The College Office

Welcome to UA Maker's College and Career Office!

Our mission:

UA Maker aims to provide an immersive postsecondary curriculum. Each week in advisory, students participate in structured lessons that build upon their postsecondary education through college and career exploration, building their college list through a "best fit" scope, college application completion, financial aid education and completion, and matriculation tasks. All students will graduate Maker with a plan, no matter the postsecondary pathway they choose.

As of December 1st:

99% of seniors have submitted their CUNY application
92% of senior have submitted their SUNY application
73% of seniors have submitted their FAFSA application

Keep it up! You guys are doing great!

What We Are Working On (December 1st-December 23rd):

TAP application:

Beginning this week, students should begin applying to the New York State's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). Families making under $125,000 in 2024 are eligible from $500 to $5,665. To find more about TAP, look here.
To complete TAP, you will need: 2024 NY state taxes (IT-201 form), parents marriage status month and date (marriage, separation, or divorce date), student and parents social security numbers, parents NY State Drivers license(s) # or NY State ID #'s.
- If you do not have a NY state drivers license or state ID, you will have to print out a signature page to sign and scan it in. I recommend doing this with me so I can scan it.
TAP Facts:
- You can only complete the TAP application after you submit your FAFSA application
- Once you begin your TAP application, you only have a week to finish it otherwise it will purge your information and you will have to start again.

Creating Portals:

After applying to a college, you will receive an email with a username and guide to set up a portal for that college. A portal is an online platform where you will see application updates, financial aid updates, and needed information for that particular school.
Students should create a portal to EVERY college they applied to. The only exception to this is to CUNY, where CUNY First acts as a portal for all CUNY campuses.
Once you create your portal, put the login and password in you "Portal Passwords" tab on your tracker.

Common Application:

Students who are interested in applying to private schools, more SUNY schools, and out of state public schools should create a Common Application account. I encourage ALL students to apply! When you assign me as your counselor, I allow you to apply to up to 20 colleges for free!
Most applications are due between January 1st-February 15th.

Scholarships:

Each week, I will add scholarships to this newsletter. Please apply to as many as possible! All that money adds up!
Scholarships this week:
- Scholarship Plus- a competitive four-year scholarship for up to $8,000.
  - Eligibility: High school senior from New York City with an 84.5% cumulative GPA. Your family income should be less than $55,000 per year. You must write 2 essays and have 2 letters of recommendation.
- Bick Vocational/Trade School Scholarship- a scholarship for students are plan to attend a trade school
  - Eligibility: Plan to attend a trade school
  - Deadline: Dec 31, 2025
- GE Reagan Foundation Scholarship- for students who demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity and citizenship with up to $40,000 scholarships
  - Eligibility: Be leaders in your community and have a minimum of an 84 cumulative average GPA
- Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarships- up to $30,000 for students who demonstrate financial need and academic excellence