Georgia’s third annual “Apply to College Week” launched this week at more than 100 sites across the state, with events planned through Friday in several Northwest Georgia schools.
The events are valuable opportunities for high school seniors to fill out application paperwork and learn about financial aid, said Jenny Vowell, spokeswoman for Chickamauga City Schools.
Chickamauga’s Gordon Lee High School will hold activities Thursday.
APPLY TO COLLEGE* Today: Dade County High School, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.* Wednesday: Catoosa Performance Learning Center, 9 to 10:30 a.m.* Thursday: Dalton High School, 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Gordon Lee High School, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Whitfield Career Academy, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.* Friday: Ridgeland High School, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.Source: Northwest Georgia high school officialsTO LEARN MORETo learn more about Apply to College Week or to find information and resources for career and college planning, go to www.GAcollege411.org.
“Some colleges have waived their application fee for that specific day,” Vowell said. “We will have volunteers that have graduated from college helping our seniors apply to college and begin on the path to being ready for work and a career.”
Dalton Public Schools’ spokeswoman Deana Farmer said high school seniors can learn to use the state’s “GAcollege411” website in the college application process.
“GAcollege411 is the one-stop place for students to plan, apply and pay for college,” Farmer said.
Not only does the site help students fill out applications, it gives them tools to track their progress through high school, take online test-preparation courses, research high-demand careers and develop an online portfolio and a resume, she said.
Although event sites are limited, officials said GAcollege411 is useful to any student or parent who has access to the Internet.
Whitfield Career Academy in Whitfield County and Ridgeland High School in Walker County will have events all day on Thursday and Friday, respectively, officials said.
Whitfield Career Academy counselor Wendy Hanson said the school’s event will be staffed by volunteers and college representatives to help students with paperwork.
In past years, Dade County High has had its own version of college application days but 2010 is the first year the school has been named an “official” site, said Brooke Jones, guidance counselor for the high school’s juniors and seniors.
“The reason we wanted to be ‘official’ is because some colleges waive their application fees [at official sites],” Jones said.
“We’re making sure each student is a registered user of GAcollege411,” she said.
Dade starts activities today with late hours for parents, but Jones said students can get help the rest of the week.
The Catoosa Performance Learning Center in Catoosa County is another first-time host for events, said school counselor Fay Christensen.
Christensen said about 60 students are expected to graduate next spring from the school, which is a credit recovery site for struggling Ringgold, Heritage and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe high school students.
“We have a lot of first-generation college students,” she said. “Our main goal is to get all our seniors to apply to least one college, and up to three.”
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.