College Years

ADVICE ABOUT COLLEGE FROM FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS

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Useful links


NUTS AND BOLTS


ACT, Inc.: A Student Site for ACT Test Takers
www.actstudent.org
Includes information about registering for the ACT, test prep, financial need estimator, and tips on college and career planning


College Board
www.collegeboard.com
The College Board offers a variety of tools and resources to help you prepare and plan for college. Use “College MatchMaker” to generate a list of colleges that match your preferences. Create and manage your personal list of colleges with “My Organizer.” Get ready for the SAT by taking an official, free practice test.


FINANCIAL AID


College Goal Sunday
www.collegegoalsundayusa.org
At College Goal Sunday, you get on-site assistance filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. This free service typically takes place in January, in cities and towns across the country. The link will let you know the time and place of a FAFSA workshop near you. 


FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
www.fafsa.ed.gov
Learn all about the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, usually the first step in seeking financial aid for higher education.


FastWeb

www.fastweb.com
This free service from Monster.com allows users to search over 1.3 million scholarships worth more than $3 billion.


The Student Guide
www.studentaid.ed.gov
Available in English and Spanish, the Student Guide is a comprehensive resource on student financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education—which provides more than $80 billion a year in grants, loans, and work-study assistance.


The Project on Student Debt
www.projectonstudentdebt.org
This website is devoted to helping families make the best economic choices when tackling college costs.. It also has a list of schools that have pledged to limit or eliminate the use of student loans in their financial aid packages.

HANDS-ON SUPPORT


College Access Programs

www.collegeaccess.org/accessprogramdirectory
College access programs give students the hands-on support they often can’t get from overburdened counselors and teachers. This program directory let’s you know about college access programs near you.

COLLEGE SEARCH College Grazing
www.collegegrazing.com 
College Grazing offers interactive self-discovery surveys to help you identify your college needs. Based on the premise that self-awareness will lead to better college decisions, the site offers feedback about your college preferences, readiness, characteristics, and more. College Navigator nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator This federal website contains more data on the nation's colleges and universities than you’ll find anywhere else on the Internet. Using the College Navigator's school search engine, you can scour the country for schools based on your criteria--handy if you aren't sure about schools beyond the name brands and your own state institutions. College Results Online
www.collegeresults.org
Families assume that their children will graduate from college in four years, but that's sadly not true for most. This website provides four, five, and six-year graduation rates of schools across the country, broken down by gender and ethnicity. My College Options 
www.mycollegeoptions.org 
My College Options provides students with the opportunity to create a personal online college and career planning profile. Students can match their individual needs, talents, abilities, goals and interests with the offerings of 3,500+ accredited post-secondary institutions across the U.S. Zinch and Cappex www.zinch.com and www.cappex.com These online matchmakers have borrowed features from Facebook. On both sites, for instance, a student can create a profile that goes beyond test scores and GPAs that they can share with schools. It’s a great way to discover intriguing schools that you didn't know exist. Through Cappex, you can access Meritaid.com, which provides a directory of scholarships that thousands of schools offer. CAREER PLANNING College Majors 101
www.collegemajors101.com
Wondering what you can do with a degree in biology or dance? This site offers lots of information about what you can do with dozens of majors, as well as what you can expect academically if you pursue these majors. Education Planner 
www.educationplanner.org 
Check out their career assessment tool for help finding a career that suits you. You’ll also find tips on completing college applications and tools to help you decide among colleges once you’ve been accepted. ONLINE COMMUNITY I’m first www.imfirst.org An online community celebrating first-generation students and supporting those who will be. http://www.collegegrazing.com/http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/http://www.collegeresults.org/http://www.mycollegeoptions.org/http://www.zinch.comhttp://www.cappex.comhttp://meritaid.com/http://www.collegemajors101.com/http://www.educationplanner.org/http://www.imfirst.orgshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9