• Plan to attend the Citywide College, Career, & STEM Fair on 10/19, 10 AM-1:30 PM, Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury.

• Conversation Starter: When thinking about your future, dream big! Start by setting goals and envisioning your ideal lifestyle. What are your passions? What makes you happy? What are you good at? Think about what kind of career would both make you happy and allow you to attain the lifestyle you want. What kind of degree do you need in order to enter that career? What kind of college or university do you need to go to? What do you need to do now in order to get accepted?

• Directory of College Open Houses within a 100-mile radius of Boston

• Visit the Create Career & Academic Plans page for more information.

• For middle and high school students: Use the College Month infographic created by the Boston Private Industry Council to walk students through all the things they need to consider when planning for their future. 

• For middle and high school students: Explore the Massachusetts Career Information System (MassCIS) online, which provides career cluster inventory and skill assessments to help students match their interests and skills with career paths. 

• For middle and high school students: Explore US News & World Report’s Top 10 lists to start making a personal list of reach, target, and likely schools to apply to.

• For all high school students: Encourage students to log into their Naviance accounts to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for the year and explore all of the resources available to them within the program.

• For high school students: Visit College Scorecard to learn more details about colleges you like.

• For all students: Lead a conversation (tailored to their level) about translating passions into careers. For example, if you love science class and helping people, what are different careers that align with medicine? You could become a surgeon, genetic counselor, phlebotomist, nurse practitioner, obstetrician… For each of these career paths, what type of degree would you need? What salary do different jobs within the medical field pay? What are the job growth projections for those different careers and why does that matter?

• For all students: Lead an activity (tailored to their level) on figuring out how much the lifestyle they desire will cost. For example, how much does it cost to buy a house? How much does it cost to buy a car? How much does it cost to take a family of four on a vacation? Connect the idea of affording the lifestyle they want with earning money in whatever career they choose.

• For all students: On a map of the United States, pinpoint and label the locations of colleges.

• Research colleges and universities according to location, cost, degrees offered,  and many other categories at College Scorecard and Big Future.

• ReadWriteThink lesson detailed with more resources. 

• Article: Empowering Choices: Insights and Advice for Parents and Teens on Major and Career Exploration

• Resource: Big Future Parent Resource Page Includes Parent Action Plans, virtual events, and more!

• Learn about fee waivers for the SAT. Talk to your student's guidance counselor for more information.

• Link to instructions for linking a College Board account with Khan Academy to begin practicing for the SAT

• Link to upcoming SAT test dates

• What to expect on testing day

• 12 Test Prep Tips for SAT and ACT Takers

• What's a Good SAT Score?

• How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for College

• What Students Should Know About the GPA Scale

• How to Apply to College for Free

• Learn about college application fee waivers

• Let's Get Ready offers FREE SAT prep and more! Applications will open In November, but you can sign up to be added to their mailing list. See the flyer below.

STEAM Week in Boston is October 21st-25th! This is a great opportunity to explore careers In the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math fields. Check out the links below for more information.

• Plan to attend the Citywide College, Career, and STEM Fair on Saturday, October 19th, 10 AM-1:30 PM. You will be able to meet with representatives from colleges and universities and STEM companies! Register here.

• Explore the BPS Arts Career Pathways

• STEAM Jobs List: 10 Careers that Combine Art and Math

• 22 STEM Majors for High Paying Careers

• A Guide to STEM Majors

• Browse STEM Scholarships for Each Type of College Student

• Determine Whether a STEM Major Is the Right Choice

• A Doctor's Advice for Aspiring Physicians in High School

• Research colleges and universities according to location, cost, degrees offered,  and many other categories at College Scorecard and Big Future.

• Directory of College Open Houses within a 100-mile radius of Boston

• Boston Public Schools Career & Technical Education Pathways

• Explore the Massachusetts Career Information System (MassCIS) online, which provides career cluster inventory and skill assessments to help students match their interests and skills with career paths. 

• Explore US News & World Report’s Top 10 lists to start making a personal list of reach, target, and likely schools to apply to.

• Research colleges and universities according to location, cost, degrees offered,  and many other categories at College Scorecard and Big Future.

• Check out LinkedIn. Who are the adults who are doing the work you’re interested in doing? Connect to build your professional network. Check out LinkedIn’s Checklist for High School Students.

• Check out the Museum of Science's STEM Week Challenge: Engineering Plastic Filters

• Visit the Paying for College & the FAFSA page to learn more about the FAFSA

• MassEdCo offers FREE college, career, and financial aid advising throughout Boston! See flyers below for more details and sign up for a session today!

• Article: Financial Aid Questions for Parents

• 17 Tuition-Free Colleges

• PrepScholar: Simple Explanation: What's the FAFSA?

• What is the FAFSA?

• CollegeBoard's Financial Aid 101 

• https://finaid.org/  - FinAid is a student guide to financial aid for students, parents, financial aid professionals, and guidance counselors. 

• https://www.edvisors.com/  - Factual website about all things related to financial aid.

• https://ticas.org/resources-for-student-loan-borrowers/ - Resources for Student Loan Borrowers - The Institute for College Access & Success

• List of colleges that meet full need

• Blog post re: making a college list