BY NICK BOOSE AND SAM SCHREPFERMAN, Editors

Senior Sean Flamand is applying to colleges like everyone else. He is looking at colleges with good majors and the amount of money they can give him.

He has already applied to a handful of colleges by filling out their applications.  Some things he is proud to put on his application are his involvement in student council and National Honor Society.

Just like Flamand, students all head down the same road toward college. The first steps toward applying to college are smaller than the rest, but they all have the same impact.

Each year students set their goals high for college but they all apply to college in high school. They choose their favorite college, apply to them and choose the one for them. Every college hopeful does this in three different steps.

Picking out colleges

The first step towards college, according to counselor Andrew Franklin, is finding  the top ten schools that have a degree in a certain field of interest. Keep in mind your financial status.

According to Patrick Ritter, author at classesandcareers.com,there are six different types of colleges to choose from: online institutions, campus institutions, community colleges, state colleges, state universities and private colleges/ universities.

Online institutions are more focused into one  main career. They are specialized for just classes that are important to that degree.

Careers like teaching classes would focus on certain grade levels and subject. A career like physical therapy classes that would  focus on muscles and exercises instead of math and history.

Campus institutions are offered online and on campus grounds. This type of  school gives different classes other than the ones gear towards a certain degree.

Community colleges are small knit colleges usually found in local areas. These colleges offer an associates degree and sometimes bachelor’s degrees.

State colleges are state funded colleges that offer college designed courses. They also offer  anywhere from and associates degree to and doctoral degree. They are a lower division school and are known but not well enough. These colleges will give out academic scholarships.

State universities are a tax funded school. This school is usually found in a large college town. They offer all the different types of degrees. They are well known and are a higher division college. These colleges will give out full rides for sports.

Private college are not funded by taxes because they only take donations. They are considered the top colleges. They have every degrees from associate to a doctoral.

Applying to colleges

After finding ten schools, find out what the schools are looking for in their application. Some colleges look for a letter of recommendation, academic history/related high school courses, ACT scores and sometime a essay. Also look for scholarships to any certain school.

“The goal for applications at Kaneland High School is to have  application filled out by halloween. Make sure to research college applications deadlines, each school is different,” Franklin said.

When getting a letter of recommendation, look for a teacher or any staff member that has positive comments to say. Even try and get a couple different letters  for options when applying.

Sophomores and juniors should talk to a counselor on what they can do to help  with  grades and ACT scores especially. There is an online prep course for all student preparing for the ACT at ACT inc. The course is $19 and is created by the same people that created the ACT.

The essay part of an application differs for each school. Some can be as simple as “ What  is the best advice you have ever received? Why? And did you follow it? ” (University of Pennsylvania).  It could even be “If we could only admit one more student to the University of Pittsburgh, why should it be you?” (University of Pittsburgh) or it could be anything that schools want.

The last part of applying for colleges if there is college scholarships. When there are scholarships  try see what division the school is. If they are a division three schools, they can only give out academic scholarships. If they are a  divisions one or two they can give both academic and sports scholarships.

When applying for college and looking for a scholarship send letters to both the coach for a sport and the school. According to National

Collegiate Scouting Association. All athletes should start to look for scholarship by at least their junior  year in high school.

 Choosing a college

When choosing a college it is a good idea to attend the campus when class is in session to get a feel for the school.

“ When you go to campus when class is in session you feel the excitement of rushing to class,” said Franklin.

First, look for what each school has to offer academically and socially. Each college will have clubs, sport teams, and even local get-togethers. Each college will also have many different class to choose from.

Second look at the size of students attending each college. Some colleges will have lecture hall filled with hundreds. Depending on how each student learns one or the other will be the perfect fit.

Finally look for all the things that may be minor details but still important. Distance is a huge deal to most people. The farther away the harder  it is to get home.  Cost maybe a factor for a lot of people. Look for ways that will help with financial aid and student loans.

Picking a college is one of the hardest part of senior year. Don’t become swamped with so many things to do; start sophomore and junior year and make the difficult decision of picking a college an easier one.

College and Career Readiness Center

“A place to research colleges and possible career paths.

Students can use the Naviance Family Connection to exlore their post-secondary options, apply for colleges, and apply for scholarships. The college and Career Center is open during Smart Start on Thursday mornings and throughout the lunch periods. Mr. Franklin, as well as counseling interns, are available to answer questions and help navigate students through Naviance.

Student Services will be using Naviance to inform students about upcoming college representatives and speakers from the work force,” said Counselour Erin Shore.

This is a huge resource for all high school students who are looking to find the right college for them.

Getting ready for college is a huge task.  Looking for, applying to, choosing a college could be one if the most important responsibilities of someone’s high school career. Remember that this can all be done with the help of parents, teacher and counselors. Just remember, all the hard work that has been put in will benefit you greatly in the end.