to wke them up for clss. Students mke up their own schedule nd choose whether or not to ttend clss. When in need of using the bthroom, students cn just leve nd return to clss, she sid. Responsibility is in the students hnds cdemiclly nd socilly. Therefore, they should remember tht if their prents re pying for the eduction, then why let tht money go to wste? Why not mke the most of their college experience? she sid. Chowdhury s journey to WPU begn with erning high grdes nd doing well on her SATS. My SAT scores helped me ttin full scholrship to WPU, she sid. I believe I did well, however, I do not think tht such ptitude tests relly define student s bility to tckle numerous chllenges they will be fcing throughout their college creers. She pplied to WPU becuse of its excellent English progrm nd the mny clubs tht interested her. I ttined full trustee scholrship nd there is certin grdepoint-verge I need to mintin. Fortuntely, with the support of fmily nd friends nd personl dediction, I hve mnged to remin trustee, she explined. An English mjor who loves to write, Chowdhury plns to ttend grdute school nd ttin her PhD to become professor. As Chowdhury prepres her next step to grdute school, she offered dvice to Pterson youth. Don t let nyone tell you tht you re not good enough becuse everyone hs the bility to be successful cdemiclly nd socilly. Tke every opportunity you cn to show people your cpbilities whether it is nswering question in clss (wrong or right, you re brve) or entering n essy/poetry reding/speech competition. If you re confident, then you will succeed.

25 Equl Opportunity Progrm pved wy for college BY ASHLEY JOHNSON When Felix Medrno looked t Rmpo College, the smll clss size nd beutiful cmpus cught his ttention. Not only ws he ccepted for dmission, but he ws lso wrded cceptnce to the New Jersey Equl Opportunity Progrm nd grnts which py his tuition. I did not receive ny scholrships becuse I ws not smrt enough to pply for them. Students need to invest some time serching for these gret opportunities. I received the NJ Tg grnt, the SEOG grnt, NJ EOF grnt, nd Pell grnt, sid The biology mjor, now junior, originlly plnned to commute to college. My high school English techer t JFK, Mrs. Chung, dvised me to live on cmpus. She sid tht living on cmpus would help me to be more focused in school work; she ws bsolutely right!, sid Medrno. Rmpo College junior, Felix Medrno, received tuition ssistnce through the Equl Opportunity Fund nd federl grnts. He especilly likes the smll clss size. I hve never tken clss with more thn students. This fct ws very importnt for me becuse the professors relly get to know you nd they re the ones who will serve s your reference when you pply for grdute school or job, he sid. Explining his schedule, Medrno sid he hs science clsses ll dy Mondys nd Thursdy nd works in the biology lb Tuesdy nd Fridys. The ltest I get up is 9:30 AM; tke shower nd then clsses ll dy. Wednesdy is club meetings dy. Everydy I mke sure I cll my fmily just to sty in touch. I don t like eting by myself so I lwys cll my friends to hve lunch or dinner together, he sid. Medrno finds Rmpo s cmpus ttrctive. There is lot of green spce on nd round cmpus to sit down, study, or simply relx. The dorms re nice, nd except Pine Hll, you don t hve to shre your bthroom with more thn five people. Besides this, Rmpo gurntees four yers of housing if you pply for housing s freshmn. he explined. Medrno sid he decision to ttend college stems from his egerness to lern. I lwys herd people telling me tht without degree or certifiction in something it becomes relly hrd to find good job, he sid. But more importnt thn tht, going to college for me ws n innte feeling. I believe everydy we lern something new, nd tht mkes us eternl students. It is our choice whether or not to feed our hunger of knowledge. Ever since I cn remember I hve been very inquisitive student nd I felt tht going to college ws going to expnd my cdemic nd personl horizons. Compring high school to college, Medrno sid students need to be more responsible nd mnge time wisely to succeed. As whole, college is not difficult. However, most students, especilly freshmn, hve difficulty working on their own. Most professors think of every student s n dult nd they re very explicit bout wht they wnt. They wnt everybody to lern, nd do the clss s work on time nd to the best of their bilities. However, professors will not Going to college for me ws n innte feeling. I believe everydy we lern something new, nd tht mkes us eternl students. It is our choice whether or not to feed our hunger of knowledge. Ever since I cn remember I hve been very inquisitive student nd I felt tht going to college ws going to expnd my cdemic nd personl horizons....felix Medrno, Rmpo College junior remind you of this in every clss session. They will sy it once, nd give you syllbus. From then on, you re on your own nd you hve to set stndrds to yourself, he explined. His recipe for success? Developing good time mngement skills, prioritizing your school work, nd stying wy from procrstintion re key points for successful semester. Agin, estblishing solid GPA during your freshmn yer will very much help you in the following yers, he dvised. Medrno cited working on my own, writing term ppers, nd stying up lte studying, s his biggest college djustments. However, preprtion for college begn long before freshmn yer. In fct, he credited his techers nd JFK stff for their support. Everybody tht knew me bck then helped me to get into college. I think the entire JFK fculty proofred my ppliction essys t lest once or twice, he reclled. It ws his own diligence which erned him the grdes nd cceptnce into Rmpo. Everything I did in high school prepred me for college. Doing the clsswork nd pying ttention in clss is relly importnt fctor nd you lwys hve to tke tht very seriously. Extrcurriculr ctivities lso helped me to lern how to mnge my time nd become more orgnized person. I hd summer jobs, ASPIRA club in school; I plyed bsebll, nd prticipted twice in the Ntionl History Dy contest, he sid. After college he wnts to conduct biomedicl reserch for yer or so nd then pply to medicl school. Everything I did in high school prepred me for college. Doing the clsswork nd pying ttention in clss is relly importnt fctor nd you lwys hve to tke tht very seriously....felix Medrno 25