I wanted to jump on here and share this article I found that was published by the Princeton Review. It compares and contrasts the ACT and SAT tests in the hopes of helping you figure out which one you should take. I thought it was pretty helpful!
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Applying for college is scary and stressful. They want to know every single little detail! Here is some information to help break down the process for you: Perhaps the most commonly asked question is when should I start the process? Here is a timeline to help you through this stressful time: The summer BEFORE your senior year: •Schedule college tours/visits. This will help you narrow down your choices. •Start considering which teachers would write you a shining letter of recommendation. •Brainstorm ideas for the topic for your personal essay. October-January of your senior year: •This is when the bulk of the application process will take place. Set up a meeting with your counselor and make a chart of important deadlines. •Request your high school transcripts and arrange to have your ACT/SAT scores sent to the correct places at the correct times. •If you’re shooting for early application, you need to finish everything by November. •Submit the FASFA as early as January 1st. February-April of your senior year: •Colleges CAN revoke their acceptances. Keep your grades up! •These are the months in which acceptance letters are sent out. •If you receive multiple acceptances, notify the schools you decide against ASAP. Another commonly asked question is what do I need to know in order to complete an application? Here is a list of the basic materials you will need: –Your parents’ education details –Your counselor’s information –AP/IB test scores (some schools may require documentation) –SAT/ACT scores (most schools require documentation) –Academic distinctions –Extracurricular/volunteer information –Employment information –Personal statement/essay –Discipline information I found a Universal College Application. In other words, this is an application designed to mirror most of the applications colleges use. I really like this list as well. It explains 13 things a student should know before applying to college. There are also a couple of hyperlinks you might want to check out. You will most likely be asked to write a college essay. I found the most commonly used topics this last year. These should give you an idea as to what you'll be asked to write about.
I also found a college essay that has been critiqued by an admissions officer. You'll definitely want to take a look at this. It will help give you a better idea of what exactly they're looking for. Throughout the application process, checklists will become your best friend. This is an easy way to keep track of deadlines and important tasks you must not forget. Here is one that I think is pretty excellent. You might want to make your own by pulling tasks from this last and then adding your own items. Personalize it. Make it your own. Another tip: sit down and review the list with your counselor to make sure you aren't forgetting anything.
Holy moly, this thing is incredible. I was searching through resources online to help us better understand loans and budgeting and came across this complete pot of gold. This is a packet that perfectly explains so many things: how to set a budget, how to set financial goals, strategies for saving money, tips for managing credit cards, how to handle identity theft, student loan repayment plans and so much more. It's about 38 pages but every single page has important facts and terms you need to know. This thing is so wonderful, I thought it deserved it's own post.
College is ridiculously expensive. Want to see some scary numbers? It is estimated that you will spend about $38,600 as an in-state student at a four year university. If you plan on going to an out-of-state university, it is estimated that you'll be spending about $99,720. Let's take it up one more notch. If you plan on attending a private university, you'll be dropping a whopping $133,920. Let's crunch some more numbers. I went to IUS and graduated in four years with a B.S. in education. The yearly tuition as an in-state student rang up to $7,072. I also lived in the dorms, which cost $6,775 a year. Books and supplies cost about $1,300 a year. (Keep in mind this number can skyrocket depending on your major. For example, nursing text books are crazy expensive.) After running some estimations, it's fair to say that I spent about $3,200 on personal things such as gas, food and clothing per year. Oh, I also took summer classes twice, which totaled about $3,324. So, after doing way too much addition, I figured the grand total of my college tuition: $76,712. This is where I need to give my parents major credit. They are the reason I know the meaning of hard work and relentless work ethic. Thanks to them, I managed to graduate debt free. However, this is not common. In 2012, 71% of college graduates walked across the stage with student debt. Keep this in mind as you apply for student loans. You are certainly not alone. Student loans are there for a reason. It is a known fact that college is expensive and near impossible to afford on your own as an 18-22 year old. Applying for and using student loans is alright. The key is knowing how to work the system. Hopefully these links will help you figure out what works best for you. FASFA is where it all begins. FASFA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is a form you will need to fill out annually in order to determine whether or not you are eligible for financial student aid. I'm going to be honest with you: this thing is a huge pain. It's tediously detailed and wants to know every single detail of your financial life. Some of you may be thinking that this won't affect you since you haven't had a real job and haven't made much money. You wish. In that case, they want to know everything about your parent's financial status. This being said, this is a form you and your parents will need to work through together. The link below will take you to a fact sheet about FASFA along with the actual form. Go ahead and look through this so you can get an idea about what information you'll need to have come senior year. Figuring out where to begin with student loans can be very intimidating. This document breaks down all the basic information you'll need to start off on the right foot. This is such an awesome resource. It's a document with hyperlinks to tons of awesome fact sheets, infographics, presentations, publications and forms, all designed to help you navigate your way through federal student aid resources. This is definitely something worth reviewing. I found this really simple fact sheet about student loans. It breaks down some important facts in ways that are very easy to understand. If you're like me in the sense that any talk about money sounds like a completely different language, you'll like this. The same website also published a budgeting worksheet that's really easy to work with. Tip: budgeting worksheets are a lifesaver. So are budgeting apps. There are a ton of really wonderful apps out there, most of which are free. Go ahead and start exploring! Student loans may not be the only loans you'll need as your work your way through college. Needing a car loan is a very real possibility. This is a fact sheet about car loans designed to break down some basic facts and help you figure out what exactly you need.
Virtual tours are so cool. You can get an idea of what the campus and dorms look like without having to actually make a trip out there. Here are some virtual tours of some colleges that have been mentioned in class. If you don't see a link to a college you are interested, leave a comment and I will update this post accordingly!
It's crazy for me to think that I was a freshman in college just a couple of years ago. It flew by in the blink of an eye. I am promising you all that college will be the most incredible experience of your life. However, I also understand that it's definitely one of the scariest experiences we live through. Below you'll find a couple websites, lists, and other pieces of information I really clung to when I went into my freshman year. The button below will take you to the best college packing list I've yet to see. You can download a printable version as well and take it with you when you go shopping for supplies! The first button will take you to a list created by a junior in college explaining what they learned through their freshman and sophomore years. The second button will take you to a page with some tips geared specifically towards your first year. This is a list of twenty five really great apps for college students. You can start exploring them now and totally have a step up on the rest of the freshmen when you graduate and start college! I was totally spoiled when it came to my dorm room. It was more like a suite. There was a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms and two bedrooms so we never really struggled with finding enough space. However, I've seen college dorms that are much smaller (and more common) and I think these tips will totally help if you end up moving in to a smaller dorm. Notes are by far the most important part of college. Well... ok, one of the most important parts. You need to figure out your note-taking system and the best way to organize yourself so you can study effectively and remember what's discussed in class. Also, here's another tip: professors often times talk about things in class that aren't always in your textbooks but will be on the test. You need to figure out a way to get down important points in class so you can review them later before exams. Everyone takes notes differently. Start experimenting with what works for you so you can be prepared on your first day of classes. This link is also on the home page but I wanted to put it here as well. This is the biggest list of college websites I've yet to find. They're organized by state. Just look for the school(s) you're interested in and you can click on the link and be taken right to their page. It's pretty wonderful. Professors are so different compared to teachers. They have more freedom when it comes to the way they conduct their classes, teach, and the assignments they choose. One professor may design the class so that your only grades are two big tests and a paper while another professor may have tests, reading assignments, small writing tasks, quizzes, and papers. It truly depends on the professor. This website is awesome. You can look up the names of the professors and read what previous students have written about them. Now keep in mind that no matter who you're looking up, there will always be at least one student who has something negative to say. Don't pay so much attention to these comments. Look at the comments that tell you the important stuff: how many exams there will be, how the professor handles attendance, what the reading assignments are like, etc. Scholarships are a life saver. Here are some websites to help you find and apply for as many as you want! Moving to college and starting this phase of life is the ultimate emotional rollercoaster. You need to take care of yourself, both in body and in mind. Depression among college freshmen is very common. Please do not be afraid or embarrassed to get help. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to be cared for. Sometimes it's hard for us to take care of ourselves or work through things on our own. That's the very reason why there are people trained to help you through these tough times. Reach out to them! Take advantage of your resources! Here are some websites that might help you take the first steps to mental health. The links directly above are about mental health. The following links are more about your physical health. The freshman fifteen is definitely a real thing! Hopefully these websites will give you some ideas about how to stay healthy through this phase of life! I'll add to this list as I find more things I think will be helpful but these are some things to start thinking about now!
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AuthorHello! Ms. Waiz here. I'm so glad you decided to visit this page! I want to do everything I can to help you succeed in whatever you may choose to do in life. Hopefully this site will help! Archives
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