Counselor's Corner

Loey Mills

High School

Guidance Couselor

Our high school counselor, Loey Mills, takes a great interest in the future success of our students, and has served for 25 years. Beginning in August, she meets with each senior to discuss their college and career goals. Then the search begins to find the top colleges that best fit each individual student's needs. Mrs. Mills works diligently throughout the school year to help secure scholarships and funding to help our students reach their goals. We incorporate the latest technology available to help us gain the greatest resources. Annually our students collectively receive on average between $800,000 - $2,800,000 in scholarships, and over a million in 2025. We are proud to say that our graduating seniors have been accepted to many of Alabama's prestigious colleges such as, the University of Alabama, Auburn, Samford University, Birmingham Southern and many others across the country.

Things to Avoid

Avoiding Scholarship Scams

Potential Magazine, January 2019

Saying “pretty please” or “abracadabra” won’t guarantee you a scholarship. Neither does falling for the too-good-to-be-true scholarship service scams promising to “do all the work” in finding exclusive scholarships in exchange for a service fee and personal identification numbers. According to College Board, scholarship scams affect nearly 350,000 students and families each year, costing them more than $5 million annually. Chris Long, President of Cappex.com, a free online scholarship matching service, shares the common red flags to watch for when looking for scholarships, so you and your teen can filter through the frauds and find legitimate ways to pay for college.

Red Flag #1

Don’t give out personal information like Social Security numbers or bank account information. “If you’re asked for things such as your Social Security number when applying for a scholarship, that’s a red flag. You may be asked to provide that information if you win the scholarship, but even in that case, I’d advise you to ask the scholarship provider if that information is absolutely necessary and how it will be used before providing it,” Long said.

Red Flag #2

Don’t pay a fee upfront when applying to a scholarship. “A scholarship provider should be giving you money—not the other way around! If you’re asked to pay an application fee, look elsewhere—legitimate scholarships won’t ask you to pay a fee,” Long said. There may be an exception if you’re paying a consultant, however. In those instances, be sure to thoroughly research the background of a private advisor before paying for their services.

Red Flag #3

Don’t accept unsolicited “too good to be true” scholarships. “Free money is one of the best things out there, but even free money doesn’t grow on trees: You still have to apply. If someone told you that you’ve won and you never applied, it’s likely a scam,” Long said. Being able to recognize these red flags will help you make wiser decisions in your scholarship search. Be sure to take advantage of the overwhelming amount of free services and resources out there like FAFSA.gov or Cappex.com to help you find money for college. If you feel you’ve been a victim of a scholarship scam, contact the Federal Trade Commission or call the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733).

Counselor's Corner

High School

College Application Week

Nov 4-8

Many colleges in Alabama and nearby states will waive their application fees during this time. Every Alabama high school senior can apply for free to more than 40 colleges during College Application Week. To apply to participating schools, visit the schools’ website and locate their “Apply” page.

Financial Aid Profile

www.collegeboard.com

College Board, a nonprofit association of schools and school systems, colleges and universities. Many institutions use the information collected on PROFILE to help them award non-federal student aid funds. College Board does not award scholarship money or other financial aid. By completing PROFILE, you are able to give a complete picture of your family's financial circumstances, including explanations about special circumstances, on a single application.

College Scorecard

www.collegescorecard.ed.gov

Find the college that's the best fit for you! The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard has the most reliable data on college costs, graduation, and post-college earnings.

Common Application

www.commonapp.org

Students can complete one Common Application, photocopy it and send the form to any of the 232 participating colleges and universities. Visit commonapp.org to access the application and view the participating colleges.

Search Engines

FREE Scholarship Database Specifically for Alabama Students All seniors seeking scholarships should register at the following website for scholarship informaton.
www.achievealabama.org