Where do I begin?

 

The college search process should be one of the most exciting times of a student’s life. Talk to your Jackson school counselor and visit the College and Career Center to find information on colleges across the United States. There are resource guides, links to online search engines, lists of schools by subject, etc. Choose one of the online search engines listed in the "online links" section of this site to begin a list of schools.

 

• Reach School.   A "reach" school is your ideal or dream school.  It is a school where your class rank, GPA, or test scores might be below or barely within the mid-range for their admitted student profile. Reach schools are also highly-competitive schools that admit a low percentage of students who apply (<30%).  

•  Probable School. A "probable" school is a realistic choice based upon your grades and GPA.  These choices should be colleges where you would be happy and have a good match between your GPA or test scores within their mid-range of admitted students.  

• Foundation or Safety School. Admissions standards at this college are such that your GPA and test scores are higher than the mid-range for their admitted students. This school should also be a school that you know you can afford - making it a financial safety as well.

 

• Good criteria to consider in your college choice: Students should take the lead in discovering what is important in a college. What size learning environment do you enjoy?  Do you have ideas about what you want to study?

 

• Public versus private. In general, public universities are larger and receive state funding so they are less expensive; however, many private schools offer substantial financial aid especially to strong students or students with substantial need. If you are just beginning your search, you should be open to either.

• Two years versus four years.

• Single gender versus coed.

• Size: small (<2,000 students), medium (2,000 - 15,000), or large (>15,000).

• Setting (urban, suburban, small town, rural).

• Location (can select by specific state or regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest, West - or international).

• Majors (even if you are not certain what you want to study, you can select from a general category of science/math; liberal arts; etc

• Housing (is first year housing guaranteed?, do most students live on-campus?).

• Student organizations and activities (including theatre, clubs, community service and Greek organizations).

• Athletics and recreational sports (varsity, intramural, clubs).

• Diversity of student body.

 

COLLEGE READINESS AND DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION USEFUL WEBSITES

(If you have any problems opening any of the following links, simply copy and paste the link into your address bar. Thank you.)

 

• Achieve

• http://www.achieve.org

 

• Achieving the Dream

• http://www.achievingthedream.org
   

• American Council on Education (ACE) 

• http://www.ace.org
   

• American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) 

• http://www.amatyc.org
   

• American College Test (ACT) 

• http://www.act.org
   

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 

• http://www.gatesfoundation.org/education
   

• College Board (The College Completion Agenda)

• http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/?CampaignID=PR12204
   

• College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) 

• http://www.ccrc.tc.columbia.edu
   

• Georgia College 411

• http://www.gacollege411.org

 

• Getting Past Go 

• http://www.gettingpastgo.org

 

• National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)

• http://www.nacada.ksu.edu
   

• National Center for Academic Transformation 

• http://www.thencat.org

 

• National Center for Developmental Education (NCDE)

• http://www.ncde.appstate.edu
   

• National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) 

• http://www.nclca.org
   

• National College Transition Network 

• http://www.collegetransition.org
   

• National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition 

• http://www.sc.edu//fye
   

• Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers

• http://www.parcconline.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Scholarship Search Engines

 

• 41 scholarships for IB students

• http://blogs.ibo.org/alumni/2014/05/06/scholarships/

   

• College Board Scholarship Search

• http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp

 

• FastWeb

• www.fastweb.com

 

• Peterson's Student Edge

• www.studentedge.com/mystudentedge/scholarships.aspx?a=1&sponsor=5226

 

• Scholarships for students with Learning Disabilities

• www.finaid.org/otheraid/ld.phtml

 

• United Negro College Fund Scholarship Search

• www.uncf.org/forstudents/scholarship.asp

 

• College Answer

• www.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_free_money.jsp

 

 

College Data:  How much aid can you get?

http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10125

 

Colleges and Universities Awarding Merit Aid

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/07/08/education/edlife/8edlife_chart.html 

 

The HOPE Scholarship

For information on the HOPE, visit www.gsfc.org and gacollege411.org