One silver lining of the pandemic is that we’ve all learned to be more resourceful. We can video chat from our devices, have groceries delivered, and go for extended periods of time without a haircut.

Now it’s time to translate that resourcefulness into planning for college. Check out the free EducationQuest tools below that will help you meet your long-term goals.

Activities Resume

What it does:  This tool allows you to easily track your extracurricular activities, honors, volunteer work, and part-time jobs throughout high school. You can customize your résumé, choose from five résumé templates, and save or send your résumé as a Word document or PDF.

Why it’s important: You’ll need this information for college and scholarship applications. The typical high school senior applies to 3-5 colleges and completes 5-10 scholarship applications, so you’ll want an easy copy-and-paste option.

ScholarshipQuest

What it does: This free database contains over 2,000 Nebraska-based scholarships. After completing the ScholarshipQuest profile, you’ll receive a list of scholarships that match your criteria. You can then sort the results and request email or text messages when new scholarships are added.

Why it’s important: It’s much easier to earn local scholarships than large national ones. You should also contact your college to see if they have school-specific scholarships that you might be eligible to receive.

College Profiles

What it does: This tool will help you find colleges that meet your criteria. It also allows you to search by school name, location, tuition cost, school type, majors, size, and more! You can then compare up to three schools at a time. 

Why it’s important: There are approximately 5,300 colleges in the country, so it’s helpful to have a tool to narrow your choices.

Reality Check

What it does: This engaging tool helps you focus on your desired future lifestyle and the cost associated with it. You can then find careers and the related salaries that will allow you to afford the life you envision.

Why it’s important: It’s fun to think about a big house, new car, and fashionable clothes, but do you know how much that lifestyle will cost? This tool will get you started. 

College Timeline

What it does: This tool will walk you through college-planning steps from the fall of your freshman year to the summer after your senior year. When you see tasks that need your attention, you can sign up for weekly email reminders to keep you on track. 

Why it’s important: Few students instinctively know what it takes to get to college. This tool will guide you through each step along the way.