Introduction:

As you begin to dream, set goals and plan for your future, you must start with the most obvious questions – What do you want to do when you get out of high school? Where do you want to go to college?

How many times have you been asked these questions?  Well, here’s the beginning of researching what is right for YOU!  In this web quest, you will use the Internet to research and compare colleges according to costs, majors, admissions requirements, locations, programs, etc.

The Tasks:

As you complete each task, you will:

1. Save all the information and create a college preparation portfolio.
2. Know more about yourself and your career goals so you can intelligently choose a major in college.
3. Make informed decisions about college comparisons.
4. Learn what makes a good college essay and write an essay you could use on a scholarship application.
5. Research available scholarships and apply for at least 2 scholarships.

The Process:

1. You will go to www.mymajors.com   and click on I'm New button to fill in the registration information so you can use their site.  Take the quiz to find out what majors would be best for you in college.  The test will come back with five suggested majors based on your answers in their quiz. Once you are finished, click on each major and print each one.  Arrange them in order of the one you like least to the one you like best.  Click on My Majors Summary sheet and answer the questions and print the sheet.  Include the Summary sheet with your MyMajors printouts.

2. Go to www.bridges.com , login and click on the Choices Planner.  Then click on the School Finder button.  On the left of the screen there will be buttons that lead you through the search.  Start with Key Facts answer all the questions there; continue to Admissions, then Tuition and Costs and so on until you have answered all the way down through Career Connect.  Fill in all the appropriate boxes with what is important to you about colleges.  When you are done, you will have a list of colleges that fit your criteria.  Spend some time looking at the college comparisons.  Print the results from at least 3 of the colleges from your list in Choices School Finder.  Notice the colleges websites come up as options for you to explore, as well.  Click on the following worksheet, College Comparison Worksheet, and use the college websites to find out information to fill out the comparison sheet.  Add all this information to your portfolio.

3. Use www.mapquest.com or www.yahoomaps.com to find out how far it is to the colleges you are interested in and get directions to those schools starting from your home.  Print a map showing how to get from your house to each college you research. Add these maps to your portfolio.

4. Click on the following links to read articles about what it takes to write a good college essay. http://www.collegeessays.info/  or http://www.quintcareers.com/college_application_essay.html or http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/index.html

Using what you read in these articles, write a 400-500 word essay on the following subject:

“Describe a situation in your life where you attempted to lead, serve or help others and it didn’t turn out as you expected.   What would you do differently and what did you learn from this experience?” 

Print the essay question and your essay answer and add it to your portfolio.

5. Go to www.fastweb.com and click on the Register for FastWeb Start Here button.  Fill in the registration information so you can access their site.  If you give them a valid email address, they will email you all kinds of helpful scholarships whenever you fit one of their categories.  FastWeb uses your information to sort scholarships that you might be interested in applying for. After registering, use the site to find at least 2 scholarships you want to apply for.  Visit their websites and complete the requirements for two scholarships.  Print these as proof that you completed them and add them to your portfolio.

6. Create a title page with your name, College Research Portfolio, the date, the name of this class.  Bind the portfolio.

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Resources:

www.mymajors.com  

www.bridges.com

www.mapquest.com

www.yahoomaps.com

http://www.collegeessays.info/ 

http://www.quintcareers.com/college_application_essay.html

http://www.essayedge.com/

www.fastweb.com

http://www.college-scholarships.com/

http://www.iseek.org/sv/20134.jsp

http://www.cbcampus.com/

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/index.html

http://www.collegesandcareers.com/

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Evaluation:

College Portfolio Webquest Rubric

Conclusion:

This is only the beginning of your search for what is beyond high school!  Hopefully, this will give you an idea of what to expect as you finish your high school career and move on to the next step.  Remember, relax and don’t get too stressed over all the decisions you have to make in the future.  Take it one step at a time and enjoy the journey!

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