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Greetings,
As college access counselors prepare for the start of another school year, I'm happy to report that we've improved our Counselor's Toolkit to offer even more help than before. Along with updating our materials to reflect the changes brought about by reauthorization, we've added new tools to help answer financial aid questions.
The new tools include a package of materials that will help counselors spread the word to students and families about scholarships. Because scholarships don't have to be paid back, they're one of the best kinds of financial aid students can get. Unfortunately, that message doesn't always reach students, many of whom don't apply for scholarships because they don't realize their wide availability and may think they won't qualify. Along with a PowerPoint® presentation, which includes detailed speaker notes, our scholarship package includes a preparation checklist, promotional flyer, and two separate handouts: a list of resources to help students track down scholarships that fit them, and a worksheet to help students create a personal assessment, which they can use when writing scholarship essays. Counselors can use these materials to persuade students that applying for scholarships is definitely worth their time.
Along with the scholarship materials, we also included a letter of recommendation information sheets for both students and parents. As college application deadlines approach, many teachers and counselors receive countless requests to write letters of recommendation. Our worksheets ask parents to describe their child's character and achievements, and ask students to describe their accomplishments and goals. We hope they can serve as a guide for teachers, counselors, and other trusted adults as they write letters of recommendation for students. To access our scholarship materials and letter of recommendation information sheets, visit mygreatlakes.org and click on the College Access Counselors section.
By making sure that counselors have up-to-date information to offer students about financial aid, we hope to make their jobs a little easier, and help them in their goal of opening the doors of education to all students.
Until next time, have a great month!
La Toya Sykes, Director
Outreach and Access Awareness
Click a link below to view past Opening Doors articles.
