College+Planning

=CollegeNet:= ====This is a comprehensive site dedicated to paperless research to identify colleges with the right fit for any student / family. The site will help students find colleges and links directly to the university site and application requirements.==== []

=The College Board:= =[|www.collegeboard.com]= ====The College Board is a trusted name in planning for college. They write the PSAT/SAT and the AP courses and exams. Students who take the PSAT or SAT will have their information integrated into their profile here at this site. Results from tests completed will appear and allow for comparison between the MIHS student and the actual profile of accepted freshmen at the colleges being considered.====

U.S. News and World Report: Top Colleges of 2012
====Here is a link to the magazine with the greatest reputation for helping to identify the best values and best education opportunities across the nation. Follow the link below the get to a page filled with resources, current evaluations, and plenty of tools to assist in the college selection,preparation, and financing process.==== []

College Xpress:
Different students enjoy different patforms, so here is just one more option for conducting college searches. This site is nice because it attempts to use rankings and specialties of various universities to help students connect with colleges that will fit their needs and interests. It is yet another approach to finding the "best fit" between student and institution. []

Awesome Feature: Using "College Search" from the College Board:
[] ====The "College Matchmaker" is an excellent resource for selecting and comparing universities across the country. Their database of nearly 4000 colleges and universities allows students to name the criteria and then limits the search based on the student's needs and desires. Create an account here and the site will remember your profile. Over the next couple of years, this will become quite valuable for the student and the family.====

College Comparison Spreadsheet:
Download this Excel file and take a look at the examples already completed for Gannon University PSU Erie/Behrend. The spreadsheet is set up to allow students to gather essential information regarding colleges of interest from the "At A Glance" pages provided through the College Search link featured above, which comes from The College Board. Students will also want to visit each college's web site as well to get even more details.

This article is entitled "The Extra-curricular Edge" and discusses how admissions officers use information about students and what they can infer based on extra-curricular involvement.
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One more link:
This link is from U.S. News and World Report. They publish a list of the best colleges each September, and they have many resources worthy of our time. This link is a conversation about how to develop your resume, how to revise and how to decide what belongs in your resume. []

The Resume:
Consider using this template from MS Word as a nice format to get started. It is formatted for high school students. Many students are not sure what to put into their resume. The article above addresses this. If you still have gaps after you enter everything you can think of from 9th and tenth grade, then make big plans this summer to get involved in activities and organizations that will help boost your resume. Now is the time to plan and complete service projects and community involvement. Later, when you begin applying for scholarships and college acceptance, you'll have a distinguished resume.

You should use this timely information when figuring out your plans for the summer before your junior year.
=Selecting a Major:= ===The times of "I'll figure out what I want to do while I'm studying at college" have passed. Students can no longer afford to spend 5-7 years in college, switching majors, and realizing they will need an extra year or two to graduate. Take a look at these simple slide shows to get a start on considering how your selection of a major will affect job prospects after graduation.===

====This link begins by debunking the idea, "Study what you love." Rather, I would suggest "study what you love to accentuate your major." The following will help identify some of the reasons that certain degrees, while valuable to study, may not provide the career earnings to justify the student loans.====

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====Here are some college majors that provide access into emerging and growing professional fields. Students should still guide their selection of a major based on their passions, but these ideas may help the student to focus on how their passions could translate into opportunities after graduation via the selection and completion of certain majors.====

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