Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Hey, high school seniors! The old saying is true, the early bird really does get the worm. Colleges are now accepting your applications. With school about to start, it would be a great idea to narrow down your top choice schools and start sending out those long-awaited letters. It is never too early to apply for scholarships or to your favorite schools.
Although summer is over, a lot of the universities will be holding fall campus tours too, so be sure to get online, sign up, and mark your calendars.
Meet Mizzou Days will take place in both September and November. If you are looking forward to being a Tiger next year, this would be a great opportunity for you and your family to visit Columbia! On both Saturday, September 14th and Saturday, November 9th, you can take a tour of the University of Missouri. Meet Mizzou Day will include: the Mizzou overview, financial aid and scholarship information, residential life and dining overview, the campus tour, an academic fair, and departmental tours.
The Missouri State University Showcase will be held on Saturday, November 2nd. The Showcase is a popular open house opportunity for high school juniors and seniors interested in attending MSU. If you plan on being a Bear in your near future, this would be the place to start! During the Showcase, you will be able to extend your exploration of the campus, meet the students and faculty, tour the residence halls, visit with the leaders of nearly 300 different clubs and organizations, learn about admissions, financial aid, and housing, and enjoy the dining halls.
If you are interested in becoming a Red Hawk, SEMO has two different dates for their annual Show Me Days. The first one will be held on Saturday, October 5th and the second one will be on Saturday, November 16th. Show Me Day gives you and your family the opportunity to tour the campus, eat in the dining facilities, meet with students, see the residence halls and talk to professors. You can register by contacting the Office of Admissions at (573) 651-2590 or visit the online website.
There are hundreds of more tours that are being offered at surrounding universities and colleges. Fall visiting days are very important for the schools as well as seniors wanting to attend them. Now that you are excited about seeing the campuses, it’s time to talk about other important dates that will soon be coming up.
First off: the winter ACT test. The ACT will be administered in September as well as December, just like it is every year. To register for the ACT, you can get on ACTstudent.org. The deadline for the test on September 21st will be on August 23rd, so be sure to sign up! If you miss the deadline or would rather take it later in the year when you are adjusted to your school schedule and classes, you can just register for it in November and take it in December.
The second important date to remember is New Years! Since you will most likely be staying up until midnight anyway to celebrate your graduation year, you might as well apply for FAFSA. Financial aid is crucial for families who have children wanting to go to college. FAFSA can help you get there! Applications will be accepted on January 1st, 2014. So, be sure that you are prepared to apply when the time finally rolls around to do so.
Aside from FAFSA, when you figure out what college you want to go to, make sure you apply for scholarships there! But until you figure it out, you can talk to your high school counselor about local scholarships that you are eligible to apply for.
Have a great school year!
