Two Gap Year Programs Visit DKJA After Thanksgiving

Israel Experience at Bar-Ilan University is an established gap year program in Israel which several RHS alumni have attended. Rabbi Menaged will visit Rosenblatt High School on Wednesday, December 7^th during the lunch period. This program offers a multi-faceted experience that combines university learning with Jewish growth, seeing the land of Israel, and connecting with amazing role models. More info about Israel Experience at Bar-Ilan can be found at http://israelxp.com.

Tess Langan from Global Citizen Year will visit Rosenblatt High School on Thursday, December 8^th during the lunch period.  Global Citizen Year is an immersive bridge year leadership program that sends high school seniors to live and work in Senegal, India, Ecuador and Brazil for a year before college. If the name Global Citizen Year rings a bell, it's probably because Global Citizen Year was just featured by Katie Couric.

Global Citizen Year is committed to helping students make positive contributions to this world and there is a Jewish Faith and Community scholarship that is offered to students looking to explore and reflect upon their Jewish faith throughout their Global Citizen year. 

For any questions about these visits, or other college counseling programs, please feel free to contact Jackie Rockman at rockmanj@dkja.net.

RHS Seniors Prepare for Interviews

On Sunday, November 20^th, a number of seniors participated in the Interview Preparation Program, designed specifically to prepare seniors for competitive college interviews, as well as employment and internship interviews.

Participants gained beneficial skills and experience; they learned how to effectively talk about themselves, how to prepare for some of the most common interview questions, and what questions to ask the interviewer. These seniors took part in an introductory program earlier in the week to learn about the different types of interviews before moving ahead with Sunday’s session, which focused on interview preparation and strategies for the different types of interviews (college, internships and employment), as well as opportunities to practice the interview skills. 

I facilitated the program along with highly experienced community volunteers; together we have conducted hundreds (if not thousands) of interviews from the perspective of employer, university alumni interviewer as well as admission officer interviewer. After a seminar-style discussion of interview questions and answers (with the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’), the seniors worked in teams, interviewing each other and providing feedback while under observation by a facilitator who also provided feedback.  Each student then experienced a ‘one on one’ mock interview from A to Z, with specific feedback.  

Student response was incredibly positive and one participant even went on to ace his competitive college interview on Sunday afternoon!  The next Interview Preparation Workshop will be held on Sunday, December 4^th for the remaining seniors who are interested in gaining (or polishing) their interview skills. Seniors who did not yet register for the program, they can still do so at https://goo.gl/forms/Xul0QF5GvZ8MBQbE3.

For any questions about this or other college counseling programs, please feel free to contact Jackie Rockman at rockmanj@dkja.net.

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED by FLORIDA SENIORS

Apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship

The application for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship is now available online. The Bright Futures Scholarship program rewards Florida high school graduates for academic achievement; it is a non-need based scholarship.  

All Florida seniors who meet the requirements should complete the application. You MUST REGISTER for Florida Student Financial Aid (including Florida Bright Futures) if you wish to be considered for any state of Florida GRANTS and SCHOLARSHIPS (including Bright Futures). If you do not register, you will not be considered for any State of Florida grants and scholarships.

Students should apply NO LATER than January 22^nd - before the colleges begin the financial aid awarding process. However, applications are accepted until the August following graduation.

Even if you are not planning to attend a Florida college, apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship in order to reserve your funds. Then, if you transfer to a Florida college for any reason, this money will be available to you.

Eligible students have up to two years after they graduate from high school to begin using the scholarship. A Florida Academic Scholar (FAS) or Florida Medallion Scholar (FMS) may receive funding for up to five years from high school graduation. The Bright Futures Scholarship aid is available for almost all undergraduate schools in the state of Florida.

Minimum requirements include

Type	16 HS Course Credits	HS Weighted GPA	ACT/SAT scores	Service Hours
FAS	4 - English 4 - Math 3 - Natural Science 3 - Social Science 2 - World Language	3.5	29/1290	100 hours
FMS		3.0	26/1170	75 hours

To apply for the 2017-2018 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship:

 Submit an application at https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/ua/sawstua_uaform.asp

After you submit the application:

Watch for official e-mail acknowledgement communication.  This provides instructions for obtaining a USER ID and PIN to access the submitted application, update information on the application, check the status of the application, and view notifications online.

Complete information on the Bright Futures Program http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf/