The majority of students at Palmer choose to pursue their education after
graduation. Although individual graduating classes vary on their exit
surveys, we usually have:
- 60% of our students planning to go to a 4-year college or university
- 20% of the students wanting a 2 year college, vocational school, or
junior college
- 20% choose to either work after graduation, military enlistment, or
other.
The "Going to College" can be a time consuming task. We suggest that
students start this task in the middle of their junior year in high school.
If planning to go to a 4-year college or university, the first step is to
take an ACT or SAT test. We suggest that a student take both in the spring
semester. Currently, the state of Colorado requires that all juniors take
the ACT and this "state ACT" test is accepted by all higher education
institutions except the NCAA clearinghouse and military academies. We have
published the College Guide on the Palmer website and have linked it to this
page. We see the "Going to College" process as a series of steps and have
arranged our links as such.
NACAC
CollegeBoard
CollegeinColorado
PLAN
Getting
a head start on the post-secondary process
NEW! Senior
Post Secondary Planning PDF
NEW! Junior Visit 1 PDF
NEW! Junior Visit 2 PDF
NEW! Sophomore Visit PDF
College
in Colorado:
Create account
Student Profile: (need to enter user name and password
for College in Colorado
right away)
Higher
Education Opportunities and Admission Requirements
High School Coursework Planner
College Planning Timetable:
Then you can click on the appropriate grade
Test Prep (need to enter user name and password for College
in Colorado
right away)
www.actstudent.org
www.collegeboard.com
Exploring
areas of study:
www.mymajors.com
Choices Planner
Click on Choices Planner
(Need to enter user name and password for College in Colorado right away)
Then you can choose from a variety of topics to begin the career search process
‘Interest Profiler’ to look at your personality type and what types
of careers might
interest you
‘Career Clusters’ different careers that you may want to research
that did not appear
in your Interest Profiler
‘Majors’ courses of study that might point you toward a career path
Apprenticeship opportunities:
http://www.xpdnc.com/links/apusco.html
Parent
Resources on Choices Explorer: https://access.bridges.com/usa/en_US/choices/pro/content/parent/main.html
(You must be logged in with your user name and password for
College in Colorado
for this site)
Great
all-around information on the process:
NACAC newsletter:
http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/News/StepsNewsletter/
APPLY…..everything
you need to apply to the college or university of your choice
Compare
different In-State Colleges:
https://secure.collegeincolorado.org/Apply/Compare_Colleges/_default.aspx
Common
Application:
www.commonapp.org
Early
decision vs. early action:
http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/apply/college-applications/21342.html
Applying
online to In-State colleges and universities:
https://secure.collegeincolorado.org/Apply/_default.aspx then click on apply
online….you will need to log on with user name and password for College
in Colorado
right away.
Virtual
Tour
https://secure.collegeincolorado.org/ExternalScripts/Colorado/Apply
/Campus_Tours/default.asp
PAY…How can I afford all of this??
Before
I Go…Saving for College
http://www.collegeincolorado.org/Pay/Before_I_Go/_default.aspx
Aid
Opportunities not to be Missed
http://www.collegeincolorado.org/Pay/Aid_Opportunities_Not_To_Be_Missed.aspx
Scholarship
Search
http://www.collegeincolorado.org/Pay/When_I_Go/FA_Opportunities/Scholarships/_default.aspx
www.fastweb.com
Scholarships for different ethnicities:
Scholarships for ESL Students
www.maldef.org/education/scholarships.htm
Scholarships /for Native American Students
www.finaid.org/otheraid/natamind.phtml
www.bellaonline.com/subjects/6349.asp
Scholarships for African American Students
www.uncf.org
www.littleafrica.com/scholarship
Scholarships for Hispanic/Chicano/Latino Students
www.chicano-art-life.com/hsf.html
www.lulac.org/programs/scholar.html
FAFSA
http://www.collegeincolorado.org/Pay/When_I_Go/How_Do_I_Apply.aspx
This portion of College in Colorado’s website has ALL the information you need for the
FAFSA including:
PIN
Worksheet
Filling out the FAFSA
Contacting Financial Aid Offices
http://www.collegeincolorado.org/Pay/Tools/FA_Office_Directory.aspx
At times, mental health counseling outside the school setting will be suggested to the
parents and at the parent’s expense. Most insurance plans cover mental health and
other agencies that work with sliding scale fees can be suggested.
