New Century Scholarship

A few things for New Century Scholars to consider:

1. Look at the state board regents information: http://www.utahnewcentury.org
2. Know what is involved in pursuing an Associate Degree:
   • Due to the rigorous course work and additional workload required to receive both a high school diploma and an Associate Degree, you may miss out on normal high school activities and other social functions. Free time and social time will often need to be exchanged for study time.
   • Some classes required for an Associate Degree may deal with mature and sensitive issues. They may include class discussions that are uncomfortable for you. These classes cannot be waived.
   • By graduating with an Associate Degree as a high school senior, you enter the university as a junior, making your social opportunities possibly different from your freshman friends.
   • It is important to have a clear idea of what Bachelor Degree you will pursue. The New Century scholarship will only be of financial assistance for the equivalent of two years (60 credits) and unless you have taken classes applicable to your bachelor program as part of your elective or major classes for your Associate Degree, you will need more than sixty credits to complete your Bachelor Degree.
   • UVSC requires twenty hours of residency credit. (This means that 20 credit hours must be taken through UVSC.) High school concurrent enrollment and high school distance learning courses will qualify. Some classes may need to be taken on campus during the school year or the summer. Students taking classes on-campus will need to visit with a high school completion counselor each semester. The counselors for each district are : Marcia Barton (Nebo and districts south), Anita Craven (Provo).
   • You are responsible to pay tuition for on-campus, Internet, and TV courses taken through UVSC.
   • Careful planning will be required to meet both high school and college graduation requirements. You will want to take as many classes as possible that will meet the requirements for both.
3. Put together a plan for when you will take classes. You will need to pay tuition for classes not taken through high school. Remember to keep your plan flexible, leave as little as possible for the summer following your senior year, take only courses which count toward a degree, use a combination of sources for credit:
   Be careful of duplicate credit. Credit for the same course number will not count twice
   
   • High School Concurrent Enrollment Credit
   • High School Ednet or Distance Learning (two way TV courses)
   • Advanced Placement Testing (www.uvu.edu/transfer/students/apcredit.html)
   • One way TV courses or Internet courses (www.uvsc.edu/disted/)
   • On-campus classes (Orem campus or other satellite campuses)
   • CLEP testing (www.uvsc.edu/testingservices/students/clep.html)
   • Utah Electronic College (www.uec.org)
   • Independent Study courses transferred from other schools
4. Bring in your plan and go over the information with an advisor. Talk about what things might change. Check back with an advisor at least once a semester:

You are working on the degree, what should you keep in mind?

1. Keep up your grade point average. You can qualify for other scholarships aside from the New Century. Also, with so many students pursuing the New Century scholarship, they may need to be more selective about who receives it and GPA may play a part in the process.  Also, admission to specific majors or schools is competitive for transfer students.
2. Consider taking the ACT. Some schools require ACT scores to qualify for their scholarships.
3. If you have studied a foreign language, ask an advisor how you might be able to get credit.
4. If you don't take the ACT or if your ACT scores aren't high enough, you will need to take an assessment test before taking a math or English class. You can prepare for the tests by doing some packets or tutorials an advisor can provide information on those resources.
5. Check the Internet, using UVLink and the degree evaluation or visit with an advisor at least once a semester to make sure requirements have not changed and to check your progress toward graduation.
6. To take classes on campus, you need a green form from your high school counselor. Take it to the high school completion counselor whose name is listed on the form. You must see them each semester you enroll for on-campus classes. Register well in advance. (ie. for Summer semester by early April, Fall semester by May, and Spring semester by October)
7. Notice prerequisites. Some classes must be taken in sequence. (Specifically, you can't take AP English your senior year in high school because your AP scores won't be back in time for you to register for Engl 2010/2020 or PHIL 2050 in the summer.)
8. Be careful that you are meeting all the requirements to graduate from high school. To apply for the scholarship you must have a high school diploma as well.

Now, you are close to finishing the degree, what else?

1. Apply early for graduation. If you are graduating in Spring, apply by the first Friday in February; if Summer, by the first Friday in June. Don't miss this deadline. The graduation office is in BA 114. (Or for those at the Wasatch campus, talk with Donna Creighton.)
2. Apply for the New Century Scholarship as soon as grades have been posted from your last class. You will need some information from your high school, so it will be best if you get this information before counselors leave for the summer. The official college transcript you will need to send with your application is available in the registration/records office.
3. For a copy of the New Century scholarship application: http://www.utahnewcentury.org