COLLEGE ACCESS

College & Financial Aid Counseling

Group Workshops

student presentation

9th & 10th Grade

Group sessions introduce students and families to the college search and application processes. Sessions include:

Why College?

The Admissions Game: What colleges actually care about

Talking the Talk: The language of the application process

Know Your Options: Technical, 2-Year, 4-Year and beyond

Match and Fit: Building a strong college list

Another Test?! Getting ready for the SAT and ACT

Individual Counseling

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11th & 12th Grade

College AIM works individually with students and families to:

Build strong college lists

Register for and take the SAT, ACT and/or ACCUPLACER

Brainstorm, draft and edit college and scholarship essays

Submit college applications that highlight their strengths and experiences and represent them as individuals

Complete the FAFSA and other financial aid applications

Weigh college options by completing thorough financial aid analyses and considering academic and social factors

Enroll at the school of their choice

College Exposure

College Visits

Local Campus Visits

Starting in 9th grade, our students are given the opportunity to visit a variety of colleges in the Metro-Atlanta area. They spend time at technical schools, community colleges, four-year schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Predominantly White Institutions, large public universities, liberal arts colleges, women's colleges and co-ed institutions. Past visits have included:

Emory, Morehouse, Spelman, Georgia Tech, UGA, Georgia Piedmont Technical College, Georgia State, Clayton State, West Georgia and many others

Long Distance Campus Tours

In 11th grade, our students are given several opportunities to visit colleges across the state and across the nation. On each campus we make sure to go beyond merely taking a tour -- we meet with our alums (who are current students), network with admissions and financial aid personnel, eat in dining halls and sit in on classes. Ultimately, our students learn what it would mean for them to be college students on campus and use this experience to find the right fit. Here's a selection of the dozens of colleges we've visited:

Howard, George Washington, Columbia, Barnard, Lehigh, Lafayette, Brandeis, Tufts, Skidmore, Union, Cornell, Syracuse, UNC, Duke and many others

College Partnerships

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College AIM maintains strong working relationships with more than 50 colleges across the city, state and nation. We also build formal partnerships with select technical colleges, community colleges and four-year institutions that provide targeted supports for College AIM students. Through these partnerships our students:

CONNECT with admissions professionals, financial aid staff and current college students

LEARN about the match and fit of each institution

LEVERAGE their relationships to optimize success in the admissions process, earn scholarship dollars and gain on-campus mentors.

Metro Atlanta College Access Conference (MACAC)

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Each year, College AIM hosts the Metro Atlanta College Access Conference that connects incredible public high school students, representative of Metro Atlanta, with supportive college options.

Workshops are led by college representatives and community organizations to help students and families with various aspects of the college search, college application and financial aid processes. The event culminates with a carefully curated college fair where students can explore various post-secondary options.