Hello all,

This message is for those of you who received an acceptance email from us for the summer sessions. We sent out an email a few minutes ago about instructions on how to complete the final step of your acceptance process, which involves sending a confirmation message. Please refer to the email address you provided on the application form to complete this step. You have until Tuesday night to finish this bit.

Best,
The CTP Team

Hello everyone,

For those of you who tried to access our website (http://www.ctpethiopia.com/) in the last few days, sorry for any inconvenience that was caused due to the site’s unavailability. Fortunately, our efforts to fix it were successful and we’re happy to announce that the website is back up and you may continue to use it.

Best,
The CTP Team

Yet another pleasant news: CTP is now on Instagram. Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/ctpethiopia/ don’t forget to share the love y’all!

🌻 መልካም አዲስ 2🌻11 ዓ.ም🌻
🌻 🇪🇹┣━┫α ρ ρ у​ 🌻
🌻 New Year !!! 🌻
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Selam selam,

We have been getting a lot of requests to create a college application forum that is specifically catered to Ethiopian students. Well, we heard you loud and clear and now we are happy to announce that the CTP Piazza page is live! With just a few steps, you can join the discussion forum which will serve as your one stop destination to ask any college application related questions. With more than 20 current and past students who have studied at U.S. colleges montitoring the forum, you can be sure that you will get an adequate response to all your questions. And now, we invite you all to join the Piazza page and take part in the discussion!

You will find the instructions on how to join the discussion page in the pdf below.

For any technical problems regarding joining the forum, you can contact Amanuel (@Amanuel_ML) or Bruk (@Brukbekele)

Cheers!

Tadiyas everyone, Hope your week is off to a great start!! CTP is delighted to annouce that we will be posting weekly tips about the college application process and we are going to kick off with some information about Financial Aid since deadlines are approaching fast! 🙈🙈🙈


*What is financial aid ? *
What is referred to as a college scholarship by many people in Ethiopia is actually financial aid. If you hope to attend a college without paying the full price, you must apply for financial aid.Financial aid is a term that encompasses all types of aid- directly received from a university-that goes towards financing your education.

*Types of financial aid*
Financial aid often comes in three flavors: need based financial aid, merit based financial aid, and loans. Top ranked schools in the US often have need based financial aid only, while other schools tend to offer merit based or a combination of the two
- Merit Based Financial Aid : This kind of financial aid is offered to you based on your GPA or other merits that you have. Different schools have their own type of merit based awards. However, most times, merit based financial awards only partly cover your cost of attendance
- Need based financial aid: This kind of financial aid is offered based on the universities estimates of your need. That is, the university, with the help of documents you provide such as employer letters, bank statements, determines how much you can afford to pay and offers aid.
- Need blind vs need aware: Most schools are need aware; that is, they consider your financial eligibility while determining whether you are accepted or not. However, a smaller section of universities that offer need based financial aid claim to be need blind, which means your finances do not at all factor into your acceptance.
financial aid for international students is scarce, and it is important not to waste time or energy looking into universities that will not meet your financial requirements.
*Forms*
Financial aid, like the college application process, has many processes. Part of these includes filling out and submitting important financial forms.
- The CSS Profile: is mostly used by US universities that offer aid to international students. It is a completely online form, which means it does not need to be printed and filled out. CSS Profile is handled by College board, the same institution that handles the SAT examinations. If you signed up for an SAT exam, you already have a Collegeboard account you can use for the CSS profile.
- The ISFAA: The International Student Financial Aid Application is another form that is shorter and easier to fill in compared to the CSS Profile. Unlike the CSS Profile, however, the IFSAA is not completely standardized, and it is not a single website that you enter your information to and then send to every school of your choice. Rather, each school has to make the IFSAA form available on its website, and not all schools decide to do so.
- Supporting Documentations: After you have filled-out one or more of the above forms, you will need to send supporting documentation of your family's financial circumstances to universities either by fax or by mail. This includes letter from your parents’ employers and bank statements. Please dont hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! Cheers!

Hi Everyone!! Here we are again with more resources to help guide you through the financial aid application process of the college application. Attached below is a section on Financial Aid Application taken from our CTP Workbook which has been specifically tailored to Ethiopian high school students. It includes a sample of filled-out ISFAA, Certificate of Finaces, Employer statement and other related forms that are essential in the financial aid application processs.

Hello everyone! Please go ahead and follow our Instagram page, @ctpethiopia to get exclusive info about life as a college student in the US. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be featuring college students from across the country as they walk you through a typical day in their life at university. This is an exciting platform for us and you guys! Make sure to invite your friends to follow our page as well!

Hi everyone, this week’s tip is about choosing colleges to apply to/attend.

First thing is first, make a list of all the criteria that are important to you. This can be generosity of financial aid, availability of research opportunities, location, course requirements for a degree, the presence of an Ethiopian community e.t.c. Once you have this list, you can go on to rank your college choices. Please don’t underestimate the research you have to do before you decide to enroll in a specific school. Speak to current students, watch webinars most schools have online, check out some of their professors and the research they do, or if they have athletic programs you’d be interested in. Maybe even specifically look into the department that you’re interested in. Point is, for the sake of your future happiness, make sure the school you choose is the best fit for you.

On the other hand, a specific school doesn’t have to be perfect as long as it meets the requirements that are most important to you. Remember that whatever school you choose, your attitude, persistance, and the people you surround yourself with are the things that make a difference to your college experience.

Spring Workshops are back! Do you want to learn the basics about the college application process including: the SAT, Common App, Finacial Aid, application essay and more? Look no more. We are back with our annual Spring Workshops. The first session will be held at St. Joseph School on March 9 from 9am - 2pm ( 3 o'clock to 8 o'clock local time). The other two sessions will be held on March 16 (at Nazareth School) and March 23. Stay tuned for more info and registration information.

Hey everyone! Get ready for another weekly CTP tip! Following up last week’s post on the college search, this week we’ll be talking about how to correspond with admissions officers.
The college search is a crucial part of the application process but reaching out to admissions offices can be overlooked. When in doubt(about say a college’s application requirements), admissions officers are the best source of information. Though it can be scary writing to them, know that they’re actually happy to answer any questions you have aaand it’s part of their job to address your concerns too.
Think through what you want to ask or what your objective is and try to respond within two days of getting a response from the school. There are also some great templates you can find online. On that note, *please please make Google your friend!!*
Anyway, some pointers would be to put yourself on the mailing list of colleges to get up to date emails about a college, and *to contact a current student, alumnus or admissions representative*.
Don’t be afraid to ask for the help you need folks! See you next week!

Important announcement for those of you registered for the March 9 session at St. Joseph School:

You MUST bring your school ID to the workshop as it is required for entrance to the school. Since there will be another event taking place on the same day as the workshop, you will not be allowed to enter the premise without your school ID. For any questions or concerns, contact the admins @Amanuel_ML @m51145121

Hello everyone,

This is a reminder for those of you who are interested in attending one of our workshops but haven’t registered yet, please make sure to do so as soon as possible as we are looking to finalize registration soon. You’ll find the registration link below.

Good day!