STEPPING STONE

University of Maryland College Park

Pre-College Programs in Undergraduate Studies

www.precollege.umd.edu February 2008

1

Academic Year Schedule

Upward Bound I & Upward Bound II

Oct 6, 13, 27Nov 3, 10, 17

Dec 1, 8Jan 26

Feb 2, 9, 16, 23Mar 1, 8, 29

Apr 5, 12, 19, 26May 3

Upward BoundMath & Science

Oct 13, 27Nov 10, 17

Dec 8Jan 26

Feb 2, 9, 23Mar 1, 8

Apr 5, 12, 19

U P W A R D B O U N D S T U D E N T M E E T S

G O V E R N O R O ’ M A L L E Y

On January 28th, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley visited a nursing class at Bladensburg High School. Kendall Cunningham, a senior in the nursing pro-gram, was selected to take Governor O’Malley’s blood pressure while the news cameras were on site record-ing the event. This was ex-cellent practice for Kendall who plans to pursue a career in obstetrics or midwifery. Kendall, an honors student

in her second year of the Upward Bound Math & Science Program, is applying to several schools in-cluding the University of Maryland-College Park, Rutgers, and Towson. Congratulations Kendall!

Kendall CunninghamUBMS Senior

COUNSELORS’ CORNER

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWINGSTUDENTS ON THEIR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES:

Adefolasoyo (Allen) Aderotoye - University of Mary-land College Park, Morgan State UniversityKaniesha Abbey - Villa Julie University, Coppin State University, University of Maryland Eastern ShorePatience Ajayi - Morgan State UniversityKrystle Babayemi - Hartford UniversityFantazzia Bender - West Virginia UniversityRashod Brooks - Morehouse College, Morgan State UniversityChristian Dancy - Hampton UniversityDenitra Carter - Villa Julie University, Coppin State UniversityJuliana Colon - University of Maryland Eastern Shore, St Johns (NY) - offered partial scholarshipKendall Cunningham - Virginia Commonwealth Uni-versityAriam Frezghi - Liberty UniversityHerman Kong - University of Maryland Baltimore CountyJohnny Li - Old Dominion University, University of Maryland College ParkNancy Pham - George Mason University, University of Maryland College ParkMarla Pon - Marymount University, University of the District of ColumbiaZulikhat Segunmaru - University of Maryland Col-lege ParkTrent Sullivan - Cabrini College, St. John's UniversityFaland Villard - University of Maryland College ParkKenneth Watkins - Morgan State UniversityYordanos Yalewayker - Penn State University, Univer-sity of Maryland College ParkNemesis Zambrano - Trinity University - offered Dean's Scholarship

U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A R Y L A N D I N C E N T I V E

A W A R D F I N A L I S T

Candace Alphonse, Fairmont Heights High senior, has been nominated as a University of Maryland Incentive Award finalist.

The University of Maryland initiated the Univer-sity of Maryland Incentive Awards Program to rec-ognize and reward young people who want to bet-ter their opportunities through a college education. The program is specifically targeted toward stu-dents who demonstrate academic ability, uncom-mon persistence and maturity despite adverse life situations.

At the heart of the University of Maryland Incen-tive Awards Program is the development of indi-vidual character, critical thinking skills and leader-ship within an intimate community of peers, advi-sors and mentors. The cohort of students that form the core of this community benefit from outstand-ing academic and support programs and are active in their home communities as role models for future Incentive Award candidates.

Congratulations Candace!

TUTORING

If you currently have a “C” average or below in any of your courses, you should contact the office imme-diately to schedule a tutoring session.

When: Monday - Friday 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (by appointment) Sat (UBMS only) 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where: West Education Annex

Download the Tutor Request form @ www.precollege.umd.edu, complete and return to your counselor to schedule an appointment.

2

COUNSELORS’ CORNER(Cont.)

GOAL SETTING PROCESS

When your life history is read, what accomplishments would you like to be included? It’s never too early to begin to think about your lifetime goals. The choices you make as a teen-ager can have a great impact on your goals -- whether you achieve your college degree, are able to purchase a nice home and car, or have the financial means to provide for your fam-ily. This article outlines the process of goal setting and how to begin working on your life dreams TODAY.

What is goal setting? Goal setting is a process for thinking about what you want and motivating yourself to achieve what you want.

What kind of goals should I consider? Review a variety of areas of your life and set goals in categories that are of high priority for you:• Personal: What characteristics about myself do I want to

change, e.g. attitude, shyness, gossiping, bad temper? How can I become a better person?

• Family/Friends: How can I improve my relationships with my family members? How can I improve my rela-tionships with my friends? How can improve my rela-tionship with boyfriend/girlfriend? Do I want to have an exclusive romantic relationship? What are my plans for marriage and parenting?

• Education: What education level do I need to achieve to pursue my career interests? Is there knowledge I want to gain in a particular area? What information and skills do I want to achieve?

• Career: What career do I want to have in my future? Is there a specific level I want to reach in my career?

• Health/Physical Fitness: What kind of condition do I want my body to be in as a teenager and adult? Do I need to change my eating habits to maintain a healthier diet? Are there athletic or physical goals I want to achieve?

• Spiritual: How important is it for me to have a close connection with spirituality? Are their steps I need to take to bring myself closer to a higher power?

• Financial: How much money do I want to earn in my career? What goals do I want to achieve that will require a large financial investment? How will I earn the money to finance these goals?

• Recreation/Leisure: Are there fun activities that I want to try in my free time? How do I plan to spend my time away from work and school? Are their things I have al-ways wanted to try (skydiving, writing a book, traveling to South America)?

• Public Service: How can I contribute to the betterment of my community? Are there ways I can serve others?

What are the steps to goal setting?1. Create a big picture of things you want to accomplish in

your lifetime (long-term goals)2. Break big picture down into smaller targets that you must

achieve to reach your lifetime goals (short-term goals)3. Break smaller targets down to tasks that you can accom-

plish within a day/week/month/year

Goal Setting Tips:• State each goal as a positive statement: “Complete 10th

grade with a 3.0 GPA” vs. “Don’t fail all my classes and drop out of school”

• Set priorities: Decide which goals are most important to your life right now. This allows you to focus your efforts and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• Write goals down and put your list in a place where you will see it daily.

• Set goals that you have some control over achieving: “Have a girlfriend by the end of the school year” vs. “In-troduce myself to girls that I find attractive/interesting”

Create goals that are S.M.A.R.T.• S – Specific

Think about the following questions: What do I want to be able to do/have/achieve? What will achieving my goal look like? What are my reasons for pursuing this goal?

• M – MeasurableEstablish concrete criteria for measuring progress towards goal. How will you know when your goal is accom-plished?

• A – AttainableIs this goal possible to achieve?

• R – RealisticAre you willing and able to work towards this objective? Do you truly believe it can be accomplished?

• T – Time-boundA goal should be given a time frame. Be precise--put in dates, times, and amounts so you can measure your achievement.

By following the tips listed above, you will be on you way to achieving a goal that YOU decide is important for your life. This goal may help you get closer to a lifetime dream that you have for your future. Of course, the point of setting goals is to achieve them. However, do not be discouraged if your goal is not met. Failure to meet your goals is not a big deal as long as you learn from your experience. Apply the lessons you learned back to your goal-setting program.

3

COLLEGE SPOTLIGHT

Tennessee State University is a com-prehensive urban coedu-cational land-grant uni-

versity founded in 1912 in Nashville, Tenn. The present-day Tennessee State Uni-versity exists as a result of the merger on July 1, 1979, of Tennessee State University and the former University of Tennessee at Nashville. The 500-acre main campus, with more than 65 buildings, is located in a residential setting; the Avon Williams Campus is located downtown, near the center of the Nashville business and government district. The diverse student population of more than 9,000 repre-sents 46 states and 45 countries. TSU has been listed for 13 consecutive years in the U.S. News & World Report “Guide to America’s Best Colleges.”

Colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Busi-ness, College of Education, College of Engineering & Technology, College of Health Sciences, School of Agri-culture and Family and Consumer Sciences, and School of Nursing

Popular Majors: Business Administration, Biology, Nursing, Psychology

Admissions: ACT Score of 19 or 900 and above on the SAT, or Minimum GPA of 2.50 on a 4.00 system

Tuition: (Per Semester) Undergraduate: $2443 full-time tuition in-state, $7581 full-time out-of-state; Graduate: $3137 full-time in-state; $8275 full-time out-of-state.

Room & Board: (Per Semester) $3,110

Financial Aid: TSU has a strong commitment to assist students seeking financial aid. Types of aid available in-clude grants, scholarships, loans, and employment. FICE School Code: 003522.

Faculty: 434 full-time, 167 part-time

Enrollment: (Fall 2005): 7112 undergraduate, 1926 Graduate; 9038 total

Six-Year Graduation Rate: 45.3% (1999-2005 Fresh-men Cohort)

Student Origins: 42 states and 45 countries

Student Residency: 74.4% State of Tennessee resi-dents

Student Ethnic Diversity: 75% Black, 22% White, 3% Other

Average Class Size: 22 students

Athletics: Tennessee State competes in Division I of the NCAA with the exception of men's football (I-AA). Pro-grams are available for men in Basketball, Football, Golf, Tennis, and track and field. Programs are available for women in Basketball, Softball, Tennis, Track and Field, and Volleyball.

www.tnstate.edu/

INCLEMENT WEATHER CANCELLATION POLICY

It is important to listen to the radio and local television news stations when the forecast is snow, or if snow or icy conditions occur on a Fri-day prior to a scheduled Saturday session. Sat-urday sessions will be cancelled if the University of Maryland College Park is closed on the Friday preceding the scheduled session.

If a Saturday session is cancelled due to inclem-ent weather, an announcement will be made on the program’s main telephone number (301-405-6776) early Saturday morning.

EXCUSED ABSENCES ON SATURDAY

Students are expected to attend the Saturday Academy on a regular basis and a parent or legal guardian must approve any absence. Parents please remember if your child is involved in school activities that conflict with Sat-urday Academy attendance, you are required to notify the counseling staff as soon as possible. With the appropri-ate documentation from the school coach, band director, etc. students will be excused.

4

Student Aid Report (SAR) andExpected Family Contribution (EFC)

About four to six weeks after you submit the FAFSA (a few days for FAFSA on the Web), you will receive your Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR summa-rizes the information you provided on the FAFSA, and indicates the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). (If there's an asterisk next to the EFC figure on the SAR, it means your FAFSA has been selected for verification.)

The EFC is the amount of money your family will be expected to contribute to your education. The EFC is subtracted from the school's Cost of Attendance (COA), also known as the "student budget", to arrive at your financial need: Financial Need = COA - EFC. The student budget includes tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, travel, and personal and incidental expenses.

The lower your EFC, the more financial aid you will get. The school will try to meet this need through a financial aid "package" that combines aid from fed-eral, state, school, and private sources with loans and student employment.

You may find your EFC figure to be painfully high. This often occurs because the need analysis formulas are heavily weighted toward current income. In addi-tion, the formulas consider your income and assets without taking many common forms of consumer debt into account, such as credit card balances and auto loans. Finally, student income and assets can add significantly to the EFC figure.

FinAid (www.finaid.org/) provides a few tips on legal ways you can reduce your EFC and thereby maxi-mize your eligibility for financial aid (visit: www.finaid.org/fafsa/efc.phtml).

If you do not receive your SAR, call the federal processor at 1-800-4-FED-AID or 1-319-337-5665. They will ask for your Social Security number and date of birth as verification, and will tell you whether your FAFSA has been processed. You can also write

to the federal processor at

Federal Student Aid ProgramsPO Box 4038Washington, DC 52243-4038

Carefully review all of the information on the SAR to make sure it is correct. If there are any errors, call the school's financial aid administrator to ask how you should make corrections. The item numbers printed on the SAR correspond with the question numbers on the FAFSA form.

The federal processor will send a copy of your SAR to each of the schools you listed on the FAFSA. If you need additional copies of the SAR, call the fed-eral processor and ask for a duplicate SAR.

Keep your copy of the SAR in the same folder that contains your copy of the FAFSA and the records you used to complete the FAFSA.

www.finaid.org/

5

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SENIORITIS

Make Your Senior Year Count

Seniors have worked hard for three years, taking tests, completing pro-jects, and preparing for college admis-sion. When senior year rolls around, some students just want to get through college applications and relax before they head off to the college of their choice.

Also known as senioritis, taking it easy senior year may seem like a nice break, but is likely to do more harm than good. According to recent re-ports, incomplete high school prepa-ration can contribute to academic problems in college.

* As many as half of all college students do not have adequate aca-demic preparation, and are required to take remedial courses. * More than one quarter of the freshmen at four-year colleges and nearly half of those at two-year col-leges do not even make it to their sophomore year.

Not only does senioritis jeopardize your chances for success later on in college, it can also affect your grades—and college admission offi-cers pay close attention to your per-formance senior year.

Senior-Year Grades and College AdmissionMany students mistakenly believe that prepping for college ends after the eleventh grade. However, the senior year—the entire senior year—is actu-ally of particular interest to colleges.

ApplyingMany college applications (including the Common Application) require

you to list your senior courses, in-cluding information about course lev-els and credit hours. It will be very obvious to the admission officers if you've decided to take the year off.

Many colleges also include as part of the application a form called the mid-year grade report. Your counselor completes this form with first-half grades and sends it to the colleges to which you've applied. It then becomes a crucial part of the application folder.

If You Are AcceptedMany college acceptance letters in-clude warnings to students such as "Your admission is contingent on your continued successful perform-ance." This means colleges reserve the right to deny you admission should your senior year grades drop.

Mary Lee Hoganson, college coun-selor for Homewood-F lossmor Community High School, Flossmor, Illinois writes: "It is not at all rare for a college to withdraw an offer of ad-mission when grades drop signifi-cantly over the course of the senior year. (I have a folder full of copies of these letters.)"

How to Make the Most of Your Senior YearSenior year is your opportunity to strengthen your skills and broaden your experiences, in school and out, to prepare for all of the challenges ahead. A successful senior year can help launch you on the path to a suc-cessful future.

Maintain a Challenging Course LoadYou should take the most rigorous courses available, and be sure to con-tinue taking college-track subjects. Consider AP® courses, which can also earn you credit at many colleges.

Stay Active and InvolvedYour continued involvement in activi-ties, sports, and volunteer work will help you stay active and focused throughout your final year. A great internship or career-focused job op-portunity can help motivate you to start considering your career options. Meaningful and significant experi-ences will help prepare you to make informed decisions about your educa-tion and career goals.

Try out College EarlyIf you're interested in pursuing a sub-ject further, and have excelled at your high school classes so far, consider taking a class at a local college. This challenge can help you avoid sliding into an academic slump, and stimu-late your interest in the possibilities of college.

Another option in many areas is mid-dle college or early college high schools. These schools, normally lo-cated on community and four-year college campuses, allow students to spend their last two years taking classes in both college and high school. Early exposure to college classes introduces you to the rigor of college work while easing your transi-tion from high school.

www.collegeboard.com/splash/

6

See your counselor for test fee waivers * Fee waivers not accepted for late registration

The Upward Bound Program is funded by the United States Department of Education

7

Pre-College Programs StaffExecutive Director, Georgette Hardy DeJesus, Psy.DAssociate Director, Annie Foster Ahmed, M.EdAssistant Director, Rhea Nedd, M.A.Upward Bound II Advisor/Coordinator, Moya Malcolm, M.EdUpward Bound I Counselor, Ta’mia Henry, M.A.UB Coordinator, Michael Walker, M.A.Business Services Specialist, Adrienne RossUBMS Administrative Assistant & Newsletter Editor, Jacqueline Majors

2008 SAT & ACT TEST DEADLINES

TEST TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE LATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE*

SAT May 3, 2008 Apr 1, 2008 Apr 10, 2008

ACT Apr 12, 2008 Mar 7, 2008 March 8-21, 2008