RESTON, Va., Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The end of summer means back to school for students across the country. And for high school seniors, the coming year marks a pivotal time for them to plan and prepare for the next leg of their educational journey: college.

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"Students and families have a wealth of college planning information at their fingertips," says Martha Holler, spokesperson for Sallie Mae, the nation's leading saving- and paying-for-college company. "Doing your planning- and paying-for-college research early pays dividends in the long run. The more you know about where you want to go to school and how you are going to pay for it, the better off you'll be at decision time."

Sallie Mae's CollegeAnswer.com Web site offers an array of resources to help students use their senior year in high school as an opportunity to better plan for college. In addition to providing information and interactive tools on college preparation, evaluation, selection, application and financing online, CollegeAnswer has a special section dedicated to high school seniors, with insights and tips from current and former college students on how to prepare for college while in high school, as well as what to expect in the first year of college.

    In addition, CollegeAnswer.com offers:

    -- Content in English and Spanish for both students and parents;

    -- Assistance in preparing for college entrance tests;

    -- Helpful college-planning tools, including checklists, a

       school-comparison tool, a school-affordability analyzer and a variety

       of interactive calculators for budgeting and estimating;

    -- Information on financial planning, locating scholarships, understanding

       award letters, financing options and repaying student loans;

    -- Access to the largest scholarship database containing more than 2.8

       million scholarships worth more than $16 billion in funds;

    -- Tips on selecting a student loan lender;

    -- Free access to a variety of going-to-college materials and

       publications.

Senior year of high school also is when students tend to get more serious about narrowing their college choices. To help guide them through the process, CollegeAnswer.com provides detailed information on what to look for in schools, public versus private institutions, the application process, what schools look for in applicants, tips on writing admissions essays, obtaining recommendations, understanding the admissions process and managing deadlines.

"The last year of high school is indeed an exciting time for students," says Holler. "It's also the time to begin planning in earnest for higher education. With a little research and organization, you can do both -- create high school memories and get off to a great start for college."

SOURCE Sallie Mae