Parents

Once your student has been enrolled in GEAR UP, they can begin meeting with their GEAR UP advisor as often as needed to help them set goals for their future and to follow up on their progress each year in school until graduation.  As a parent or guardian, feel free to reach out to your students' GEAR UP advisor today and whenever you need to for additional support.

Your GEAR UP student, you will also be able to participate in GEAR UP workshops, tutoring, college field trips, and other GEAR UP activities.  As a GEAR UP parent/guardian, you are welcome to participate in any GEAR UP activity. Each quarter during the school year, GEAR UP staff at your students’ school will host an evening workshop that is specifically tailored to parents and guardians of GEAR UP students, The purpose of these workshops is to keep you well-informed of what GEAR UP will be doing each quarter to help your student succeed academically and prepare for college, and provides you with an opportunity to ask any questions you may have and receive guidance on how you can best support your child along their academic journey. We strongly encourage you to participate in each quarterly workshop.

Once your child becomes a GEAR UP student, they are always a GEAR UP student, even if they transfer to another school that has GEAR UP, such as when they start attending high school. Each year that they are in school, we will continue reaching out to you and your student to provide guidance and support in their journey to accomplish their dreams. Additionally, we will continue to stay in touch with them throughout their first year of college to help them get connected with the right people and resources.

Each year that your student is in school, there are important things to learn and do to help them be as prepared as possible for a future of success. Below are the GEAR UP Family Action Plans that you can use as to work with your student each year in school. Some of our parent/guardian workshops are based on these checklists, so make sure you find out more from your student’s GEAR UP advisor and attend regularly!  

• 7-8th Grade Family Action Plan
• 9th Grade Family Action Plan
• 10th Grade Family Action Plan
• 11th Grade Family Action Plan
• 12th Grade Family Action Plan

En Español:

• 7-8vo Grado Plan de Acciõn Familiar (En Español)
• 9no Grado Plan de Acciõn Familiar (En Español)
• 10mo Grado Plan de Acciõn Familiar (En Español)
• 11vo Grado Plan de Acciõn Familiar (En Español)
• 12mo Grado Plan de Acciõn Familiar (En Español)

GEAR UP provides after-school tutoring at select schools to coach your student on improving their study techniques and test taking strategies.  Our aim with tutoring is to help your student think positively about their school work, better understand their learning style, and build their confidence in their own ability to do well academically. Our tutors are current college students at Weber State University, who have been trained not only as tutors but also as mentors, and have a track record of academic success. Talk to your student’s GEAR UP advisor for more details on free tutoring services available at your student’s school.

Sometimes in order to get good grades and improve their test scores, your child may need to change or improve the way they study and approach assignments or tests. Below are some great resources online to help them improve their study habits and test-taking skills. As a parent or guardian, you can also help your student succeed by doing your best to create an atmosphere at home that is conducive to learning, and by offering them your encouragement or support:

• University of Utah Learning Success Center website
• Shmoop Study Tools

There are several resources online and at your student's schools that can help your students figure out what they want to do as a career. Here are a few examples:

• Career Interest Profiler Quiz
• Reality Check
• Occupational Outlook Handbook

Volunteering and extracurricular involvement is a great way for your child to increase their likelihood of receiving scholarships and being admitted to their dream school. It’s also great to include on their resume when looking for jobs during and after high school.

• Find volunteer opportunities with U Serve Utah and United Way 2-1-1 
• Students should sign up for at least one school club or after school program. They can talk to their school counselor or a teacher about what opportunities are available.

Some colleges and scholarships require students to take specific classes during high school in order to be admitted to their school or to be eligible for their award. Students and parents/guardians can meet with their school counselor regularly to make sure your student is on the right track.

GEAR UP encourages students to challenge themselves, when ready, by learning about and taking Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Concurrent Enrollment (CE) classes. These are college-level classes that they can take at their high school that will help them be more prepared for the rigors of college. Perhaps more importantly, these classes can help students earn college credit before graduating high school, saving them precious time and money later on when they actually go to college. Ask your student’s high school counselor or teachers for more information on AP, IB, and CE classes at their high school.

The ACT test (taken in 11th grade) is what we call a “college placement” exam, because your student’s score on that test helps determine which classes (e.g. math) that they are placed in when they begin college. Scoring higher on certain subjects such as math can help them avoid having to take remedial classes in preparation for the required college-level classes, and ultimately saves them time and money. Speaking of money, the higher their ACT score is, the more likely they are to automatically qualify for academic scholarships which can range between $250 per semester during their first year of college, to 100% of their student tuition & fees for all four years of college. Below are a few resources to help your student prepare for the ACT test and increase their scores:

• Shmoop – All students in the state of Utah get free access to Shmoop’s ACT prep materials and timed practice tests.  GEAR UP students love to use Shmoop because it is both entertaining and super helpful.  For your student to gain free access, they will need to follow these 4 steps:
  1. Visit schools.shmoop.com/Utah
  2. Find their school from the alphabetized school picker
  3. Click Create new student account
  4. Enter magic word: BEEHIVE
• UtahFutures – There are also practice tests available on UtahFutures.com.  While not as exciting as Shmoop’s website, it can still be a useful resource to help them sharpen their ACT skills.
• ACT - Go to ACT.org for ACT’s official website.  This is where your student will find out when the upcoming test dates are each year so that they can register on the website. When they register to retake the ACT test they will need their ACT ID#. If they took the ACT test at their school during their junior year, their test results, school registrar, or counseling office will have that information for them. Remember, they can retake the ACT test as many times as they need, they’ll just need to make sure their scores are sent to the college(s) they want to attend so that they have their highest scores.
• AnaProjectPrep - The Ana Project, found on AnaProjectPrep.org, is a non-profit organization providing free ACT and SAT online test preparation
• ACT Registration Fee Waivers – If your student would like to retake the ACT test so they can obtain a higher score, check with their GEAR UP advisor and/or high school counselors to see if they are eligible for a registration fee waiver. Eligible students can use up to 2 fee waivers throughout high school.  

Besides working closely with their GEAR UP advisor and high school counselors, and participating in their high school’s Utah College Application Week, your child can find some very helpful information on StepUpUtah.com to guide them through the process of finding the right college fit. Additionally, they will want to familiarize themselves with the application process found on the websites for each of the colleges they are interested in applying to. GEAR UP recommends that they apply early during the first half of their senior year to at least 3 colleges before they make their final decision later on. Applying early will help them avoid missing application and scholarship deadlines to the schools they are applying to. “The early bird catches the worm!”

• StepUpUtah: Visit StepUpUtah.com for their tips on applying to college.
• Individual college websites: GEAR UP recommends that students apply for colleges during the first half of their senior year to avoid missing priority deadlines and scholarship deadlines 

  Institution	Website	Priority Admission/Scholarship Deadlines
  Brigham Young University	www.byu.edu	December 1
  Dixie State University	www.dixie.edu	March 1
  LDS Business College	www.ldsbc.edu	March 1
  Salt Lake Community College	www.slcc.edu	April 15
  Snow College	www.snow.edu	March 1
  Southern Utah University	www.suu.edu	December 1
  Utah State University	www.usu.edu	January 10
  Utah State University Eastern	www.usueastern.edu	March 14
  University of Utah	www.utah.edu	December 1
  Utah System of Technical Colleges	https://stepuputah.com/college/ustc/	Varies
  Utah Valley University	www.uvu.edu	January 1
  Weber State University	www.weber.edu	December 1
  Westminster College	www.westminstercollege.edu	September 1

Visiting a college or university for a campus tour is a great way to help students decide which school is right for them. If you can't find time to make it here, however, many of these schools also provide a way to take a virtual tour of their campus. Check it some of our Utah college campuses below: 

• Brigham Young University
• Dixie State University
• Salt Lake Community College
• Snow College
• Southern University
• University of Utah    
• Utah State University
• Utah Valley University 
• Weber State University 
• Westminster College

For virtual tours of colleges and universities outside of Utah, be sure to check out websites like YOUniversityTV and You Visit, or the college or university's official website and YouTube page.

• One Refugee
• “One Refugee is a program that provides 1:1 education mentoring, assisting students with career exploration and tutoring, as well as experiences for students to develop successful resumes, networking skills, and connections for future employment. Eligible participants may also apply for college tuition assistance.”
• To learn more and to apply, click https://onerefugee.org/apply/

There are basically 3 ways your student can pay for college: (1) Personal Savings, (2) FAFSA, and (3) Scholarships.  Here are some resources to help you get started:

PERSONAL SAVINGS

1. Opening a college savings account with a Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP)  
2. Reality Check on UtahFutures.org

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is often the main source of financial aid for GEAR UP students.  The amount and type of financial aid a student receives through the FAFSA is based on how much annual income their household earned prior to applying, taking into consideration the household size and how many household members will be attending college.  FAFSA money is awarded in three ways: Grants (free money), loans (borrowed money), and work-study (earned money). It is possible to be awarded all three, but we discourage accepting any loans if possible.   

1. For more information about FAFSA visit  StepUpUtah
2. Your students’ FAFSA will need to be submitted to the official FAFSA website: www.fafsa.com
3. To learn more about the FAFSA and what you need to complete it, please visit Weber State's FAFSA site

SCHOLARSHIPS 

Scholarships come in many varieties. While most scholarship applications are available to high school seniors, there are some scholarships available for high school juniors and other grade levels, which can be held in reserve until you attend college. We often hear about unique scholarships such as the Left-Handed or the Duck-Tape Prom scholarships. However, there are many other scholarships that students can apply for such as academic achievement, college major or career-related, need-based, diversity, leadership, and talent-based scholarships.  Getting scholarships takes a lot of work and preparation, but that effort can pay off!  To help you prepare, StepUpUtah has a very helpful scholarship toolkit on their website that we recommend you use.  Basically, there are 3 types of scholarships:

1. Institutional Scholarships: Institutional scholarships are those which are awarded by the college or university that your student plans to attend. When it comes to getting scholarships, institutional scholarships are the ones they’re most likely to receive and can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to full tuition and fees throughout their entire time as a college student. Some colleges & universities include the scholarship application as part of their admission process, while other schools require you to apply for institutional scholarships separately. All institutional scholarships have a priority deadline, so find out when that is for the schools your student is interested in possibly attending, and have them apply well in advance! For more information on institutional scholarships, visit the scholarship or financial aid page on the website of the college you are interested in attending (see the “College Applications” section for Utah college & university websites).
2. Private Scholarships: Private scholarships, sometimes referred to as “outside funding,” are scholarships funded by individuals or businesses within the community, or any source outside of the college or university your student is applying to. Sometimes their best chance in obtaining private scholarships will be to apply for those which are awarded by local businesses (e.g. banks, grocery stores) and companies that you or your child works for. The truth is, most private scholarships your student applies for they will likely not receive, but it is that one scholarship that they do receive that can make all the difference, so encourage them to apply for as many as they possibly can! Here are a few resources to help your student find private scholarships:
   • Utah Futures website
   • The U.S. Department of Labor’s Scholarship Finder
   • Utah College Advising Corp Scholarship Blog
   • Other commonly used scholarship websites:
     • JLV College Counseling
     • College Green Light
     • Fast Web
   • *Please note: It’s important to note that scholarship fraud does exist, so please be careful and avoid scams. If, for example, your student receives an email or other notification stating that they have to pay to apply for a scholarship or enter their bank information, it is likely a scam. Following the above links will help you stay clear of any scholarship scams that exist.
3. State-Funded Scholarships:  These are another type of scholarship funded by state money, and are definitely worth applying for.  In Utah, these scholarships include:
   • Regent’s Scholarship Program
   • New Century Scholarship
   • Centennial Scholarship for Early Graduation Program
   • Scholarships through various Utah credit unions
   • Western Undergraduate Exchange

Compared to other states, it is relatively inexpensive to attend public institutions of higher education in Utah.  Keep in mind, however, that the cost of college is more than just tuition and fees. Students must also consider expenses like transportation, housing, food, books, school supplies, and more.  Most colleges will try to give you a realistic snapshot of their websites of what it will cost to attend college there, and those amounts are usually overestimated to be on the safe side. A useful tool to help you calculate the cost of college is the College Net Price Calculator. 

Should you need additional guidance, your students' GEAR UP advisor is available to help you figure out what your students' college expenses will be and help you create a plan for affording college.  Make sure you have this conversation early on to avoid missing any financial aid deadlines.  See the "Preparing Financially for College” section for more details on how to afford college.

Navigating education as an undocumented student can be challenging, but not impossible.  GEAR UP is here to assist you and your child in every way we can, and we are committed to their success. Have your student meet with their GEAR UP advisor regularly to find out how to apply for colleges and what scholarships are available to them. Many colleges and universities in Utah are very supportive of their desire to attend college and accomplish their dreams. Here are just a few resources for undocumented students found on college websites and Step Up Utah that is worth looking into:

1. Weber State University’s Resources for Undocumented Students 
2. Salt Lake Community College
3. University of Utah
4. StepUpUtah

Additional resources for undocumented students

1. Dreamers Road Map
2. Educate Utah
3. My Undocumented Life