Activity #1: Understanding your apprehension.

1. Go to https://www.collegeboard.org/ and sign up to create your College Board account.
2. Once you log in, the Welcome page will open.
3. Familiarize yourself with the entire page, including the drop down menus at the top of the page.
4. Click on College Planning.
5. The web page Big Future will open.
6. Click on the Get Started tab at the top of the page.
7. As you move through the pages take notes and build your own college planning organizer.
8. After you have completed the pages, answer the following question:

~List 5 basic steps that you will follow to help plan for college or career.

Activity #2: Trade Schools, Apprenticeships & College

Career One Stop is another fantastic website that supplies the reader with an enormous amount of information that will guide the researcher to finding a career of his or her dreams and the education necessary to successfully achieve that career. Open and read:

https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/ACINet.asp

[Always read the entire page when opening each web page. Reading the page from top to bottom provides you with information that will be useful in the now and in the future.]

1. Let’s begin by clicking on the tab FIND TRAINING.
2. In the FIND TRAINING AT A GLANCE box you will see three columns, Types of training, Pay for training, and Find your path. For this activity we will concentrate on the first column, Types of training. Open and read through each bulleted topic.
3. Under each category answer the questions that follow:
   1. High school equivalency:
      1. What are some of the benefits of acquiring a high school equivalency?
      2. What high school equivalency exam does your state offer?
      3. What is the age requirement for your state?
   2. Adult Basic Education [ABE]
      1. Explain why an individual would need to take adult basic education classes.
      2. What does ABE classes are offered?
      3. Identify an ABE center near you.
   3. Short-term training
      1. Explain the meaning of Short-term training.
      2. Provide three examples of where short-term training is provided in your area and the skill that will be learned.
   4. College
      1. What are the two main types of college degrees? How long does it take to complete each degree?
      2. You are to find a school that you are interested in attending. Research to find the answers to the following questions/statements, document your answers on a word document:
      3. As you search, take note of factors that are important to you. Some of these may include:
      4. Reputation of major or field of study
      5. Location of school or facility
      6. Cost of program or courses
      7. Student body size
      8. Faculty/student ratio
      9. Availability of online or hybrid (mix of in-class time and online/computer time) courses
      10. Apprenticeship or internship, if applicable
      11. Extracurricular opportunities (music, athletics, etc.)

Once you find a school that may be a good fit, search the school website, or contact the admissions department to get answers to some of the questions below:

1. What are the basic admissions requirements? Do you need a certain grade point average, test score, or other credential?
2. Does the school offer a part-time schedule for working adults?
3. Do they offer open admissions, which means anyone with a high school diploma or high school equivalency can attend?
4. Can you take one course to get used to being in a classroom with tests and homework to complete?
5. Are there special resources for adult learners?
6. What kinds of financial aid are available?
7. Check out the school’s affordability and value on the White House College Scorecard
8. Certifications
   1. What is a certification?
   2. How can I earn a certification?
   3. Why would I want a certification?
   4. How do I find out about certifications in my field?
   5. Explain what you discovered about certification in your field of interest?
9. Apprenticeships
   1. Explain the components of an apprenticeships program.
   2. What are the benefits of getting involved in an apprenticeship program?
   3. Find one apprenticeship program in your area, explain the personal criteria and contact information.
10. Internships
    1. Explain what internships are and how they are beneficial to the intern and employer.

Activity #3: Reflection – Now that you have completed this assignment, have you changed your perspective about your post high school educational goals? If so, first explain your original plan and then explain how you changed your perspective about your post high school educational goals.