|
College Years
- College
- College Admission
- College in High School
- College Stories
- College Posts
- Financial Aid
- Finding the Right College
- Homeschool Admission Policies
- Homeschooling College, Too?
- Portfolios
- SAT and Other College Tests
- Timeline for Getting Ready
- Transcripts
Teens & College Bound
High
School Years
College
Years
A to Z Home's Cool
- Home
- Articles
- Beginning
to Homeschool
- Chat Room
- Community
Networking
- Concerns
- Curriculum Shopping
- Distance Learning Programs
- DVD Rentals
- Early
Years
- Events
- Explorations
4 Kids
- Field Trips
- Gifted Kids
- Holiday
Directory
- Homeschooling
Jokes
- Laws
& Legalities
- Lessons
& Ideas
- Methods,
Styles
- Regional
Information
- Religion
& Cultural
- Special
Needs
- Support
Group Resources
- Teens & College-Bound
- Thoughts
& Hard Facts
- Unschooling
-
- Sonlight's College and Career Planning Kit
- Here's everything you need to guide your students through high school and into college and career with confidence. YouÆll learn how to make the most of your students' high school years as they discover their niche in life.
-
|
Timeline
for Getting Ready to Go to College
Expert Advice provided by Scholarship
Experts.
So you're planning to go to college once you finish high school,
right? But are you really ready?
Planning for college is a two-year process. And unless a rich
uncle is going to write that $30,000 check for you, it is going
to involve acquiring and submitting financial aid forms, scholarship
applications, and grant applications. But don't despair. By following
the suggestions below, and by carefully monitoring the process,
you should be buying college textbooks before you know it. Keep
in mind, however, that this is a process; it isn't like taking
one test and getting an A. It requires diligence, double-checking,
and follow-up.
When you are a high school JUNIOR:
- Take the SAT and/or ACT...this is a must.
- Keep your grades up! Remember that colleges look at your
entire high school academic record when making admissions decisions:
what you do in 9th through 11th grade is just as important as
what you do as a high school senior.
- Consider college options. Decide what is important to you:
Location? Curriculum? Size? Diversity? Athletics? Social life?
- Keep an eye on your local papers and community bulletin boards
for college nights and open houses; talking to representatives
at college fairs is a great way to find out about the colleges
you are considering.
- Research your scholarship and grant options. Utilize the
best customized scholarship search service available on the Internet,
ScholarshipExperts.com.
You just can't mimic their resources yourself; they will save
you time and headaches, and help you avoid scams.
- Send away for scholarship information and applications with
early deadlines. It's never too soon to do so since some scholarship
and grant applications need to be received in the fall of your
senior year.
- Make an effort to be involved in your community or in extra-curricular
activities at school.
- Join a club, do a service project, sign up for a committee
at your church. Admissions officers and scholarship providers
will want to see evidence of your leadership and commitment to
service when they review your applications next year.
In the FALL of your SENIOR year:
- Select the colleges that interest you most, as soon as you
enter your high school homeroom. Don't delay. Send away for information
and applications; be sure to check out web sites for information
you can obtain online.
- Sign up to re-take the SAT or ACT. Buy a study guide or sign
up for a test prep course to take before the actual test date.
Believe it or not, you CAN improve your test scores by taking
them a second time, and better scores could affect your ability
to get scholarships!
- If possible, visit any colleges you can. Find out when there
are prospective student activities or if you can sign up to "shadow"
an existing college freshman.
- In September (and then once each month thereafter), search
for scholarship opportunities using the premiere online service,
ScholarshipExperts.com.
Take time to fill out the entire profile on the site, making
sure to ask your parents about their work experiences and association/union
memberships for optimal results.
- Pay attention to early admission deadlines. By October or
November, submit applications for early decision programs.
- Attend a financial aid presentation. These are offered at
schools, libraries, and college campuses.
- Narrow your list of intended colleges, and make sure you
have all the financial aid forms required by each school. Required
documents may not be the same at each school, so pay close attention
to what each requires.
- Obtain a Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA). This should
be available in January, and it is very important. Call 1-800-4-fed-aid;
the online address is http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. The FAFSA form
can also be obtained from high schools, colleges, and local libraries.
- Complete and submit the FAFSA immediately (it can be submitted
anytime after January 1st in your senior year). Make a copy for
yourself. Parents should compile income tax information and complete
taxes early.
In the SPRING of your SENIOR year:
- Verify that you have submitted all of your financial aid
forms. The FAFSA must be filled out and sent in between January
1 and March 15 -- get it in early and file it correctly to avoid
delays in funding decisions.
- Be sure to send in your scholarship applications on time;
several scholarships have spring deadlines. Check back regularly
with ScholarshipExperts.com to find even more
awards during the spring and summer months; you should update
your profile each month to generate new, customized award lists.
- Verify that you have received your Student Aid Report (SAR);
it should arrive about 4 weeks after you have submitted your
FAFSA.
- Compare financial aid packages when you receive admissions
notifications. Look for the best rather than the most.
- Finalize your choice and notify the college.
- Sign and return financial aid forms to the university you
plan to attend.
- Send your final transcript and student loan application.
- Notify the schools whose enrollment offers you decline.
Now celebrate! You are about to enter one of the most amazing
times of your life, and one that will change you forever. Make
the most of your college experience, and remember to study. It
is important to maintain your GPA so that you can maintain your
scholarships throughout your college career.
For additional information about this topic, visit www.ScholarshipExperts.com.
Copyright © 2000-2004 by ScholarshipExperts.com, All
Rights Reserved. ScholarshipExperts.com is a registered trademark
of Group 77, Inc.
|
- Books to help a homeschooler get
into college.
Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook
Preparing Your 12- to 18-Year-Old for a Smooth Transition
by Cafi Cohen
It more than adequately addresses the doubts homeschooling families
have about college admission. The "How we (they) did it"
excerpts are inspiring. There are real examples of good admission
essays. Transcripts are covered. December 2000 Paperback.
Cool Colleges
For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and
Just Plain Different
by Asher, Donald
Finding an unconventional college that reflects your unique sense
of style and adventure-that's impossible. Or is it? This unprecedented
guide to the "coolest" colleges profiles forty of the
most innovative and unusual schools in the country. 2000 Paperback
-
- College
Admissions Trade Secrets: A Top Private College Counselor Reveals
the Secrets, Lies, and Tricks of the College Admissions Process
by Andrew Allen
- If you've ever wondered what that Upper East Side family
gets from a private college counselor for $10,000, this is it.
This book will help you make sense of those entries above and
everything else in the admissions process.
|