Well, that is a good question. What you should be doing right now is completely dependent on where you or your student are in school, what type of college you want, and what you have done thus far.
I know - that seems a little vague, but here is some more information about what you should have accomplished and what you should be working on.
Freshman Year
It is all about the three G's. Grades, grades, grades. Keeping your GPA up is one of the most important things to consider now. It also helps to start getting involved in volunteer opportunities, hobbies, and extra-curricular activities. All of these things will help you when it comes time to find scholarships and when applying to colleges.
Also, we recommend starting to take ACT tests and, if applicable, SAT tests.
Let The College Project help you to build a strong foundation for the college transition.
Sophomore Year
This is the year where the college transition process should begin. Unfortunately, there are not many resources focused on helping Sophomore students prepare.
Starting to proactively look at the high school to college transition process will pay dividends later. The reason for this is that scholarship opportunities begin to become available in larger quantities. This does not mean apply for anything that you can find - focus your efforts on the scholarships that are achievable and give them your all.
Do not forget to start taking preparatory classes for the ACT test and, if applicable, the SAT test. Additionally, students can take the PSAT which opens up the opportunity for the National Merit Scholarship.
Not sure where to start? The College Project can provide a path.
Junior Year
The Junior year is, without a doubt, the most important year in the transition process from high school to college. Beginning right now, you or your student are going to be overloaded with information from schools. Every admissions counselor (a.k.a. recruiters) are going to want to send you information, talk to you about his or her school, try to schedule you for a visit. It seems like they all want you or your student at their school, but they are trying to fill the admissions pipeline with an immense amount of applications.
Avoid the urge to choose a school without all of the information. Your guidance counselor may tell you to choose three schools - a reach, a match, and a safety. But, do you know what those schools will cost you? I'm not talking about the sticker price - I'm talking about the bottom-line, most likely net price. Does that school have the major(s) you want? Do they match your needs socially and culturally?
If you want to understand more about choosing the right school, let us help you to find a fit - socially, culturally, academically, and financially.
Also, do not forget to keep making attempts at the ACT and SAT, if applicable. Need help with prep classes? The College Project can help you find the right course for the right price.
Senior Year
If you are planning to enroll in a 4-year school, you should have applied and been admitted by this point. You should be receiving your award letters from the schools to which you were admitted in the near future. Once you receive these, you should finalize your plans on how you will pay the remaining balance after grants and scholarships. The 'Net Price' at the bottom of the award letter will be the amount that you have to cover in loans and/or pay out of pocket. Be careful though - the 'Net Price' sometimes factors in loans that you or your student may take.
If you are attending a technical college or 2-year school, you will likely have until June or July to get your application in, but it does not hurt to get everything filed now.
One of the most important things you should have done by this point is file your FAFSA. If you have not done this, it is extremely important that you do that as soon as possible. The College Project will help you file your FAFSA to help you save time and reduce errors that would likely cost you additional time or increase your college costs.
Feel like you have missed something? The College Project can make sure you dot all the i's and cross all the t's.
Currently in College
Just because you are enrolled and paid for your first year does not mean that all of the scholarship opportunities are behind you. In many cases, there are private, state, and institutional scholarships that may be available to you because you ARE in college.
Additionally, you will need to re-apply or verify any aid that you have received for the following year. And, if you have not renewed the FAFSA for the 2013/2014 school year, you need to do that immediately.
Students approaching graduation may need to think about making the transition into a career, getting into grad school, and/or figuring out what to do about student loans.
When you or your student is trying to figure out how to get into or pay for college and you do not know what you should be doing, it can be overwhelming. The College Project is dedicated to making the college transition process easier and more affordable to improve access to college and higher education. If you have questions, are looking for more information, or would like to speak with a consultant about an individualized college plan for you or your student, visit thecollegeproject.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_L_Davis
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7827070
I know - that seems a little vague, but here is some more information about what you should have accomplished and what you should be working on.
Freshman Year
It is all about the three G's. Grades, grades, grades. Keeping your GPA up is one of the most important things to consider now. It also helps to start getting involved in volunteer opportunities, hobbies, and extra-curricular activities. All of these things will help you when it comes time to find scholarships and when applying to colleges.
Also, we recommend starting to take ACT tests and, if applicable, SAT tests.
Let The College Project help you to build a strong foundation for the college transition.
Sophomore Year
This is the year where the college transition process should begin. Unfortunately, there are not many resources focused on helping Sophomore students prepare.
Starting to proactively look at the high school to college transition process will pay dividends later. The reason for this is that scholarship opportunities begin to become available in larger quantities. This does not mean apply for anything that you can find - focus your efforts on the scholarships that are achievable and give them your all.
Do not forget to start taking preparatory classes for the ACT test and, if applicable, the SAT test. Additionally, students can take the PSAT which opens up the opportunity for the National Merit Scholarship.
Not sure where to start? The College Project can provide a path.
Junior Year
The Junior year is, without a doubt, the most important year in the transition process from high school to college. Beginning right now, you or your student are going to be overloaded with information from schools. Every admissions counselor (a.k.a. recruiters) are going to want to send you information, talk to you about his or her school, try to schedule you for a visit. It seems like they all want you or your student at their school, but they are trying to fill the admissions pipeline with an immense amount of applications.
Avoid the urge to choose a school without all of the information. Your guidance counselor may tell you to choose three schools - a reach, a match, and a safety. But, do you know what those schools will cost you? I'm not talking about the sticker price - I'm talking about the bottom-line, most likely net price. Does that school have the major(s) you want? Do they match your needs socially and culturally?
If you want to understand more about choosing the right school, let us help you to find a fit - socially, culturally, academically, and financially.
Also, do not forget to keep making attempts at the ACT and SAT, if applicable. Need help with prep classes? The College Project can help you find the right course for the right price.
Senior Year
If you are planning to enroll in a 4-year school, you should have applied and been admitted by this point. You should be receiving your award letters from the schools to which you were admitted in the near future. Once you receive these, you should finalize your plans on how you will pay the remaining balance after grants and scholarships. The 'Net Price' at the bottom of the award letter will be the amount that you have to cover in loans and/or pay out of pocket. Be careful though - the 'Net Price' sometimes factors in loans that you or your student may take.
If you are attending a technical college or 2-year school, you will likely have until June or July to get your application in, but it does not hurt to get everything filed now.
One of the most important things you should have done by this point is file your FAFSA. If you have not done this, it is extremely important that you do that as soon as possible. The College Project will help you file your FAFSA to help you save time and reduce errors that would likely cost you additional time or increase your college costs.
Feel like you have missed something? The College Project can make sure you dot all the i's and cross all the t's.
Currently in College
Just because you are enrolled and paid for your first year does not mean that all of the scholarship opportunities are behind you. In many cases, there are private, state, and institutional scholarships that may be available to you because you ARE in college.
Additionally, you will need to re-apply or verify any aid that you have received for the following year. And, if you have not renewed the FAFSA for the 2013/2014 school year, you need to do that immediately.
Students approaching graduation may need to think about making the transition into a career, getting into grad school, and/or figuring out what to do about student loans.
When you or your student is trying to figure out how to get into or pay for college and you do not know what you should be doing, it can be overwhelming. The College Project is dedicated to making the college transition process easier and more affordable to improve access to college and higher education. If you have questions, are looking for more information, or would like to speak with a consultant about an individualized college plan for you or your student, visit thecollegeproject.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_L_Davis
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7827070
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