This week

Happy holidays

• Feature — Happy holidays from AIE
• Your turn — Cost of Attendance (COA)
• Stay on track — A checklist of "to-dos"
• Take notice — Important dates
• All about AIEmail — Subscribe, suggest, review

Feature

The holidays are here again. As you finish up your exams, we hope you'll take time to enjoy the holiday season. This can be a great time to relax and recharge for the rest of the academic year.

While you're taking time off from your studies, consider dedicating a portion of your break time to volunteering with a local community organization. However you spend your break, we hope you’ll have a safe and refreshing holiday, and we look forward to providing more AIE content to you the new year.

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Web quest

Cost of Attendance (COA)

The COA reflects the total amount it should cost a student to go to school, including tuition and fees, room and board, allowances for books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. Schools determine different standard budget amounts for students depending on whether they live on-campus or off-campus, are married or unmarried, and are from in-state or out-of-state.

Source: FinAid! (www.finaid.org)

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Stay on track

Checklist for this week

For freshmen

Have you set your new year's resolutions? Developing resolutions is similar to setting goals. Here are hints for making realistic resolutions:

• Review your fall extracurricular school activities. Did you balance your activities well with your study time? Were you over-involved or under-involved? Do you want to choose a new activity to join?
• Resolve to volunteer. Each community has many worthwhile programs that need volunteers.
• Read, read, read! Set aside 15 to 30 minutes each day to read to improve your reading skills and vocabulary. Keep a notebook of unfamiliar words and record their definitions.

For sophomores

Take a little time to get organized for a great new year. Here are a few reminders:

• Go through your school notebooks and throw away papers that you will not need this spring. Remember to check with your teacher first.
• Start a file for important school papers. Include your report cards, PSAT and other test results, major tests, review sheets, and any notes that may help you with future tests.
• Check with your counselor to see if he or she will have a program to explain PSAT and other test results.
• Mark your planner with important upcoming school projects or events.

For juniors

Here's what you should know about your PSAT results:

• PSAT results are reported to your high school but they are not sent to any colleges.
• If your high school is having a program for you and your parents to explain the results, it is to your advantage to attend.
• The critical reading, math, and writing skills scores can range from 20 to 80. The average score for juniors is about 49.
• The selection index score, which is the sum of your critical reading, math, and writing skills scores, can range from 60 to 240. The average selection index score for juniors is about 147.

For seniors and parents

This month, fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

• Step 1 — You can file your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Please make sure that you have applied for a PIN number at www.pin.ed.gov. Both you and your parents must provide information to complete the form. Ideally, you should complete and submit the form by mid-February.
• Step 2 — A Student Aid Report (SAR) will be sent to your home. SAR notifies you of your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) and will also indicate whether you are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant.
• Step 3 — The college financial aid office will compare the Cost of Attendance for their college to your family's EFC and review any additional information your family provided.
• Step 4 — You will receive a financial aid offer letter from each college to which you have applied for admission and financial aid.

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Take notice

Important dates

Mark down these dates.

To get more information on the SAT or SAT Subject Tests, access useful tools, or register, visit the College Board's Web site (www.collegeboard.com) or call (866) 756-7346.

To get more information on the ACT, access useful tools, or register, visit the ACT Web site (www.act.org) or call (319) 337-1270.

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