Services Offered by the EOC

To get started, we will need to learn more about you. EOC staff will conduct an interview session to carefully assess your educational history, personal circumstances as well as your baseline knowledge and skill level in a number of key areas. Based on the assessment results, information gathered from your interview and our academic/career goal setting process, we will prepare your customized EOC “Playbook for Success.” Your Playbook will contain and outline all of the identified services and skills “training” required for you to achieve your goals. Some of our core services are listed below:

Career Exploration, Counseling and Planning

Career Exploration

  • We utilize a variety of different assessment tools such as Strong, RIASEC, Personality Mosaic, Who are You, and My Next Move.

Career Counseling

  • Once you know what you would like to pursue, we can assist you with identifying the right academic/degree path or career training program and the right school to meet your needs.

Career Planning

  • Advise and emphasize the importance of job readiness, job hunting, résumé and cover letter writing, preparing for job interviews, as well as the value of volunteering, internships to strengthen résumé.

Financial Aid and Financial Literacy

Personal Assistance in Completing the Financial Aid Application (FASFA)

  • Our EOC staff is highly trained with this process. We can assist you at every step of the way or review your work and application before submission.
  • Explain the financial aid process in detail and discuss important topics such as the FSA Id, Confirmation Page, Student Aid Report, Satisfactory Academic Progress, financial aid probation/suspension, professional judgement, disbursement plans, as well as helping you to understand your financial aid award letter and/or loan or award offerings, Pell eligibility, etc.

Financial Aid Verification

  • When the financial aid office at your school requests verification information from you, we can assist you with this process.

Loan Counseling

  • Share information on the different types of available loans
  • Assist individuals with existing defaulted student loans with the rehabilitating defaulted loan process.

Scholarship Search and Application Process

  • Provide information on how to seek out additional scholarships and assistance in completing different scholarship applications.
  • Share information about the Colorado State University EOC Partnership Award.

Financial Aid Literacy

  • Administer a short Financial Literacy quiz to determine baseline knowledge.
  • Review the EOC “Financial Know-How?” publication that covers budgeting, credit card debt, how credit scores are determined and their impact, complete budgeting calculations, and discuss the importance of personal financial decisions.
  • We ensure that our participants understand the requirements of financial aid, how to stay in good standing and how to be responsible borrowers.

College Admissions

Selecting the Right College

  • When choosing a college, there are many factors to consider, we can help you determine which school is the best fit for you.
  • Identify the right major or program of study for your selected career path.
  • Provide college transition services and information on housing, text book purchases, student ID cards, parking permits, health insurance, etc.
  • Assistance in arranging college campus visits

Admissions Application Assistance

  • Guide you through the application process to help ensure you take all the necessary steps and that you will meet admission requirements.
  • Assistance with the college admissions and/or transfer process, including the Veterans On-line Application for educational benefits, application fee waiver, enrollment deposit deferrals, etc.

Get Connected on Campus

  • When admitted to the school of your choice, we will guide you to the additional programs and resources on-campus designed to help you succeed academically such as a Student Support Services TRIO program.
  • Ensure your participation in required orientation, registration, academic advising, retention, veteran services programs, and to meet with your academic, major and/or veteran advisors on campus.

Referral Services

The EOC has established an extensive network of reliable and credible partners, community agencies and resources to strengthen the overall support network for our participants. Our EOC staff:

  • Works with participants 1 on 1 to identify appropriate community programs, offices and services that will address their specific needs.
  • Refers participants without a high school diploma to Adult Education/GED, ABE, or ESL programs
  • Provides guidance with entry or reentry to a GED or alternative programs
  • Reviews GED test content, online tutorials and costs

Presentations

“Options in Higher Education: College 101”

This presentation focuses on providing participants and attendees with a solid foundation of information needed to consider their options when it comes to higher education. It is perfect for groups who are interested in college, but are unsure where to start. The presentation covers topics such as the different types of degrees/certificates, different types of schools, credit hours, etc.

“Understanding the Financial Aid Process”

This presentation examines the ins and outs of financial aid. It is perfect for groups of students who want to attend school, but don’t know much about financial aid and are not considering attending college because they are unsure of how they can pay for college. Covered topics include who is eligible to receive aid, how to apply, meeting satisfactory academic progress, the different types of aid, how to be a responsible borrower and more.

“Financial Literacy”

This workshop is designed to teach our participants to think differently about money and to make better decisions about spending and how to better manage their finances. They will learn how to build and maintain a budget, understand their credit score and what affects it, and learn the basic concepts of loans and how to manage debt.