The following is a summarized guideline of information important in the preparation of your educational and career goals. The guideline is in calendar form per year in high school. This is to give you an idea of a timetable for various requirements. For more detailed information, refer to the appropriate section in this book Freshman Year Know your academic course requirements. Prepare a course plan for your time in high school and make sure you are completing the requirements for your freshman year. Consult your counselor and your parents in making your course plans. If you have difficulty in a course, seek help and tutoring. At the end of the year, get information needed for summer school, if necessary. Start researching some careers that you find interesting. Talk to your parents about their own careers. Get involved in extracurricular activities in your school or community. Sophomore Year Continue following your course requirements for your sophomore year. During September or October, register to take the PLAN test. If you have difficulty in a course, seek help and tutoring. If necessary, get information about summer school and attend these classes. Be involved in extracurricular activities. Some extracurricular activities can help you prepare for your career aspirations. Start thinking about which classes will best prepare you for your career goals. Look into part-time jobs or internships for real-life experience and the possibility of doing something in a field that interests you. Try to continue this into the summer. Junior Year September Continue following your course requirements for your junior year. Take classes that will best prepare you for your career goals and area of study. Meet with guidance counselor and evaluate transcript. Become familiar with college admissions and financial aid terminology. Become familiar with the terminology used to describe various degrees and their relationships to institutions of higher learning. Know differences among institutions. Research schools using college catalogs. Start a list of schools which interest you. Think about where schools are located. October Discuss research findings with parents and guidance counselor. Compare personal academic achievements with academic admissions requirements for colleges that interest you. Obtain information about Advanced Placement exams and discuss the possibility of taking them with your guidance counselor. Take the PSAT. Review college catalogs. November Continue to add to research catalogs and add to your list of schools. Attend college fairs. Register for the SAT I/SAT II and Advanced Placement tests. December Review PSAT scores. January/February Students interested in specialized college programs should inquire about admissions requirements. Discuss options for volunteer work on weekends, after school, or during weekends, with guidance counselor and parents. Continue researching colleges and attending college fairs. March Register for the May SAT I, April ACT, and any Advanced Placement tests. Note deadlines for applying for admission to summer programs and internships. April Attend college fairs. Talk to graduating seniors about which colleges they will be attending. Find out how they made their choices, what the admissions process was like, and which colleges they considered. May/June Conduct a personal academic assessment with your guidance counselor. Discuss standardized test scores, cumulative grade point average, number of credits accumulated, and distribution of credits. June/Summer Participate in a summer program, job, internship, or perform volunteer work. Write to colleges for catalogs, admissions applications, financial aid information and applications. Research scholarships offered by the private sector. Make a list of topics for college and scholarship application essays. Senior Year September Continue following your course requirements for your senior year. Your requirements for graduation should be nearly filled. Continue participating in extracurricular activities. Register for the fall ACT and/or SAT if you have not yet taken it or if you wish to improve your score. Reduce your list to about 4 or 5 schools. Write for catalogs, applications, and financial aid information from the schools on your list. Prepare a calendar or worksheet to help you keep track of important dates. Meet with counselor to review graduation status and discuss future plans. Decide whom to ask for letters of recommendation. If applying under Early Decision, complete application form. Review transcript with guidance counselor. Prepare a list of scholarship and application deadlines and college application processing fee. Call colleges and obtain schedules for campus tours, information sessions, and overnight visits. Attend college fairs. Students living in foster homes or who are wards of the court should discuss their college plans with their caseworkers. Such students may be eligible for certain kinds of financial aid. Students whose parent(s) is/are deceased and was/were listed in military service, law enforcement, or the fire department may be eligible for certain kinds of financial aid. Contact these agencies (veterans' administration offices and state and federal financial aid agencies) for more information. Students whose families receive Social Security benefits or public assistance should contact their caseworkers about obtaining an annual statement of benefits received. These documents will be necessary when applying for financial aid. October Write first draft of college and scholarship applications. Ask for letters of recommendation. Research college costs. Early Decision applicants should mail their applications. Discuss scholarship opportunities with guidance counselor. Attend college fairs. Visit college campuses. Schedule college interviews. November Fill out applications. If applying under Early Admission, complete applications and submit by the deadline (usually December 1). Early Decision application deadlines. Regular Admissions applicants should give their applications to their counselor to complete questions on class rank and academic history. Also submit a list of colleges and the scholarship organizations and the addresses to which the official transcripts must be mailed. Regular Admissions applicants should ask for their letters of recommendation. Visit college campuses. Schedule college interviews. Complete second draft of essay. December Collect family tax information (yours and your parents'). Remind parents/guardians that tax return forms must be completed as soon as possible in the spring. This information will be necessary for completing financial aid forms. Financial aid offices will also request these documents to verify family income. If your family receives government assistance, meet with your family's caseworker and explain that a copy of your family's annual budget will be needed in January. This information will be necessary for completing financial aid forms. Financial Aid offices will request budget copies for verification. Check with schools to find out which financial aid forms should be completed. Review list of scholarship and college application deadlines. Visit college campuses. Early Decision applicants will receive notification letters. Regular Admissions applicants should complete the final copies of their essays. Remind writers about letters of recommendation. January Apply for financial aid. Find out which additional institutional financial aid forms are required. If not yet finished, complete admissions applications. Complete housing forms. Check that letters of recommendation have been mailed. February/March Finalize family tax information. Complete and mail all scholarship applications. Return completed institutional financial aid forms. You should receive an acknowledgment that your application has been received; if not, call the admissions office. March/April Colleges will ask for verification of financial aid information on financial aid applications. Submit this information (tax forms, budget statements, etc.) as soon as possible. Verify that you have completed and turned in all necessary financial aid information. Discuss final choices with parents and counselors. Compare financial aid awards and discuss you financial situation and plan with your parents. Notify schools of your acceptance or rejection of their offers. Send your tuition deposit. Send your housing deposit, if applicable. Complete any additional financial aid and housing forms. May/Summer Study and take Advanced Placement tests, if applicable. Make sure final transcript has been sent to the school you will be attending. Finalize budget for the year. Be sure to receive orientation materials and follow up on financial aid. Write thank you notes to those who assisted you with the application process, notifying them of our decision. Contact future roommates, if applicable. Get a summer job. Once in College... APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL AID IS A YEARLY PROCESS. Complete your FAFSA and other necessary forms. Continue to look for scholarship and internship opportunities in your town. Preparation Academics Courses and Grades The classes you take during high school and the grades you get in those classes will make a difference in the college choices available to you. Your high school should have a list of courses considered "college preparatory." To select a class schedule that fits your academic and career goals, talk to your parents and your guidance counselor. Not all courses offered in high school are considered college preparatory, so be sure to double check your schedule with the list of college preparatory classes. The following is a list of college preparatory classes offered at most high schools. It is important to remember that this list highlights the minimum recommended requirements. Class Years Examples English 4 required American Literature Composition World Literature Mathematics 2 required 4 recommended Algebra Geometry Calculus Laboratory Science 2 required 4 recommended Biology Chemistry Physics History 2 required 4 recommended American History World History US Government Foreign Language 2 required 4 recommended French German Spanish Visual/Perform. Arts 1 required 3 recommended Music Art Dance/Theater Electives 1 required 3 recommended Economics Computer Science Psychology It is important to remember that colleges may have different admissions requirements, which will be discussed later. For example, a highly selective college may chose applicants who have taken more college preparatory courses over applicants who have taken less challenging courses. Similarly, more mathematics and science courses may be required for majors and programs emphasizing technical skills. While it is important to take challenging classes, do not take classes which may be too difficult for you and for which you may not have adequate preparation. Only classes in which you achieve a C or better are counted toward college admission. Talk to your parents, counselors, teachers, and administrators about the level of classes you should be taking. If you do get less than satisfactory grades, be sure to inquire about tutors and summer school. If your grades during your first two years of high school do not adequately demonstrate your skill level, there is still time to improve. Admission boards make note of students whose grades have improved during their last two years of school. Also, once you have been accepted, do not let your grades drop. Do not forget that the admissions board reviews your final transcript. Advanced Placement Classes Some students may want to take an Advanced Placement (AP) class. Such classes tend to be more difficult and more time consuming. However, these classes may be able to help you earn college credit while still in high school. Some colleges award academic credit for high scores on Advanced Placement exams. There is a fee for each exam taken. However, there may be options for students who have difficulty in paying the fee. Again, talk to your parents, counselors, teachers, and administrators for more information about Advanced Placement classes and exams. Class Rank Your class rank may also play a role in your evaluation by admission boards. Class rankings give the board an idea of how you have performed in relation to your peers. The rankings are usually determined by your grade point average. If your school has a weighted grading scale, the difficulty of certain classes will be considered in conjunction with the grades you achieved in them. Extracurricular Activities Participating in extracurricular activities can tell a college admissions board more about you as a person than a list of classes you have taken and the grades you have received in them. Extracurricular activities inform others about the interests you have and your commitment to these interests. This gives a college admissions board an idea of your maturity and what is important to you. It is best to be involved in a few activities throughout your time in high school. Be sure to select activities which you find interesting and which are meaningful to you. In this way, you are demonstrating a sincere interest in reaching specific goals. Extracurricular activities can be on or off campus. Some examples of extracurricular activities are school clubs, volunteer work in your community, or a part-time job. Regardless of the activities you choose, colleges are impressed by a student's commitment to an organization and whatever leadership roles the student may have within that organization. Additionally, colleges also take into account your ability to manage time and resources for different responsibilities. Extracurricular participation does not have to be limited to the academic year. You may be able to continue with your activities throughout the summer. Also, you may want to consider a summer job or internship. Jobs and internships are another way of indicating specific interests you have. An added bonus is that through jobs and internships, you are able to acquire experience within your field of interest. Even if you are unable to obtain a job in your area of interest, having a job still indicates your level of maturity, responsibility, and commitment. Whatever it is you decide to do, make sure to keep track of your activities and your accomplishments, noting leadership roles within those activities. Extracurricular activities give you experience and can be fun. Additionally, you may be able to network yourself for future jobs and opportunities. In some cases, persons you work with may be able to provide you with letters of recommendation, advice, and the like.