School and Academics

College Preparedness

Bottom Line

Bottom Line offers free one-on-one advising throughout student’s entire college application process. They assist with: deciding what college to apply to, writing your college essay, applying for financial aid, searching for scholarships and more! Visit their website for more information and how to apply.

Chicago Scholars

Chicago Scholars are academically ambitious, first generation college students from under-resourced communities in Chicago. Our seven-year program helps them to navigate the complex transitions into college, through college, and beyond to a career. Visit their website to learn more and how to apply.

College Scholarships

Chicago Housing Authority Scholarships

The college scholarship program is only for current residents of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) currently listed on a CHA lease. The applicant must plan to enroll in an accredited post-secondary institution in the fall. Accordingly, applicants can include current high school seniors, undergraduate students continuing their studies, or adults seeking to start a post-secondary program in the fall. Applications typically open at the start of the calendar year and need to be submitted early May. Check the website for specifics and information on how to apply.

Chicago Housing Authority X City Colleges of Chicago

CHA public housing residents and Housing Choice Voucher participants can obtain a degree or certificate from City Colleges of Chicago at low or no cost through a partnership between CHA and CCC called the Partners in Education program. Partners in Education Program Managers help residents with the enrollment process, academic advisement and referrals for career coaching when appropriate. Eligible expenses include tuition, uniforms, books, and exam fees. Visit their website for more information!

ESA Foundation Scholars

To inspire future creators in the video game industry and encourage diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM), the ESA Foundation established a scholarship fund providing support for women and minority students across the United States. They offer three different scholarship opportunities:

The ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Arts Scholarship, for students pursuing careers as video game creators
The ESA Foundation LGBTQ+ support scholarship, for students pursuing video game arts degrees while actively supporting their LGBTQ+ communities
The ESA Foundation esports scholarship, for students who play esports on a collegiate team and are pursuing a four-year, academic degree

Visit their website for more information and how to apply.

Khan Academy

Bigs!

Recognize that your Little is struggling in some subjects, but unsure as to how you can provide some assistance? Khan Academy is a free learning and tutoring resource tailored for Littles of all ages, and all subjects. Littles will get a personalized learning dashboard that will guide them through each subject (like a personal coach) while using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps while suggesting skills to practice. Littles will also recieve fun rewards along the way like badges, energy points, and avatars. There are over 100,000 interactive exercises, projects, videos, and articles–and this resource is free!

You will need to create a Khan Academy account in order to get started, but everything is absolutely free. Khan Academy serves children from K-12 and a number of subjects. This site also includes SAT and CAHSEE prep, advice on getting into college, computer programming, and much more! See below for an example.

Need assistance for the SATs? Your Little can take practice tests!

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