Summer Months Lend Themselves to New Pathways

Students look forward to summer break, but sometimes students struggle to find ways to keep busy during the summer months. If you know a student entering grades 9-12, you should know about MEFA Pathway, a valuable, engaging resource that can help students stay busy over the summer as they learn about themselves and progress through the stages of post-secondary planning. The online tool provides a timeline specific to each grade level, which shows activities that students can work on, along with progress made and important dates.

Here are suggested activities for each grade level:

Grade 9

• Go to mefapathway.org and register for an account
• Begin creating your Profile
• Take the Get to Know Yourself assessments
• Start exploring careers and building a Career List
• Add short and long-term Goals and Strategies

Grade 10

• Update your Profile
• Assess your Goals and Strategies and set new ones
• Retake the Get to Know Yourself assessments and compare to previous results
• Use Match Me to see which colleges may be a good fit
• Start adding schools to your College List

Grade 11

• Update your Profile
• Retake the Get to Know Yourself assessments and compare to previous results
• Assess your Goals and Strategies and set new ones
• Use College Compare and update your College List with schools that are a good fit
• Explore Pay for College, search for scholarships, and start a Scholarship List
• Start recording deadlines for applications, financial aid, and scholarships

Grade 12

• Update your Profile
• Update your Scholarship List and keep track of deadlines
• Use the Application Manager to track application requirements and record your progress as you submit all admissions applications
• Use the College Cost Calculator to compare financial aid awards
• Use the Loan Cost Estimator to calculate potential loan costs

So counselors, keep this website handy and if a student is looking for something to do this summer, suggest mefapathway.org. Get your students started on the journey toward college and career planning and success.