AND WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THERE!
2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR School Code – 141-395
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COLLEGE PREPARATION TIMELINE (Adapted from an article provided by petersons.com)
Fall: Examine options and start the process Stay on track with your classes and grades. consider
Meet with your counselor to see what classes you still need to take. Check on your GPA. Even if your grades haven’t been that good so far, it’s never too late to improve. Colleges like to see an upward trend. When you pick your classes for senior year, don’t load up on easy electives. Colleges do consider your senior year courses and grades, so stick with a schedule that challenges you. Evaluate your education options.
Now is the time to follow a more specific path. Decide whether you want to pursue full-time employment, further education or training (such as a vocational-technical school, career college, or two-year or four-year college), or a military career. Make a college list.
Your list of colleges should include schools that meet your most important criteria (for example, size, location, cost, academic majors, or special programs). Weigh each of the factors according to their importance to you and develop a preliminary ranking of the schools on your list. Continue gathering college information.
Go to college fairs, attend college nights, and speak with college representatives who visit your high school; use an online college finder and search top college lists. You may be able to narrow your choices or add a school to your list.
Spring: Stay involved, organize college lists, and prepare for standardized tests Stay involved with extracurricular activities and community service.
Colleges look for consistency and depth in the non-academic activities you pursue. Stick to activities in which you have been involved but also consider trying new things (ex. auditioning for the spring musical). Colleges also look for students who have given back to their community through volunteer work. Do not wait until senior year to start volunteer work. It looks as if you are just doing it to “pad” your college or scholarship applications. Prepare for standardized tests. Talk to your family.
Have a discussion about the colleges in which you’re interested. Your family can learn about what you want to pursue and you can hear any concerns or suggestions they might have. Learn more about financial aid.
Examine your family’s financial resources and gather information about financial aid from the schools in which you’re interested. High-school sponsored financial aid nights, college financial aid counselors, and advice articles are also good sources of information. Start a scholarship search.
There are lots of scholarships out there; you just need to spend a little bit of time and effort to find them. Investigate and apply for a summer internship or job.
Summer employment and internships in fields you’re interested in will look appealing on a college application or resume. The money you earn can also be used to help pay application and testing fees in the fall. Visit colleges.
Visit the campuses of your top five college choices. Take a tour and speak with the admissions and financial aid staff. Organize your financial aid information.
Develop a plan that includes a list of the aid sources, requirements for each application, and a timetable for meeting the filing deadlines. Getting organized will make the process of applying a lot easier because you’ll know where to find important information.
Factors To Consider… when choosing a college
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Is a certain grade point average or class rank required? What is it? Is there a minimum ACT (SAT) score? What is it? What high school courses are required? Will school activities and involvement be considered? Is there an essay required for admission? Is there an early decision or early action plan? On what basis are applicants accepted? Are teacher or counselor recommendations needed? Do certain majors have special requirements? Can admission denials be appealed?
ACADEMICS What majors does the college offer degrees in? What is the average class size? What percentage of freshmen return for sophomore year? Are there faculty advisors for freshmen? What is the procedure for class placement? Is credit offered for college level classes taken in high school? What percentage of the classes are taught by full-time faculty members? Is there an honors program? What are the qualifications for entry into the program? Is tutoring available if a student is struggling?
FINANCIAL AID
What percentage of students receive financial aid? What percentage of students receive academic scholarships? What would be a typical aid package for a freshman? What is the process for applying for financial aid? Are there campus jobs available? Off-campus jobs?
CHARACTERICTICS Where is the college located? What is the population? Is it a small, medium, or large college? What is the surrounding community like? What makes this college stand out from the rest? What is the academic calendar (semesters or quarters)?
STUDENT LIFE Where do the majority of the students come from? Are there a lot of students who commute? What are the dorms like? What are the rules regarding dorm and off-campus living? What are the procedures for selecting a roommate? What student activities are offered? What sports are offered? Are there intramurals? Are there fraternities & sororities? What is the male-to-female ratio? Does the school have a campus visitation program? Is housing available/guaranteed for four years?
COST
What is the tuition? Room and Board? Are there other fees? What types of deposits are required? When? When do bills have to be paid? Are installment payments allowed?
Off to College Links
Listed below are some links that you might find useful when considering options for your post-secondary path WHAT’S NEXT ILLINOIS
IVC students will have the opportunity to create an account with What’s Next Illinois, a website run by the IL Student Assistance Commission that helps with college and career planning, financial aid, etc. www.whatsnextillinois.com
CAREER INFO
COLLEGE PLANNNING College Zone: Website run by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Contains a ton of information with regard to preparing for college. This is a great spot to begin your exploration process. www.collegezone.com GoCollege: Great website for exploration. -- Find a college, take a virtual tour -- Find the right scholarship for you. -- The only on-line site to offer practice test for the ACT and SAT. www.gocollege.com College Board: College Board Online has an
extensive website for college preparation. Areas include SAT, AP exams, financial aid, and the CLEP testing program. Very informative for students and parents.
www.collegeboard.com
Campus Tours: Excellent website that provides virtual tours, interactive maps, and pictures of universities across the U.S. www.campustours.com/ Junior College Webpages: Links to virtually every community or junior college in the country. http://cset.sp.utoledo.edu/twoyrcol.html Vocational School Database: Links to accredited vocational schools in the U.S. www.rwm.org/rwm/
Illinois Career Info System: An excellent website that helps students examine different careers and match those careers with schools that offer programs. The school sort is located in the CIS section. Click on the Illinois Resident Icon. You do not need to create a profile to explore careers. http://ilcis.intocareers.org/ Mapping Your Future: An Illinois site that leads to career exploration activities. http://mappingyourfuture.org/ Occupational Handbook: Great starting point for exploration. Provides extensive information on different careers. www.bls.gov/oco/ O*Net: O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more! http://www.onetonline.org/
FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship searches FinAid: www.finaid.org ISAC: www.collegezone.com College Board: www.collegeboard.com FastAid: www.fastaid.com FAFSA:
Financial Aid www.fafsa.ed.gov/
