Exploring and Preparing for College

Big Future

A great all-in-one site to make a free, personalized college plan whether you’re in middle school or a senior in high school. Find the best college fit for you, explore careers and related majors, and learn how to pay for it.
bigfuture.collegeboard.org

I’m First!

There’s something special about being the first… especially being the first in your family to attend and graduate from college. I’m First! is an online community for first-generation college students—and their supporters. Hear inspiring stories and share your own, discover colleges that care about first-gen students, find answers to your questions about college, and receive guidance on the road to and through college.
www.imfirst.org

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Hispanic Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to Latino students, as well as related support services. HSF seeks to give students all the tools they need to apply to college, do well in their course work, graduate, enter a profession, excel, help lead our nation going forward, and mentor the generations to come.
hsf.net

KnowHow2Go

knowhow2go.org
A website with lots of college prep resources for families and students from middle school through high school. Learn the four steps to college and access additional resources including a virtual college tour.

Opportunities Workbook

Choosing a college starts with knowing your options. This free downloadable workbook helps high school students choose the right college, understand admission requirements, identify types of financial aid and more. Available in English and Spanish.

The College Board

The College Board offers a variety of tools and resources to help you prepare and plan for college. Use “College MatchMaker” to generate a list of colleges that match your students’ preferences. Create and manage a personal list of colleges with “My Organizer.” Have your students get ready for the SAT by taking an official, free practice test.
www.collegeboard.org

ACT Student Site

The ACT student site provides information on many aspects of planning for college, including career planning and financial aid. Students can also register for the ACT and find materials to prepare for the test.
www.actstudent.org

Finding Your College Match

College Greenlight

Connects first generation and under-represented students to caring colleges, generous scholarships and life-changing counselors and mentors. Helps you find the perfect school and sends you reminders about application deadlines and scholarships matches.
www.collegegreenlight.com

Paying for College

Federal Student Aid

U.S. Department of Education – A comprehensive resource about getting money for college that includes videos about the process. Use this site to answer your questions about financial preparation for college: How do I prepare for college? What types of aid can I get? Do I qualify for financial aid? How do I apply for aid? How do I manage my loans?
studentaid.ed.gov

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The FAFSA is the most important item to complete in order to get money to pay for college – do this in January of your senior year of high school and every year you are in college. This site offers free assistance to students, parents, and borrowers throughout the entire financial aid process.
fafsa.ed.gov

FAFSA4caster

Provide some basic information and and this site will estimate your eligibility for federal student aid. Your estimate will be shown in the “College Cost Worksheet” where you can also provide estimated amounts of other student aid and savings that can go towards your college education. Check out the FAFSA4caster

Fastweb

This website provides information on targeted scholarships, financial aid, college search and career advice. Once you complete your profile you’ll have access to a database of more than 1.5 million scholarships and internships. This site will help you organize and manage your lists.
www.fastweb.com

Career Exploration

Engineer Your Life

Aimed at encouraging girls to consider engineering, this site has stories of inspiring women who love their careers, information about cool engineering jobs, and tips on getting started in engineering. www.engineeryourlife.org

My Next Move: A Partner of the American Job Center Network

What do you want to do for a living? On this website you can search careers with key words, find answers to questions about what you’d like to do, and get suggestions about careers that match your interests. You can look for careers that offer apprenticeship programs. This site has lots of information and resources that students & their parents will find interesting.
www.mynextmove.org

My Skills My Future: A Career One Stop Website

Enter a current career or job interest and find careers that match that skill set. Build a bridge to your new career using this interactive tool. This resource is also available in Spanish.