The High School Senior Christmas Shopping List

Your student doesn’t want to have money in their name in January when you file their financial aid forms. Students do not have an asset protection allowance. Every dollar they have in their name is going to increase their expected family contribution.
Therefore buy what they need for college in the fall for their Christmas presents, and use their money doing it.
Here is their Holiday shopping list.
The Gizmo’s and Gadget’s
The Computer (let’s start with the really fun one): if your student does not yet have a computer of their own, or the one they do have is outdated; you should certainly consider this as the “A” #1 gift. Consider a multimedia computer with a TV tuner card. You can kill a lot of birds with one stone here. Not only will a multimedia machine act as their computer, but it will also be their TV, their DVD player, their TV recorder, and their stereo. It is truly the Jack of all appliances. And it makes for a great entertainment system for the very few hours they will not spend studying.
A laptop is preferred. There isn't much room in a dorm room, so you don't want to take up precious space with a big desktop unit. Besides, they'll want to be able to take the computer to the library, or class, or home.
If you don’t want to send your student out the door with one do it all machine like above, here are the minimum requirements for a student computer (considering Microsoft Vista is now standard):
v Processor: AMD, Intel Pentium 4-M (minimum 800mhz speed)
v Memory: at least 1GB (I would recommend 2GB or even 4GB; more memory is often the single most important factor to computer performance)
v Hard Drive: at least 100GB
v Disk Drive: DVD+RW
v Wireless and wired networking equipped
v Operating system: Windows Vista Home or Apple MAC OS X (ten)
v Software: Microsoft Office XP Standard or Student edition
Standard computers would include:
v Dell Inspiron 1720 (I have had a Dell in the past and love their customer service)
v HP Pavillion (Two of our desktop machines are HP and we’ve had great success with them)
Multimedia Machines would include:
v Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro
v Dell XPS
v Toshiba Satellite X205 (my current laptop is a Toshiba and I have been very happy with it)
v HP Pavillion HDX
The Printer: although many schools and professors are now allowing students to submit papers in electronic format, this is far from being the norm. So, your student is going to need someway to print off that earth-shattering report on Machiavelli. Printers are dirt cheap today compared to what you got yesterday. You can often pick up a good printer/scanner/copier for less than $150 or even $100
Surge protector: protect the investment you just made.
Phone: I grew up in a telephone family -- literally. My family has been in the telephone business since before there was copper wire; so what I am about to say would have been heresy at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. Go get your student a prepaid wireless phone. Don't bother with the hard wired phones anymore. Phones can double as MP3 players as well.
A digital voice recorder for class lectures: skip the old tape recorder -- your student will likely download the recording to their computer anyway. If you bought a good phone, the phone may double for a voice recorder as well.
Digital camera: they’ll want to preserve the rest of their high school year and college. www.cnet.com has excellent reviews of digital cameras. You can get one heck of a good camera for little money these days.
Other appliances:

If you didn’t go the multimedia computer route, then your student is going to want these as well --
· TV – small LCD TV’s are very reasonable now
· DVD player
· Portable Stereo or iPod dock
v Coffee Maker – they can’t be a Starbucks all the time
v Microwave – if you check out www.sears.com, you’ll find quite a few small microwaves for under $100
v Refrigerator – you can get several dorm-sized refrigerators for under $100 as well
v Art – Most college art isn’t much more than posters on the wall
For around the dorm room
v Kitchen type tools: bowl, cup, glasses, can/bottle opener, etc.
v Desk Lamp
v Alarm clock (one with a really loud and annoying alarm -- they'll need it)
v Bulletin board and dry-erase calendar board
v A small toolkit (I do not suggest the Craftsman, rolling tool chest; a small bag will do)
v Bed linens & Bedding
HAPPY SHOPPING!

Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX www.tamucc.edu

Cost of Attendance In-State	Cost of Attendance Out-State	Family Need Met	Free Money	Self-Help
$16,924	$25,264	63%	NA	NA

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is the only one in the nation that is located on its very own island. With palm trees lining the pathways throughout the 240-acre campus, nearby natural wetlands, and a beach the full length of its Ocean Drive address, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi becomes a first-choice destination for many.

Our attitude stays young because we are able to adapt quickly to new technologies and engage new energies. These are important assets when students seek a university that takes the lead, rather than follows.
We invite you to come see why we are one of the fastest growing universities in the state of Texas. Visit the Island University today!

Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA www.lehigh.edu

Cost of Attendance	Family Need Met	Free Money	Self-Help
$47,160	96%	68%	32%

Set foot on Lehigh University's majestic campus, considered one of America's most beautiful, and you'll be impressed. Learning opportunities abound. Some of the finest faculty and facilities anywhere complement a national academic reputation that draws scholars from all over the world.
But what will transform your life as a Lehigh student happens as much outside the classroom as in. You'll take part in an array of experiences and activities that will shape not only your career, but the rest of your life.

New Website, College Selection, Admissions Applications

Article: New CFS Website
Article: College Selection & Admission Applications
School Profiles: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Stetson University

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New CFS Website

You have got to come check this out! www.CFStrategies.com is all new and better than ever. It is chock full of reports for parents, students, church leaders, and educational professionals. There’s a new blog where you’ll now be able to go back to newsletter archives, and it will allow us to post timely information immediately. The new and improved audio workshop is up. And… this site has all the information for our now permanent Referral-Bonus Program.

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College Selection & Admission Applications

If your high school senior has not done so by now, they need to be cranking out their admission applications… Immediately! Here are some tips to help.

1. Always apply to a minimum of four colleges. Four is a minimum! I would much prefer that student apply to six. Students will not always get into the schools they apply to. Not too long ago, I had a client whose daughter applied to ten colleges. Now she was a sharp student, but she was still rejected by nine and wait-listed by one. Imagine the turmoil that student was going through as she was rejected by school after school. This is a competitive process, and prudence demands multiple applications to minimize risk. Multiple applications will also give your student multiple financial awards. You’ll be able to see the differing amounts of money a school wants to give your student. And you’ll be able to see which schools really want your student.

2. The second lesson to learn out of the above example is to not populate the list of colleges your student is applying to with only the most competitive schools. You may have the most stellar student in their high school. But it is not a good idea to apply only to highly selective schools in the hope they may get the brass ring. You need to apply to at least one safety school. At the safety school, you know your student is getting in, no matter what. Community colleges are good examples of safety schools. You need to apply to 3 to 5 “core” schools. Core schools are where your student will have a very good opportunity to place in the top 25% or 50% of the incoming freshman class. This will provide a good selection of schools where your student has more likelihood to stand out and therefore get more money. Then you can apply to one or two “stretch” schools. Stretch schools are where you’re not sure if your student can get in, but it would be a real accomplishment if they did. The two primary indicators of how a student places in the incoming freshman class are measured by GPA and the standardized test scores.

3. Apply online if at all possible. Most colleges today have online admission applications. These can be found in the admissions or prospective student sections of the colleges’ websites. The following is an example of the online admissions application at Iowa State University www.applyweb.com/apply/iastate/

4. Put together a student summary sheet that can be presented to anyone requested to write a letter of recommendation. This summary sheet should include high school activities, GPA, significant accomplishments, and leadership positions held. Think of it as a mini résumé. This will considerably help those you ask to write recommendation letters.

5. Finally, avoid the temptation to try and identify the “Best” schools. The “Best College” guides, such as from US News & World Report, have done incredible harm to the college selection process. These beauty contest guides have little to do with the excellence of education, and far more to do with the marketing budgets of colleges. Applying to colleges is not about trying to identify the “best” colleges… if there is such as thing. This process is to find the best college for your student.

If you have a topic you would like covered for our newsletter, please email us and let us know.

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University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN www.umn.edu/tc

Cost of Attendance In-State	Cost of Attendance Out-State	Family Need Met	Free Money	Self-Help
$20,353	$31,983	88%	42%	58%

The University of Minnesota was founded as a preparatory school in 1851, seven years before the territory of Minnesota became a state. Financial problems forced the school to close during the Civil War, but with the help of Minneapolis entrepreneur John Sargent Pillsbury, it reopened in1867. Known as the father of the University, Pillsbury, who was a University regent, state senator, and governor, used his influence to establish the school as the official recipient of public support from the Morrill Land-Grant Act, designating it as Minnesota's land-grant university.

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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Stetson University
DeLand, FL www.stetson.edu

Cost of Attendance	Family Need Met	Free Money	Self-Help
$38,468	87%	75%	25%

As Florida’s first private university, Stetson University sets the standard for excellent teaching and innovative, superior programs. We’re proud to be a nationally recognized leader in education with a commitment to values and social responsibility. Perhaps most important of all, Stetson is committed to making top-quality, private education affordable to a diverse group of qualified students.

Stetson University’s rich tradition began in 1883 when it was founded by New York businessman Henry DeLand and named for his friend, Philadelphia hat manufacturer John B. Stetson.

Today the DeLand campus serves about 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration and School of Music. In St. Petersburg/Gulfport, the Stetson University College of Law serves about 900 students. Stetson University’s four colleges and schools offer 13 degree programs in more than 60 majors and minors, giving students the best of two worlds: the variety of a university with the individual attention found at small colleges. The $7.2 million Stetson University Center at Celebration opened in 2001 and offers graduate programs in business, education and counseling, along with professional development programs for educators and an arts academy.

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