Tips for College Bound Shareholders 2009
Heading off to college is a huge step! Sometimes, it can be overwhelming, but with a little bit of guidance from Shareholder Development, your school counselors and your other supporters, you’ll breeze right through!
The information below has some general guidelines, and some specific information for UAA. Be sure to check with your college/university for information specific to the school you will be attending.
APPLY FOR ADMISSION. (January – April) Each school will have their own admission requirements. Pay close attention to required documents and deadlines.
UAA requires the following:
• Application (with fee). Fee for an Associate Degree (2 year) is $40; a Bachelor Degree (4 year) is $50.
• Submit official high school or college transcripts (in progress and final).
• Submit official test scores-SAT, ACT, or Accuplacer (for Bachelor level degrees).
UAA Admission Deadlines:
Spring 2009: Nov 1. Summer & UA Scholars: May 1. Fall 2009: July 1.
TIP! Most financial aid sources require that you are admitted into a degree program before being eligible for funding. Be sure to choose a degree program. You can always change it later if you change your mind.
APPLY FOR ON-CAMPUS HOUSING AND MEAL PLANS. For those of you who will be living on campus, you should apply for housing when you apply for admission. On-campus housing fills up fast! At UAA, you do not need to be fully admitted to apply for housing. Don’t forget to sign up for a meal plan!
FIND MONEY TO PAY FOR YOUR EDUCATION. Each school will have different costs for attending. At UAA, it costs an average of $13,000 per year if you live on campus and attend full-time.
Remember, FAFSA is your first step in the financial aid process! For a student starting in the Fall, the FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible right after January 1. Tax information is required for this and a PIN. For more information about FAFSA, go online to www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Don’t forget to visit NANA’s Shareholder Development website for scholarships available to NANA shareholders. www.nana.com. Also, there are plenty of scholarships on the AKCIS website at www.akcis.org.
TAKE YOUR PLACEMENT TESTS. Each school will have their own rules about what you need to do before taking Math or English courses. The placement tests are used to determine which Math and English courses you will be allowed to enroll in. Depending on whether or not you have taken your ACTs or SATs, and how you scored, you may or may not be required to take additional placement tests. Check with your high school counselor or college advisor.
WATCH THE MAIL. Start checking the mail for responses to your applications. It helps to call the University and your funding sources a few weeks after you have applied, just to check on your status and make sure all the requested records have been received.
TALK WITH A UNIVERSITY ADVISOR. It really helps to talk with an advisor before registering for classes. They can give you tips on when to take classes, which classes are only offered in the Spring or Fall for planning purposes, etc.
PICK OUT YOUR CLASSES. Check the course selection in the Class Schedule. Be sure to use your placement recommendations and the staff at the University to help you choose.
SIGN UP FOR CLASSES. Register early for the classes you want. Many classes fill up fast, especially the ones that everyone is required to take! Don’t panic if the class you need is filled up. You may still be able to take the class by working with the teacher and waiting for students to drop the class. This is common.
PURCHASE TEXTBOOKS (TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO START OF CLASSES). Textbooks become available generally 2 weeks before classes begin. Access the UAA Bookstore website to find their operating hours and to reserve your textbooks online (you can reserve your books online around 8 weeks before the fall semester begins).
PURCHASE PARKING PERMIT (TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO START OF CLASSES). If you plan on driving a vehicle at UAA, you will need a parking permit.
MAKE SURE YOUR FUNDING IS IN PLACE. Check with the Financial Aid office as well as the places you applied for scholarships.
PACK YOUR BAGS – YOU’RE HEADED OFF TO COLLEGE!
Words of wisdom from NANA shareholders:
“Meet with a counselor or career advisor immediately if you don’t know what you want to major in. Once you find out, check out that department and see what kind of help they can give you. Sometimes they have a planned course schedule so you don’t have to guess which classes you need every semester.” ~Kara Baker
“Keep in touch with your advisor. Don’t let any questions you have go unanswered. They are there to help.” ~Eva Mandregan
“It is far easier to go to college when you are young and don’t have kids and spouses needing your time, too.” ~Maude Blair
“Keep a copy of your catalog and course syllabuses for the 1st year you enter into school. If you decide to transfer, and the school doesn’t accept your courses, you can petition the school based on the course syllabus and the course catalog.” ~Stefanie Armstrong
“Keep the syllabus from every class. Even if you do not plan to transfer, you might and will need the syllabus to contest credit transfers. ~Kristine Garoutte
“Do not procrastinate; get things done early, and on time.” ~Eva Mandregan