When you’re getting ready for your higher education journey, whether it’s a 2- or 4-year college, career training, or something else altogether, it can be hard to know where to start. Understanding how your peers are preparing for life after high school can help.
Here are six steps high school seniors from across the country have taken to get ready for higher education. Use this as a checklist when preparing for post-secondary education.
1. Research potential schools.
Here are the top three factors students reported when researching and choosing a school:
Whether the school offers a program that matches their desired career or major
The location of the school
What financial aid they receive
You can start with the school’s website, but don’t forget about student-led communities online. You might be able to find a student group on Facebook where current students are discussing what’s happening on campus, their favorite professors, or how they manage the financial aid process.
Use online resources, like College Board’s Big Future or collegedata.com, to answer questions related to your prospective school. You don’t have to limit your research to what you find online. Do you have family or friends (or even friends of friends) who’ve attended a school you’re interested in? They may be able to tell you the lesser-known secrets, like how good the cafeteria food is or what the best dorms are.
While you’re researching, make sure to compare across the board. Keeping a spreadsheet or notebook with answers you find for each school can help make your decision process easier down the road.
2. Meet with your high school counselor
Applying to college is a huge step with a lot of moving parts, and a counselor’s job is to make the journey less confusing by giving you advice and guidance. If you’re having trouble deciding which academic path you want to follow, they can help you look at majors that match your strengths and interests. And school counselors can nominate students for scholarships, so forming a solid relationship with your counselor as early as your freshman year in high school can possibly translate into free money for college.
3. Visit campuses IRL or virtually
Sign up to meet with a college rep when they visit GEHS or check out future campus events at various colleges. Everything you need to know is in our College Experiences Padlet.
4. File the FAFSA®
The FAFSA® is a free application that can unlock thousands of dollars of financial aid for college and grad school. Some of this federal aid is distributed on a first come, first-served basis, so the earlier you complete the application, the better.
It’s important to file the FAFSA® even if you aren’t planning on taking out federal loans, or else you could miss out on scholarships, grants, and work-study opportunities.
Click HERE for our FAFSA Information Night Presentation.
5. Get ready for the SATs or ACTs
Standardized tests like the SATs or ACTs are becoming less of a requirement nationally, and many colleges and universities are test-optional. That said, 36% of high school seniors have practiced for or taken these exams. If you’re considering the SAT or ACT, and you’re nervous about a particular test, there are many test prep classes and practice exams available online, from paid tutoring to free SAT practice tests on the College Board website.
For more information about testing dates at GEHS, click HERE.
6. Apply for scholarships
Contrary to public belief, scholarships aren’t just for valedictorians and quarterbacks; there are opportunities for everyone. You might find scholarships that match up with your extracurriculars, intended major, heritage, and more. Applying might be as easy as answering a few questions or as involved as writing an essay or making a video, but it’s definitely worth it. You can start applying for scholarships in high school and keep applying all the way through college.
We will post information, as it becomes available, to our Padlet titled "Scholarship Opportunities."