From the Counselor’s Corner | How to select a college

— Now that you know that you want to go to college, it’s time to start looking for one. There are several great resources available to help you choose the best college “fit” for you. There are several things you need to do to get you ready for picking a college:

◊Decide on the type of college you want to attend (size, location, degrees offered, etc.). There are several great internet sites that can help you choose a college. This will be discussed later. There are also several events that take place at PRHS that can be helpful.

◊Get information from prospective schools. This can be done several ways.

You can get information by internet by going to the college Web site and requesting that they send you more information. You can also call them. Most schools have 800 numbers to their Admissions Office.

Call the number and askthem to send you more information.

◊Get organized. This information from colleges is going to be coming in fast and furious. If you’re not ready for it, you might get overwhelmed. Start files for each college of interest. If you get information from a school you are not interested in, recycle it or bring it by the Career Center and we will use it here.

You should look at everything though, you never know - you might get something from a school that you never thought of and decide to put them on your top-five list. Start a notebook with important information about colleges in it such as deadlines, requirements, cost, pro’s andcon’s and distance from home. This will come in handy when you slim your choices down and start applying.

Types of Scholarships and Financial Aid

National

◊FAFSA - student loans, Pell grants

◊Check scholarship search Web sites and databases

State

◊Arkansas Academic Challenge

◊Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship

◊In-state college bound students only

College

◊Consult with individual university’s financial aid office

Regional

◊Competing with other area high school seniors (winners may be forwarded to qualify for higher levels of awards on a national basis).

School, Pages 9 on 09/15/2010