[This letter is written to meet the requirements of Texas State Senate Bill 158.  This Bill requires the high school counselor to advise students and parents of the importance of a higher education, and course work to prepare for collage and aid available.  We as counselors are required to offer extensive counseling to parents and students as needed.]

To The Parents And Students,

    Today, in the United States, the accent is on education past the high school level.  By this I mean a four years Bachelors Degree, a two year Associates Degree, or a one year Certificate program.  There are two other ways a person can gain an education, and they are by entering the military , or by working and attending an apprenticeship program.  In today's society, more and more education is required, and we are getting to be a degree oriented society. Dropping out of school or getting a G.E.D are not options for any student in today's world!  In today's high technology world, the more training you have past high school, the better you look to a company that may want to hire someone.

A four year degree can cost $7,000 to $12,000 a year, depending on what institution you attend.  These costs include tuition, books, fees, room & board; which is a twenty meal plan (you starve only Sunday Night).  These do not include transportation or spending money and the costs are figured for a state supported institution.  Private and church related institutions are considerably higher.

Someone wanting to accomplish a certificate program or an Associates Degree could accomplish this at a local Junior College for approximately $1500-$2600 a year while living at home.  These prices include tuition, books and fees.

In today's military, you can be halfway around the world on a aircraft carrier taking a college course for credit on a computer.  You could be stationed at a military base in the U.S. and studying college courses at night on a college campus near you.  The military has excellent training plus you can be working toward a degree.  While in the military, you can put $100 a month for twelve months into an educational fund which can be worth approximately $30,000.00 when you separate from the military and enroll full time in a college program.

The Apprenticeship program is a plan where you work during the day as an apprentice with a master in that field and take work related courses at night from a master in the field of study.  This is an excellent way to learn a trade and earn an excellent income.  It takes a few months to approximately two to three years to become a master.

There are ways to fund the college education.  There are federal grants, Texas Grants and loans which are available to students and are need based.  All three are available to Texas students and can be gotten by completing the FAFSA and asking for them at the college or university of your choice.  The Texas Grant (pays tuition and fees)  is for Texas residents who have no conviction of a felony involving a controlled substance, show financial need, complete the recommended high school curriculum or greater, are high school graduates and who enroll in a higher learning institution for at least three-fourths time.  More info on the Texas Grant can be received by calling the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board at 1-800-242-3062 or on-line at www.THECB.STATE.TX.US   In Texas- grants, loans and college work study programs totaled Three Billion dollars last year!  The breakdown was 60% to loans, 37% to grants and scholarships and 3% to college work study.  College scholarships are available to those who have good class rank, SAT-ACT scores, community involvement, plus not all of them are need based.  Many are academically based.  Local scholarships are one of the best sources of aid to go to school.  Lets not forget our parents as another excellent source of college money!  A student who has no financial means with which to attend college can possibly qualify for grants and loans.  Parents who have high school students in our high school should visit the "Counselors Corner" website in the high school section.  The website contains e-mail communication with the counselor, current scholarship information, on-line freshman common applications, websites for seniors, on-line federal financial aid (FAFSA), plus additional information to seniors and juniors.

Going to college and financing college are two difficult items, preparing (academically) for college is another.  My first thought would be to tell each student to work toward the recommended or distinguished transcript.  They are more difficult  and they prepare you for a college or university setting.  Students should be well prepared in upper level English, Math, Science, and Technology courses.  Students should strive to accomplish PAP and AP courses.  These upper level courses are the main courses to take so you will be prepared for training after high school.  Students should start preparing for  the SAT-ACT tests,  in their Junior year.  Students in the top one-half of the class should consider taking two of each.  Sometimes students score higher on one test than the other.  Students who can score high enough can exempt themselves from having to take the Texas Higher Education Assessment college entrance exam test.   It should be noted that any student who graduates in the top 10% of the seniors class can attend any state university they choose to attend.  One exemption for the THEA is having high TAKS scores.  Students can reduce college costs by being prepared and studying, enrolling in dual credit courses, taking PAP and AP courses and passing the AP tests so college credit can be given.   I should not overlook STUDYING on a nightly basis to help prepare for training after high school.  I generally recommend an hour to an hour and a half of studying nightly, Sunday thru Thursday!  Friday and Saturday night are, as I say, "party nights"!  These "party nights" are a wholesome time when parents and students can do something together, go to the mall, go fishing, students can go on a date, or watch the hometown team WIN!!

There are many things I could not cover in this letter.  I hope parents and students will feel free to come in and talk to me as needed!

Sincerely,

Royce Arnold

Counselor