Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Scholarship searches are a part-time job!

A pretty common question students and families have this time of year is “how can I get more money for school?”  This is a great question, and our financial aid office has a great answer.  There are literally thousands of scholarships that are available to students who just take the time to look for them and apply.  There are even websites that make this search easier for the student.  Fast Web is a great example of a site that goes out and searches through scholarship opportunities and sorts out the ones that would apply specifically to you.   All you have to do is provide a brief profile about yourself and your interests.  Then, you just let the website to the rest. 

You may also want to check with the guidance office at your high school. Guidance offices are great resources for local scholarships provided through groups such as the Lions Club, Rotary, or even local businesses, like banks.

I usually tell students and families that finding these scholarships are like having a part-time job.  Take a look at this example: let’s say you spend five hours searching for and applying for 10 different outside scholarships.  You only get awarded two of them.  Both of these scholarships you earn are worth $500.  In terms of hourly wages, you just got paid $200 an hour.  How does that sound?  You would be hard pressed to find a job that is willing to pay that right now.   If you want to look into these opportunities, visit our scholarship blog by clicking this link.

-Aaron

Friday, February 19, 2010

TC Students prepare for opening of "A... My Name is Alice"

Theatre-at-Tusculum will present the award-winning and critically acclaimed musical revue “A… My Name is Alice” during the last two weekends of February.
The production, featuring more than 20 songs and sketches, will be performed at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Feb. 19-20 and Feb. 26-27 and at 2 p.m. on Sundays, Feb. 21 and 28.
The show gets its unusual name from the way in which each of the cast members introduces herself by reciting an adult update on the children’s ABC nursery rhyme.
“Alice” explores the many facets of women’s lives with insight, empathy and self-deprecating humor. Sophisticated, bawdy, funny and insightful, the revue portrays friends, rivals, sisters, mothers, business professionals and more. Due to the adult content of the some of the scenes, the production is not recommended for ages 13 and under.
Theatre-at-Tusculum’s Director Marilyn duBrisk has enlarged the original cast of five women to include 17 women and four men. The cast includes nine Tusculum college students – Paige Hudson, Allison Harris, Sabine Azemar, Kayla Desiree Jones, Amanda Lee Huylebroeck, Julian Robinson Parks, Billie Jennings, Brianna Cox and Brian Ricker. Other cast members include locally known actors Angela Bride and Paige Mengel.
Production staff includes vocal director Angie Clendenon, accompanist Susan McNabb, costume director Barbara Holt and Frank Mengel, staging. The sets, lights and costume crew are Tusculum College students. Suzanne Greene is serving as stage manager.
Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for seniors 60 years of age and over. For more information, contact Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620, e-mail jhollowell@tusculum.edu

Monday, February 15, 2010

Sealing the Deal....

So, you've visited all of the colleges you think you might be interested in attending.... you've applied for admission, and you've been accepted! You've even already filed your FAFSA to get as much financial aid as possible. Now it comes down to crunch time... now, it's time to make a decision!

Of course we hope that the decision you've made is to attend Tusculum College! Each of our admission counselors has met a lot of great students that we'd love to see on campus in August! Now is the time to seal the deal and make it official by committing to Tusculum. :)

How do you make that committment? By paying your enrollment deposit! One of the cool things about Tusculum is that our enrollment deposit is NOT an added fee. In fact, we put that money straight towards your student account, so really we just treat it as an advanced payment. There are three different ways you can pay your deposit:

1) by mail--you can send a check or money order to us at the following address:
          Tusculum College
          Office of Admission
          PO Box 5051
          Greeneville, TN  37743
2) by phone--all you have to do is call your admission counselor, and we can take down your information right on the phone! Just call us (800) 729-0256,
3) online--just click on this link!

Once you've made your deposit, that's when the fun begins! Freshmen and transfer students are placed on a list for housing once we receive the deposit. That means the sooner you get it in, the more likely you are to live in the residence hall of your choice! Taking care of the deposit now takes a lot of the weight off your shoulders... now you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the last few months of high school, while you watch your friends scramble to make a decision for their future. :)

Tusculum College is ready to make a committment to you as a future Pioneer--all we're waiting for is you!

~Becky

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Pick up the Phone

I know a lot of you have received a phone call from a Tusculum representative or from your counselor. Some of these calls told you how much academic scholarship you were eligible for. Other calls congratulated you on your acceptance to Tusculum. These are both very exciting calls. However, the best is yet to come!


To continue Aaron’s theme of “Show Me the Money”, your next phone call may be the most informative call your family will receive. Our Financial Aid Office has already received over 700 student’s FAFSA information. These families are currently receiving this call. Not only do you get an award letter that shows all of your financial aid opportunities, your counselor will call you and make sure that everything on your package makes sense.


Who can tell me the difference between SEOG and Pell? How about ASPIRE and ACG… Most of the financial aid titles will look like these. The conversation you have with your Admission Counselor is a perfect opportunity for you and your family to ask these very important questions. So, be prepared when you pick up the next phone call from Tusculum.


-Eric