Diamond Bar High School

SENIOR BULLETIN #7

Scholarship and College Information

March, 2017

ADMISSION DECISIONS

  • As Twenty One Pilots sang, “Wish we could turn back time to the good old days when our mamas sang us to sleep, but now we’re stressed out.” Acceptance letters are wonderful, but they don’t define you. It’s so great to have a school recognize all of your hard work and tell you that they want you to be a part of their campus community. It’s also tremendously disappointing when a school does not accept you, but remember that there are an incredible number of factors going into their decision and you’ll never really know why you did or didn’t get into a particular university. Remember also that there are tons of qualified candidates out there and so many admissions officers have told me they’re frustrated by the fact that they have to reject capable, wonderful students who they know would do really well at their school. Instead of looking at admission decisions as a judgment of who you are, you would be better off reflecting on the things that really define you – how you cherish your friends, how you value your family, how you pursue your passions, how you treat those less fortunate than you, how you strive to do the right thing.
  • Choose the school that is right for you. Hopefully you’re going to receive more than one acceptance letter, and that means you’ll have to start spending some serious time thinking about which school will work out best for you. Don’t give in to the temptation to just pick the school that has the most prestige or name recognition unless that truly is the best fit for you. In the short term, you and your parents will have the thrill of saying you’re going there, but bear in mind that you’ll be spending at least four years of your life in this place. Consider factors like the size of the student body, average class size, weather, majors,distance from home, and the surrounding community when deciding if a school is the one for you. Remember, there is still time to visit schools and there is no substitute for walking around a campus and speaking with students and observing classes to help you see if it’s the right school for you.
  • You had your chance to drop classes. If you’re doing poorly in a class and you chose not to drop it when you had the opportunity, then it’s time to live up to your choice and do as well as possible. Remember – schools have the right to rescind an offer of admission because of D’s or F’s or even a lower overall performance. You don’t want to receive a letter from UC stating: “Regretfully, I must withdraw our offer of admission because you did not meet the conditions of admission. In particular, you failed to successfully complete your senior year with satisfactory grades.”
  • Appeals to a UC should only occur if there is an error or “compelling new information” that will dramatically alter your application. If you didn’t get into the UC of your choice, don’t appeal just because you hope they’ll like your application better when they read it in April than they did when they read it in December. Overturning an admission decision is, according to the UC site, “extremely rare.”
  • Online College Guide – Consumer Affairs has created an online college guide. Click here for reviews and comparisons of several online colleges -

FINANCIAL AID

  • If your family’s financial situation has changed (e.g. – a parent has lost a job, your parents have declared bankruptcy), notify the financial aid offices of the schools to which you have applied immediately. That’s a tough situation for your family, but it could also alter the financial aid packages offered to you.
  • The Middle Class Scholarshipwas enacted by the California State Legislature to make college more affordable for middle class families. It beganwith the 2014-15 school year and is aimed at reducing CSU and UC fees by 10-40% for “families with incomes too high to qualify for existing financial aid programs but still unable to afford the fees without relying heavily on student loans.” If you haven’t filled out the FAFSA yet, go to right now! The California state deadline for the FAFSA is March 2nd, 2017. If you are selected to receive a Middle Class Scholarship, you will be notified by the California Student Aid Commission, and “your UC campus financial aid office will let you know your actual scholarship amount.”
  • The UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan “will cover your system-wide fees if you are a California resident whose family earns less than $80,000 a year and you qualify for financial aid.” Similar to the Middle Class Scholarship, UC students are automatically considered for this program if they complete their FAFSA.

MT. SAC CONNECT FOUR DATES

  • March 1st & 2nd Assessment testing in the LINC by last name. Students with the last names beginning with A-J will test on March 1st and students with the last names beginning with K-Z will test March 2nd in the LINC at 8:00 a.m. Testing is 3 hours and only the first 60 students will be accepted.
  • March 23rd, 2017: Re-test in the LINC, 8 am – 12 pm first 60 students.
  • March 29th, 2017:Test Results in the LINC – Students will participate by Elective class - 45 students per session in LINC. Ms. Romero will email you regarding this.
  • April 19th, 2017: Last Step Workshop in the LINC – Students will participate by Elective class - 45 students per session in LINC. Ms. Romero will email you regarding this.
  • If any of this is confusing you, either you didn’t sign up for the Connect Four program or you need to go speak with Ms. Romero in the Career Center ASAP.

SCHOLARSHIPS

  • Diamond Bar Woman’s Club Scholarship – This is a great locals only scholarship, and every year they don’t get as many applications as they’d like – so apply! This $500 scholarship is open to graduating seniors (male or female) from Diamond Ranch or Diamond Bar High School who demonstrate a sincere desire to further their education. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA and letters of recommendation from both school and off-campus, and they must provide an autobiography with an emphasis on community service. A personal interview might also be required, and if you win, you must be able to attend the award luncheon on Wednesday, May 17th. Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office or online at Applications must be postmarked no later than April 1st, 2017.
  • Special Needs Scholarship – This is one more from the gracious ladies of the Diamond Bar Woman’s Club and has most of the same applicant requirements (male or female, 2.5 GPA, attending Diamond Ranch or Diamond Bar High School), but this $500 scholarship is specifically for students in their school’s “special needs program, who demonstrate a sincere desire to further their education.” Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office or online at Applications must be received no later than April 1st, 2017.
  • Walnut Valley Educators Association Scholarship – The WVEA will be offering two $500 scholarships for WVEA Members’ children, stepchildren, and grandchildren who are graduating in May and will be pursuing higher education, or who are currently enrolled in higher education and are not a previous recipient. Applications can be downloaded at andmust be postmarked no later than March 24th, 2017, no exceptions. The website says “You can also put through the mail slot at the office, by 2:30, on March 27, 2017,” but I’d get it postmarked by 3/24 if I were you.
  • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Scholarship–This sorority is offering this scholarship for African-American female seniors planning on attending a four-year institution in fall 2017. Applicants must be local and provide a transcript, letter of recommendation, and essay on “how college will enable you to fulfill your future career goals and ambitions.” Students must also be ready to participate in an interview at a later date. Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office or online at Applications must be received via mail by Monday, March 13th, 2017.
  • Hong Kong Schools Alumni Domestic Scholarship – The HKS Domestic Scholarship was created to benefit students in California and up to 5 scholarships of $2000 will be awarded. Applicants must be graduating seniors, have at least a 3.5 GPA, demonstrate financial need, and be on the way to a four-year university next year. They also take into account extracurricular activities, testing, honors, volunteer work, and an essay. Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office or download online at Applications must be received via mail or email by April 28th, 2017.
  • California Alarm Association Scholarship – The CAA Youth Scholarship is for children of law enforcement and fire service personnel, providing “awards to their deserving sons or daughters who are attending a college or university.” They will award one $1000 scholarship for this region, and applicants will be judged on test scores, GPA, community service, and an essay about what it means to have your parent “involved in securing our community” (which is a great topic to reflect on even without the scholarship). Pick up an application in Mr. Desmond’s office or online at Applications must be postmarked by March 24th, 2017.
  • Don’t forget that you can research scholarships on your own!