Applying to College 101

Applying to College 101

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, you've come to the right place.

Applying to college is a big deal — it's a decision that will have an impact on your family's life, and your future. Making this decision — and doing your research (like you are right now!) — is a huge accomplishment.

We also know applying to college can be overwhelming. You're processing a lot of information. You're asking important questions. You're learning new terms. (Wait, Early Decision and Early Action mean different things? How do I even fill out the FAFSA? What is the FAFSA?).

At Penn, we believe higher education can benefit everyone, and we want to help you along your college admissions journey. Together with our friends at Heights Philadelphia, we've designed a course for all high school students across the nation — like you — who are interested in pursuing a college education. This course is designed to give you access to resources, tools, and “insider” tips to help you pave your own pathway to college. In it, we'll walk you through the different components of college applications, how to approach them, and how to evaluate different schools to determine if they're right for you.

This course is free and has no time limit or grades. Complete the entire course or explore one specific module. It exists to support you. We hope you check it out and move at your own pace.

Here's what it covers:

MODULE 1: You're Applying to College! Where to Begin and How to Get Organized

MODULE 2: Affording College and All about Financial Aid

MODULE 3: Your Story Matters & Exploring Your Interests

MODULE 4: Finding your Fit & Researching Your College Options

MODULE 5: Overview of the Admissions Process & Preparing Your Application Materials

Applying to College 101: Workbook

Whether you explore our online course or just want a place to organize your interests and application ideas, we've created this downloadable workbook for you! In it, we will guide you through thinking about your own application — what are your interests and strengths? Who makes up your support team? We'll also provide checklists, guidelines, and other tools to strengthen your application.

Use this workbook to practice one of the most important skills that will serve you in applying to college and beyond — organization!

If You're Taking the Online Course

This workbook is a companion to the Applying to College 101 course on Coursera. If you're taking the course, there will be moments where you are pointed to activities in the workbook. When this happens, complete the activity in the workbook before returning to the course for next steps. The activities in the workbook each connect to lessons and offer another opportunity to deepen your learning. They also allow you to apply what you're learning directly to planning your own application, while keeping a record of all your work!