Impact your future Get Set for College 1. THINK 2. CONSIDER 3. COMPARE 4. APPLY 5. PLAN 6. DECIDE Make plas with good advice from ACT.
1. Thik Thik about yourself ad your college eeds Do you start thigs o your ow or do you eed others to motivate you? Do you like large groups or do you prefer to be o your ow or i small groups? Is it importat to be close to home? Do you wat to participate i extracurricular iterests ad activities? Kowig what s importat will help you select a college that s right for you. Why college? Do you wat to icrease your earig power? Do you wat ew learig opportuities? Do you wat to meet iterestig people? Statistics show that people with four-year college degrees more tha double their earig power over someoe who holds a high school diploma. High school graduates have a lifetime earig power of about $1.3 millio compared to college graduates, who ca expect to ear $2.2 millio or more durig their careers. Thik about what you wat for the future. Preparig for college is preparig for the ACT The ACT tests what you ve leared i high school core courses. So use what you kow to get ito college. May colleges use ACT results to make decisios about college admissio, course placemet, career couselig, ad scholarship awards. Take the ACT i your juior year so you ca meet deadlies for admissio ad scholarships. Your test results may ifluece which courses to take i your seior year to improve your readiess for college. You ll also have time to retest if you feel your scores do t accurately reflect your ability. High school courses ACT recommeds Courses Eglish Mathematics Sciece Social Studies Other ACT Recommeds Four years Three years (icludig Algebra I, Geometry, ad Algebra II) Three years (icludig Biology, Chemistry, ad Physics) Three years Foreig laguage, visual ad performig arts, computer sciece, etc. Check with the colleges you are iterested i to see if they require additioal courses. Colleges will look at your performace i high school core courses whe you apply for admissio. If you are the first perso i your family to atted college, the Family Firsts booklets (www.act.org/educatio/family.html) will give you ad your family additioal iformatio to avigate the college plaig process. The ACT measures kowledge ad skills i Eglish, math, readig, ad sciece. ACT also offers a optioal Writig Test. Check the ACT studet website at www.actstudet.org/writig to see if your preferred college requires the Writig Test. Sig up for your ACT studet web accout early to prepare for college, explore career optios, ad more at www.actstudet.org www.actstudet.org
2. Cosider Cosider college characteristics Goig to college ivolves a lot of time ad moey. Thik carefully about the type of academic program ad majors that iterest you. The rak other factors based o your persoal prefereces ad eeds. Decide what matters the most to you so you idetify colleges with the best fit locatio, size, academic programs, activities, cost, etc. Types of schools A college offers curriculum leadig to a fouryear bachelor of arts or bachelor of sciece degree. A uiversity usually has four-year degree programs ad ofte has graduate programs i liberal arts, busiess, egieerig, educatio, medicie ad other fields. Commuity ad techical colleges offer two-year career/techical educatio programs. They also provide trasfer programs that are similar to the freshma ad sophomore offerigs at four-year colleges ad uiversities. Area career ceters (vocatioal-techical schools) offer career-orieted postsecodary programs that may last from a few moths to a couple of years. Admissio requiremets Uderstadig admissio requiremets will give you some idea of how likely you are to be accepted. Admissio policies rage from Ope (all high school graduates are accepted util the school s erollmet is at capacity; average ACT score is 16 21) to Highly Selective (the majority of freshme who are accepted are i the top 10 percet of their high school graduatig class; average ACT score is 25 30). Look for the admissio stadards o the college websites or talk to the admissios office staff. Cost If cost is a cocer for you, do t automatically pass over a istitutio that appears too expesive. Check ito available fiacial aid ad scholarships. Keep your optios ope. If you are udecided about your major or career directio, look for colleges that provide flexibility ad optios to chage your mid. Get advice from your parets, school couselors, or other advisors. Compare otes o schools with your frieds. Large colleges may offer more areas of specialized study more courses i each area more aoymity greater rage of extracurricular activities larger libraries more laboratory facilities graduate programs Small colleges may offer more persoal atmosphere small classes, more discussio, ad fewer lectures greater chace for participatio i athletics, clubs, leadership positios less distace betwee studets ad faculty more flexible programs www.actstudet.org
3. Compare Compare colleges Idetify colleges where you wat to apply for admissio. Gather iformatio from as may sources as possible. The more iformatio you have, the more likely you are to make a good decisio. These resources ca help. www.actstudet.org College websites ad college reps High school couselors Family Professioals i your field of iterest College fairs Pla a college visit Fill out a form o the college website or cotact the school s admissios office to schedule a visit. Try to make arragemets i advace so you ca talk to as may people as possible. See if you ca meet with faculty, coaches, or studets ivolved i your areas of iterest both academic ad extracurricular. Timig for your visit is crucial to get a accurate impressio of the school. For example, if you pla your trip durig a college break or a big evet like homecomig, you probably wo t experiece the typical campus atmosphere. Checklist for a campus visit Meet with a admissios couselor. Ask about admissios requiremets. Does the school require or recommed the ACT ad the ACT Writig Test? Discuss your chaces for success i certai programs. Fid out how to apply. Ask about costs, fiacial aid, ad scholarship opportuities. Meet with faculty i the departmet of your iteded major. Ask questios about academic requiremets/ offerigs. Ask about housig ad trasportatio optios. Atted a class to get a idea of typical size, teachig style, ad academic atmosphere. Ask about the career placemet record for graduates i the field you pla to study. Idetify career plaig services for udergraduates. Tour the campus ad check out the residece halls, diig optios, ad library resources. Talk to studets about the eviromet ad the amout of studyig ecessary for success. Fid out about studet activities, campus life, ad social activities. Meet with coaches, music directors, ad other faculty ad staff about your areas of iterest. Note About College Majors It s ok to be udecided about a major most colleges provide services to help studets select a major durig the first or secod year. www.actstudet.org
4. Apply Apply for admissio ad meet all deadlies Narrow your college choices. Cosider each school s educatioal programs, your likelihood of gettig admitted, ad the possibilities for fiacial aid. If your first-choice college fits your fiacial resources ad there is o doubt about your admissio there, you may eed to apply oly to that school. If this is ot the case, you will wat to apply to oe or more secod-choice colleges. If possible, iclude at least oe that s a sure thig for you i terms of admissio stadards ad costs because you probably wo t receive a defiite decisio o a fiacial aid package util the sprig of your seior year. Kow the applicatio process, deadlie, ad fee schedule for each school you re cosiderig. Complete the applicatios ad retur them to the admissios offices as early as possible. Keep copies for your records. Ask your couselor to have all ecessary trascripts, records, test scores, ad applicatios set to the schools. If a college asks you to idetify refereces (teachers, couselors, pricipal, employers), select people who kow you well ad always get their permissio to use them as refereces. Top College applicatio mistakes Misspelligs ad grammatical errors Applyig olie, but ot submittig the applicatio Forgotte sigatures Not readig carefully Listig extracurricular activities that are't activities Not tellig your school couselor where you've applied Not givig refereces much time to submit letters of recommedatio Usig a email address that frieds might laugh about, but colleges wo't Not checkig your email regularly Lettig Mom or Dad fill out the applicatio for you www.actstudet.org
5. Pla Pla to pay for your educatio For most studets, college costs are a big factor i the plaig process. Check out college websites or cotact their admissios or fiacial aid office to get estimated costs for attedace. Calculate direct costs (tuitio ad fees, room ad board) Determie idirect costs (books ad supplies, trasportatio, clothig, laudry, ad etertaimet) Add up your estimates, but do t paic whe you see the totals. Remember that may colleges offer fiacial aid ad scholarship fuds. Ways to fiace your educatio You may have already started savig for your college educatio with moey from part-time or summer jobs, family gifts, ad other resources. But it s likely you are goig to eed more help. Talk with your family about their willigess ad ability to pay some college costs. Ad remember that may studets receive fiacial aid ad merit-based scholarships. Do t assume that you re ieligible for fuds. Explore all your optios. Fudig sources Scholarships Awards based o merit or merit plus eed that you do t repay. Grats Awards based o eed that you do t repay. Loas Fuds available through private ledig istitutios, colleges, ad the federal govermet that must be repaid. Work-Study Programs Jobs fuded by the school ad ofte related to a studet s program of study. Free Fiacial Aid Resources o the Web Steps to apply for fiacial aid www.studetaid.ed.gov Federal Studet Aid Homepage www.ed.gov/fiaid.html US Departmet of Educatio s comprehesive resource o studet fiacial aid www.fafsa.ed.gov FAFSA Free Applicatio for Federal Studet Aid 1. Apply for admissio as well as fiacial aid. May colleges require both a applicatio for admissio ad for fiacial aid before your fiacial aid eligibility ca be determied. Deadlies vary, so develop a caledar of importat dates ad meet all deadlies for admissios ad fiacial aid. 2. Submit required fiacial aid forms. File all forms for the colleges you are cosiderig, icludig the FAFSA (Free Applicatio for Federal Studet Aid). Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to fill out the form or request a paper versio. Note: You oly eed to complete oe FAFSA, which icludes a sectio for you to list colleges that should receive your iformatio. I your seior year, complete the FAFSA as soo after Jauary 1 as possible. The FAFSA calculates your Expected Family Cotributio (EFC) ad determies your eligibility for federal Pell Grats, other federal fiacial aid programs, ad may state programs. 3. Apply for scholarships ad grats. Ask about state scholarship, grat, ad loa programs. Also look for istitutioal, commuity, foudatio, ad corporatio program fuds. 4. Keep track of progress. Moitor the iformatio you receive from colleges regardig fees, paymet schedules, etc. Iclude this iformatio i your college plaig. www.actstudet.org
6. Decide Decide what your future holds As you move through your seior year, you will have to make a fial college choice. Talk more with the people you trust for advice ad weigh your optios. Oce you make a decisio, ad your college cofirms your erollmet, otify all the other colleges you applied to that you will ot be attedig so they are ot holdig a place for you. Start thikig about the may opportuities college will offer you. Look to the future with ethusiasm! Curiosity, hard work, ad perseverace will make the differece as you eter a excitig ew phase of your life. Additioal College Plaig Websites www.ed.gov US Departmet of Educatio s website with iformatio for studets ad parets. www.bls.gov/ooh Departmet of Labor s Occupatioal Outlook Hadbook icludes employmet traiig, earigs, projectios, publicatios, etc. www.actstudet.org/college The ACT guide to plaig for college ad career. www.ed.gov/gearup/ Resources from GEAR UP (Gaiig Early Awareess ad Readiess for Udergraduate Programs) to help low-icome studets prepare ad succeed i postsecodary educatio. Sources for your fiacial assistace: the federal govermet professioal ad service orgaizatios state agecies private foudatios colleges ad uiversities www.actstudet.org 2013 by ACT, Ic. All rights reserved. 20182