For some the news is going to be bittersweet.  There is perhaps no feeling just like learning you have been accepted into a school that isn’t affordable.  While disheartening, there is probably hope if you continue to look for scholarships from other sources and talk to the financial aid office.  If you are good enough for a school to accept you, then chances are they will do what is reasonably possible in their view to help you.

Seniors, this is your last semester, but it’s still important.  Some of the books I read last year around this time were important to my development.  In essence, I’m saying, do your work.  This semester IS important.  It’s also not only a good time to see your friends but to have great conversations with your teachers.  This is the time that they will open up to you and you might just find one that is a terribly fascinating person who you didn’t think was before.  Anyway, that’s all for now, but good luck!

A mentor can be anyone- a counselor at school, a teacher, a youth group pastor, or a sports coach. It doesn’t matter what they do; what matters is how well you can open up to this person and their ability to give you good advice on things that they know something about. This is why mentors are usually older and wiser than you are.

I found mentors in a number of environments and each one was able to help me out in a different way. The mentors I found at Reality Changers and at my school were able to help me feel confident about my ability to go to college, and they even helped me with the college application process. I spent countless nights in the Reality Changers building working on college applications and it sure did pay off! Reality Changers explained what I needed to know about financial aid and scholarships and even helped me fill out the forms!

Mentors are important, get yourself one! Not just anyone, find the right mentor for YOU.

Sometimes you get lucky and you run into someone who would be a great mentor, but most of the time, you have to go out and search! Schedule meetings with your counselors or teachers, just drop by before or after school, or even ask to have lunch with them. Show initiative- get to know them! This is the only way you’ll know if they’re right for you.

If you feel like there isn’t anyone that you can relate to at your school, look in your area for programs like Reality Changers to help you out. You are not alone. There is guidance out there, you just have to look for it.