Tips & Resources

Finding the right college takes time and energy.  Here's a few resources to help you find information:

FINANCIAL AID INFO NIGHT
There will be a Financial Aid Information night on Wed., Nov. 12, 2014 at SM Northwest High School, 12701 W. 67th Street.  The presentation will take place in the auditorium from 7:00 - 8:30 pm.  Topics will include federal aid, scholarships, grants and other resources for funding post-secondary education.  Hosted by Shawnee Mission School District.  This event is open to all high school students and their parents.

READ

College planning books - available at your local library, bookstore or online.

Of course, there's lots of information online.  Some college planning websites include: collegeboard.com, petersons.com, usnews.com, collegeprowler.com and collegeconfidential.com.

PrincetonReview.com includes lots of valuable information including annual rankings in many categories and student comments about colleges.

Visit collegesofdistinction.com to read about colleges that have been handpicked by admission experts for the Colleges of Distinction project based on four factors: student engagement, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes. 

For scholarship information, try fastweb.com and finaid.com.

Check out this helpful downloadable PDF file with financial aid, scholarship and college planning checklist for Junior and Senior high school students.  (Published by the Kansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators)

LinkedIn has an interesting ranking of colleges and universities based on career outcomes. See which schools are launching graduates into desirable jobs.

TALK

Talk to your high school counselor.  Your school's counseling website is a great place to start your college search process.

Talk to college representatives.  Attend the Shawnee Mission College Clinic or other local college fair and talk to representatives face to face.  Ask questions in person!

Talk to people who have gone through the college search process before, both students and their parents.  

VISIT

Make a few college visits.  Try to visit while school is in session if possible.  In addition to a formal tour of the campus, you might want to arrange to sleep in a dorm and eat in the dining hall.  Visit some classes and talk to as many students as possible.  

TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR

Before committing to an in person trip to a college campus, check out CampusTours.com.  You can take a virtual tour of many college and university campuses from across the country.  

INFO FOR STUDENT ATHLETES

Did you know that of all the students who play sports in high school, about 7% will go on to play in college, but only 1% will play for an NCAA Division I school? There are thousands of opportunities to play your sport at smaller four-year universities that belong to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

You can find out more about Early Decisions, NAIA sports and schools and much more at PlayNAIA.org.

TIPS FOR WRITING A COLLEGE ESSAY

Here's an article with tips about writing a successful college essay.