Resources for applications and financial aid

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1	Welcome to the resource guide for students and counselors!
2	This guide can be used by anyone, and it was created originally to help serve both students who lack access to a college counselor and college counselors who are new to the field. This guide is a collaborative effort by the committee for Inclusion, Access, and Success.
3	Resources for applications
4	Resource	Note
5	Application checklist	Step by step guide to applying for college, the military, or trade school
6	Application organizers: in-depth version and quick version	Helps you stay organized in the application process
7	Athletic recruiting resources (in-depth)	Comprehensive library of resources from the NCAA
8	Athletic recruiting tip sheet for students (brief)	Tips for being a recruited athlete
9	BigFuture	Research tool for college searching. Instructional video here.
10	Campus Pride Index	Ranks colleges by LGBTQ+ friendliness
11	Campus Reel	Student-uploaded videos from various colleges. Requires a login.
12	CollegeData	Research tool for college searching. Instructional video.
13	College Essay Guy	Robust platform of free and paid guides and resources for essays
14	College preferences worksheet (students or counselors)	Helps students (and counselors) organize and express elements of college fit
15	College rankings based on social mobility	A new way to rank colleges, from SocialMobilityIndex.org
16	College rankings based on social mobility and public good	A new way to rank colleges, from Washington Monthly
17	College research sites	Collection of various websites that help with facts, figures, rankings, majors, and more
18	CollegeScorecard	Research tool that focuses on affordability and salary after graduation. Instructional video here.
19	Colleges that Change Lives	"Hidden gem" colleges. Instructional video here.
20	Common App Helper Guide	Companion guide to the Common App
21	Common App website	Website for applying to colleges
22	Common App YouTube channel	Instructional videos for how to use Common App
23	Common Black College Application	Application website for HBCUs (doesn't accept fee waivers, look into the cost before applying)
24	Diversity, equity, and inclusion reading list for counselors	List of books and articles to read to improve awareness of DEI for counselors
25	Early Decision acceptance rates	See your odds of being admitted when you apply Early Decision vs. Regular Decision
26	Foster care: list of contacts at each college	A list of who to contact at PA colleges to ask questions about supports for students in foster care
27	Free fly-in programs for students	Fall 2022 list of schools that will pay for underrepresented students to visit campus, even with a flight
28	ImFirst.org	Resources for students who are the first in their family to go to college
29	List of colleges, trade schools, and workforce training programs to consider	Includes all postsecondary pathways, list is centric to Philly students
30	List of schools that meet 100% full demonstrated need	List is subject to change, national list
31	Low-income student experience	New York Times article about a student going to college from a low-income background
32	Non-college options to consider	Only includes non-college pathway options, centric to Philly students
33	PASSHE Schools	All of the public universities in PA
34	Postsecondary planning research guide	Helps students start their research
35	Resources for students with learning differences	Questions to ask during the application process, things to consider about applications
36	"Step Up to College" Guide	Comprehensive guide for students in grades 9-12 preparing for college, plus caregivers
37	Students experiencing housing insecurity	Resources pertaining to food access, healthcare, childcare, mental health services, and more
38	Students of color at predominantly white institutions (PWI)	Article written by a student of color about her experience at a PWI, includes advice for students
39	Trans and nonbinary student resources	Highlights educational, athletic, legal, and other resources
40	Transfer agreements from all 2- and 4-year schools in PA	Articulation agreements from every college in PA that has them, made by PA Department of Ed
41	Undocumented students' guide	Resources for undocumented students
42	Virtual tours guide	A list of 960+ colleges and where to find their virtual tours
43	Resources for financial aid
44	Resource	Note
45	Board of Governors Scholarship for PASSHE Schools	Provides the 2020-21 scholarship cut-offs for a scholarship specific to PASSHE schools.
46	CSS Profile	Financial aid application required by some schools but not all.
47	CSS Profile explanation slides	Overview of CSS Profile.
48	CSS Profile list of institutions	List of schools that require CSS.
49	FAFSA login creation	Must be done before starting FAFSA.
50	FAFSA website	Gather all documents before you start.
51	FAFSA completion guide (simple and in-depth)	"How-to" guides
52	Financial aid guide for students	Gets you started with financial aid
53	Financial aid guide for undocumented students	Best overview out there - and if you find one better, let us know!
54	Financial aid resources for counselors	PHEAA's page with counselor resources
55	Financial aid resources for students	PHEAA's page with student resources
56	Foster care: Chafee Grant	Chafee is a national program for people who have been in foster care, and this is the PA website
57	Foster care: free tuition in PA	PA has a new program offering free tuition for people who have been in foster care
58	How much aid is given by each college	Lists the percent of need met by 450+ colleges, plus the average aid package
59	PA State Grant instructions	Step-by-step guide for applying to PA's state grant
60	State grant websites for DE, MD, NJ, and PA	Links to each state's websites
61	Scholarship guide from Malvern Prep	Compilation of PA and national scholarship sites
62	Scholarship guide from Girard College	Compilation of Philly-area, identity-based, highly selective, lower selectivity, and national sites
63	TheDream.US	Scholarship resources for undocumented and DACAmented students who came to the US before November 2016
64	Training and Curricular Resources for Counselors
65	Resource	Note
66	Counselor fly-in visit programs	Colleges that offer counselor-focused tours, sometimes free of charge; list is from 2019, so some information and points of contact have likely changed; use the names of the tours to find updated information
67	Counselor training courses from Rice University	Classes can be taken as part of a certificate program or one at a time for special subject areas
68	Counselor training courses from Scoir	Low-cost, individual courses in college counseling, social-emotional learning, and financial aid
69	Lessons for 12th grade students	Slideshows for lessons about the postsecondary application process
70	Serving first-gen Americans	Advice article for those serving children of immigrant parents/guardians
71	Acknowledgements
72	This guide was put together by Chris Horne, Director of College Counseling and Alumni Support at Girard College. Special thanks to Lynette Kuhn (PA Department of Education) and Chris La Tempa (Malvern Prep) for their contributions!
73	If you have any questions, comments, or additions to include in this guide, please reach out to Chris at ias@pacac.org.
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