College Readines
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Welcome to Pacelli's college readiness page! We are so glad you're here and we're happy to be helping you as you prepare for the next step in your academic journey.
On this page you will find endless amounts of helpful information about the college preparation and appication process including how to know which school is right for you, how to apply to financial aid, how to find and apply for scholarships, and even how to know what your skillsets are and how that can impact your school choice.
As always, if you have any questions or need any help along the way we are always here for you. Just reach out and we'll be glad to offer any assistance we can.
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We're Here to Help...
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Paula Ziemspziemspacellischools.orgSchool Principal -
Main Officeadminpacellischools.orgGeneral Questions & Inquiries
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Explore Your Future
Your first step on your college jounrey is EXPLORATION. Learn about different schools and their program offerings. Start by asking yourself which type of career you want. Then find the programs that can make your dreams a reality. If you are undecided about a career, that's okay. Consider what kind of campus environment you want and begin to narrow down your options. College is a unique time in your life when you expand your cultural, intellectual, and social horizons. Enjoy the journey!
College Search: If you are interested in comparing schools across the US, start here with a user friendly college search engine.
Big Future: Similar to college search, BigFuture is another college search engine offered by CollegeBoard. Click here to search.
Minnesota College Fairs: College fairs can be a great way to discover colleges by talking with representatives about the school environment and program offerrings. They also often provide helpful tips for your application process. Check out the list of current college fairs happening here.
Occupational Outlook Handbook: This site helps students compare and contrast occupations by highest paying, fastest growing, most new jobs, occupation groups and field of degrees. It also gives overview of degrees and experience required for an occupation.
Minnesota Private Colleges: Learn about the uniqueness of private schools and what Minnesota has to offer here.
Minnesota State Colleges & Universities: Explore public colleges in Minnesota here.
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Plan Your Future
Your next step is to plan! Compare schools, look at their application process, and make plans to meet their requirements.
College Comparison Worksheet: Here is a great resources for comparing schools.
MakeMeAFreshman: This is a free personalized step-by-step checklist for students to help with the college application process. Check it out and see if this can help you stay organized.
College Application Worksheet: Use this worksheet to plan for your college application process.
Tips for Writing an Essay and Preparing for an Interview: Some application processes require an application or an interview. Take a look at these tips to prepare for that process.
Essay Resources: Here are some additional essay tips by CollegeBoard to help students write a winning college application essay.
Letter of Recommendation: Some application processes require a letter of recommendation. Learn more about how to get one from CollegeBoard here.
Teacher Recommendation Request: Take a look at this document to learn how to ask a teacher for a recommendation.
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Plan Your Application
You have explored your college and degree options, you have planned and prepared for your application, and now it is time to apply!
Apply: Applications are often done on the school of your choice's website. Before you hit the sumbit button, make sure to double check all your information. If you had to write an essay ask a parent or teacher to proofread it for you and give feedback.
I Applied. Now What?: Here is a resource to begin your next phase of planning after your application is sumbitted.
FAFSA Workflow: Here is an overview of the FAFSA to help students begin their next phase of their college journey.
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What Kind of School is Right for Me?
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2 Year SChool
Students need a high school diploma or GED to get into a 2-year college.
Technical colleges or career schools offer programs that emphasize hands-on knowledge and skills that lead to specific jobs in technical and industrial occupations.What you can earn:
- Certificate (1 year or less)
- Diploma (2 years or less)
- Associate in Applied Science (2 years)
- Associate in Arts (2 years, some schools)
Community Colleges provide for the first two years of a 4-year. Graduates can transfer to a college or university to complete a bachelor’s degree. What you can earn:- Certificates (1 year or less)
- Diploma (2 years or less)
- Associate in Applied Science (2 years, some schools)
- Associate in Arts (2 years)
- Tip: If you decide to complete your first 2 years of your bachelors at a community college, you will want to ensure that the university you want to transfer to will accept those credits. For example: Minnesota State Schools and Riverland CC are in the same school system and accept earch others credits, but Michigian State may not. You will want to chat with admissions of your intended university for more information.
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4 Year College & University
Public & Private Universities offer a variety of degrees and programs. Public colleges and universities are funded by the state and often offer lower tuition rates and often provide an array of program offerings. Private colleges and universities rely on tuition and endowments instead of the state. They often have higher tuition rates but many offer generous financial aid.
They often have fewer program offerings but offer specialized focus in specific fields. Many are private liberal arts colleges which often emphasize broad knowledge in the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities. They also often have smaller class sizes and unique communities.What you can earn:
- Bachelor’s degree- Bachlors of Science or Bachlors of Arts
- Master’s degree (some schools)
- Doctorate degree (some schools)
- Professional degree (some schools)
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- Assessment that measures career and leisure interests.
- Contains 291 items that ask participants about their preferences in regard to occupations, subject areas, activities, leisure activities, people, and characteristics.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
- Personality inventory.
- Results discuss self-development information such as the type of personality and careers that blend well with the personality code.
- Personality type is a practical tool for investigating what works for an individual, then looking for and recognizing work that satisfies his or her preferences.
- Self-assessment of career exploration tools that help individuals discover the type of work activities and occupations that they would find exciting.
- Students are able to identify and learn about broad interest areas most relevant to themselves that they can use to explore the world of work.
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Career Cluster Interest Survey
- Individuals can rate activities they enjoy, personality qualities, and school subjects they like.
- The program generates which career clusters are a match with the interests.
- This site helps students compare and contrast occupations by highest paying, fastest growing, most new jobs, occupation groups and field of degrees. It also gives overview of degrees and experience required for an occupation.
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Financial aid basics
FAFSA Workflow: Here is an overview of the FAFSA to help students begin their next phase of their college journey.
- To apply for financial aid, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available online at www.fafsa.gov
- FAFSA is used to apply for a Minnesota State Grant, a Federal Pell Grant, the Minnesota Indian Scholarship, a Direct Loan, and many other financial aid options available at individual colleges.
- FAFSA requires you to submit information about family and student income and assets.
- Undocumented students can apply for state financial aid by accessing the online MN Dream Act –State Financial Aid application. For more information visit http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=2056
- Minnesota offers a loan program called SELF Loan Program
- Long-term, low-interest educational loan primarily for MN students who need assistance paying for education beyond high school. For more information visit https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=170
- By applying for financial aid, you do not commit yourself to attend any college.
Five Basic Steps to Applying for Financial Aid
- Apply for admission to one or more colleges.
- Apply for financial aid at www.fafsa.gov using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after October 1st. Undocumented students should use the state financial aid application, available at www.ohe.state.mn.us/MNDreamAct instead of the FAFSA.
- Apply for scholarships offered by the colleges or other sources. Ask for applications from the school counselor or find them online. Check out the free online scholarships sites such as www.fastweb.com to search for private scholarships.
- Receive college admittance letters (timing varies).
- Receive letters from colleges outlining your financial aid eligibility (usually March 1st or later, depending on when you submitted your FAFSA), and respond accordingly.
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Your financial aid journey starts with the FAFSA. Once you have completed the FAFSA and submitted it to the schools you've been accepted to, those schools will send you a student aid report. This report will tell you how much aid you will receive and it will help you determine how much more financial cost you need to cover either through scholarships or through student loans.
Scholarship Search
- Your first step in your scholarship search is to prepare to apply. Check out these resources to put your best foot forward in the application process.
NSHSS Tips College Board Tips Top University Tips
- Most colleges and their supporters offer scholarships to students. Your next step is to locate their scholarship search on their website and apply for college specific scholarships. Be sure to check that you meet the criteria for the scholarship. Talk with a financial aid advisor at your college of choice.
- Your next step is to check out scholarship opportunities in your community. They often have location and program criteria. Check out the scholarships known to Pacelli below.
- You can also broaden your horizons by checking out scholarship search sites. There are many on the internet, but here are a few to start with.
FastWeb Scholarships.com US Dept of Labor Niche Discover
There are many scholarship search engines and tips. Don't be afraid to do a little research on your own and explore resources outside of this list. This list is to help you get started!
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The Hormel Assurance Scholarship:
The Hormel Foundation officially kicked off a program to offer all qualifying seniors from Pacelli Catholic Schools full scholarships to Riverland Community College.
The Austin Assurance Scholarship program is designed to give students the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education by removing cost as a barrier.
"This is really going to be a game changer for our community," says Riverland Community College president Adenuga Atewologun, "especially our students of lesser means and our immigrant populations. They will really benefit."
Seniors who meet the requirements and choose to attend Riverland Community College will receive a scholarship to cover tuition and fees as well as a stipend for textbooks.
"When young people and their families understand that this scholarship is available, it gives them hope and a light into the future that they might not otherwise have thought about," says Hormel Foundation secretary Steve Rizzi. "It's a great difference maker for Austin. There isn't any component in our society where education doesn't make a difference, and by valuing and enhancing the ability to access a post-secondary education, we believe that we instill the belief that we can better ourselves as individuals with an education."
Austin Utilities Austin Area Foundation Farmers Mutual Insurance Scholarships for Latino Students
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