New Videos Help High School Students Prepare for College
Planning for college can be a bit like putting a puzzle together – a challenge to find the right pieces and their proper places. That is why the USU STARS! GEAR UP program has created videos for students at different stages of the process to access whenever it is convenient for them.
Makana from Utah Valley University talks about applying for scholarships to pay for college.
This is the Spanish version of the Preparing for COLLEGE in HIGH SCHOOL video - Part 1.
This is a video for high school seniors, and ambitious juniors and talks about scholarships, campus tours, and career exploration.
As schools and families face the reality of schooling during a pandemic, the USU STARS! GEAR UP team wanted to build a library of information to help. We now offer over 80 videos on our YouTube Channel with topics ranging from What is USU STARS! GEAR UP? to how to prepare for college while in high school.
The College Insights & Advice series has 42 short videos, most under a minute in length, from universities across Utah. In these videos, college students talk about their college experiences. Students give advice and talk candidly about what it is like to choose a college, find friends, and attend classes. They discuss paying for college and why it is important to apply for both FAFSA and scholarships. Some of these students talk about what it is like to be the first person in their family to attend college. These videos offer honest answers from GEAR UP students and college ambassadors about going to college in Utah.
Building on the success of our GEAR UP Guides videos, the USU GEAR UP team has created five new videos this year to add to our growing library. These animated videos feature avatars representing diverse students and families. They offer visual information along with humor to help students learn that it is never too early to start thinking about college. We use an animated platform called Vyond that streamlines the animation process. Below is a list of our newest videos, along with a short description.
- Preparing for COLLEGE in HIGH SCHOOL - Part 1. This video for freshmen and sophomores covers what college is and why it is important. It also explanations core classes, grades, and tests. There is a companion video in Spanish - Nunca es Demasiado Temprano: Parte 1.
- Preparing for COLLEGE in HIGH SCHOOL - Part 2. Covers getting college credit in high school, financial aid and FAFSA, and resources for DACA students. The Spanish companion video is - Nunca es Demasiado Temprano: Parte 2.
- Finding Success as a Senior - Part 2 - This is a video for high school seniors, and ambitious juniors. It follows up on the suggestions from Part 1, talking about scholarships, campus tours, and career exploration.
Consider subscribing to our YouTube channel so that you will be the first to know when new videos are released. Information on subscribing can be found in this earlier article. We invite schools, teachers, administrators, and GEAR UP staff to recommend ideas for new videos that would help inform students and parents about preparing for college.