• Credit card or bank account information required
• Provides “exclusive” information
Scams: “Phishing” & “Pharming” “Phishing” • Unsolicited emails that bear the logo of your bank or credit card
• Appear legitimate but are traps to lure you into giving out your personal or account information
NEVER give out Social Security, credit card, or bank account numbers to unsolicited emails or calls
“Pharming” • Unsolicited emails that encourage you to visit a website or click on suspicious links
• Make sure your inbox spam filters are up to date
BE CAREFUL about giving out your contact information or email address
Students Rising Above is now accepting applications! SRA offers it's students financial and academic support while in college. Read below to find out more about this amazing program.
Requirements
Students Rising Above Scholarship Program Requirements:
- MUST CURRENTLY BE A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL
- Overcome obstacles that are not of their own making
- Low-income or living on government assistance
- High school senior in 2012-2013 school year
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident (current green card required)
- Committed to earning a college degree from a four year institution
- Highly recommended by a teacher, counselor or mentor
- G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher
- Must live within the eleven-county Bay Area
- Comply with Students Rising Above program requirements
Read the excerpt below to find out a bit more about the program and/or visit www.studentsrisingabove.org . Interested students should apply online.Deadline: March 4, 2012
Students Rising Above invests in low-income, first generation college students who have demonstrated a deep commitment to education and strength of character in overcoming tremendous odds of poverty, homelessness, and neglect. We help each student to realize his or her potential by guiding and supporting them through college graduation, and into the workforce. Our graduates are breaking the cycle of poverty within their own families, serving their communities, providing a new generation of employees and leaders from diverse backgrounds, and accelerating positive change. The SRA Community is dedicated to impacting the future through the cultivation of extraordinary youth.
How do you break the cycle of poverty and help create new opportunities for young people who have overcome tremendous obstacles? At SRA, we do it by helping our students fulfill their dream of going to college and creating a better life for themselves and their family.
We learned long ago that it takes more than money to help them succeed in school and in life. To support our students, we have developed a comprehensive program to meet their unique and individualized needs. SRA’s program includes several components:
• Pre-College Readiness Support
• Off-to-College Seminars
• Tuition & Financial Support
• SRA Student Advisor
• Medical and Dental care
• Paid Summer Internships
• A "Family" They Can Count On
THE FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
Parents and students must complete a FAFSA application in order to be eligible to receive any financial aid provided by the federal government. States and colleges also use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for state (Cal Grants A, B, C) and institutional financial aid. The FAFSA must be completed in order to receive need-based financial aid.
Through the information provided on the FAFSA the amount a family can afford to pay for college is determined. Everyone should complete a FAFSA, even if they believe they are not eligible for need-based financial aid.
Start the process now by both parent and student obtaining a PIN from www.fafsa.ed.gov. These personal identification numbers will serve as your electronic signatures needed to file a FAFSA online.
The FAFSA should be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is a free service. There are some websites that claim to be FAFSA sites and they charge for completing the form – DO NOT pay for this service.
Want to know what college costs will be?
Try this NEW fafsa4caster by visiting http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/, a new Web tool designed by Federal Student Aid to assist high school juniors, seniors and their families plan for education beyond high school. The student will receive:
an estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by entering the information into FAFSA4caster, the potential Federal Pell Grant eligibility and reduce the time needed to complete the FAFSA when the student applies as a senior. FREE of charge.
TIPS FOR FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS
1. Visit the high school guidance office to find out about grants and scholarships that may be available.
2. Find out if your chosen colleges and universities have their own financial assistance applications.
3. Make sure you know about the deadlines for applying for scholarships.
4. Make copies of all documents you send to colleges and universities. Record when and to whom you sent the information. Create a correspondence file for each school that interests you.
5. Keep an up-to-date “activity sheet” of all of your present and past extra-curricular activities, community service, clubs, sports, awards, honors, etc.
6. Visit the following websites to learn about financial aid and local/national scholarships:
Fastweb (Scholarship Search) fastweb.com
FinAid finaid.org
Natl. Assoc. Student Financial Aid nasfaa.org
Nellie Mae nelliemae.org
Sallie Mae salliemae.org
College Answer collegeanswer.org
College Savings Plan Network collegesavingsplan.org
AmeriCorps americorps.gov
City Year cityyear.org
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE profileonline.collegeboard.com
