College Resources

Applying to college is an exciting time in your life and we're here to help make the transition a little less stressful, and a lot more fun! In order to do that, Girls Write Now has created this  resource page to give you guidance about the college application process, from finding the right school to financing your education! The page is broken up into four sections to help guide you through the process -- you can skip to whichever topic you need help with. Good luck!

Part 1: Getting Out of High School
Before you can get to college you need to get out of high school, and you know what that means...SATs and ACTs. Here are some helpful resources for conquering those dreadful standardized exams! 

SAT Practice 
Offers FREE SAT prep by offering you practice with official SAT Prep questions in math, reading, and writing, practice exams, and registration information.

Major Tests
Offers FREE unofficial SAT prep with 1000's of practice vocabulary words. 

SAT Skills 
Take the SAT already but want to improve your scores? This website will help you learn the skills to mastering the SAT. 

ACT 
The ACT home page. 

Preparing for the ACT 
This site has free practice questions and helpful tips.

Girls College Bound
GWN's how-to for college; we'll cover everything from writing that perfect essay to hearing about real-life college experiences! FREE and open to ALL NYC HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS!

Part 2: Finding the Right College FOR YOU! 
Finding the right college for you is one of the most important and exciting steps in the application process. You are trying to decide where you are going to live your life for the next few years and there is A LOT to consider when making this desicion.

College Search
This site has a college matchmaker where you can find out which colleges best fit you depending on location, tuition costs, and majors- database includes over 3,000 schools!

College Navigator
Another useful search engine to find out which schools best suit you.

Simply Put
An NPR (National Public Radio) article that breaks down the application process simply and clearly.

Super College
Go to "10 Step Guide" and then to the article "How to Choose the Right College." This article acts as a how-to on choosing the right school-it's written by Gen and Kelly Tanabe, founders of Super College and authors of 11 books on college plannin.

Planning Your College Visit
After researching what schools are you interested in, you'll want to visit! This website offers information on how to plan and prepare for your college visits. Can't visit the school you're interested in? This site also has virtual visits.

College Confidential
Sometimes the best way to learn about the process it to talk to other people to find out what they did, or what they would do differently. This site has a wealth of information written by college students on all topics related to the college process.

UniverCity: New York Colleges and Universities - Below find links to colleges that are located right here in New York!
Barnard College
Berkeley College
Columbia University
Fordham University
Marymount Manhattan
New School
New York University
Pace University
State University of New York
Touro College
The City University of New York
- Apply to 6 of the 17 CUNY schools with one application. There is no link for these in paricular, but the information is here.
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs at the City University of New York

Part 3: The Application - and how to make it stand out!
Ok, so you've taken your exams and found some schools you think fit you best; now it's time to apply! With so many applications coming into college admissions offices, you want your application to stand out in the crowd. These resources will show you how to create an awesome college application!

A. The Common App.
First off, what is this "Common Application" everyone keeps talking about? The Common Application is a standardized college application that more than 240 accredited independent colleges and universities accept. The resources below will teach you the ins and outs of this application!

The Basics
A general overview of the Common App as well as advantages and disadvantages to it.

The Common Application
Homepage to the Common App that gives you all the basic information.

Common App Forms
Along with your Common App there will be other forms that you will need to fill out-find them all here.

B. Essays!
For some, one of the most intimidating parts of a college application is the essay portion. Have no fear!

GWN College Bound has a summer workshop that will help you learn how to write a stellar college essay. The workshops are open to ALL NYC HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS and it's 100% FREE.

C. Recommendations!
Part of your application is going to be letters of recommendation, so we thought some resources on who you should ask to write them and what is important in a letter of recommendation.

Letters of Recommendation 101
Basic information on how to get that perfect letter!

D. Interviews!
So now you have sent in your letters of recommendation and your application and they want to interview you-AWESOME!

Interview Prep 101
The basics to a college interview.

Part 4: I GOT IN!!! Now how do I pay for it?
Getting into the college of your dreams can be one of the most fufilling and exciting moments in your life! Looking at tuition costs may put a bit of a damper on that excitement, but there's hope! There are so many sites dedicated to helping you find the financial aid you need to pay for school.

A. Financial Aid
The first thing you will need to do in order to qualify for state finacial aid, is fill out your FAFSA (The Free Application for Student Aid). Stop by the GWN office for a hard copy.

FinAid
A smart guide to finding financial aid.

Financial Aid Planner
College Board has an easy and helpful financial aid planner to help you organize your college expenses!

Federal Student Aid
The United States Department of Education's website has a ton of financial aid and scholarship information.

CSS/Financial Aid Profile
Some schools also require that you create one of these profiles when applying for financial aid; you would need this for non-federal funding.

Free FASFA and Finiacial Aid Workshops Throughout NYC
Throughout February, the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation will be running FREE workshops to inform and educate students and parents about the financial aid process, including help on filling out your FASFA.

B. Scholarships!
Another way to pay or help to pay for college is scholarships. There are scholarships out there for everyone and you don't have to pay them back! Scholarships.com is a great place to start because it has a search function that will connect you to the scholarships for which you are eligible. 

Part 5: Additional Resources

Things You Wish You Knew Before Applying to College
This great article gives 40 great tips and things to be mindful of before beginning the college application process.

GWN's College Prep Check List
To help keep you on track with the college process, reference GWN's College prep Checklist for Juniors and Seniors. 

Pathways to College, New York
A resource aimed at helping under-served New York students apply for higher education.

The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation
A student aid agency for New York state residents that will help students plan for college, learn how to apply for state aid and find other college resources.

KnowHow2Go
This is a great site to help you learn the steps of applying to colleges and will help you find local resources.

Going2College
Explore career paths, find answers to financial aid and student loan questions, and plan for your college career with the help of this website.

Go College
A Comprehensive guide to aid in all aspects of surviving college applications.

College.gov
This site is intended to be the go-to source for information and resources about planning, preparing and paying for postsecondary education (such as 2- or 4-year colleges and universities, as well as vocational or career schools).