Going to College
College Prep Checklist
Make sure you are on track for high school graduatioon
If you are a student athlete that may want to participate in college, make sure you will be eligible for the NCAA.
Check to see if the schools you would like to attend require an entrance exam such as the ACT or SAT. Make plans to take the test so the schools will receive your scores in time for admissions and scholarship deadlines. You are strongly encouraged to take the April ACT test as a junior. Then, if the need arises, you can test again in June and/or October of your senior year.
Check other admissions requirements for schools that interest you.
Make arrangements to tour the schools that interest you. Spring break and the summer after you junior year are good times to schedule tours.
Check admissions and financial aid deadlines for colleges that interest you. Remember, you must be admitted to a college before you can be considered for most scholarships or financial aid.
Complete your scholarship notebook.
Obtain admissions and scholarship applications and apply well in advance of deadlines.
Search out possible sources of financial aid early and be careful to meet deadlines. If you think you may be eligible for federal financial aid programs, submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1 of the year you will attend college.
Check with the financial aid officer(s) at the school(s) of your choice to see what other sources of financial assistance may be available.
Follow the directions on the admissions and scholarship applications. If a portion must be completed by a counselor, give the application to him/her well in advance of the deadline. Be sure to include your application fee when you send in application(s) and arrange for the registrar to mail transcript(s) for you.
If you need a letter of recommendation for a scholarship, allow ample time for the teacher, counselor, or ecclesiastical leader writing the letter to complete it. It may also be helpful to give that person your resume.
If you want on-campus housing, get a housing application from the school and send it in as early as possible. Housing generally fills up very quickly.
If you receive scholarship offers from more than one school, notify the schools you will not be attending of your decision so they can award the scholarship to someone else.
Choosing a College
With more than 3,500 colleges and universities in the US, finding the right one is no simple task. The good news about this great deal of options is that one of them is certain to be a perfect fit for you. Below are some questions that may help narrow down your choices. Where do you want to be--close to home and family or away from home? What college size is best for you? By whom do you want to be surrounded? You may want to consider an historically black college or university or one of the top colleges for Hispanics listed below. What do you want to study? Where will you be happy? Where will you be accepted? Most of the information you need to answer these questions is available in college guidebooks, in individual schools, catalogs, and on college web sites. For more information, try the college links provided throughout this page or one of the web resources below. CollegeExpress CollegeQuest CollegeView US News Online
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Tuskeegee University -- Tuskeegee, AL Howard University -- Washington, DC Alabama A & M University -- Normal, AL Alabama State University -- Montgomery, AL Clark Atlanta Univeristy -- Atlanta, GA
Morris Brown College -- Atlanta, GA Spelman College -- Atlanta, GA Morehouse College -- Atlanta, GA Albany State University -- Albany, NY Edward Waters College -- Jacksonville, FL Fisk University -- Nashville, TN Florida A & M University -- Tallahassee, FL
Hampton University -- Hampton, VA
Kentucky State University -- Frankfort, KY
Texas Southern University -- Houston, TX
Virginia State University -- Petersburg, VA
Winston Salem State University -- Winston-Salem, NC West Virginia State College -- Institute, WV University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff -- Pine Bluff, AR Talladega College -- Talladega, AL Savannah State University -- Savannah, GA North Carolina Central University -- Durham, NC Lincoln University of Missouri -- Jefferson City, MO Norfolk State University -- Norfolk, VA
Xavier University of Louisianna -- New Orleans, LA
Top Colleges for Hispanics
Stanford University -- Stanford, CA
Rice University -- Houston, TX
UC Berkeley -- Berkeley, CA
University of Texas Austin -- Austin, TX
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) -- Cambridge, MA
UC San Diego -- La Jolla, CA
Harvard University -- Cambridge, MA
UCLA -- Los Angeles, CA
Amherst College -- Amherst, MA
Columbia University -- New York, NY
UC Davis -- Davis, CA
New York University -- New York, NY
University of Florida -- Gainesville, FL
Swarthmore College -- Swarthmore, PA
University of Notre Dame -- Notre Dame, IN
UC Santa Barbara -- Santa Barbara, CA
Arizona State University -- Tempe, AZ
Southern Methodist University -- Dallas, TX
USC -- Los Angeles, CA
University of Miami -- Coral Gables, FL
Rutgers -- Piscataway, NJ
University of Arizona -- Tucson, AZ
Texas A&M University -- College Station, TX
University of New Mexico -- Albuquerque, NM
DePaul University -- Chicago, IL
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