College and Careers

Kathy Plankenhorn

Contact Mrs. Plankenhorn

Career Room open for walk-ins

6:45-7:05 a.m.
2:00-2:30 p.m.
during lunches or make appointment

Scholarships

FastWeb

  • You can begin your search now by creating an account on www.fastweb.com to receive scholarship information via email. FastWeb is a service that customizes your search for scholarships by only sending you the ones that you are eligible for based on the information you give them.
  • - If you do not have an email account, it would be advantageous to create one. You can do this for free on many sites such as www.msn.com, www.hotmail.com, www.yahoo.com, and www.excite.com.
  • - Be sure to create a "professional" email account for things such as scholarships and college applications. A good example of this is: SPlankenhorn2007@msn.com. A Bad example is: Hotmama123@yahoo.com.

    Other Scholarship Websites:

  • www.campusdoor.com/scholarships
  • www.srnexpress.com
  • www.collegeboard.com




    Tips to be successful at WINNING scholarships:

    - Organize yourself. Create a folder system that works for you including:

    • 1.Scholarship Bulletins
    • 2.Academic Resume
    • 3.10 copies of Letter of Recommendation from 3 people
    • 4.5 copies of your official Transcript
    • 5.2 or 3 copies of a personal Essay

    - Dont forget that after school jobs, babysitting, church life, family obligations, and other similar things are all considered "EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES" Don't sell yourself short!

    - Begin Early

    - Write a good essay. Your essay should be "your story" and not simply your academic resume in sentence form. For many scholarships, the essay can be the determining factor for who wins. Visit the Career Room to learn how to write one good essay that can be used over and over again.

    Community Service

    Click here for the Polk County School Board community service page

    Forms

  • Academic Resume
  • Request for Transcript
  • Letter of Recommendation Request
  • College Entrance Exams

    Comparing the SAT, ACT, and CPT:


    SAT

    ACT

    CPT

    What is it?

    A measure of the critical thinking skills. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800, with two writing subscores for multiple-choice and the essay. Includes a Critical Reading, Math and Writing Section.

    Designed to assess students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The optional Writing Test is a 30-minute essay test that measures students' writing skills in English. Each section is scored out of a maximum 36 points, and then averaged

    Determines what level you are on in the areas of Math, Reading, and Sentence Skills. How you score determines what level classes you will begin at a community college. It also determines if a student is eligible for Dual-Enrollment.

    Who accepts it?

    Most 2 & 4 year colleges and universities

    Most 2 & 4 year colleges and universities

    All community colleges require it

    How much does it cost?

    Regular Registration- $41.50 Late Registration- $63.00 Stand-by Registration- $78.00

    Regular Registration- $29.00 Late Registration- $48 Stand-by Registration- $68

    No Fee

    Is there a fee waiver?

    Yes. Students that are eligible for free or reduced lunch can receive up to 2 fee waivers. A student who uses this fee waiver, can also receive up to 4 fee waivers for college applications.

    Yes. Students that are eligible for free or reduced lunch can receive 2 fee waivers. The student must be in 11th or 12th grade.

    No. There is no fee.

    Where is it given?

    RCHS does not offer SAT testing at this time, but most of our students test at Winter Haven High School or Osceola High School in Kissimmee

    RCHS does not offer ACT testing at this time, but most of our students test at Polk Community College in Winter Haven

    Ridge Community High School Career Room or at the Community College

    How do you register?

    Pick up a registration packet from the Career Room, or online at www.collegeboard.com

    Pick up a registration packet from the Career Room, or online at www.actstudent.org

    Sign up in the Career Room

    What are the test dates and deadlines?

    See Table Below

    See Table Below

    September 19, 2007 October 3, 2007 November 7, 2007 December 5, 2007

    Where can I find study guides?

    Collegeboard

    FL Department of Education

    Number 2

    ACT Student

    FL Department of Education

    Number 2

    Marin.cc (Reading)

    Polk.edu (Guide to CPT)

    Aims.edu (Assessment)

    My Math Test

    Go Math

    What scores do I need for college admissions?

    Although it is totally subjective and each college is different, the Florida universities have supplied the following MEDIAN scores:

    FAMU n/a

    FAU - 980-1130

    FGCU- 960-1110

    FIU- 1080-1240

    FSU- Fall 1140-1280; Summer 1040-1180

    NCF- 1260-1420

    UCF- 1120-1270

    UF- 1220-1390

    UNF- 1070-1230

    USF- 1060-1220

    UWF- 1000-1190

    Although it is totally subjective and each college is different, the Florida universities have supplied the following MEDIAN scores:

    FAMU- n/a

    FAU- 20-24

    FGCU- 20-24

    FIU- 23-26

    FSU- Fall 25-28; Summer 22-25

    NCF- 27-31

    UCF- 23-28

    UF- 25-31

    UNF- 20.50-23.75

    USF- 22-27

    UWF- 21-26

    Community College only:

    Reading: 83

    Sentence Skills: 83

    Elementary Algebra: 72

    What scores do I need for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program?

    Florida Academic Scholar (100 % Tuition): 1270

    Florida Medallion Scholar (100% Tuition @ Community College; 75% Tuition @ other institutions): 970

    Florida Gold Seal Vocational (75% Tuition): Critical Reading: 440 Math: 440

    Florida Academic Scholar (100 % Tuition): 28

    Florida Medallion Scholar (100% Tuition @ Community College; 75% Tuition @ other institutions): 20

    Florida Gold Seal Vocational (75% Tuition): English: 17; Reading: 18; Math: 19

    Florida Gold Seal Vocational (75% Tuition): Reading: 83; Sentence Skills: 83; Algebra: 72

    What scores do I need for admission to a Florida public university if I do not have a 3.0 GPA?

    2.9 GPA 970

    2.8 GPA 980

    2.7 GPA 990

    2.6 GPA 1000

    2.5 GPA 1010

    2.4 GPA 1030

    2.3 GPA 1060

    2.2 GPA 1090

    2.1 GPA 1110

    2.0 GPA 1140

    2.9 GPA 20

    2.8 GPA 21

    2.7 GPA 21

    2.6 GPA 21

    2.5 GPA 21

    2.4 GPA 22

    2.3 GPA 23

    2.2 GPA 24

    2.1 GPA 24

    2.0 GPA 25

    N/A

    SAT

    www.collegeboard.com

    Test Date

    Registration Deadline

    Late Registration Dealine

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    ACT

    www.act.org

    Test Date

    Registration Deadline

    Late Registration Dealine

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    Resources

    The following are Web resources separated in categories for College Info, Testing Info, and Financial Aid and Scholarship Info.

    College Information

    www.collegeboard.com

    www.princetonreview.com/college

    www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool

    www.petersons.com

    www.collegenet.com

    www.collegeview.com

    www.facts.org

    Testing Information

    For SAT...www.collegeboard.com

    For ACT...www.act.org

    Financial Aid and Scholarship

    www.myfloridaeducation.com/brfuture

    www.fastweb.com

    www.finaid.org

    www.students.gov

    www.fafsa.ed.gov

    www.ed.gov/finaid.html

    www.srnexpress.com

    www.studentaid.ed.gov

    www.collegesavings.org

    www.campusdoor.com/scholarship