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There's a lot to consider when choosing a postsecondary education option. Some of the questions you should ask yourself are:
Where would I like to attend?
What will I study?
How do I apply?
How do I pay for school?
What career goals do I have (and does that career require an education)? See the workforce page for more support on this.
On this page you will find:
Tools/resources for deciding on a school and/or major
Resources for how to apply to a school
Information about how to PAY for school (FAFSA/financial aid, scholarships)
Deciding on a school
Deciding on a school
Try this college options quiz developed by the College Board! It uses your preferences, goals, academic history, and other elements to point to schools that may be a good fit! You will need to create a College Board account if you do not already have one.
Some other ideas to consider when choosing a college are:
Size
Location
Distance from home
Available majors and classes
Housing options
Available extracurricular activities
Goals for college
Deciding on a major
Deciding on a major
This element of college can be TRICKY! If you don't know what you want to study based on your interests alone, try one of the career surveys/quizzes on the workforce page. Those types of assessments can often help you narrow down your options to fields that would be a good fit for you. Some people choose their college first and then they choose an available major. Other people choose a major and then find a college that offers it! There is no wrong way to decide.
When choosing a major, it is important to keep in mind:
Your strengths and weaknesses (academic, social, other skills)
Your passions, values, and goals
Course and credit requirements/length of program
Job market trends
Graduate school requirements, if any (some degrees may require more education to get a job in the field!)
Applying for college/university/career school
Applying for college/university/career school
There are a couple of different ways to apply to college:
Directly through the university webpage. Most have a big 'Apply' button on their homepage, or you can search for the application in their search bar.
*Recommended* Signing up for the CommonApp at https://www.commonapp.org/! CommonApp is a website that allows you to apply to multiple colleges/universities at once, making for a much smoother--and oftentimes quicker--application process. Most of the well-known universities nation-wide use CommonApp now. For any universities that don't use option #1! Tip: use a personal email address that will remain active long after you graduate high school when you create your account.
Other important application tips:
Applications should reflect professional grammar and mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, spelling). Remember your audience is professional adults. Do not fill out an application like a text message to a friend!
Some--not all--applications require letters of recommendation and essays. See the entrance essay page and letters of recommendation page for support!
Try applying to a minimum of three schools. This keeps your options open, and, sometimes, one university will offer you more scholarship or other opportunities than others!
EARLY-ACTION APPLICATIONS DUE NOVEMBER 1! Many of the larger universities do early-action applications. Those students' applications are viewed first, which can often help with getting into the more competitive universities.
October is Michigan College month, and many universities in the state of Michigan offer free applications that month! Applying to a single college can often cost $50.
If you need to send transcripts outside of Common App, remember you can send through a Parchment account (https://www.parchment.com/) or email your school counselor with the name of the university/college to send it to.
Paying for school
Paying for school
THE FAFSA:
To receive financial aid, you will need to fill out the FAFSA. The FAFSA will determine how much money you can receive in federally-funded loans (money you have to pay back) and/or scholarships/grants (money gifted to you).
The FAFSA application is likely set to open on December 1, 2025 for students planning to attend college in 2026.
This Federal Student Aid YouTube Channel has excellent video tutorials to support your FAFSA process.
Visit https://studentaid.gov to learn more and apply.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Money you do not have to pay back!
See the scholarship essay page for writing support!
Sometimes requires letters of recommendation. See page for more info.
University scholarships can be located directly on the university websites
Westwood releases local scholarships between December and January. Most deadlines are before Spring Break.
Class of 2026 local scholarships folder (coming Winter 2026)
State or national scholarship resources:
TUITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM (TIP):
For qualifying inviduals. See the Tuition Incentive Program document to the right for more information!
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