My older daughter's troop is entering sixth grade and going to middle school. With that transition to middle school or junior high, there is often a drop off in Girl Scout membership. This fact has got me thinking about retention. Right now, I'm doing well keeping the girls interested and involved or at least registered... but I know the inevitable will happen and I will lose some of "my girls."

One item that I know will pull on not only the girls but also their parents as they inch closer to college is the positive impact that Girl Scout membership can have on college applications and lure of scholarship money.

Girl Scouts was way ahead of the curve in that the program is very service oriented and always has been. I have heard that students often start community service around the ninth grade as it becomes clear to them that colleges are looking for that on their applications. I myself am a alumni interviewer for my alma mater and I can clearly see the pattern of service starting around ninth grade. For any girl who sticks with Girl Scouts from an early age, the service record becomes one that speaks of a long-term, ongoing commitment.

My own troop can list six years of partnering with their school to collect and wrap toys for a local children's hospital and five years of donating a portion of their cookie sales to the military serving in Iraq. I could write several pages on their other service accomplishments, but my point was to show continuity and commitment, both of which speak strongly on a college application. In addition to service, the other obvious items that will serve a girl well on a college application are awards, including but not limited to the Silver and Gold Awards and leadership awards.

The other bonus for high school seniors in Girl Scouts is the scholarship pot. My own service unit is looking to initiate a local scholarship for girls in our service unit. Older girls should not stop at their service units and their councils but should consider schools that offer Girl Scout-specific financial awards. Many of the schools listed here offer awards that are renewable for the full four years of a student's education. In addition, a high school senior should not hesitate to ask the financial aid office of her college of choice about possible funding options available to Girl Scouts that are not specifically listed here:

Colleges that Offer Scholarships or Aid to Girl Scouts

Albright College
Reading, Pennsylvania

Angelo State University
San Angelo, Texas

Bay Path College
Long Meadow, Massachusetts

Birmingham-Southern College
Birmingham, Alabama

Brenau University
Gainesville, Georgia

Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio

Chatham University
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Chester College of New England
Chester, New Hampshire

The College of St. Catherine
St. Paul, Minnesota

Converse College
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Cottey College
Nevada, Missouri

Delta State University
Cleveland, Mississippi

DeVry University
Multiple Campuses, North America

Doane College
Crete, Nebraska

Douglass College (Rutgers)
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Daytona Beach, Florida

Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York

Howard University, College of Engineering, Architecture, and Computer Science
Washington, District of Columbia

Jacksonville State
Jacksonville, Alabama

Johnson State College
Johnson, Vermont

Lake Erie College
Painesville, Ohio

Lebanon Valley College
Annville, Pennsylvania

Lesley College
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Lincoln Memorial University
Harrogate, Tennessee

Lindenwood College
St. Charles, Missouri

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus
Brookville, New York

Maharishi University of Management
Fairfield, Iowa

McDaniel College
Westminster, Maryland

Midway College
Midway, Kentucky

Missouri Valley College
Marshall, Missouri

Newman University
Wichita, Kansas

Olivet College
Olivet, Michigan

Randolph-Macon Woman's College
Lynchburg, Virginia

Reed College
Portland, Oregon

St. Thomas Aquinas University
Sparkill, New York

Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Temple University- Ambler College
Ambler, Pennsylvania

Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas

Trinity University
Washington, DC

University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama

University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky

University of Montevallo
Montevallo, Alabama

University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin, Tennessee

Viterbo College
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Whittier College
Whittier, California

Wilson College
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania