A Message From President Yam Regarding Sweet Briar College

Earlier this week it was announced that Sweet Briar College, a women’s college in Virginia, is closing this summer. We are saddened by the loss, and we stand ready to assist Sweet Briar and its students by guaranteeing admission to any Sweet Briar student who is in good standing and who meets our academic requirements, and by waiving admissions, scholarship and housing deadlines for their prospective students. We are prepared to warmly welcome all Sweet Briar current and accepted students to the Notre Dame community.

We are dismayed by the closing of any women’s college. At the same time, we are heartened that Notre Dame is a thriving institution, with a vibrant Women’s College of more than 500 young women, situated within an expanding co-educational University.

Transformation is the lifeblood of Notre Dame. Our ability to evolve—to nimbly address changing educational and marketplace needs—has enabled us to maintain and strengthen the strong core of our Women’s College while expanding into a University that includes adult undergraduate, as well as graduate and professional programs offering degrees from bachelor’s to doctorate.

Our Women’s College is thriving. This past fall, we welcomed our largest incoming Women’s College class in seven years. Over the past five years, the Women’s College has seen an 11% growth in enrollment and a 16% growth in retention. Our 85% retention rate—significantly higher than the national average of 68%—is testament to the fact that our students are immersed in their academic and co-curricular experiences and enjoy living and studying in a close-knit academic community situated in the midst of a thriving city offering countless social, cultural, recreational, and internship and job opportunities. This boost has not been achieved by lowering admission standards. Rather, the academic profile of the student body has strengthened, as demonstrated by an increase of approximately 60 points in SAT scores among incoming freshmen.

There are many reasons for our success, and they are as strong as our 120-year history—a history marked by our willingness to “trust and dare;” by our ability to be “fearless and faithful.” They embody the essence of who we are, and express our staunch commitment to the value of our Women’s College, and women’s colleges everywhere.

See Sweet Briar Sisters: Find your new home at NDMU! http://www.ndm.edu/admissions/womens-college/sweet-briar-students/

Maryland FAFSA Deadline - March 1

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FAFSA Deadline

The deadline to file your FAFSA in Maryland is March 1, 2015. If you want to be considered for grants from the state and local governments then you MUST file your FAFSA by March 1. Students who file after this deadline will automatically be put on the waiting list for state and local grants.

If you are not a Maryland resident, find out when your state's deadline is on the FAFSA website.

Don't forget, the code for NDMU is 002065. Also, if you did not provide your social security number on your admissions application to Notre Dame, you need to call and speak to your admissions counselor. We use the social security number to locate your FAFSA, download it, and create your financial aid package.

Tips from the Office of Financial Aid

The office of financial aid at NDMU has some tips to help you complete your FAFSA:

• It's okay to estimate the information on the FAFSA so that you can complete it on time. 
• Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool after you have filed your taxes
• Visit the site of the Maryland Higher Education Commision (MHEC) to learn about state aid programs
• Explore outside scholarships, we have a list on our financial aid website
• Check your email! This is the primary way the office of financial aid will communicate with you.

FAFSA Filing Deadline - February 15

Filing the FAFSA

The deadline to file the FAFSA for Notre Dame of Maryland University is February 15, the day after Valentine's Day.  We ask you to do this early so that we have ample to process it, help you correct any errors, and create a financial aid package for you. Every school you include on the FAFSA may give you a slightly different package. To include NDMU, use the code 002065.

Your financial aid package from Notre Dame of Maryland University might include grants, loans, and federal work-study.

What if it's not enough?

We work very closely with you to help you understand your financial aid package and determine the actual cost of attendance. The most important aspect of the financial aid process is open communication between you and your family and admissions and the office of financial aid. NDMU has an excellent financial aid website with an abundance of resources: www.ndm.edu/admissions/financial-aid/

Don't forget to keep applying to external scholarships, even if they are small. All of that money adds up and can make a difference. You can find a list here.

Another great resource for finding additional aid for in-state students is the Maryland Higher Education Commision, or MHEC. You can find a list of what they offer here.

If you haven't started your FAFSA yet, go to fafsa.ed.gov

Remember, you can always contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Priority Scholarship Consideration Deadline

February 1, 2015

The Priority Scholarship Consideration Deadline is right around the corner. In one week actually! Have you submitted your application yet? If you want to be considered for institutional merit-based scholarships (awards from Notre Dame), then you must submit your complete application by February 1. A complete application contains:

• application(our Online App, Common App, or Universal App)
• essay
• letter of recommendation from a teacher or guidance counselor
• transcript
• SAT or ACT score report
• resume (optional, but strongly recommended)

Your high school guidance counselor can send us your letter of recommendation, transcript, and test score report by either fax, email, or mail. The essay and resume can either be submitted within the application or by email to admiss@ndm.edu. If you don't think you can get your application items in before the deadline, but you still want to be considered for institutional scholarships, contact your admissions counselor and let her know.

The deadline is a week away! If you haven't yet started an application, start one now! If you haven't yet asked your guidance counselor to send us your items, ask them on Monday! (Or Tuesday if we have a Snow Day on Monday). The quickest way to send your items is by fax or email. Contact your admissions counselor if you need help.

"Did I submit all of my application items?"

What is a merit-based scholarship?

A merit-based scholarship is awarded based on your grade point average and SAT or ACT test scores. All accepted students are reviewed by the scholarship committee to determine eligibility, there is no separate application for Notre Dame's institutional scholarships.

P.S. The FAFSA Deadline for Notre Dame is February 15, 2015

What To Do Before Your Senior Year

We found this article online and thought there were some great tips for students who are going into their senior year. Thanks to www.unidgo.com for the "To Do" list item below.

1) Think about and outline a college essay. As more and more schools sign onto the Common Application (over 400 colleges use it now), it's safe to say you'll apply to one that uses it for their admissions process. For this reason, you can get a jump start on writing your essay now.

2) Make a list of the qualities you desire in a college. Everyone knows that college isn't all about hitting the books. So, what other qualities are you looking for in a college? There's many to research: city versus rural life, athletics, the quality of facilities and the tastiness of dining hall food, famous professors, the strength of a potential major, among many others.

3) Develop your personal interests. Colleges want you to be passionate about something. Take extra guitar lessons, join a summer soccer league, go on extra camping trips-all you have to do is demonstrate your interests. Admission officers love well-rounded people who can bring something unique to campus. A personal interest may help you stand out.

4) Work to improve your standardized test scores. If your scores are not in a school's 50% range, you may want to retake the SAT and/or ACT in the fall. To do better, you must develop a proper study plan. There are practice questions on www.collegeboard.com that you should start with. After tackling these, think about going to the library to rent one of their books, or purchase one from your local bookstore.

5) Take summer classes at a local college/university. Enrolling in summer courses can work to your advantage if you're a straight A student or if your grades are weak. Either way, doing well in these courses will show admission officers that you're capable of being an academic success at their school. Doing this will only increase your chance of being accepted to a "reach" school or obtaining a lucrative scholarship.

6) Practice your interview skills. If you're shooting for a top ten school, or if your GPA and SAT scores are at the lower end of your dream school's applicant pool, an interview moves from being an option to a requirement for you. And you must perform well when meeting with an alumni representative or admission counselor. Setting up one or two mock interviews with your parents, a teacher, your college counselor, a friend, or a sibling can be a very beneficial thing.

7) Volunteer. Admission counselors are looking for certain personality traits, compassion being one of the most important. Colleges want good people on their campuses; nothing says benevolent and selfless better than volunteering some time in a nursery home or at a local animal shelter. Check Idealist.org to see if there are any volunteering opportunities in your area, or just call a local nursing home, community center, animal shelter, or other non-profit to see if they need any help. Chances are they do.

8) Visit at least two or three colleges. Although the campus won't be bustling with activity since students are home for the summers, visiting college campuses during the summer can be very rewarding. Being on a large state university feels much different than being at a small liberal arts college. Use these summer visits to figure out what kind of college you want to attend.

9) Think about potential careers. This isn't entirely necessary, since most people have no clue what they want to do for the rest of their lives…at the age of 17! But, if you've never thought about it, putting some time into thinking about careers that match your interests can't hurt.

10) Get to know your personal admissions counselor.  Let’s face it, apply to college isn’t easy. Why not make connections with your own personal admissions counselor to have them been your advocate throughout the process!  Unsure of who your admissions counselor is? Check out our ‘Meet the Counselor Page” found here: http://www.ndm.edu/admissions/womens-college/meet-the-counselors/


Have questions? Feel free to contact us: (410) 532-5330 or admiss@ndm.edu

As always, thanks for reading!

So, You're Moving Away to College!

So, You're Moving Away to College!

Here are some tips for you as you move to your new home-away-from-home!

1) Self-fulfilling prophecies are the real deal.

What do I mean by this?  When you enter college with a solid mindset, that is how your experience is going to be.  Let’s face it, some people are social butterflies while others rather sit alone in their rooms and read a novel all day.  Others have anxiety that hinders them away from being open and welcoming to new friends. Don’t let this be you- don’t be scared to let your guard down and meet new friends!  After all, in four years you don’t want to look back upon your experience and wish you would have dragged yourself from your room? Would you? Go to the welcoming activities, say ‘hello’ to those you pass in the hall and be open to making new friends! Get out of your room and explore! After all, college is more fun when you have friends to experience it with you!

2) Welcome Week activities in the Residence Halls are long, but you still need to go to them.

Don’t try to sneak off during Welcome Week- we will find you! Not only should you go to these events, but they are mandatory!  Like I said before, get out of your room and make friends!  Participate in programs!  They might not be the friends that you have for the rest of your life or even the rest of college, but friends are friends, and you do not want to be eating in the dinning commons by yourself all year.

3) You do not need to be best friends with your roommate.

We love to share this particular piece of advice every year.  Don’t go into any roommate-ship with the expectation to be best friends with your roomie.  Allow both of you to have your own day to day routines and meet up for dinner or lunch when you can! Sometimes you will become best friends with your roommate, but what it all boils down to is that you need to be considerate, open-minded, and able to communicate to anyone you are sharing space with. The roommate world is not black and white. Sometimes you will become best friends with your roommate, but what it all boils down to is that you need to be considerate, open-minded, and able to communicate to anyone you are sharing space with.

 

4) Be nice to your CA (Community Assistant)

This one is personal, we have read other people's advice as saying "befriend your CA; they won't write you up as much."  We cannot say if this is true or not *wink wink*.  Trust us, there are times that your RA will not want to live with you either. But we have received a few notes from residents that tell us that they enjoy chatting with me or that I was their favorite part of moving to college, and those residents made the most unbearable nights worth it in the end. Your RA is fountain of knowledge about your school, they have taken a lot of the classes you need to take and they know about a lot of resources on campus. Go to them and ask them questions when you have them, they want to talk to you and get to know you!

 

5) Pursue a degree you are passionate about.

This one simple speaks for itself. Do what you love, love what you do. If you’re unsure about what major to declare, don’t. Work one-on-one with you advisor to talk about your goals, strengths and areas that interest you.  Together, come up with a plan--- you’re not alone, we can help!

 6) Ask for help.

We know that we already touched on this a little bit on number five, but we am serious when we say this. Know your limits. If you don't understand material for a class you should take advantage of your professor's office hours. See what resources your school has for tutoring, my school has multiple programs that offer free tutoring for different subjects and majors. You are paying for these resources with your tuition, use them.
 

7)Finally, take a minute (or a few) between the classes and studying and work to enjoy yourself.

 People will say that college is the best years of your life. We don't know if that is the truth, but we still think everyone in college should try and make the most out of the experience and have a little fun--after you take care of your responsibilities!

What To Do During Summer

Hello, Readers!

That elephant in the room is getting larger--it's almost time to head back to school. It's here, we said it.  Are you worried that you haven't made the most of your summer vacation days yet? Not to fear, we have a great list of things for you to do in the weeks ahead that will gear you up to head into your senior year as prepared as possible!

• First, draft your student resume.
• Don't worry, this is not something that will take a ton of time, nor does it need to be super business-like. Rather, just be sure to list all of those activities that you have been a part of both inside and outside of school for your high school years.
• Most schools don't require a resume but will accept one--this helps us to learn more about you so why wouldn't you want to submit one?

• Visit the schools that you want to apply to in the fall!
• Summer is great for vacation but why not add a week's worth of college touring to the agenda?  Come visit our campus and meet with your one-on-one personal admissions counselor who will be your advocate throughout the application process.

• Do your homework!
• That's right we said it. You might be out of school but there is always work to be done!
• Apply for external scholarships. Search them out-- and remember never pay to apply for scholarships-- they will always be free!
• Check out websites like wwww.fastweb.com that will send you weekly emails with scholarships that apply for you!

• Start thinking about who can write your letter of recommendation.
• Draft up a letter to submit to your favorite Math, Science, or English teacher. Submit this letter to them, along with your student resume on the first day of classes. Chances are you'll be the only person to request this letter this year in the school year and they'll be able to personalize the letter even more since they have a copy of your student resume!

Alright, we think that's enough "To Do's" for now...keep us posted on your progress-- and remember hop to it...the first day of your senior year is right around the corner!

Thanks for reading!