THE BEST ONLINE COLLEGE RESOURCES:USE YOUR ONLINE RESOURCES

EFFICIENTLY TO GUIDE YOU TO COLLEGE

Websites that will guide your high school career smoothly to college

Purpose of This Presentation:

Organize your high school plan Know where to go to look for the right

information for college Scholarship search Meet your deadlines Use your online resources wisely and

efficiently

What these websites do:

Provide timelines and checklists Direct you to appropriate resources in

areas that include: Finding the right college Taking the right classes College prep classes Testing Scholarships Paying for school• Also provides resources for parents and

counselors

What to Avoid

Websites that charge you fees for college prep

You do not want to pay for: Scholarship search engines Essay review FAFSA completion Any college search activity

Register for a free College Board account

My Road is free after having taken the PSAT/NMSQAT

https://myroad.collegeboard.com/

Organize your college preparation

Take career assessments

Search school info

Create a profile for college prep and applications

CSS Profile application for 2011-2012 available on October 1, 2010

Some schools require completion of the FAFSA and the CSS Profile in order to determine financial need

List of schools available on College Board

Pay for College section Contains useful

resources: scholarship search Compare loan rates EFC calculator

EFC calculator gives you an estimated amount that your family will be expected to contribute

Offers insight to how much your family will be eligible for financial aid

Offers a comprehensive search engine Can also include search for:

Federal aid programs Internships Loans Research grants

Make a profile to narrow your search For example, by:

Ethnicity Sport and Club Participation Academics

Search results for a scholarship search

Offers free in-depth information on colleges

Includes: Cost of

Attendance Student body

profiles Majors offered More

https://www.petersons.com/

Scholarship search engine

Loan information

FAFSA Financial aid

process explanation

Free scholarship search

Make an account with Student Edge

Can search for 2 year programs, 4 year programs, and technical schools

Can narrow the search

Profile includes school information to narrow it

Student can provide additional information

Sign up for access to “Career” and “College” sections

Offers info on: Careers Scholarships &

Aid Study Abroad Opinions &

Advice More

take a career assessment quiz

Education needed to pursue careers

Search college profiles

Understanding and applying for financial aid

Make a free registration to access the scholarship search

Scholarship search is currently being updated, so unavailable for now

Other resources: FAFSA Loan information

Campaign created by the American Council on Education

Monthly newsletter

Provides students with: Organization College prep

tips Timelines

“Get Tough” campaign

Encourages students to take challenging classes in order to be prepared for college

Information specific to Illinois

College advice College

admissions Career choice

advice Paying for college Financial aid Applying to

colleges

All of this information is available free to Illinois students

All CPS students automatically get an account

Use your student ID number to register

Scholarship finder

Make a profile to refine your search

Test prep Free test

prep for: ACT SAT GRE Vocabular

y expansion

Summary

Lots of information out there These five websites offer a vast amount

of information for: Organizing your high school career Finding out which careers match your interests Looking for the right school for you General information about FAFSA Applying for CSS Profile General information about loans FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS!

Thank you!

Please remember to use these websites to organize your high school career!