New freshman and transfer students—your FIRST YEAR at Texas A&M-Kingsville is on us! Texas A&M University-Kingsville will cover your tuition and fees to get you started earning or completing your bachelor’s degree in 2021.*

Our alumni rank their experience at Texas A&M-Kingsville among the top 25 in the nation. Make Texas A&M-Kingsville YOUR choice!

https://www.tamuk.edu/joa/index.html 

Nuevos estudiantes de primer año y estudiantes transferidos: ¡Tu PRIMER AÑO en Texas A&M-Kingsville es pagado por nosotros! Texas A&M University-Kingsville cubrirá tu matrícula y tarifas para que pueda comenzar a obtener o completar tu licenciatura en 2021. Obtenga más información en nuestro sitio web.

SUBJECT: Applying for scholarships just got a lot easier!

Dear students,

Scholarships can be a helpful way to fund your college education. They provide you with free money that can go towards tuition or other educational expenses.

To find and apply for scholarships, sign up for Going Merry -- it’s free! Going Merry has thousands of national, regional, and local scholarships. There are also opportunities for every grade level, from freshmen to seniors.

To sign up, go to: https://www.goingmerry.com/c/brookeh-vewl5k

Here are some reasons why I recommend Going Merry above other scholarship sites:

• Scholarship bundles: You can apply to multiple scholarships using one application and the same essay prompt.
• Vetted scholarships: The Going Merry team personally reviews every scholarship listing on the site, to ensure the scholarship program is still active and the information is correct.
• Personal matching: Once signed up, you’ll answer a few questions to fill out a basic profile, and then get matched to scholarships that fit your background, academics, interests, etc.
• Clear organization: You can shortlist favorites and get deadline reminders about them. All drafts and applications are saved, and you’ll get updates on the scholarships you’ve applied to.
• Direct, auto-filled applications: You can apply to many scholarships directly on the site (with forms helpfully pre-filled).

Kind regards,

Your Counselor

College Prep Checklist for Grades 10-12

Top Prompts and Topics

Would you purchase anything on Amazon before reading the reviews? We rely heavily on other people’s opinions to form our opinions or to back up our existing thoughts.

In the same way, colleges want to know what other people think about you, so a letter of recommendation (LOR) boosts your personal and academic validity. 

Your letter of recommendation (also known as a “reference letter”), is a personal review that helps persuade colleges that you’re the right fit for them. But where do you start in requesting a letter of recommendation? Let’s break it down. 

https://www.goingmerry.com/blog/how-to-ask-for-a-letter-of-recommendation/

Every year, college students all over the country complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA. The FAFSA determines student eligibility for federal loans, grants, and work-study as well as financial aid at their colleges and universities of choice.

https://www.goingmerry.com/blog/fafsa-questions/

Receiving your financial aid award letter can be an exciting time when you’re prepping for college. You can see how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive per college you’re accepted to. But it can also be confusing – what do the numbers mean? What is the financial aid award letter, and do you need to act on it? Which college has offered you a better “deal?” We’re breaking all of this down for you.

https://www.goingmerry.com/blog/financial-aid-award-letter/

The average college graduate comes away with a degree–and $29,000 of student loan debt, requiring an average monthly loan payment of $393. That ends up being a really high percentage of new graduates’ salaries, so perhaps it’s no surprise that, in 2018, 20% of student borrowers were behind with their payments. The problem is: once you’re behind, it can be even easier to get more behind. 

We’re here to help you figure out how to not let that happen to you. How do student loans work? How do you know how much you can afford to borrow? How do you choose the right (cheapest, most flexible) loan? And how do you best manage the costs? 

We’ll get into all that, and more.

https://www.goingmerry.com/blog/how-student-loans-work/

Did you know you can save on your college tuition bill by transferring AP credits, taking the CLEP exam, and even negotiating? Yep, and here we explain how. Read on to learn how you can spend less on your college tuition bill.

https://www.goingmerry.com/blog/reduce-college-tuition/

Scholarship Websites

No matter what your loved one aspires to be, the Texas College Savings Plan can help you save and plan for their higher education.

LOW INVESTMENT MINIMUMS AND HIGH MAXIMUMS

Open a Texas College Savings Plan account with as little as $25 and contribute up to $500,000 per beneficiary for all Texas 529 plans combined.

SIMPLE TO START AND MANAGE

Getting started with the Plan is easy. You can enroll online or send in an enrollment application. Either way, starting today is a good option. After your account is opened, you can review and manage the account online, including making changes to investment options twice per calendar year, and handling other routine tasks such as change of address or making contributions and withdrawals.

MORE WAYS TO SAVE

You can establish an account with an initial contribution of $25 or more and make subsequent contributions of $25 or more at any time. The Plan offers an automatic investment plan (AIP) that allows you to set up recurring contributions of $15 or more to your account.¹ Payroll deduction may also be available through your employer.

You choose the amount and frequency of contributions, and we take care of the rest.

https://www.texascollegesavings.com/

If college is part of your child’s future, we’ve got a plan to help save for it. The Texas Tuition Promise Fund® allows you to lock in current undergraduate tuition rates and schoolwide required fees at Texas public colleges and universities, excluding medical and dental institutions. Tuition units purchased in the plan may be used for all or a portion of these costs, and our flexible payment options fit almost any budget.

TTP PowerPoint

Texas Tuition Fund Promise

The LoneStar 529 Plan is a tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan designed to help families and individuals nationwide save for qualified higher education expenses. All U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens 18 years of age or older can open and contribute to a LoneStar 529 Plan account.

The Texas Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board administers the Plan, and NorthStar Financial Services Group, LLC is the Plan manager. For more information on the Plan, call us at 1.800.445.GRAD (4723), option #4.

LoneStar 529 Plan