College Corner
Going to College
Research a College
- Campus Tours
- College and University Search
- U.S. News & World Report: America's Best Colleges
- College Board
- Princeton Review
- College Journal
- Choices 360.com is a web-based computer program available for students' use. Contains information on 2 and 4-year colleges, vocational schools, military careers, scholarships, and occupations. Various career assessments can be taken online with immediate results. Access Code NYO1253.
Tips for a Better Campus Visit
- Make sure the college knows you are there. Establish some contact with the admissions office because many colleges, though not all, track your level of interest in their school and the campus visit is one of the most important factors that is tracked.
- Divide and conquer. Parents should separate and let their child go with a different tour guide. A child may take the visit a little more seriously when parents are not around, may ask his or her own questions, and you'll have a good conversation comparing your two tours.
- Get lost. Wander on your own and explore what makes each college unique. Go beyond the standard visit. "It is worth more than two hours of your time if you might be spending four years of your life there". If the college is worthy of your visit, then dedicate sufficient time to touring the area around the campus, sitting in on a class, having a meal in the dining hall, visiting buildings and areas that weren't on the formal campus tour.
- Ask good questions. But do your research before you go on the college website. Some good questions might include: how many students work on research projects with the faculty? What types of honors courses, learning communities and other distinctive programs are offered?
- Carve out time to meet with current students. If you don't have any connection with students at the school, then head to the dining hall. Be bold and walk up to a table of students, tell them you're touring colleges and have a few questions. College kids are usually thrilled to talk with prospective students and they will typically be unabashedly honest. Start with some basic questions: "Are you happy here? Why" Why not?" "How interesting are your classes/professors?" "How accessible and responsive are your professors?" "Is this college worth the price you pay?" You will likely learn more in that 10-minute interchange with a group of current students than during the information session or the tours.
Pre-College Summer Programs
Boston College Pre-College Summer Program
Clarkson University Young Scholars Program
Clarkson University Horizons Program
Cleveland Institute of Art Summer Program
Cornell SCE Precollege Studies
Miami University Summer Scholars Program
New Paltz Summer Honors Program
Notre Dame Pre-College Online Programs
Rochester Pre-College Online Program
School of Business Administration
Stanford Summer Humanities Institute
Stevens Pre-College Programs for the Summer
Stevens School of Business Pre-College Summer
Stony Brook University Summer Session
Syracuse University High School Summer Program
USC Summer & Online Programs
West Point Summer Leaders Experience
Financial Aid
FAFSA
2025-2026 FAFSA Form is Available
Financial Aid Slide Show for FAFSA: ACHS Counseling Center program featuring local university admissions.
Financial Aid Websites
Scholarships
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American Legion Past National Commander Michael J. Kogutek Trust. See Mrs. Carapetyan in Student Services.
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American Legion Riders Scholarship Application - Three $1,000 awards offered. Due March 1, 2025.
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Amherst Federal Credit Union - Amherst Academies Scholarship. One $500 award. Postmarked application by April 1, 2025.
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Amherst Federal Credit Union - Hughes/Demmin Memorial Scholarship Award. Two $1,000 awards. Postmarked application by April 1, 2025.
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Amherst Federal Credit Union - NY Credit Union Scholarship. Deadline is Jan. 17, 2025.
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Amherst Masonic Lodge 981 Academic Award for College will be available in Spring 2025. See Mrs. Carapetyan in Student Services.
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Abbott & Fenner Scholarship. $1,000 award. Deadline to apply: June 10, 2025.
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Bank on Buffalo Scholarship Essay. Five $1,000 awards offered. Due March 16, 2025.
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Buffalo Astronomical Association Rowland A. Rupp Jr. Scholarship
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Buffalo Urban League Scholarship
See Mrs. Carapetyan in Student Services for paper application. Deadline: 1-17-25 -
Canisius University Full Tuition Hassett Family Creative Writing Scholarship
See Mrs. Carapetyan in Student Services for information. Deadline: 1-20-25 -
The 2025 Cannon Heyman & Weiss Scholarship Fund will make scholarship awards for approved colleges, junior colleges, technical schools, and other post-secondary educational institutions leading to a degree, diploma or certificate.
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Canisius Buffalo Promise Scholarship
This scholarship effectively covers 100% of tuition for up to four years of undergraduate study at the university to eligible admitted students. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must apply to Canisius and be admitted through the regular decision process, reside in Buffalo or any adjacent town with a ZIP code beginning with 142, and live in a household with an adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less. -
Character Council of WNY. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2025.
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Daughters of the American Revolution - DAR Good Citizens Essay & Scholarship. See Mrs. Carapetyan in Student Services. Completed essay contest applications due Nov. 1, 2024.
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Frank M. Totton Essay Contest Sponsored by The Fifth Manhattan Masonic District Endowment Fund, Inc.
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Horatio Alger Scholarship. See Mrs. Carapetyan in Student Services for the paper application.
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Kappa Upsilon Zeta Scholarship Connie Bowman - $250 - Due April 30, 2025.
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Kappa Upsilon Zeta Scholarship Willie Carney Hardin - $500 - Read Eligibility Requirements
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Li S. Liu, P.E. Memorial Scholarship - Application deadline is Feb. 28, 2025. View the flyer. View the application.
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National Honor Society Scholarship. Submission deadline is Nov. 26, 2024 at 5 p.m. Apply now.
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NAWIC Scholarships for Women in Construction (The Buffalo Niagara Chapter of NAWIC)
- New York State Military Connected Scholarships
MERIT and NYS Regents Award - New York State Scholarship for Academic Excellence: Scholarships of $1,500 and $500 are provided to high-achieving students at registered New York State high schools. Awards are based on student grades on certain Regent's exams. Students are nominated by high schools. Talk to your high school counselor for more information on how you can receive this award. Recipients can also receive other non-loan student aid, but the total cannot exceed the cost of attendance.
- NYSIR New York Schools Scholarship
- Scalp & Blade Scholarship
One scholarship awarded. See Mrs. Carapetyan if interested. Download the Application. Read the cover letter. - Scholarships.com - Scholarships for Seniors (Class of 2025)
- Scholarships for Black Students
- Sloane Stephens Doc & Glo Scholarship
- Southwestern Association of Volunteer Firemen 2025 Scholarship Application
- StudentScholarships.org
- Student View Scholarship Program
- The Best New York Scholarships
- University of Vermont Citizen Scholar Book Award for juniors. This is not a scholarship and students must be nominated by a staff member. See your counselor if interested.
- U.S. Coast Guard scholarship. See Mrs. Carapetyan if interested.
Career Exploration
Interest & Aptitude Resources
- ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is an aptitude and interest inventory available to juniors. It is designed to help students discover their interests, aptitudes and abilities while ultimately matching these with possible career and vocational options. Through ASVAB, students can further explore college majors, post-second institutions as well as scholarship opportunities.
- Choices 360.com is a web-based computer program available for students' use. Contains information on 2 and 4-year colleges, vocational schools, military careers, scholarships, and occupations. Various career assessments can be taken online with immediate results. Access Code NYO1253.
- Choices Explorer has hundreds of career profiles. Discover which ones are best for you. Your Site ID is 0100830. Your Password is: Amherst.
- Healthcare Explores Program: The ECMC Foundation offers high school students in 10th-12th grade an immersive summer internship experience allows students to have hands-on learning opportunities across our campus. Topics include Surgical Services, Transplantation, Emergency Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and so much more.
- NORTHLAND Workforce Training Center: See website for training opportunities for a career in manufacturing jobs in WNY.
- Erie 1 BOCES Career and Technical Education: The program provides exciting opportunities for students to explore their passions and possible career paths.
Research a Career
- NYCourts.gov
- Discover Degrees in Business
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - consumer price index, unemployment, productivity, earnings by industry, and wages by area and occupation
- Job Star - career guides for specific occupations
- JobWeb
- Mapping Your Future
- NY State Department of Labor
- Princeton Review
- The Career Key
- Salary.com
- Vocational Information Center
Internships
Summer Internship: Legislator Jeanne Vinal: We are looking for 4 Interns to work 20 hours in the summer at times agreed upon on Thursdays in June, July, and August. This will include observing legislative sessions and committees in June and July and research topics with a brief summary and analysis. The research topic could include interviewing government and administrative employees.
2024 danceability Summer Volunteer Registration: danceability is an individualized dance, fitness & movement program serving the special needs community in SNY. A fun and fulfilling experience. See application and fulfill your community service hours.
College Open Houses
SUNY Financial Aid Days
SUNY campus experts across the state will be hosting the event on Jan. 25 and Feb. 8. The event is free and open to all New Yorkers seeking hands-on assistance with FAFSA completion, regardless of whether they applied to a SUNY or the campus hosting the event. Students can register at SUNY Student Events.