College Research Mini-Project

Choosing a major…………………………...pgs 2-3

College/University/Tech School research…pgs 4-6


Projected Income and
expenses……………………………pgs 7-9
Calculating Loans …………………………. pg 10
This packet contains all of the assignments you need for our mini-college
research project. You instructor will provide applicable due dates for each
component.
Page 1
College Majors
You want to do what?????
Throughout your high school career, you have explored options for your professional
future. Some of you know exactly what you want to do; others of you have no idea.
Many of you fall in between the two ends of the spectrum—you know basically what you
are interested in, but you may not know exactly what majors or jobs relate to that interest.
Because ALL schools do NOT offer ALL majors, now is the time to start figuring out the
college jargon for your interests as well as where you can go to study for that field. On
your own, you will be researching college websites for information on majors offered.
 You must identify TWO possible majors for this assignment.
 For EACH of the TWO, you will answer the following questions:
1. What is the official name of the major?
2. Write a description of what someone declaring this major could expect to
learn.
3. What career path could you take if you majored in this? (Include a list of
possible jobs that require this major)
4. Considering the jobs you just listed, address how much schooling you
would need. (i.e. an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s
degree, Ph.D, certificate, license, etc)
5. List a minimum of 1 school that you would consider attending that offer
this specific major.
 You must record ALL sources for your information. (website name, URL,
date accessed)
Suggested research sites:
 University and college official websites
 Peterson’s www.petersons.com
 College Board www.collegeboard.com
 Chandler Public Library
o Online resources are available if you have a library card. Go to
www.chandlerlibrary.org and browse the Internet Resources, Online
Databases, Careers and/or Education and Training.
o Reference books such as Peterson’s Guide
You are welcome to use other sources, but ALL sources MUST be documented.
See back for set up. This document is posted on my website, so if you would like to
download the chart and type directly into it, feel free!
Page 2
MAJOR 1
Source
Official name of
major:
Description of
what someone
declaring this
major could expect
to learn.
Career paths you
could take if you
majored in this?
(Include a list of
possible jobs that
require this major
and how much
schooling you
would need for
each (i.e., an
associate’s degree,
bachelor’s degree,
master’s degree,
Ph.D, certificate,
license, etc) )
Career/Job
List a minimum of 1.
two schools that
you would consider
attending that offer
2.
this specific major
Amt of schooling
1.
2.
Page 3
College Research
School Choices
Choice #1
Choice #2
School Name:
School Name:
List all sources you used to
obtain this information

List all sources you used to
obtain this information



In-State:
In-State:
Address of School
Phone/FAX of admissions
office
Cost of travel (by car, train,
bus, air) to the school. If it is
local, use .50 cents/mile
School Website Address
Type of School
(Public/Private/4 year/2
year/Vocational/Technical
Cost of tuition per semester
Percentage of applicants that
were admitted
Cost of room and board.
First Application Deadline
Application Fee required? If
yes, how much is it?
Admission requirements
(GPA/SAT/SAT Subject
Tests/ACT/Class Rank/Essay
Required/Letters of Rec)
LIST ALL NEEDED
Cost of Yearly Tuition
Page 4
Out of State:
Out of State:
Entry level average:
Entry level average:
Median Salary:
Median Salary:
Cost of Room & Board
(University -Living on
Campus; Community College
– Living outside of home)
Financial Aid Deadline
Percentage of freshman
students who had FULL
FINANCIAL NEED MET
Weekly groceries cost.
List your intended field of
study (major). Is this field
offered at this institution?
If so, in which college or dept.
does it exist?
How much does the average
person make in your field?
Page 5
Write one paragraph per school reflecting on the appropriateness of this institution
to your individual needs. Are you qualified to attend this school? Discuss
advantages and disadvantages over the other two institutions you researched.
Reflection for school #1:
Reflection for school #2:
Page 6
Monthly Expenses
Choose the school that you would like to attend most. Once you have chosen your school,
it is time to find out some costs. In the table provided, you must research and record the
monthly and yearly costs. You must then record the costs with tax. If there is any other
costs that you will need, please add them at the bottom of this chart.
Necessities
Monthly
Yearly
Tax (6%)
Monthly
Tax (6%)
Yearly
Tuition
Rent/Room and
Board
Groceries
Books
Cell Phone
Cable/Netflix
Internet
Electric
Cost of Travel
Car Payments
Car Insurance
Entertainment
(movies, etc.)
Eating Out
Gym
memberships
Haircuts
Clothing
Miscellaneous
(gifts, car
trouble)
Total Cost: Add
all of the above.
Total Cost for
whole college
career
Page 7
Instructions for Projected Income Document
You have already figured out how much it is going to cost you to live while you go to
school. Now it is time to figure out how you are going to pay for it all. Above all, you
must be realistic in your estimates. Prepare this as a table of itemized income
estimates, along with an explanatory paragraph or two. NOTE: THIS MUST BE
DONE AS A TABLE. Your document must represent four years of income (even if you
are only going to a two-year school). Your document will need to be a minimum of one
substantial explanatory paragraph (at least six sentences), along with a detailed income
listing, and a summarization/reflection statement at the end.
You will want to include such things as:
- Parental assistance [DO NOT INCLUDE IF YOU KNOW YOUR PARENTS CANNOT ASSIST YOU FINANCIALLY
– REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL BE DISCUSSING WITH THEM YOUR FUTURE PLANS]
- Savings
- Employment income
- College savings funds/stocks/bonds
- Scholarships, loans, grants
- Estimated high school graduation gifts (estimate low!)
Be realistic about how much you really think you will qualify for in terms of grants and
scholarships. If your GPA will not get you any, then DO NOT list any. If you truly
believe you will receive scholarships, check with your counselor, this week, to
"guesstimate" at the amount.
NOTE: Graduation gifts and savings will almost certainly be depleted the first year; if
you have $2000 in savings or estimated graduation gifts, and you plan on that $2000
being first year income, do not include it for the subsequent years. Savings and gifts do
not carry over!!
Remember: When you are estimating parental assistance, you need to calculate ALL of
the expenses they will cover. If you are living at home, then they will cover your electric,
groceries, cable, etc; be sure to add all of those types of expenses into your estimate for
their contribution.
Do not use my dollar amounts or my words. You can use my ideas, but NONE of your
sentences or dollar amounts should be exactly the same as mine.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: YOUR PROJECTED INCOME MUST AT LEAST
MATCH YOUR YEARLY EXPENSES.
The following is a sample Projected Income Document:
Deatrick
Page 8
Daniel Deatrick
7th Grade Math
12/7/2018
Projected Income Document
While attending Penn State University, I have estimated my costs to be
approximately $23,200 for the first year. I will live in a dorm for the first two years, and
then rent an apartment with a roommate for the subsequent two years. I plan on working
twenty to thirty hours per week to enhance my income. I will also take into consideration
a yearly 5% inflation increase. Some of the following income is not guaranteed, including
employment income, but these are close estimates. I am hoping I will obtain more income
than that which is listed below. The income I have determined I will need to support my
four years of college expenses will come from the following sources:
2012
2013
2014
2015
Scholarships/Grants $1000
$1000
$1000
$1000
Employment
$8000
$9150
$10200
$11300
Parental assistance
$5000
$5000
$5000
$5000
Savings
$1000
$2000
$2000
$1000
Graduation gifts
$1500
Student loans
$7000
$7350
$7718
$8100
Total
$23,500
$24,500
$25,918
$26,400
Page 9
Calculating Loans:
There are many different loan programs and lenders in the world today. Below are some
statistics to help you with calculating loans.

Graduates from public colleges had loans with an average debt of $25,550

Graduates from private nonprofit colleges had loans with an average debt of
$32,300

Graduates from for-profit colleges had loans with an average debt of $39,950
Directions
Choose the loan debt based on the type of college you would like to attend. Then research
average interest rates based on a lender that you choose (look up average student loan
interest rate per lender) and calculate the total cost by multiplying the debt by the interest
rate.
When you have completed this, it is time to find out how much you will pay a month for
your loans. Most lenders give you 15 years to pay loans back. Calculate the amount you
will have to pay per year and per month.
Loan amount
Interest rate and Total
amount Yearly payment Monthly
lender company owed. (Loan X
name.
Payment
interest)
Page 10