- Chaparral High School
- College & Career
- College Planning
Planning for College
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College Planning Timelines:
Utilize these timelines to help guide you towards your post-high school journey. There is a planning timeline guide for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Any questions, please see your counselor or stop by the College & Career Center!
Freshmen: 9th Grade Planning Timeline
Sophomores: 10th Grade Planning Timeline
Juniors: 11th Grade Planning Timeline
Seniors: 12th Grade Planning Timeline
Grades 10-12 - College Planning Checklist from GoingMerry
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
*Students who are residents of WICHE states are eligible to request a reduced tuition rate of up to 150% of resident tuition in participating 2 and 4-year college programs outside of their home state.*Please note not all majors are eligible. Always check with the college admissions office for clarification.
*Image from nau.edu
Helpful Links & Interesting Articles:
- by Big Future
Quick College Cost Estimator
- by MyinTuition
13 Surprising Tips for Applying to College
- from GreatSchools.org
Potential Outcomes of Your College Application and How to Handle Them
- from International College Counselors, Cheree Liebowitz
Embrace Self-Care During the College Search
- from Niche.com
Arizona In-State Colleges:
Find information below on the First-Year admissions process for our In-State colleges and universities.
College Ready AZ - Arizona, let's get ready for college!
- College Ready AZ makes it easy to plan and apply for college at Arizona's public universities. Use this website to find all the information you need to help create the future you deserve.
- College Ready AZ
Testing:
PSAT/NMSQT - See the resources below for digital practice tests.
- Khan Academy - Practice Here
ACT
SAT
*How do scores compare for each test?
SAT Composite Score
ACT Composite Score
1600
36
1560-1590
35
1520-1550
34
1490-1510
33
1450-1480
32
1420-1440
31
1390-1410
30
1350-1380
29
1310-1340
28
1280-1300
27
1240-1270
26
1200-1230
25
1160-1190
24
1130-1150
23
1100-1120
22
1060-1090
21
1020-1050
20
980-1010
19
940-970
18
900-930
17
860-890
16
810-850
15
760-800
14
720-750
13
630-710
12
560-620
11
More College Planning Resources
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Campus Visit Information
Whether a student is planning on attending a community college, trade school, or a four-year university, an important component to figuring out if a school is a good fit is to visit the campus.
Most colleges have special days for prospective students. The schools plan special activities and introduce students to campus life. Some of our Arizona universities are listed below. Information for other schools may be found on their websites, or by talking to their representatives.
Before visiting a college campus, it could be helpful to look at a College Visit Planning Checklist.Be prepared with questions before the visit:Questions to ask College Admissions.
Another helpful article, from College Board, gives information on When to Visit college campuses.
Visiting during the week and experiencing a real day on the campus can be the best way of getting a true feel of what the school is like.
Students considering attending an out-of-state school should try to arrange to visit those campuses as well. If that is not possible, or to just get a look around a school, students can participate in virtual tours online You Visit.
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College 101 Information
High School Timelines - make the most of your high school years with a yearly plan.
9th Grade | 10th Grade | 11th Grade | 12th Grade
How is College Different from High School?
The Application Process:
College admissions, while challenging, can be a great experience. Searching for colleges, examining your interests, having discussions about your future with your parents can be enlightening experiences. The counselors and the CCC are here to help you as you work through this process.All four-year colleges require:
1) an application
2) an official transcript sent from Naviance or from your school counselor
3) SAT or ACT scores sent from the testing agency (some colleges are test optional, so be sure to check directly with the school you are applying to for feedback on submitting your test scores)
4) Some colleges also require letters of recommendation (usually Common App Schools)
The Essay
Application Organization Guide - Keep organized with applications, due dates, and all that encompasses the application process.
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Helpful Links
The 10 Best College Websites
By Lynn O'Shaughnessy
When I typed "college" into Google today, I got 631 million hits. When I searched for "scholarships" and "financial aid," I generated another 51 million and 58 million results.
Nobody has time to slog through all that and a lot of it is probably schlock anyway. You can, however, dramatically cut down on the time you need to find great colleges at bargain prices if you spend time visiting what I consider to be the 10 best college websites. In no particular order, here are my choices for the top 10 college websites:
1. College Navigator. The graphics aren't slick, but this federal website contains more data on the nation's colleges and universities than any place else on the Internet. Using the College Navigator's school search engine, you can scour the country for schools based on your criteria, which is handy if you aren't sure where to hunt for schools beyond the obvious names and your own state institutions.
2. College Results Online. Families assume that their children will graduate from college in four years, but that's sadly not true for most. This great website provides four, five, and six-year graduation rates for schools across the country. What I like about College Results Online is that it breaks down graduation rates by gender and ethnicity.
3. Zinch and 4. Cappex. These websites are online matchmakers that have borrowed features from Facebook that should appeal to teenagers. On both sites, for instance, a student can create a profile that goes well beyond test scores and grade-point averages that they can share with schools. Using these sites is a great way to discover intriguing schools that you didn't know existed. Through Cappex, you can access Meritaid.com, which provides a valuable directory of scholarships that thousands of schools offer.
5. College Majors 101. Wondering what you can do with a degree in biology or dance? College Majors 101 offers lots of information about what you can do with dozens of majors, as well as what you can expect academically if you peruse these majors.
6. College Insight. College Insight, which is the brainchild of the Institute for College Access and Success, has gathered detailed information on thousands of colleges. You can find statistics for any school on such topics as college affordability, graduation rates, and college diversity, including the racial and ethnic breakdown of students and professors.
7. Project Student Debt. This website is devoted to helping families make the best financial choices when tackling college costs. You will find tons of information about college debt and student loans. The site also has a list of schools that have pledged to limit or eliminate the use of student loans in their financial aid packages.
8. College Board. I am always turning to the College Board when I want to check some quick facts about a particular school. You can easily retrieve the academic profile of a college's freshman class, financial aid merit aid stats, available majors, and much more.
9. Unigo. This site, which has teamed up with the Wall Street Journal, serves up the unvarnished scoop on schools from the students themselves. You won't find spin from the admission offices here. Unigo urges college students to share their take in their own schools through comments, photos, and videos.
10. The Choice (New York Times). This college blog will keep you up to date on the latest trends on college admission, testing, and financial aid. The blog also features a lot of question-and-answer sessions with college admission officers and other higher ed experts.
*Additional articles by Lynn O'Shaughnessy