Students planning to attend a two-year or four-year college, need to take the ACT, a standardized college entrance exam.  The ACT includes four curriculum-based tests that measure a student's educational development in English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning.  Colleges in the Midwest request ACT scores.

Locally, there are several ACT Assessment dates each year.  Students must register ahead of time by completing a form and mailing it, along with a check for the registration fee, directly to ACT.  Registration packets are available in the counselor's office. 
 

An ACT Prep workshop is held in the Fall each year at Metro-Meridian to help students who are planning to take the test.  Check the school calendar for this year's scheduled date.  Many helpful testing tips will be shared at the workshop.  Advance registration for the prep workshop is not required.

For a practice test and more information about the ACT, visit www.act.org.

Some colleges outside the Midwest prefer to use the SAT as their entrance exam.  To determine which college entrance exam your student will need (SAT or ACT), check with the admissions office or course guide of the college in which your student is interested.  The SAT is three hours in length with verbal and math sections.  It is administered at Wichita State University.

For more information about the SAT, visit www.collegeboard.com.

Students who desire financial help to attend any vocational school, community college, or four-year college, must complete and file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) annually.  Post high school institutions can provide financial assistance only to individuals who have a FAFSA on file. 

A workshop to guide students and parents through the process of filling out the FAFSA is scheduled at Metro-Meridian, usually in January.  Check the school calendar for this year's scheduled date.  FAFSA information is sent directly to post high school institutions, so students will need to bring to the workshop a list of schools they want to receive the information. The priority deadline for filing the FAFSA is March 1.  If you have any questions, please call Sheila at 973-0550.

 For more financial aid information, check out these websites:

• www.fastweb.com

• www.finaid.org

• www.fafsa.ed.gov

• www.nasfaa.org

On-Site Visits
During the school year, representatives from several area colleges and universities will be at Metro-Meridian to visit with graduating students.   As visits are scheduled, they will be posted on the website calendar, published in the parent newsletter and shared during school announcements.  Graduating students are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to visit with college representatives.

Futures Fair
In addition to the on-site college visits, Metro-Meridian juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to attend the Futures Fair at Century II, usually held in the Fall.  At the Futures Fair, they can visit with representatives from local and national colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges and apprenticeship programs.  Check the school calendar for this year's scheduled date.

For more about career selection, check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) online at www.bls.gov/oco/.