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College Admissions Planning
College Admissions Planning
Feeling overwhelmed?!
Check out "A Beginner's Guide to the College Application" video:
There are essentially three steps to college planning:
1) Where you are going - College Search
2) What you are studying - Career Search
3) How you will pay for it - Financial Aid & Scholarships
Then it will be time to apply!
Scroll to the bottom for direct application links AND
Resources for First Gen, Low Income, Undocumented Students
Important Planning Forms
You will need to have these forms filled out prior to college and scholarship applications. Start now!
- Activity Tracker - fill this out with all your activities for scholarships and college applications. You will use it for the SLO Community Foundation and countless other scholarships.
Are you a spreadsheet junkie? You can use
- Letter of Recommendation Form - need a letter of recommendation? This is what you need to fill out! Send the filled out form to your desired recommender and remember to give PLENTY of notice!
Grade Level - Timeline Planning
- College Essay Guy College Application Timeline by grade
- Big Future 9th Grade Checklist
- Big Future 10th Grade Checklist
- GoingMerry 11th Grade Checklist for College Planning (by month!)
- Big Future 12th Grade Checklist
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Visit the Career Planning page to work through some career assessments, interest inventories, and Ikigai exercises [finding your purpose].
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Financial Aid Information:
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- California Dream Act Application (CADAA)
- Cash for College Workshops through Hancock College
- Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) In-state tuition for schools in the Western US
- 9th Grade Financial Aid Checklist
- 10th Grade Financial Aid Checklist
- 11th Grade Financial Aid Checklist
- 12th Grade Financial Aid Checklist
Ready? Set? GO!
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- Common App: Private universities and out of state campuses
- University of California (UC): One Application for all 9 campuses
You can start working on your fall application as early as August 1, and submit it by December 2 - California State University (CSU): One Application for all 23 campuses
You can start working on your fall application as early as August 1, and submit it by December 2 - Cuesta Community College
- Hancock College
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Resources for First Generation College Students:
If neither parent graduated from a 4-year university (Bachelor's degree) in the US, then you qualify as a First Gen student. There are resources available to "level the playing field" and help you in your journey to a college education.
- Appily.com [formerly Cappex]
- Fair Opportunity Project - Get a 1:1 mentor to help you!
- Imfirst!
- Rise First - Resources for first gen and low-income students
College Programs for high school underrepresented students and students of color:
- Fly-in Programs for high-achieving, low-income students [courtesy of The College Essay Guy's Matchlighters' Program]
- Reed College Junior Scholars and Senior Scholars
- College Essay Guy's Matchlighters Program - free sessions with a private college counselor
Resources for our Undocumented Students:
Every college or university has a center for undocumented students, usually called the Dream Center or Monarch Center. If you have questions on this, see Mrs. O in Room 208. Connecting with these resources is incredibly important -- they help with financial aid and so much more