STARS Online Scholarship Application Instructions.

Transcription

1 STARS Online Scholarship Application Instructions 1

2 STARS SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS These instructions cover the following topics: Eligibility Criteria Getting Ready Logging In Personal Information Opening Questionnaire Academic Information Free-Form Essay Questions Recommendation Letter Recommended Scholarships 2

3 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA MUST have completed 12 units at NVC by the end of the Fall 2014 semester (do not include Spring 2015 units). SHOULD have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 at NVC by the end of the Fall 2014 semester. (A limited number of Osher Scholarships are available to students with a 2.0 or higher GPA.) MUST maintain enrollment in 6 units at NVC during the Spring 2015 semester. MUST be a U.S. citizen, eligible non-citizen, or qualify under AB 540 criteria (contact Admissions and Records to verify your status if you are not sure, international students are not eligible). MOST scholarships require full-time (12 or more units) enrollment at an accredited institution during the academic year. Students with a Bachelor s degree are generally not eligible. 3

4 GETTING READY Obtain a working address. Know your college identification number (enter 7 digits with leading zeros if necessary). Know your college units completed. Academic information will be verified during the scholarship awarding process. Know your academic plans: You will need to have a declared major and know what degree/certificate you are seeking. Identify a NVC instructor or counselor from whom you will request a Letter of Recommendation. More detailed instructions follow. Some financial need based scholarships require you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). AB540 students who are not U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens should complete the Dream Act application. 4

5 GETTING READY (cont.) Prepare your responses to the Free-Form essay questions. A list of the questions follows later in this presentation. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS - The most important thing you can do to ensure that your scholarship application is successful is to READ and FOLLOW ALL instructions. When completing each section of the application, Save and Exit OR Save and Continue at the bottom of each page or your progress will not be saved. Remember, you are presenting yourself to the Scholarship Review Committee. This is your chance to shine. Thoughtful, heart-felt responses make the best impression. Be honest! 5

6 LOGGING IN Click to begin. After initial registration, you ll use your User Name & Password to log in to STARS Online. Returning users can start immediately at the button. Add this page to your Favorites to return later. At any point, you may click on Save and Exit and continue later. 6

7 Fill out ALL required information. IMPORTANT: You must provide a valid address. All contact with you will be sent to this address, so please be sure that the address you provide is correct. When you complete this page and click Save and Continue, an is sent to you verifying your registration. Read it carefully and save it for future reference. Note: This might go to your SPAM folder so check carefully and notify the FA Office if you do not receive confirmation. 7

8 Navigating STARS Online The Progress Bar displays a check mark for each section that you complete. Return to any section by clicking on its tab. Each time you log in to STARS you will return to the last section completed. Click to keep going. Click to stop. You can return to the application and edit it until the application closes on February 3, 2015 at 11:59 pm. 8

9 Read each question carefully before answering. Additional questions will appear as you progress through the page. 9

10 Select your NVC educational goal, your college major or program, and student standing as of Fall

11 Enter your anticipated NVC graduation date. Enter the estimated number of units you will have completed at NVC at the end of Fall NOTE: Actual GPAs and Cumulative Units will be uploaded from your student record at the end of the application period. 11

12 The following slides review the 5 Free-Form Essay Questions you are required to answer. For each question, click on the right side of the question, and a new window will open. Type your response in this window, or HINT: Prepare your responses in WORD or NOTEPAD, then copy and paste into the appropriate section. Unformatted responses (no bullets, bold, underline, etc.) will copy over most clearly. Please limit your responses to 150 words or less. You must enter a response, no matter how brief, in order to move to the next part of the application. Click SAVE to continue. You may return later to. 12

13 VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES Question 1: Describe your activities over the past 12 months in community and/or volunteer services. Be specific. Include the number of hours devoted to each volunteer activity. Examples: I volunteered a total of 30 hours at the Napa Animal Shelter where I walked the dogs and cleaned the kennels. I tutored and organized after-school activities at the Boys and Girls Club for 80 hours over the school year. I organized fund-raisers and served as room parent for my children s school for a total of 40 hours last year. I coached Napa Youth Soccer for 48 hours in Fall

14 NVC ACTIVITIES Question 2: Describe your activities over the past 12 months in Napa Valley College clubs, activities, athletics, and student programs. Examples: Holding an elected position in ASNVC or a student club Participating in campus activities like serving on NVC committees as a student representative, writing articles for the NVC newsletter, or athletics Active participation in programs like EOPS, MESA, Puente, UMOJA, Student Support Services 14

15 HONORS, AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS Question 3: List any other honors, awards or personal achievements you received during the past 12 months, and describe any opportunities where you have had to demonstrate leadership qualities. Examples: Phi Theta Kappa - NVC Honor Society Member Finalist in the NVC Jessamyn West Writing Contest Selected to work as a Peer Tutor in the Writing Center Represented NVC in statewide academic competitions 15

16 EDUCATIONAL & CAREER GOALS Question 4: Identify your short- and long-term educational goals and how they relate to your proposed career/occupational goals. Please be as specific as you can. Example: My short-term goal is to transfer to a four year university and pursue a degree in liberal studies, and my long term goal is to get a teaching credential so I can accomplish my dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. 16

17 SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES Question 5: Clarify any extenuating circumstances related to your personal situation. Examples: More than one immediate family member in college, Changes in your family's financial situation caused by loss of job, income reduction, Change in family composition. 17

18 SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION - REQUIRED On the Letter of Recommendation Tab, submit a request to a NVC instructor or counselor for a Letter of Recommendation. You should also let your instructor or counselor know in person that you are making this request. You will need to provide the first and last name of the instructor or counselor, and their address in this format: first initial last napavalley.edu. Example aprofessor@napavalley.edu You may submit more than one request for a recommendation. One Letter of Recommendation is MANDATORY. You will be notified by when the requested form has been received, and you can also log back into STARS and view the status on the Letter of Recommendation tab. 18

19 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION (CONTINUED) Read the instructions carefully, then click on to begin. 19

20 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION (CONTINUED) By clicking on the button and this box will appear You must complete the required fields *, then click, and again at the next screen. 20

21 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION (CONTINUED) The status of your Recommendation Request appears in your STARS scholarship application. 21

22 RECOMMENDED SCHOLARSHIPS BEST MATCH YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND GOALS. You are almost finished! You have now applied for scholarships that match your educational and personal goals and achievements. This page contains a list of scholarships that require additional information from you. You MUST click Apply Now for EACH scholarship listed. 22

23 RECOMMENDED SCHOLARSHIPS (cont.) Verify your qualifications by clicking the appropriate box. Make sure to include any additional required information. When complete, click on APPLY NOW. Follow these steps for ALL scholarships that were provided on your list. NOTE: GPAs and Cumulative Units will be uploaded at the end of the application period. 23

24 GOOD LUCK! YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED OF YOUR AWARDS IN EARLY MAY. Log on as often as you need to complete your application, and check back often for new scholarship opportunities. Deadline is Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 11:59 pm. For assistance call Valerie Mull at the Financial Aid/EOPS Office (707) or 24