College Ready
School Counselors Corner
Tiffany Jackson
Ron Jolly
Welcome
Thank you for attending our Zoom meeting to learn more about choosing and getting into college.
Since you are here, you have taken the first step in deciding your future.
On to the next step…
Decisions, decisions
When you are looking at a college, you should have an idea of what you want to study and where you can pursue that goal. If you need help deciding what you may have an interest in, let Ms. Jackson or Mr. Jolly know, and we can help you out.
Once you have an idea of something you would like to pursue, you need to look at what type of degree it will require: Associates, Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate.
Important Note
You are not deciding your future by deciding on a school or degree. You are looking to see where you will start this journey in life.
A two-year degree may turn into a four-year degree or even a Masters or Doctorate.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”- from Tao Te Ching
College or University
So now you have an idea of what you want to do and what kind of degree you need, you must figure out where to attend.
There are 61 colleges and universities in South Carolina alone. So, part of your decision is where do you want to go to school?
Do you want to stay in state, go to another state, or even another country?
College or University, cont
Besides determining where you want to attend, you need to decide if you want a:
Benefits of a two-year college
FAFSA
To be able to file for student aid, you must have filed a FAFSA Application.
FAFSA is short for: Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
The window to submit your students FAFSA opens on Oct 1st of every year. Seniors should file as soon as they can, as this helps to get as much federal financial aid.
FAFSA, cont.
The FAFSA address is below, where you will submit your application:
Below is a video to help to fill out your FAFSA:
The video below helps to explain FAFSA in more detail:
https://studentaid.gov/h/understand-aid/how-aid-works
Scholarships
Please find some helpful websites below to help with locating scholarships.
Scholarships, cont.
Scholarships, cont.
When we think of scholarships, most students and parents think of academic or sports scholarships. What if I told you that schools offer you scholarships to play Fortnite and Call of Duty, among other games. These types of scholarships are called Esports scholarships.
Testing
Test like ACT and SAT are used to help determine scholarships and Life scholarships.
Because of COVID a lot of colleges are still not requiring testing, but it can help with scholarships and aid.
Both test are available to take in a student’s third year in high school through Odyssey Online Learning for FREE!!
Testing, cont.
SC student website for all things ACT:
Saturday, October 30 – SAVE THE DATE: My Journey: High School to College and Career
Get notified when registration opens. Join us for this free, virtual event to learn from experts how to prepare for college and career—from finding scholarships to transitioning to life on campus and more!
Testing, cont.
The SAT is the other national test used for scholarships and college/university entry.
Below you will find the link to the South Carolina SAT website:
Thank you
Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.
We are here to help you.
#BetterTogether
#Odysseyonlinelearning