www.irs.gov
If you are earning money while you are in college, you will most likely have to file tax returns. This Internal Revenue Service website offers help specifically for students; go to “Individuals” and then click on “Students” for the most useful pages. M U LT I C U LT U R A L R E S O U R C E S www.nacacnet.com
A list of counseling and financial aid sources to assist students from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Go to their “Online Resources” and then click on “Multicultural Resources.” www.chci.org
This website by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute offers a great list of scholarships, opportunities, and youth organizations for Hispanic and other minority students. From the home page, click on “Education Center” and follow the link for “Educational Resources” or any others that interest you. www.blackexcel.org
A comprehensive resource especially dedicated to African-American families and first-generation college students.The website includes detailed information about preparing for college, scholarships, historically black colleges (including virtual tours), and summer enrichment programs for high school minority students.There’s also a free newsletter. www.doorsofopportunity.org
A college student began this website listing summer opportunities for minority college students, and linking to other sites where you can explore even more.
SUCCEEDING IN COLLEGE
The College Board website offers many useful tips on how to succeed in college. Go to www.collegeboard.com, then go to the “Students” section. Under the heading “Plan for College,” click on “College Success” or go to this link: www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/index.html All kinds of practical advice for college students appears in The Ultimate College Survival Guide, fourth edition, by Janet Farrar Worthington and Ronald T. Farrar (Lawrenceville, NJ: Peterson’s Guides, ). A reading and study method called SQR4 (standing for “survey, question, read, recite, rephrase, review”) is worth learning to help you do better in your courses. It helps you “warm up your brain” for in-depth reading, identify important facts and concepts, understand how the information is related, and retain information in your memory. Type “SQR4” into your Internet search engine and you will find many links describing how it works. CHANGING COLLEGES
If you find that the college you selected does not suit your needs and goals, you can apply to transfer to a different college. Research the other possibilities using the same resources that high school students use, below, but this time, fill out the application for transfer students.You will not need to retake the SAT or ACT exams, but your high school will have to send in your high school transcript, and your college will need to submit your college transcript so far. You will also need recommendations from college professors or deans (though not from your high school teachers). If you are thinking of transferring, it is even more important to work hard for good grades at your current college, and to make good relationships with professors who might recommend you. www.collegeboard.com
The College Board website has tools for finding and applying to college. It offers a useful interactive tool called “My Organizer” that is well worth signing up for.
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F I R S T I N T H E FA M I LY
USEFUL RESOURCES
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