Name:____________________________________
December 2015 Academic Assignment
The KnowHow2GO campaign encourages first-generation and other underrepresented
students to prepare for college using four simple steps.
1. Be a Pain. Let everyone know that you’re going to college and need their help! List as
many people as you can think of who you should be telling that you want to go to college and for
each person describe what he or she might do to help you. (use the back of this page, if you need
more room)
Person
What he/she can do to help
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Push yourself. Working a little harder today will make for a smoother road to college. List 6
(or more) things you can do to improve your academic skills for college (oh, and at least three of
the suggestions should come from teachers or other adults). If you come up with more than 6,
feel free to use the back of page 3.
Suggestion
Who made the suggestion?
Example: Don’t take just the required classes, take three or four years of a foreign language. If your
school does not offer it, take it on-line. Mrs. Smith, Science teacher
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Name:____________________________________
3. Find
the right fit. Find out what kind of school is the best match for you and your goals. Some
of the factors to consider are the size of the college, where it is located, what majors it offers, what
support systems it has for students, and its graduation rate (what percentage of entering students actually
complete a Bachelor’s degree in 6 years or less). Think about these things and start to do some research
on colleges you think you might be interested in attending. In the meantime, here’s a little quiz to make
you start thinking about college size.
WHAT SIZE COLLEGE IS BEST FOR YOU?
Of course, some students will be happy and thrive in any academic setting. But this quiz will help you to
start thinking about whether you are best suited to small colleges (3,000 or fewer students) or larger
universities (over 15,000 students). There are two truisms about the choices confronting college-aged
students: No one school is right for every student, and there is always more than one right school for
each student. So, use this quiz as a way of thinking about college size.
1..Are you someone who has experienced freedom at home and in school and can handle it well,
avoiding peer pressure and bad choices when confronted with limited oversight and supervision?
___ yes ___ no ___ maybe
2. Are you someone for whom structure and personal contact will be beneficial and appealing because
you thrive in a situation where you want and appreciate support from teachers, coaches, close friends,
and mentors? ___ yes ___ no
___ maybe
3. Are you someone who can make decisions easily (courses, athletics, after-school activities) and enjoys
the decision making process without parental or institutional oversight and steering?
___ yes ___ no ___ maybe
4. Are you someone for whom choosing among options takes time, requires advice or feedback from third
parties to reach a decision, and for whom second-guessing or indecision is a common trait?
___ yes ___ no ___ maybe
5. Are you able to advocate for yourself, ask the right questions (and have experience doing this in school
and in the community), identify problems and then get the right answers and solutions?
___ yes ___ no ___ maybe
6. Are you shy, laid-back or re-active, a person who accepts results and situations even if they are not the
best? ___ yes ___ no ___ maybe
7. Are you someone who can easily engage and find opportunities, friendships and adult relationships
within their school and community, most particularly if you are younger than those around them?
___ yes ___ no ___ maybe
8. Are you someone who prefers deep engagement in one activity to find your sense of place or for whom
engagement (with people and opportunities) takes more time and does not come naturally?
___ yes ___ no ___ maybe
How to score the results:
There are no right or wrong answers to this quiz. Your preferences are not a value judgment about you; instead, this
assessment of how you function is designed to make you think about your options. Turn to the next page.
QUESTIONS 1, 3, 5 and 7
“Yes” answers suggest you are likely suited to larger colleges and universities.
“No” answers suggest you may be better suited to smaller colleges and universities.
“Maybe” answers suggest you take a deeper look at whether a large college or university will be a comfortable fit for you—it
probably is, but an easy way to figure it out is to ask adults who know you, and who have gone to college, what they think might
work best for you and why they feel that way.
(scoring instructions continue on the next page)
QUESTIONS 2, 4, 6 and 8
“Yes” answers suggest you will likely be well suited to smaller colleges and universities.
Name:____________________________________
“No” answers suggest you may be better suited to larger colleges and universities.
“Maybe” answers suggest you take a deeper look at whether a smaller college or university will be a comfortable fit for you—it
probably is but an easy way to figure it out is to ask adults who know you, and who have gone to college, what they think might work
best for you and why they feel that way.
A combination of answers suggests you think about your personality and how it might relate to different college size to determine the
right fit for you. Be sure to ask your parents, teachers, and UB staff for their opinions.
4. Put your hands on some cash. If you think you can’t afford college—think again.
As people at Upward Bound have been telling you, there is lots of aid out there. Talk to your
Guidance counselor. Attend Financial Aid Nights at your school. Ask Upward Bound. Go online and check out
www.ed.gov/
In the meantime, use the word bank to complete these statements.
Word Bank:
Grants
Perkins Loans
Expected Family Contribution (or EFC)
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA)
Tuition Incentive Program (or TIP)
Cost of Attendance
Work-study
1) Completing a _______________________ makes you a candidate for all federal student aid.
2) The amount your family is able to contribute to your college education, typically determined by the
federal government or individual colleges and universities, is frequently referred to as the
_______________________.
3) _______________________ is a federal program which provides students with part-time employment
to help meet their financial needs and gives them work experience while serving their campuses and
surrounding communities.
4) Also called gift aid, _______________________ come from federal and state governments and from
individual colleges and don’t have to be re-paid.
5) _______________________ are need-based loans and are awarded by the financial aid office to
students with the highest need. The interest rate is very low and you don’t make any loan payments while
in school.
6) The _________________ is an excellent source of grant aid available to students who are (or recently
have been) Medicaid recipients for several years.
7) How much financial aid you are eligible for depends upon the __________________________ at each
of the colleges you apply to.