FOR STUDENTS

How to plan for college

• Make an appointment with your guidance counselor
• Talk to your guidance counselor about your career interests and ask about options for further education. Inquire about transfer options in working toward a two-year or four-year degree. Start soon so your counselor gets to know you.
• Talk with your parents
• Discuss your interest in college, individual colleges, transfer options and your family's financial situation.
• Check out some colleges
• Go online to explore courses and degree options at various colleges. Call a college's admissions office to ask questions (about anything). Visit some colleges and talk with students and faculty about programs you're interested in.
• Plan ahead for transfer options
• If you think you might like to start your college career at a two-year CCSNH college and then eventually transfer to a four-year college or university, you need to plan ahead. Some course credits and programs of study transfer between colleges easily because they have formal articulation agreements with each other to accept credits. Check out the Program Transfer Tables for an overview of credits that transfer.
• Many general education course credits taken at one of the two-year colleges are accepted toward the four-year college's general education requirements. Other course credits transfer case by case. Only specific CCSNH math and English course credits are transferable to some programs, so you need to consult an advisor and select appropriate courses. With a four-year degree, courses in your major usually need to be taken at the four-year college.
• Contact academic advisors
• As you identify colleges and courses that interest you, call each college's admissions office to speak with an academic advisor as soon as possible. Contact two-year colleges where you might start taking classes AND four-year colleges that you might eventually like to attend. Let the advisors know what your program interests are and that you are thinking about transferring at some point. They can advise you on the process and which classes you need to take at each college to complete your major.
• Explore financial aid options
• Don't assume that you don't qualify for scholarships, grants, work study or student loans. Ask your guidance counselor and check out each college's website for information on financial aid.
• The more people you speak to about going to college, the better you'll understand your options, so you can make a decision that works best for you.