Post-Secondary Preparation

RESOURCES FOR SENIORS AND JUNIORS:

It is never too soon to start preparing and planning ahead for your college and career life.  We suggest students begin by looking at the Georgia Career Information Center:  http://www.gcic.peachnet.edu/.  We also encourage parents to view information on how to help their child prepare through brochures found on the Georgia Career Information Center’s website at:  http://ipcu.gcic.edu/. 

Federal Financial Aid:

FAFSA – This is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  It is vital parents and students check for the online filing deadline in January of the year their child plans to start college.  Students will need the previous year’s tax return and may begin their application immediately after January 1^st.    https://fafsa.ed.gov/

College Admission Test Registration:

ACT.org – provides online registration for the ACT    http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act.html

College Board – a non-profit organization assisting students with applying for the SAT and PSAT, providing test practice through the Khan Academy, and assistance in finding scholarships    https://www.collegeboard.org/?navId=bf-cb

Scholarships Search Engines:

Big Future Scholarship – a non-profit search engine to find available post-secondary scholarships    https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

Cappex – a non-profit search engine assisting students in evaluating which colleges will be a good fit, the potential for admission and opportunity to search over $11 billion in scholarships available through their site    https://www.cappex.com/

Chegg Scholarships – a site for purchasing discount college level textbooks which also offers access to an online search of over 25,000 scholarships    https://www.chegg.com/scholarships

FastWeb – a non-profit search engine for finding scholarship resources and financial aid, exploring career avenues and evaluating colleges based on the student’s interests and budget    www.fastweb.com

Georgia Futures – (formerly GeorgiaCollege411) a non-profit search engine to help students find and apply for Federal financial aid, Georgia’s state aid, HOPE scholarship, search for additional scholarships and find and select colleges fitting the student’s interests    www.gafutures.org

Multicultural Advantage – a post-secondary search engine for people of various ethnic backgrounds and minorities including women containing links to scholarships, grants, and internships    http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com/default.asp

Scholarship Quest – a non-profit search engine to find available post-secondary scholarships    www.studentawardsearch.com

Scholarships.com – a non-profit search engine offering access to over 3.7 million scholarships and grants, $19 billion in potential financial aid    www.scholarships.com

Scholarships4Students – a scholarship search site which offers a broad search for general scholarships, further breaks down searches to specific colleges and universities, ethnic backgrounds and scholarships available to women    http://www.scholarships4students.com/

StudentScholarships.org – a non-profit search engine providing links to the newest and popular scholarships offered along with the tools to evaluate occupations based on anticipated growth, salary and educational requirements    www.studentscholarships.org

College-specific scholarships may be available on your preferred college website.  Contact the financial aid office of schools you are considering for more information.

Additional avenues for scholarships might be found through parent employers, churches, and local civic groups.

Students should plan ahead and submit their applications as soon as possible.  Be mindful of application deadlines as some applications are quite extensive and may require review for nominations before the donating foundation.