College Research

College Research Assignment

Part 1: Determine your criteria for a college (answer these questions on binder paper or Teams Assignments)

  1. Location - Is it important to you to be close to Fresno? Do you like warm weather or cold weather (or does it matter to you)? What types of climates can you absolutely not handle? Is it important to you to be able to get to your college by car or train as opposed to plane?

  2. Cost - What is your budget for college? Do you or your parents have money saved? Are you certain you will receive financial aid? Are your parents going to contribute financially? Are you and your parents willing to take out loans? If you plan on going to graduate school, how much money are you willing to spend on an undergraduate program understanding that you will also have to pay for grad school?

  3. Major - what do you want to study in college? What are your favorite subjects in school? Have you done any job shadowing or internships?

  4. Application - How much time/energy are you prepared/willing to spend on applying to colleges?

  5. Admissions - What is your cumulative GPA (augmented) and what is your SAT score? What sports and/or extra-curricular activities do you participate in? What jobs or volunteer experience have you had? How do you stand out?

  6. Campus Life and School Atmosphere - What type of campus is a good fit for you (small campus vs. large campus, hills vs. flat, dorms close to classes vs. far, etc.)? Do you want to be involved on campus during college? Do you want to live in a dorm and spend time with other students? Do you need a lot of support (academically, emotionally, etc.)? Are you ok with being a small fish in a big pond? Are you ok with attending lecture classes with 800 other students or do you need smaller class sizes? How many college campuses have you physically been to?

  7. Values - What types of values are important to you that you would want to see reflected at your college (free speech, open mindedness, diversity, etc.)?

  8. Do you know anyone currently in college? Do you have siblings who are in or who have gone to college? Did your parents attend college?


Part 2: Interview your parents (put your parents' answers on binder paper or on Teams Assignments)

  1. Location - Is it important to your parents that you are in Fresno for college? Is it important to your parents that you are close to Fresno for college (what distance would be ok with them)? How would they feel if you went to college out of state? How would you get from home to college if you went to school outside of Fresno?

  2. Cost - What is your budget for college? Do you or your parents have money saved? Are you certain you will receive financial aid? Are your parents going to contribute financially? Are you and your parents willing to take out loans? If you plan on going to graduate school, how much money are you willing to spend on an undergraduate program understanding that you will also have to pay for grad school?

  3. Major - Do your parents have any expectations for what you will study in college?

  4. Application - Will your parents support you through the college application process? Will they help you financially to cover application costs? Will they commit to helping you stay on track of deadlines? Do they have an expectation for how many/what types of schools you will apply to? Will your parents take you to tour colleges this summer?

  5. If your parent(s) went to college, where did they go and what was their experience like?


Part 3: Research 10 colleges and provide the following information for each:

  1. Location - distance from Fresno, climate, city/type of city, transportation options, etc.

  2. Cost - tuition, fees, room/board (total cost per year and for four years), reputation the school has for providing financial support to students

  3. Major - 1-3 majors the school has that you’re interested in

  4. Application - How to apply (common app, UC app, CSU app, or other) and application requirements (essays? Letters of rec?)

  5. Admissions - what criteria does the school have for admissions (GPA/SAT, and other)? What is the acceptance rate/likelihood of you being accepted?

  6. Campus Life and School Atmosphere - on campus living, class sizes, clubs and other involvement, on campus jobs for students, undergrad student population, etc.

  7. Values - What values does this school emphasize? Are their values reflected in their student body, their faculty, and the endeavors they support?

  8. Optional but recommended - ask someone who attends that school about their experience


Part 4: Resume

Create your resume with an objective for college admissions (we will do a lesson in class about how to do this)


Part 5: Presentation

Create a presentation that you will give to a small group of students in class. Out of all the colleges you researched, which one met your criteria? Make a presentation using slides or other platform - include images of the one college and the information you researched.