DURING MONTH OF APRIL
Time to get serious. The next several months will be critical if you plan to make college submission and financial aid deadlines. Stay on course.
Have your started your college search?
You need to get that information organized so that you can submit applications this September:
more information below about college search
Understand
Types of Schools:
Colleges:
generally smaller in size. They offer
4-year degree programs (BA and BS) and
many 2-year Associate degrees.
Universities:
larger institutions with specialized degrees
in business, engineering, pre-med, etc.
They offer 2-year, 4-year, and many graduate
and professional degrees.
Community / Junior
Colleges:
a small college offering
2-year Associate degrees. Many students
attend local community colleges with the
intent to transfer to a larger institution
to further their education.
Online Programs:
offered by small and large accredited universities.
Programs are offered online with potentially some campus visit during the online course.
Vocational / Career
Schools:
specialized schools of
training for specialized trade jobs such
as mechanics, computer technicians, medical
assistants, etc. Programs may vary requiring
only a few weeks to complete while others
may require a year or more. Upon completion,
graduates will receive a license, certificate
or an Associate Degree.
Task 2: Finalize Your College
Search and Selection
Your winter semester task was to assemble a list
of colleges or trade schools you'd like
to attend.
You were to meet with your school's
guidance counselor to discuss your plans
and to arrange important campus visits. You need to finalize this task to get your college admission papers ready for submission.
There are three search categories
for schools:
search for 2-3 schools that you could definitely get in
search for 4-5 schools that you could probably get in
search for 7-8 schools that you would like to get in
College -
University Search:
Start Your College Search :
— universities by State
— community colleges by State
— career schools by Type
— online schools by Academic
Compare
your choice of schools head-to-head and take a virtual tour of the campus. Begin
grouping your college choices and rank
them based on your selection criteria:
Use this worksheet to keep a college comparison report: FREE download
College Comparison
and Profiles compare colleges by region and cost: http://nces.ed.gov
you can profile two or more colleges on cost, student size, teacher ratio, and other criteria: www2.collegeboard.com
College Rankings view college rankings by school criteria and other rankings www.library.uiuc.edu
college rankings from US News & World Report: www.usnews.com
Take a Virtual Tour this is good place to start prior to making an actual visit. See online videos of school campus and other virtual places: www.campustours.com/
You should plan to make a college visit before submitting your application. The cost to attend college can be high for many schools. So make sure this is the right school for you.
Start to arrange campus visits
with your select colleges and meet
with college recruiters that visit your
school:
Use the summer to raise money you will need for college.
That money can be used for tuition, housing, transportation and even entertainment.
If you worked last summer with a job that you liked, go back and see if you can work with them again. Or try to find a different summer job that fits your career goals:
Summer work programs: Job listing for teens from many brand-name retail and other name companies: www.snagajob.com
another posting of summer jobs: www.summerjobs.com
job postings exclusively for teens: www.teens4hire.org
Internship Programs: internships in your field of interest is a great way to get experience that will help you college http://internships.wetfeet.com
Search Classified
ads in LOCAL PAPERS: you will find many local summer jobs through your local online classifieds: www.newspaperlinks.com
