Exploring Your Options: University/Community College

Name ______

Exploring Your Options: University/Community College/

Career or Technical School

There are thousands of options for you to consider after high school. It is important for you to begin post-secondary planning now so that you are prepared for when you graduate. The process of researching post-secondary schools might seem difficult, but this unit will help you in your search. This unit is intended to provide you with resources and information to begin your post-secondary plan of action.

Let’s Begin…

First log on to the Computer & go to the Internet- then to the Mountain Ridge homepage ()

Hover over Departmentsclick on Counseling

Click on ECAP

Click on the link to AzCIS

Your user name should the same as your computer log-in and password

Step 1: Occupations Sort

It is important to consider your career goals when making post-secondary plans. Please begin with this activity to learn how your personal interests and values align with specific occupations.

Hover over Occupations and click on Occupations Sort

Read the directions and click on select factorsin blue

Complete the activity

Look through the list and click on the occupation that is most appealing to you

Answer the following:

1. What is the highest level of education that I need for this job? ______

2. How much money could I make? ______

3. What are some helpful high school courses I should take to prepare for this career? ______

4. What program of study would I need to complete to qualify for this job?

______

5. What schools offer this program of study? ______

Post-Secondary Planning

Have you thought about which school you would like to attend after high school? Do you know what the admission requirements are and how much tuition is going to cost? Have you thought about travel expenses and room and board costs? These are important considerations when making your post-secondary plans. The following activity will help you begin to gather this information so that you can choose the school that best fits your needs.

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Step 2: Compare Schools

Hover overEducation click on School Sort

Read through the directions and click onUndergraduate School

Choose Associate’s (2 year degree), or Bachelor’s (four year degree), then click continue

Answer all of the questions, clicking on continue after each question (Don’t be too picky, or you will not get any schools.)

Click on GET MY RESULTS

Choose Save Sort as Newat the top; click Save Information; clickRestore Answer Set; click Get My Results

Next, select 2 schools, by checking the box next to the school’s name on the left, then click Save checked at the top

Select the 2 schools again and click on Compare Checked

Fill out the Post-Secondary Comparison table sheet on the next page

Post-Secondary Comparison Table

Use this table to compare 2 universities/colleges/career or tech schools.

College Name / School 1: / School 2:
State & City Location
Web Address
General Information

• Public or Private
• Religious Affiliation

Student Body

• Total # of undergrads

Cost

• Tuition

• Fees

• Books & Supplies

• Room & Board

Financial Aid Programs

• FAFSA Deadline

• Average Financial Aid Pkt

• Average Student Loan

Admissions

• Entrance Difficulty

• % of students who applied that were accepted

• Education Requirements

• Application Dates

• Application Fees

• Application Requirements (GPA, essay, SAT or ACT or both, etc.)

Step 3: Paying For Post-secondary Education

Applying for Scholarships is one way to help pay for your future education. There are many kinds of scholarships available. Financial awards are based on various criteria such as academics, athletics, community service, ethnic background, and/or many other factors, depending on the organization sponsoring the scholarship. In this next activity, you will generate a list of scholarships for which you may be eligible to apply.

Hover over Education & click on Financial Aid Sort

Read through the directions, click Go

Answer each section and click Continue.

Hint: to narrow your search, check only those that apply and choose a major

After answering the last section, click Get My Results

Choose Save Sort as New at the top; click Save Information; click Restore Answer Set; click Get My Results

When finished, select two scholarships. Use the information to answer the following questions.

Scholarship #1

Name of Scholarship: ______

Award Amount: ______

Need to Study: ______

Type of school: ______

Description of scholarship: ______

______

Application Deadline: ______

Application Procedure: ______

______

Contact: ______

Scholarship #2

Name of Scholarship: ______

Award Amount: ______

Need to Study: ______

Type of school: ______

Description of scholarship: ______

______

Application Deadline: ______

Application Procedure: ______

______

Contact: ______

Additional websites you can use to continue your exploration for scholarship searches

Start at the MRHS Home page (mrhs.dvusd.org)

Hover over Departments, and click on Counseling

Click on Scholarship Information on the left hand side of the screen

If you click on dvusd.org/scholarships, you will be directed to a district database of scholarships

You can conduct a scholarship search through Fastweb, Collegeboard, or any others listed

You can click on the state universities to learn more about their scholarships and financial aid

You can use the universities Net Price Calculators to estimate whether you might qualify for an academic scholarship.

Step 4: Review and Update Resume

Keeping your resume updated on AzCIS will help you complete your college applications with ease. If time permits, please complete this final activity.

In AzCIS, hover over My ECAP and click on Resume Creator if you have not yet begun your resume on AzCIS or Saved and Updated Resumes if you have

Enter and/or update your information

Save your resume to your server documents

Click onAdd File, browse for your document and then upload it to the system

If You Plan to Attend a Community College

There are many benefits in attending a community college. Many students find going to a community college for their first two years of college is more cost efficient and they enjoy the smaller sized classrooms that many of them offer. Community colleges offer two year associates degrees and certificates in specialized areas. Many students often transfer their community college credits to a four year university. When planning to go this route, it is important to know which associatesdegree is appropriate for the major you are choosing and which credits will transfer. In addition, all students who plan to take their first college-level English, Reading or Mathematics course at a Maricopa Community College must complete placement testing, known as the Accuplacer tests.

Community College Placement Test Information

Students need to complete the Accuplacer tests before they can register at a community college. Your scores will be used by an advisor to determine which classes you will take.The result is that you will be placed in an appropriate course level.The best time to take this free test is in the spring of your senior year (Feb. through April.) After you have completed the test, you will be able to register for classes in April. Tuition does not need to be paid until July.

If you plan to take one of the following dual enrollment classes next year: ENG 101/102, MAT 142 (College Math), MAT 151 (College Algebra), or MAT 152/182 (Pre-Calculus), you must take the Accuplacer. It will be offered on campus during your Math and English classes.

Upcoming on-campus Accuplacer dates:ENG 101/102February 26th

All MAT classesMarch 9th and 11th

If you miss these test dates or need to retest, you’ll have one more opportunity to test on campus.

After school make-up Accuplacer:ENG and MATMarch 30th

How do I know if my dual enrollment credits transfer?

• From the MRHS College Planning page, click on Community College toAZ University Transfer
• On the AZTransfer webpage, hover over Tools at the top & click on Dual Enrollment
• Enter Mountain Ridge in the School Search
• Then scroll to find the dual enrollment classes you are taking to see which of the three universities accept the credits

If You Plan to Attend a University

College Testing

We recommend you take your college entrance exams during the spring of your junior year. MRHS is offering the ACT on our campus for free to all juniors on March 15th. Students do not need to register for this test date. March 15th will be a late start for everyone except juniors so that juniors will not miss class time in order to test.

If you would like to take the SAT or the ACT again, you mustregisterfor either the SAT or ACT on-line. Links to these websites can be found on the MRHS counseling website under College Planning or at for the SAT, and the ACT.

Upcoming test dates for ACT:Registration is dueTest Date

No registrationMarch 15th (late start)

March 4thApril 9th (on campus)

May 6th June 11th

Upcoming test dates for SAT:Registration is dueTest Date

April 8thMay 7th

May 5th June 4th(on campus)

AP Exams

Students who are currently taking Advanced Placement classes can register for AP exams on-line through the MRHS Counseling webpage or at

Deadline to register for AP Exams:March, 23rd at 3:00 pm

Parent Resources

“Helping Your Junior Navigate the Road to College” Workshop. This is an opportunity for parents of 11th graders to learn the college admission process and to obtain scholarship information. It will be held during Parent/Teacher Conferences on February 11th, 2016 at Mountain Ridge High School Lecture Hall at 6 pm.

MRHS Counseling webpage: Go to mrhs.dvusd.org – Counseling is located under the Departments tab. The counseling webpage includes links to assist with post-secondary planning

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