Soon, aspiring college students will use a federal Web site to share their goals and dreams for higher education.

The Department of Education (DoE) plans to expand its College.gov Web site to allow students to create and write messages about why they want go to college.

The Education department posted the Web site May 25 on a trial basis, planning an official rollout later this month with a promotional blitz in late fall and winter.

The site provides information and resources about planning, preparing and paying for higher education. College.gov aims to encourage high schoolers, especially those from underrepresented groups, to prepare for college.

“We focus on students who are first generation, English-as-a-second language, low-income (and) those who didn’t have an adult in their life,” explains Vickie Schray, deputy assistant secretary for higher education.

Registered users will be able to upload a photo and an “I’m Going” statement about why they want to attend college. They can link their message to Facebook profiles or other Web sites and send them to others. Students in focus groups said they wanted to hear from others in similar situations.

College.gov has learned some lessons itself during the trial run. “We told people to talk to their counselor. Some schools didn’t have a counselor or had one per 800 kids. So we referred them to other resources,” Schray says.

The department also hopes eventually to send users who sign up for it e-mails about application and financial aid processes. It could tailor messages by grade level, reminding students what class they need to take or to complete their financial aid or college application. It may also send messages about new resources or updates to the site.

Already, users can take a financial aid quiz and download posters giving them a map to college that they can personalize by naming their own reasons for attending college, their “dream school,” etc.