Making a College Choice

Movies of Doris Groves ISU - Associate Director of Admissions, speaking at PCHS College Night, 2010	Mr. Larry Spialek's PowerPoint Presentation on College Financial Aid.
Characteristics to Look for in Colleges. Comparing School Programs. Importance of Visiting a College Campus. College Cost Options. Application Process. Personal Statement. Letters of Recommendation, Extracurricular involvement. Time line of Application Process. Introduction of Larry Spialek on Financial Aid.	Link to Larry Spialek's Powerpoint presentation on Financial Aid

STEP I - SELECTING A COLLEGE

Making a college choice can be like making other important and challenging decisions. If you find a method to organize the task into smaller peices a way to put a great deal of information into a meaningful package, it is possible to make a good decision.

1st - Identify your reasons for going to college - What do I hope to gain by going to college? What learning opportunities do I need? What are my goals and in what career am I interested? How will college help me to achieve my goals and ambitions?

Consider the following:

Type of college	2 or 4 year college or university live on campus or commute large or small
Location	In what area(s) of the country can I realistically locate? What is the cost of living in this specific area(s)? Are my specific interests and goals tied to a specific location (for example - very few colleges / universities in Illinois offer marine biology as a major)?
Admissions	What are the application procedures (deadlines, tests, high school course preparation)? Am I eligible for admission? What academic demands can I expect to find?
Costs	How much will it cost (tuition, fees, room and board, books, etc.)? What kind of financial aid is available? How do I apply for financial aid?
Programs of Study	Does the school offer the major that I want? If I'm undecided, does the school offer opprotunities to explore your interests? To what extent does the school offer a variety of support services? Does the school have an internship program?
Social Life	What is dorm life like? What activities are available?

STEP II - COLLECTING INFORMATION ON COLLEGES - find information to the above questions by talking to a college representative, read and study the college's catalog, visit the college you are investigating, talk with alumni and students presently attending the school, write for information from the admissions office of the school, visit the college's website, use the guidance office resource center for catalogs from a variety of colleges, attend ICC College Night in November.

STEP III - VISITING A COLLEGE CAMPUS

STEP IV - APPLICATION PROCEDURE

1 - Get applications from the colleges in which you are interested - the guidance office has applications for many colleges OR most applications are available on-line from the admissions departments of colleges

2 - Complete the application form - be sure to sign it and to include everything it requires (recommendations, personal statements, etc.)

3 - Alert your counselor about the completed and mailed application so that your counselor can send a transcript (which includes a list of courses you have taken, your grades in those courses, your class rank, your GPA, and ACT scores) to help complete the application process.

4 - If you have not sent your ACT score to the school, pick up an ACT Score Release Form in the Principal's Office so that your ACT score may be released on your transcript (this score is also needed for college admission).

5 - Apply to more than one school so if your application is not accepted, you will have other choices. Your final decision may be delayed until near the end of the year.

6 - ICC has an open admission policy, which means that they have no specific admission requirements regarding class rank, ACT scores, or course specifics.