Concurrent Courses are available through Crowley's Ridge College and allow our CRA Juniors and Seniors to enroll in classes for college credit while still in high school. To enroll in these courses, you must register directly through CRC's website and pay the required fees.

Concurrent courses require a minimum ACT or Accuplacer score. (The Accuplacer is typically taken directly through Crowley's Ridge College.)

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Seniors may take a total of two college preview days during their senior year, provided none were taken during their junior year. If a senior took one college preview day as a junior, he or she will have one preview day as a senior. If a senior took two college preview days as a junior, he or she will have no preview days as a senior.

The purpose of the college preview day is to acquaint the student with a prospective college or training school.

In order for a senior to have a day counted as a college preview day, the following guidelines must be followed:

1. the student must notify the office before attending the college day. 

2. The student must have the proper signatures on this form and return it to the high school office no later than one week after the preview day.

There will be no "partial" preview days. The student must meet with an official of the college visited. Meeting with students only or touring campus without meeting with a college official does not meet the standards for an approved preview day.

If a senior follows the above guidelines, the college preview day will be approved and not counted against his or her absences. Two preview days may be approved during the school year OR a senior may opt for one college preview day and one job shadow day. The job shadow day must be pre-approved and information given to the school principal concerning who will be involved, when, where, etc.

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The ACT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. It is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test administered by ACT, Inc.

ACT Length 2 hrs, 55 minutes

ACT Sections: English, Math, Reading, & Science

Max. Score 36

Overall, the higher you score on the ACT, the more options for attending and paying for college will be available to you.

When should I take the ACT?

Most high school students take the ACT, SAT, or both during the spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year. It's important to leave time to re-take the test if you need to raise your score before you apply to college. The ACT exam is offered nationally every year in September, October, December, February*, April, June, and July*. View all upcoming ACT test dates and register for upcoming tests by clicking the link below.

Registration deadlines fall approximately five weeks before each ACT test date. You can register online on the ACT website.

https://act.org

There are some great resources available to help students study and excel at the ACT.

https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation.html

https://www.kaptest.com/study/act/how-to-study-for-the-act-in-3-months/

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college.

You (parents) need to submit a new FAFSA before each academic year in which you want to get aid. If you plan to apply for aid throughout college, you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA each year.

Be sure to use a permanent email address on the form.

You qualify for a $1,000 College Board Opportunity Scholarship just by submitting your FAFSA.

Who Should Fill Out the FAFSA?

Anyone planning on going to college in the next academic year should fill out the FAFSA.

Each year, millions—sometimes billions—of dollars in federal aid is left on the table by students who didn’t file a FAFSA. It’s simple: If you don’t file, you won’t qualify for most financial aid.

You automatically qualify for a low-interest federal loan when you submit a FAFSA.

How to Fill Out the FAFSA:

There are three ways to complete and submit your FAFSA:

Online at ed.gov.

With the myStudentAid app, available on iTunes and Google Pay.

By printing and filling out a FAFSA form, then mailing it to the address on the form.

We recommend filling out the FAFSA online or through the app. Both options offer useful tips to help you understand the questions, which can make it a lot easier to fill out and submit the application.

When you fill out the FAFSA electronically, you’ll be asked to create a federal student aid ID (FSA ID). You’ll use it to sign the electronic form. Because one of your parents also has to sign off on your FAFSA, they’ll need to create an FSA ID, too.

When to Submit Your FAFSA: Understanding FAFSA Deadlines

You can file as early as October 1 for the following academic year. It’s a good idea to submit the application as soon as possible because financial aid is often given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

There are three types of FAFSA deadlines:

College deadlines: Important when you’re applying for aid from a college. Deadlines vary by school, so check college websites or contact the financial aid offices of the colleges you’re interested in to find out when you need to submit your FAFSA.

State deadlines: Important when you’re applying for aid from your state. Check your state's FAFSA deadline.

Federal deadline: June 30 is the last day you can apply for federal aid for the following academic year.

Remember: You should send in your FAFSA as soon as you can, regardless of deadlines. There’s a lot of financial aid out there—give yourself the best shot at getting the most assistance by applying early.

Scholarships often require a separate application, and you may have to submit an essay to apply for an award. Scholarships can come from many different sources. Common issuers of college scholarships are universities, nonprofit organizations, and private companies.

Mrs. Amy sends out frequent emails about scholarship opportunities to the seniors.

Reach out to each school your student is interested in attending to find out what scholarships they can offer you.

Some great sites to start your search for scholarships are…

https://www.careeronestop.org

https://www.fastweb.com

https://www.scholarships.com

If your scholarships, grants, income and savings won’t cover the cost of college, you may consider taking out a student loan.

How Student Loans Work:

When you take out a college loan, you borrow money and have to repay it. You also have to pay interest — a charge for borrowing the money. Different types of loans have different interest rates. The lower the interest rate, the less money you pay.

Who Provides Loans:

There are three main sources of student loans:

The federal government lends almost half of the money college students borrow each year.

State agencies offer college loans. (Some of these have very specific requirements.)

Private organizations like banks, other financial institutions, foundations and colleges may offer loans to students.

How to Get Started:

To get the best loans, follow these steps in order:

Complete the FAFSA. It can qualify you for federal loans, which usually have the best terms.

Contact your college’s financial aid office to ask about loans through your college.

Check with the U.S. Department of Education to find out about state loans.

Each fall semester, Brown’s Graduation Supply visits CRA to talk to the Juniors and Seniors about class rings, letterman jackets, and graduation supplies. If you would like to order through them directly or have questions about an existing order, you can reach them at (870) 932-4832. 1410 Franklin St #5293, Jonesboro, AR 72401

Many Juniors and Seniors have no idea what they want to do after they graduate from high school. For students who would like to explore their options, the links below could be very helpful.

Career Quiz https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test

Career Research https://www.bls.gov/ooh/