College Search Step-by-Step

Take some time to think about the following questions.  Use the link at the end to answer the questions and get some recommendations for colleges and universities! 

Is the kind of college important to you? (2 year, 4 year, public, private)

If so, what kind of college are you interested in?  

Is location important to you? (city, country, suburbs)

If so, how far from home (or another location) do you want to be?

Is a campus' feel important to you? (small- familiar faces...large-city like)

If so, what size school are you thinking about?

How important is cost in your college search?

How important is the learning environment?

Click here to answer the questions about and receive some school recommendations! 

Use the grey arrow boxes to navigate from page to page! 

How to compare Financial Aid Packages!

I know you've completed your FAFSA and acceptance letters are rolling in from your colleges of choice. YAY, you! 

It's time to REALLY start thinking about $$$ and your final decision on where to attend college. It can be a bit overwhelming, right?! 

I'd suggest watching and reading through this information. It lays the ground work for what you'll see from the schools where you've been accepted. You'll also learn how to compare and contrast your aid packages to make the best choice for your college experience! 

The "financial fit" of your college is a HUGE factor! You'll want to make a choice that you can afford throughout the length of your degree without causing overwhelming stress about $ or overwhelming debt. 

Once you have all of your award letters from your top schools, you can use this awesome tool to help you compare the awards. Just enter in the requested info and VOILA! 

The "Family Share of Cost" is what you'd be expected to pay for each college. Remember, just because something is less $ doesn't necessarily make it the best choice. But do consider our conversations about loans versus scholarships and other types of aid you do NOT pay back! 

I've done some college research but...

" I've done some college research but..." 

• I don't remember what schools I looked up.
• I liked some of the schools I looked at but forget why. 
• I researched so many schools, they are all running together.
• none of them are in a city. 
• etc, etc. 

Remember the research grid some of you completed last week? Well, here is something similar in digital form SO YOU WON'T LOSE IT and you can update it regularly. As you do your college (re)search, keep this document open in another window and ADD the answers as you look through college webpages. Then the info is ALWAYS available to you. Fill in as much info in each box as you can! 

Make sure that when you open this google sheet, you opt to make a copy of it and save it to your own drive. Once you open the document via the link below, click file and select "Make a copy..."
If you have questions on how to do this, just let me know! I'll check your "My College (re)Search" sheet next time I see you, so get started TODAY! 

Here's the link to the sheet.

Hey, Juniors! What time is it?!

COLLEGE TIME! 

I know you have a lot going on RIGHT NOW and it may be hard to make time to think about college...but let's start the process. 

Believe me, it'll save you some stress next year. Just as your current Senior friends!

This should be a fun process as you explore your opportunities. I know most of you have some great ideas about where you'd like to go and what you'd like to do (I'm super impressed, by the way). There are SO many options out there though. Take a few minutes to answer some questions and see if you learn anything new! 

Click here to get a few recommendations just for you!
Try this link too for some other ideas! 

Take some time each week to research colleges and post-secondary training programs near and far. Make sure you keep track of what you find. I'd start a google doc/sheet where you can save school names, weblink and other important information. Maybe rank schools you've researched on a scale of 1-5 starts. Be creative! Whatever works for you! 

Check out these tips for building your college list. Now is the time to brainstorm so write ALL of your ideas down. Want to go to college in a far away state or even another country? Want to go to Stanford but aren't sure how to make it happen?

WRITE IT DOWN! 

When I see you next, I'll want to see your brainstorm list of colleges and post-secondary programs you'll consider. Fill up a page and HAVE FUN EXPLORING! 

Second Semester Senior Year! What do I do?!

Hey Seniors! The countdown is ON! You are in the final months of your High School career. 

So, what's important now?! 

Check out the list below and consider setting reminders and deadlines in your phone's calendar. Trust me, it works! 

• Visit colleges that you are considering attending if you are able
• Make a final decision about which college to attend and notify the school of your decision 
• Give your school counselor/DSF Advisor a copy of your college acceptance notice 
• Keep track of all college deadlines for fees and paperwork 
• Notify the schools that you will not be attending 
• Continue to search and apply for scholarships opportunities 
• Remember your 2nd Semester grades DO MATTER! 
• Give your school counselor/DSF Advisor a copy of any scholarship award letters
• Continue to keep track of important financial aid and scholarship deadlines 
• Check you email for your SAR (Student Aid Report), if you haven't already
• Compare financial aid packages from different schools
• Create a Pros/Cons List for your possible colleges to help you decide where to attend
• Get in touch with the Financial Aid office at your school (or schools) of choice 
• Talk to your peers and trusted adults about the whole process
• Let your school counselor/ DSF Advisor know which college you will be attending so they can send out your final official transcript including 2nd semester

Accepted!!! Now what?

Many of you have received acceptance letters from colleges and universities around the country. 

Congratulations! 

Now what?! You have some big decisions to make but where do you even start?

Let's consider a few approaches to making your decisions! 

Remember: There is no such thing as a perfect college but you can DECIDE on the best college for you.  College really is what YOU make of it!

1) ASK QUESTIONS! Consider what is most important to you like distance from home, cost to you, sports teams on campus, course of study, clubs etc. Make a list of at least 10 questions that you can research and answer about your colleges. Create a chart to keep track of the questions and answers (something like this). You'll likely have to do some research to find your answers...but that's all part of the decision making process! 

2. Compare Financial Aid Packages! You'll need to consider  the cost of attendance for each school. This doesn't ALWAYS mean go to the school that will cost you the least! For example, if College A has the Major you want to pursue but College B does not, it may be worth it to attend College A! Don't lose sight of your long term goals. Here is some more info on assessing the $$$ part of your decision. Talk to people you trust especially when considering any loans! 

3. If you are able to do so, visit the campus (even if you've already been). You have now been accepted and are deciding where to spend a HUGE amount of time and energy over the next 2-4 years. Most schools provide opportunities to return after you've been accepted and even arrange for overnights where you stay in the dorms with current students. Let me know if you want help looking into this kind of opportunity! You get to learn first hand about life on campus by living it for a day or two! If you can't stay over night or won't be living on campus, you can probably find an event (a play, lecture, sports game) that's open to the public. Check it out! 

4. Talk to people who know and love you! While you don't have to do what they say, people who know you probably can help with the decision. They may bring up things you didn't think about and likely have your best interests at heart. Talking it through is also a great way to learn more about yourself and your interest in particular schools. Do you get really excited when talking about College B but not so much about College A? That tells you something important!!!! 

5. Pay attention to deadlines as they vary by school. You don't want to miss out out on your 1st Choice School because you missed the deadline for committing! 

As always, let me know if you have any questions! 

I completed my FAFSA>>>Now what?

High five for completing your FAFSA! But that's just the beginning of your financial aid journey. Take a few minutes to watch the video below:

https://youtu.be/1c1gNefSw78?list=PL23B9A23CD8DD82DD

Keep an eye on emails from FAFSA. You'll receive one with a link to your SAR shortly after submitting your FAFSA application. You may want to search your inbox for FAFSA and/or SAR (student aid report) to be sure you haven't missed it! Some students didn't read the whole thing and never got to the link for the SAR!

If you've already been admitted to any colleges, follow the steps provided in your admission paperwork/email to access your account for that school. Some of them may also create an institutional email address for you. You'll want to check that regularly (at least once a week!) in case they send you information about financial aid and enrollment to that email address! Consider making a calendar reminder to check weekly!

Check out the info provided by FAFSA about Next Steps here. There's info about verification, your SAR, how to claim your award $, and some details about the loan process should you choose to accept a loan.

Always talk to a trusted adult or friend about financial aid decisions. Remember you'll get financial aid packages from all the schools for which you submitted an application. You'll want to compare these offers as you decide what school to attend! Don't commit to anything until you've considered your options from a financial perspective too!!!