Winter break has come and gone and now the college search process becomes the college decision process.  So, keeping with that theme I thought I would start with some things you need to make sure you are knowledgeable at this stage in the process: 

1.) May 1,2009-  Seniors remember that no matter where you decide to attend you have until May 1, 2009 to submit an Enrollment Deposit.  A college/university cannot REQUIRE you to send an enrollment deposit before May 1, 2009.  If a school tells you it is required talk to your high school guidance counselor.  Please remember that you will want to send an enrollment deposit to ONE SCHOOL AND ONE SCHOOL ONLY.  The enrollment deposit at Illinois State is a non-refundable $150 deposit.  With this said, I also know that some of you know for sure where you are going and you and your family have worked out the finances and everything is a go.  If this is you feel free to submit that enrollment deposit when you have made that decision.  After you have made that decision and submitted your enrollment deposit, please take a couple of minutes and let the other schools that you have been admitted to know that you will not be attending their institutions.  That “break up” process may be difficult for many of you, but it is still soemthing you should do.  Believe me when I say that we have been “broken up” with many times before and will be many more times and I promise you we will get over it, but it just simply helps us put together a more accurate reflection of who will be coming through our doors next fall. 

2.)  FAFSA- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) is something that all families, no matter the income level, should fill out.  You (and your family) never know how much financial aid (especially state and federal money) you qualify for until you complete a FAFSA.  The Prority Filing Date for the FAFSA at ISU is March 1, 2009  If the Financail Aid Office has a COMPLETED FAFSA by March 1, you will be notified of the financial aid package you will receive from ISU by April 1, 2009.  This gives you and your family a full month to decide which institution is the best “fit” financially. 

One of the questions I am asked most often (especially from parents) when it comes to the FAFSA is, “My taxes aren’t done yet, should I just go ahead and use last years stuff for now?” 

The answer I have received from a wide variety of financial aid professionals is “no,” because all you are doing at that point is entering information twice.  As many of you know first hand with the current state of our nations economy, a family’s income can change significantly from one year to the next.  So, what I would say is instead of procrastinating on finishing your taxes while you have children in college make sure that they get done sooner rather than later.  Definitely before March 1st. 

One last thing on the FAFSA, the first “F” in FAFSA stands for free.  Don’t let anyone charge you to fill out the FAFSA!!!!

3.) Attend an Illinois State Freshman Information Night-  Freshman Information Nights are only for incoming freshman who have been ADMITTED to ISU for Fall 2009.  All of these admitted prospective have received an invite to these information nights, so make sure to find and sign up for the one in your area.  Freshman Information Nights include a Financial Aid presentation, the opportunity to meet with a variety of campus representatives, and a presentation that will walk you through all of the steps from finalizing your enrollment and housing to moving in to the residence halls next fall.  We have already completed three, two in Northbrook and one Oak Brook.  Still to come:  another Oak Brook, Collinsville, Tinley Park, Champaign, Peoria, Rockford, and Normal.   

Now it’s time to address the juniors.  Juniors, now is the time to really start thinking about your college search.  The spring, especially during your high school spring break, is a great time to start getting on some campuses.  Click on the following link to register for one of our upcoming Open Houses or a Campus Information session.  http://www.admissions.ilstu.edu/visit/.  Also, most of you will have a college fair somewhere close to you.  College fairs are a great opportunity to obtain an abundance of knowledge about colleges all in one place.  Please click on the following link and go to “download calendars” to find a college fair in your area.  http://www.iacac.org/committees/ice/2008/.  Another website that you may find helpful in navigating this process is www.highereducationstation.org. 

 That’s it for today.  Hopefully, everyone is keeping warm and as always let us know if we can help with any questions. 

Best wishes,

Nate

(773) 661-2534

Nate.Bargar@IllinoisState.edu�

I would like to begin by wishing everyone a very safe and Happy Holiday season.  Well, the Priority Filing Period has come and gone and those of you who had an application date of November 15, 2008 or earlier and had a COMPLETE file have been extended an admission decision of Conditionally Admitted, Under Consideration, or Not Admissible.  The admission decision that causes the most questions is Under Consideration.   Those of you who currently have an admission decision of Under Consideration should be extended and admission decision sometime by the end of January or the beginning of February.  Please note that the number of spots available for students who are currently listed as Under Consideration is based upon the number of students who have been admitted and the number of overall spots that we have available.  The one piece advice that I would give for all of you reading, no matter your admission decision, is to sit back, relax, and enjoy your winter break.  Spend these next two weeks or so not thinking about your college decision and instead enjoy your time with family and friends.  As I close today I would be remised if I did not mention the 11-0 Illinois State Redbird Men’s basketball time.  For those of you looking for something to do over break, may I suggest a pilgrimage to Central Illinois and Redbird Arena?  The ‘Birds have two home dates over break December 31st vs. the Purple Aces of Evansville and January 3rd vs. the Creighton Bluejays.  Redbird Athletics is offering $3 tickets for the two men’s and women’s basketball games taking place between now and January 3, 2009.  http://goredbirds.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122008aaa.htmlHappy Holidays everyone and Go You Redbirds.  Nate   Â

Greetings again!

Well, the Priority Filing Period has now come and gone.  With that has come many an acceptance letter, with many more to follow.

So, first and foremost I would like to congratulate those who have already received that good news as well as those who will in the coming weeks.  Shortly, after the household celebrations end and the excitement settles many of you will begin to ask, what’s next?

That is a great question, but what I will always encourage you all to do first and foremost is sit back, relax, and enjoy your senior year and the upcoming holiday season.  Then, shortly after you are done ringing in the new year, with the help of your parents, being compiling the necessary financial documents needed to complete the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA).  This is also a good time to kick the private schoalrship search into high gear and complete those applications and submit the requested supporting documents to each organization.  Then, at the end of January or the beginning of February we will begin releasing Enrollment and Housing Deposit information.

So for now enjoy some downtime and get ready to kick the process into high gear after the holidays.

Until next time.

Nate

Good morning eveyone-

My entry today comes from “the road,” aka the Caribou Coffee in Hoffman Estates, IL.  This is an exciting time for college admissions offices and the students that we are reaching out to asw we all spend countless hours in your schools telling each of you a little more about ours.  Take advantage of these opportunities to get to know a little more about the colleges and universities that you are interested in as we get to know you a little better and help to determine which college is the right fit for you.

Students make sure to keep an eye on your school announcements and the posters outside the Guidance Office and/or College/Career Center to see what colleges and universities will be visiting your high schools.  I will be spending a lot of time next week in the NW suburbs as well as finishing up the Lake County school visits with a couple of college fairs thrown in there so be sure to stop by and say high.

The main thing right now is to make sure you are working on your applications with an eye on each schools Priority Filing Periods and application deadlines.  Remember college applications need to be done by Halloween or no trick-or-treating.

Until next time…

Nate�

I just wanted to start my first ever blog by wishing students, counselors, teachers, and parents best of luck in the upcoming school year.

Seniors as you have probably figured out already the start of the school year means hitting the ground running when it comes to the application process.  The main thing that you will want to remember when you are considering Illinois State University is to apply during our Priority Filing Period, which is now- November 15th.  Whether Illinois State is the 1st or 22nd choice on your list of college choices you will still want to apply during the Priority Filing Period, because as I tell every group of students that I talk to, it is better to have schools as choices to say no to than it is to not have an option at all.  Sometimes because of circumstances that you do not anticipate and have no control of as well as those that you do have control of, you end up selecting that fourth of fifth choice school.

Juniors-  I know it seems like next year seems a long way away, but ask any of the seniors, it’s not.  Start your college search process now.  At many of your schools college representatives from all over the country will be visiting your schools throughout the fall.  Take advantage of these opportunities and go see if any of these schools may sound like a place that you would like to visit.  However, remember to go because you are legitimately interested, not just because your best friend or boyfriend/girlfriend or because you want to skip Algebra II that day.  Go because you have a legitimate interest in learning about that school.

Counselors- First and foremost, thank you for everything that you do!!!  What you do as high school counselors help to make our jobs as college admissions folks much, much easier.  Please don’t ever hesitate to send us an e-mail or better yet, call us with questions, comments, concerns, or cries for help that you may have.

Parents-  Also, like the counselors, thanks for everything that you do.  This is an exciting time for the entire family.  Some of you have done this before and others are doing this for the very first time.  Whether you are sending the last of six, the first of three, or the one and only off to school be sure to take many deep breaths and enjoy the journey.  Just because a certain college or university or an older son or daughter attended a particular school, remember not to assume anything along the way and always feel free to ask questions.  How colleges or universites admit students can change from one year to the next.

Last for now, but definitely not least, remember to always keep your student at the forefront of the college search process and what is important to him/her.  Too often people choose the wrong college or university or disregard a school that would be a great match for them based on what they “heard.”  Don’t let rumors drag you down in this process, find out the facts by asking professionals like your students high counselors or myself and support your students decisions and encourage them to choose a school that is the “right fit” for them and a place to call home for the next four years.

Have a great year and Go You Redbirds

Until next time…

Nate

My name is Nate and I am the Senior Admissions Counselor at Illinois State University and proud alum of the Class of 2001.  I am entering my fifth year in Admissions and first as a Chicago Area Representative.  After graduating from Illinois State I worked in corporate America for almost two years before returning to my alma mater to work in the office of Admissions in August of 2004.

As part of the Office of Admissions I have had the pleasure of meeting students from Rockford to Carbondale and Moline to Mt. Carmel and discussing with them the world of opportunities that comes with being a Redbird.  My favorite part of my job is educating students and families on the college search process and not only gain entrance to college, but more importantly graduate from college.  Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have about the process so that you too can become a lifelong Redbird.