rthwest High School

"New Resource" College Gems in your own backyard! 
Colleges of Distinction include Hood College, Mount St. Mary's University, Salisbury University, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Washington College.  [Posted December 9]

Career:

•  Apprenticeship Programs:www.dllr.state.md.us
  Select Divisions.  Select Workforce Development.  Select Labor & Industry.  Select Apprenticeship & Training
• Career Exploration:http://www.asvabprogram.com 
• Explore Health Career Careers by clicking here
• The Military:http://usmilitary.about.com 
• The Federal Government:
  www.usajobs.opm.gov 
• Federal Government Internships:
  www.studentjobs.gov 
• Peterson's The StudentEdge:Online college and career planning resource.  Includes college testing prep and scholarship information.  Access is high school specific.  NWHS access.

College:

• A resource for writing your college application personal statement.  Includes an overview of the writing process, step by step help and tips with examples.  Click here and begin to write a good personal statement.
•  The Common Application:Once completed online or in print, copies of the Application for Undergraduate Admission can be sent to 391 of participating colleges. The same is true of the School Report, Midyear Report, Final Report and Teacher Evaluation forms. This allows you to spend less time on the busywork of applying for admission, and more time on what's really important: college research, visits, essay writing, and senior year coursework.
• The Common Black Application:
  A one-time $35 fee allows students to apply to all 34 members institutions.
• CollegeWeek Live.   The World's Largest College Fair:Online events, virtual tours and information on paying for college.  Online FREE registration is required.
• College  Basics:http://www.collegebasics.com 
• Early Action vs. Early Decision: 
• Maryland Higher Eductation Commission:MDgo4it:  http://www.mhec.state.md.us 

Financial Aid:

• The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online.  The FAFSA is used by many institutions to determine financial aid eligibility.
• The FAFSA4caster presented by Federal Student Aid.  Preparing for college takes planning and organization.  Paying for college takes financial aid.  The FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process. From the Maryland Higher Education Commission:  Use the College Aid Calculator for Maryland students and familiies.
• www.finaid.org
  A "free, comprehensive, independent and objective guide to financial aid."  Also lists several scholarship programs, instructions for the FAFSA, information on loads and lenders, and college planning sites.  Also includes a free financial estimator.

Montgomery College:

• www.montgomerycollege.edu.  Information on applying to MC, taking the Accuplacer Placement test and financial aid.
• Students planning to transfer are encouraged to use ARTSYS.   The State of Maryland Articulation Information website.  ARTSYS shows which MC courses are recommended for transferring to specific Maryland colleges & universities.

Scholarship Searches:  More coming SOON!

• MCPS College & Career Information Scholarship Web Site.  Web site includes scholarship listing, search engine, updates as well as  information specific to minority students.
• www.scholarships4students.com.  Scholarship searches by category.
• www.fastweb.com.  FREE scholarship searches and information
• Coca-Cola Scholars.  2 and 4-year college scholarships.
• Gates Millennium Scholarships.  Open to African American, American Indian/Alaska Nataive, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American seniors.  US citizens or legal permanent residents.  Applicant should have a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.
• Sports scholarships, internships and college eligibility requirements for athletes.
• The Hispanic Scholarship Fund website 
• ROTC Scholarship information available on the CollegeBoard web site.  Links to the individual ROTC branch scholarships.

Visit the Northwest High School College & Career Information Center Scholarships & Financial Aid web page for additional scholarship opportunities.