Welcome to the Jungle!
An Internet WebQuest on College Search

created by Mark Evans
Eastern Lebanon County High School

Introduction | The Task | The Process & Resources | Conclusion | HyperText Dictionary


Introduction

There is a huge college jungle surrounding you. You are a big game hunter after that college trophy. You are ready to begin your hunt for a school and you are literally surrounded by hundreds of colleges! Where do you begin? Which one is right for you? How do I pay for post secondary education? The best thing you can do is jump right in the middle of the jungle and trek your way to bag that big college! Happy hunting!!!!!


The Quest

Which college is right for you?


The Process and Resources

Now, that you are in the middle of the jungle, your trek begins with some of the college search sites listed below. You will target three colleges that match your interests, etc... Your next task will be to make a formal application and essay to your chosen colleges. Upon completing this task your biggest challenge lay ahead with figuring out how to pay for this monumental journey known as post secondary education. At the end of your hunt you will be on your way to being able to mount that diploma in your trophy room.

Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone

Listed below are general information sites that will assist you in completing your journey. Especially your first task.

Phase 2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives

On the next few pages, you will have a chance to research questions pertaining to your pursuit of post-secondary education.
 
 

Find your school

1. Your first question is a big one: where, what, how? Preparing for college is a challenging and life-shaping event!! Now you will visit several web sites that may help you in your College preparation. Have you thought about your major? Your future career? What part of the country? How big of a school? Do you have the grades/test scores?
What do you need to know to make an educated college decision? During this process you should develop a list of your three top college choices to target. Create a separate word processing document outlining your major points of emphasis for selecting a college that is right for you. You must also create a folder for all of your future printouts for your final culminating assignment. Label it 'College Jungle Journey'.

The application process begins!

You have sited in on three colleges--your hunt is far from over. Go to the sites listed below to find out about general application procedures. Once you have become familiar with the college application procedures it is time to apply. Surf the links to see if any of your three choices accept on line applications - if so, you will begin the application process to those three schools. The final part of this process is the college essay. If your college requires an essay on a certain topic write your essay and use one or all of the essay sites for help and/or proofreading assistance. Copy and paste your essay on your original word processing document. If your school does not require an essay or did not provide a topic, please write a 200 word essay on the following topic (If I could be a famous person, who would it be and why?) and follow the instructions listed above. Upon completion of your applications print out a copy of each application in your folder before submitting them electronically. If you are genuinely interested in applying to a school(s) submit them--be aware there is usually an application fee!!!

Get your wallet out!

How are you going to pay the bill for your four/five year jungle safari? Here are a variety of ideas for financing your trek.

Don't Pass Up the Entitlement Programs. Billions in low-interest, subsidized federal student loans go unused each year simply because students think they are ineligible, don't bother to go through the paper work hassle, or just don't know about the program.

Private Loans. Search for a low-interest, private loan. Numerous states have set up loan authorities which float tax-exempt bonds to raise student loan money. And colleges themselves have received permission to issue such bonds. At the same time, private banks are becoming more innovative in
sponsoring combination savings/lending plans.

Borrow against the House. Go to college on the house. Many homeowners have accumulated large amounts of equity in their houses and they want to put it to work. Your strategy: Releasing this equity either through a line of credit or through refinancing the first mortgage.

Negotiate With the Financial Aid Administrator . The FAA will present you with a package of assistance that should, in theory, cover the difference between what college costs and what your family can contribute. If you feel the college really wants you, because you are a brain or an athlete or the child of an alumnus or can help with meeting a geographic or minority quota, you may want to negotiate the content of the package. Your objective: To increase the grant component (money that doesn't have to be repaid) and reduce the loan component (money you must repay).

Try for an Academic Scholarship. Over 1200 colleges offer academic scholarships to students with a B average and SAT scores of 900 or more. Most of these scholarships are not based on financial need. If you are just outside the SAT eligibility range for one of these awards, take a good SAT preparation course.

Go the Cooperative Education Route. Over 900 colleges offer co-op education programs.

Alternate formal study with periods of career-related work. Earn up to $7,000 per year during the work phase. It may take an extra year to win the degree, but it will be easier on the pocketbook.

YOUR CHALLENGE: Go to the student/parent guide for financial aid applications link. Fill out the federal FAFSA form and print it out and add it to your college jungle journey folder - you may only submit this form after January 1st of your senior year.
Use the scholarship links below, find a scholarship that you feel you meet the qualifications for and apply for it. Put a copy of your application in your folder.

Phase 3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus

Congratulations! You have made it through the jungle! You now have to meet with the Jungle Journey Coordinator (Your Counselor). Your final mission (if you chose to accept-actually you don't have a choice) is to schedule an appointment with your counselor and take your completed folder with you for a final debriefing about your trek!

Phase 4 - Real World Feedback

While you are going through the College Jungle, it will be important for you to know how you're doing. The Jungle evaluates you at each step by the tasks that you complete. The most important evaluator is YOU! Every decision you make along the way will be based on something you learned from the College Jungle. The final evaluation of your success comes from your debriefing session with your counselor.

Your Contact is: Your School Counselor


Conclusion

At the beginning of this activity, you were asked to decide upon a college choice. What college did you choose? As a result of completing this WebQuest, you will have a good idea of what you have to do to pursue the college of your choice. you also have learned about the application process and the writing of college essays. There was probably some anxiety about paying for your education. Hopefully, financing your education should be less of a burden with the resources that you have found. You should hang on to your folder for future reference in the event you pursue graduate level work.

created by Filamentality Content by Mark Evans, mevans@elcosd.org
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/webwelcomema.html
Last revised Thu Jul 19 10:25:38 US/Pacific 2001