How can I help my child prepare for college?
Develop or review your child's plan for college, including course work, grades and college requirements.
What courses should my child take to prepare for college?
Your child can increase his or her subject matter knowledge and get a head start on college by completing Advanced Placement courses and exams. Many colleges and universities award college credit to students who successfully complete AP courses and exams in high school. Contact your child's counselor to see if his or her school offers AP courses.
However, it's not just taking or passing courses
that prepares your child for college or the working world. The key to his
or her success is learning the subject matter in those courses. For an outline
of the skills and knowledge your child should obtain from high school courses,
ask your child's counselor to see a copy of ACT's Standards for Transition
brochure.
What types of colleges
are available?
There are three types of post-secondary institutions:
colleges, universities and career and technology schools.
Colleges are institutions that grant associate degrees
for transfer to four-year institutions or for career preparation. Two-year
colleges are known as open-door institutions because performance standards
(standardized test scores or combination of class rank and grade point
average) are not required for admission.
Universities usually offer four-year degrees, as
well as graduate and professional degrees. They may also offer two-year
degrees.
Career and technology schools offer education and
training in technical fields. Students can also earn college credit
at Oklahoma career and technology centers that participate in the cooperative
agreements program.
How can I help my child
choose a college?
Find out all you can about Oklahoma Colleges and
Universities. Visit a college campus with your child, take a campus
tour, and attend a campus play or other activity. This will give you
both an opportunity to become familiar with campus life. You should
also encourage your child to analyze his or her abilities and interests.
Help him or her make the connection between career and study options.
When should the FAFSA be submitted?
Each year a new FAFSA
form is available for that school year, typically from July 1 to June 30.
Complete the form as soon as possible after January 1 once you have completed
your income tax statement. To receive state aid, such as the Oklahoma
Tuition Aid Grant, the application must be submitted by May 30.
How do scholarships, grants, work study and loans
differ?
Scholarships are awarded for a variety of reasons,
such as financial need, academic achievement, special talents, career
plans or participation in community service projects. Some scholarships
are free, but others require the recipient to fulfill certain responsibilities.
Federal and state grants are typically awarded on
the basis of need and do not require repayment.
The federal work-study program provides minimum wage
jobs at colleges or universities for students with financial need. Eligibility
depends on when the student applies, the student's level of need and the funding
level at the institution.
Loans are not necessarily based on need and must
be repaid with interest. For more information about loans, contact the
Oklahoma Guaranteed
Student Loan Program at 800.442.8642.
