MEET YOUR GEAR UP ADVISOR:
Located in Student Services in all three high schools, College Now Advisors can help students and families with:
- Help finding scholarships
- Filing FAFSA
- College research assistance
- College Now Scholarships
- GEAR UP Scholarships
- ACT/SAT Fee Waivers
- College Application Fee Waivers
Stephanie Niskey - Normandy High School
Phone: 440-885-2410
Email:
About Me: Growing up I didn’t think college was for me, as my family was very poor and no one had gone before. I did not have any guidance on navigating the process, but I realized it was a way I could change my life and get away from the circumstances of which I grew up. Being someone that helps students navigate the college process and shows them what opportunities they have is very rewarding to me. Since education is the one gift that cannot be taken away, I believe it can have the biggest impact on a person’s life.
Cathy Graham - Parma Senior High School
Hillary Walker - Valley Forge High School
COLLEGE READINESS RESOURCES
College Search Links:
http://www.campustours.com/ – CampusTours builds video tours, photorealistic interactive campus maps, mobile walking tours and custom data-driven multimedia applications for education, non-profit and government clients worldwide.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
www.niche.com – Since 2002, we’ve helped millions of people find their niche and thrive within it. Explore places, schools and colleges.
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ – The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.
College Admissions Links:
https://www.commonapp.org/ – An online undergraduate college application accepted by over 400 independent colleges.
College Financial Aid Links:
https://fsaid.ed.gov/ – Create an FSA ID: An FSA ID gives you access to Federal Student Aid’s online systems and can serve as your legal signature.
www.fafsa.gov – The Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
https://student.collegeboard.org/content/css-financial-aid-profile – The CSS Financial Profile: Welcome to PROFILE. By filling out one form, you can apply online for nonfederal financial aid from almost 300 colleges and scholarship programs.
http://www.collegenowgc.org/solutions/scholarship-services/ – College Now offsets the high cost of college tuition by awarding renewable, need-based, last dollar scholarships to students across Northeast Ohio. Over the last few years, College Now’s scholarship recipients, those coming directly from high school and those who are adult learners, have experienced declining income and resources while postsecondary costs have risen, leaving a wide gap.
Test Prep Links:
www.veritasprep.com – Start preparing for the SAT today using Veritas Prep’s free SAT prep resources. Watch the SAT videos to learn more about specific strategies and helpful study tips, and attend a free live online SAT class to learn the most effective techniques and strategies for the major sections of the test. We have also included some of the best SAT study resources you will find from other sources!
www.march2success.com – We provide materials to help prepare students for college and a series of videos to simplify processes. We provide customized lesson plans, allowing students to skip through what they already know. The programs can help students with their grades, state required exams or as refreshers.
www.chegg.com – With Chegg Test Prep, students can get instant access to hundreds of expert SAT, ACT, and GRE test prep guides. And we’re only getting started! We know how stressful testing can be for students. With our free test prep resources, we aim to support students and help relieve some of that stress.
www.consumeraffairs.com – A great GRE score will help you get into just about any graduate program. Prep work for a test this important involves more than just taking sample tests. It requires you to understand the logic behind the questions to find the correct answer as quickly as possible.