This week

New AIE!

• Feature —Check out the new AIE
• Your turn —Finding scholarship sources: The obvious and the not so obvious
• Stay on track — A checklist of "to-dos"
• Take notice — Important dates
• All about AIEmail — Subscribe, suggest, review

Feature

Check out the new AIE

Learning everything you need to know about preparing for college and a career can be a challenging task. With so many different sources of information, and so many details to master, many students feel intimidated when they start planning for the future. AIEmail is intended to help make this process a little easier by giving you weekly college-planning tips, explanations of important topics, and timelines to help keep you on track.

Now, the people who bring you AIEmail have produced a new and improved Adventures In Education (AIE) Web site. Starting this month, AIE features a fun, livelier design, simpler navigation, and even more information on how to build your future plans.

Simpler navigation

Since planning for the future involves thinking about various stages of life, AIE is now organized that way. Trying to decide which college is right for you? Check out AIE's Planning for College section. Thinking about how you might finance your education? Click on the Paying for College button. Want to take a look at information relevant to students, families, or educators? Links on the home page help you do that, too.

Cleaner design

The new AIE is designed to make researching information on college and careers not only easier, but visually pleasing as well. The colorful backgrounds change each time you reopen the site, for example. Preparing for life after graduation takes time and effort — but there's no reason it can't be fun as well.

Interactive content

AIE also provides several interactive features to help you get a better understanding of money management topics. These include the new True Cost Calculator and the Credit Card Skills Builder, both of which illustrate the real cost of buying with credit. Other features include budgeting tools and loan repayment calculators.

More to come

Stay tuned to AIEmail in the coming months, as we highlight more of AIE's new features, and focusing on the topics you need to start down the postgraduation path.

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Your turn

Finding scholarship sources: The obvious and the not so obvious

You know that you should apply for as many scholarships as you can to help finance your college education, but do you know how to find them? This week, we go over some of the obvious — and not so obvious — ways to find scholarships you may be eligible for.

High school counselors and teachers
Discuss which college majors and careers interest you with your teachers and counselors. Visit bulletin boards where your school posts scholarship information and go through any resources available.

High school library, public library, or bookstore
Your library and local bookstores almost always carry directories and guides on scholarships — talk to your librarian for help in finding these. If you want to buy these books, visit discount and used bookstore dealers first — they often have a wide selection of these tools available at very reasonable prices.

The Internet
Visit Web sites like Adventures In Education (www.AIE.org), and use search engines to find other sources. One good place to look is on Google (www.google.com). Visit the site and select "Groups," then use the key words "high school scholarships." Because these are discussion groups, you will need to dig through more information, but you may uncover some outstanding opportunities. Revise your keywords (like adding "chemistry" or other interests) to get even better results.

Colleges or schools you are considering attending
The college or university you plan to attend also can help with finding scholarship programs. Call the admissions office or financial aid office and ask for help on finding scholarships. Colleges and universities are also good places to find out more about scholarships offered by state and local government agencies.

Your parents' employers
There may be a scholarship fund or program available to you through the company where your parents or guardians work. Opportunities vary, and each program has its own requirements. Ask your parent to start by calling the human resource office in his or her company to ask if there are any programs available. You can also do your own research if they have a Web site.

Your church, synagogue, or other religious organizations
Religious organizations have very long, positive histories of creating programs to help youth with education. Speak with your minister, rabbi, priest, or other religious leader about any scholarship programs they are aware of. Remember, if they know you well, you may also want to ask them to be a reference for your applications. Share your college and career interests with him or her, and he or she will likely keep an eye out for others who might have attended your school, work in your chosen career, or are involved in programs to help students.

Local, state, and national businesses
Many types of businesses contribute in some form or other to scholarship funds for students — it's part of their responsibility to participate as positive members of their community. Research company Web sites, call the company's main number and ask if they have a program, or recruit your parents and their friends to help you find programs.

Branches of the military
All branches of the military have programs to provide scholarships to students. In most cases, you will likely have to serve in some form or capacity to become eligible. Many students who need assistance to attend college, but also want to develop some great leadership and practical skills and work experience, serve in the military for a defined period and then go to college on military-funded scholarships. If you think you might be interested, contact a local recruiting office or speak with your guidance counselor.

If you're a freshman or sophomore, make sure you keep records of any programs you find for later use. Keep a notebook with dates, times, addresses, and phone numbers, use the bookmark feature on your Web browser, or load up your printer with plenty of paper to print out the home page of the programs you are interested in.

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Stay on track

Checklist for this week

For freshmen

• Take an active role during class lectures. Ask questions and contribute to class discussions.
• Keep open lines of communication with your teachers. Give them progress updates on your studies and ask for help when needed.
• Remember, active participation can improve your grades. The more you show an interest, the more likely you will be given credit.
• Start to get comfortable speaking in class, in large groups, or in class presentations. Your confidence will build, and you will do better in future interviews for schools and scholarships.
• If you are shy, make a commitment to speak up at least once or twice a day in class. You'll find it more comfortable to participate in the future.

For sophomores and juniors

• It's time to take the PSAT. Make sure you register and get all the information necessary to take the test.
• When you receive your PSAT scores, you will also be given your test booklets. Review the items you missed and talk to your teachers if you don't understand why you missed the incorrect answers.
• When you practice for the test, make sure you monitor your time and adjust your progress to complete as much of the exam as possible.
• Don't get stuck trying to answer a single question. Mark the questions you can't answer immediately and come back to them later.
• Pay attention to the instructions on filling out the answer form. It can be very easy to lose your place and start marking answers in the wrong spaces.
• If you are having difficulty selecting the correct answer, but you can definitely eliminate one of the answers, make your best "educated" guess. By eliminating one option, you've already increased your chances of getting the right answer.
• Remember to take your calculator, extra new batteries, and a supply of reliable pencils to the test.

For seniors

• Keep working on getting good grades. It's tempting to slack off your senior year — but don't do it.
• You should be diligently working on taking your college entrance exams, preparing your college applications, and visiting schools when possible.
• Talk with your parents or counselor about who you should approach to prepare reference letters for you. Often, it's more important that you select a person who knows you well. A person with a high profile may not impress the school if that person doesn't know you well.
• Start thinking about where you'll be this time next year. If you plan on leaving home for college, you'll need to start thinking now about how to pay for the necessities — food, shelter, and transportation, among other things.
• Work on your leadership skills. Join clubs, run for an office, and get involved with community activities.
• Keep your family involved in your college and career planning. Share your progress over dinner, on the ride to or from work or school, or over a basketball game or trip to the mall.

For parents

• The season for "college nights" and college planning fairs has arrived. Stay involved. Make arrangements to attend these programs with your student.
• During the fairs, encourage your student to ask questions. Pick up information about schools and ask any questions you may have, but be careful not to monopolize the counselor's time.
• Have a quick five to ten minute chat with your student's high school counselor. Share ideas, talk about your students' progress, and ask them to keep you informed of any changes.
• If your senior student wants to go to college but isn't making an effort to get the information he or she needs, remind them that time is running very short. Get them to spend an afternoon or a Saturday morning calling admissions offices for information, researching on the Web, or e-mailing schools.

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Take notice

Important 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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All about AIEmail

Subscribe, suggest, review

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• Visit the AIEmail Archive (www.AIE.org/AIEmail/archive.cfm) for past issues.

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