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Starting On Your Road to College
Take this time at the start of your Junior year to research what you want to do after graduating from
high school. You need to answer the
question:
To answer this question, research
job statistics, employment trends, and collegiate
majors using our quick link tools below. Then evaluate your aptitude
skills for different career selections.
We have listed some planning steps that will help you stay on track as you explore your post-high school plans. You need to plan accordingly so that everything is ready to go in your senior year once you submit your application for admission.
- keep your grades up. Colleges will look at grades for admission; it is especially important that you increase (or at least maintain) your grade performance during your junior and senior years:
we have a study guide area that can help
get to know your high school guidance counselor. They are valuable players in the college planning process. Discuss with them your planning and testing dates. You will use them extensively as you research colleges.
- practice taking
those all important college entrance practice
exams. It will help on the day of
the real exam. The PSAT (for SAT I, SAT II exams) is usually offered
in October and November. ACT prep exams are offered through testing services and online. Check which exam is administered in your area.
- consider taking
Advanced Placement Exams or the CLEP tests, if applicable. This may save you time and
money by testing out of college courses
you won't need.
- meet with college
representatives that visit your school. Get a feel of the kind of college you would
like to attend.
Also consider attending local college
fairs and visiting local college campuses.
This will expose you to college life and
style.
- keep a record
of what you find in your research. This
will help compare programs when you need
to make a decision:
- Use our FREE download
tool for tracking:
click
here 
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Meet With Your Guidance Counselors
Meet with your guidance counselor (or school administrator or teacher) as soon as you can to discuss your post-high school plans.
- the availability of and enrollment in Advanced Placement classes
- the schedules for the college entrance exams (includes P SAT, SAT I and II, and ACT). Discuss with your counselor on the exams required to get into your college of choice
- the admission requirements to college including GPA requirements, credits, exam type and scores, etc. Try to fill in any gaps
- review your transcripts to make sure you are on track to graduate with the required credits and courses to get into your college(s) of choice
- understand what career type you should pursue based on your scholastic and aptitude abilities
- scheduling visits to college campuses and college admission offices after you select your college of choice
- discuss preparatory classes or seminars on the various exams to help boost your scores
- review all other information related to your college planning tasks
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Get Ready for the College Exams
Discuss with your guidance counselor about the following college exams:
- you should consider taking Advanced
Placement Exams or CLEP tests in
your Junior and Senior years. This allows
you to test out of some college courses
that can save you time and money.
The exams are administered each year in
the Spring with some preparation required
prior to the exam. Check
with your school for exam administration, enrollment and information.
Information about the advanced placement program:
View our advanced
placement prep/study guides:
:
- almost all colleges and some trade programs require a college entrance exam. These exams measure your ability to understand college-level materials.
The ACT Assessment®
You will take these exams in your senior year. So
get some practice with the college entrance "preparation"
exams. It will help on the day of
the real exam.
- to help prepare for the real test. You will be familiar with the type of questions being asked
- to help you take tests under timelines. It is important that you work quickly so that you can complete the entire test.
- to view your strengths and weaknesses for college study. You can then focus on areas to improve your skills.
- to view how your performance compares with other students who are applying for college
Information about
the PSAT (practice exams):
ACT test preparation:
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Research Job Trends
Research
future career opportunities to
help decide what you want out of
college. Find out what jobs are going to be hot
and what jobs are not. This will help decide whether to
go to college, vocational school or jump right into your career:
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Get to Know Yourself
View some career and personal self-assessment
tests to determine your aptitude and character for career opportunities. The last thing you want is to start college in a career that you will not like.
By understanding your personality type, it will
help determine what career opportunity will
bring you the most satisfaction.
you can view more information about personal assessments and how they can measure your
personality traits for jobs and other life-events
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Explore
Collegiate Careers
By understanding who
you are and what you like, you can now explore career opportunities that will be most satisfying to you:
See what will be required in order to achieve
your dream. It will summarize collegiate classes that you should take:
- Visit collegeboard.org for in-depth
review of collegiate majors.
What do you want to be?
Learn more about this Vocational Aptitude
exam that measures several aptitudes in
mathematics, general science, reasoning,
and other.
Something
Extra
Make your junior year count. Study hard,
get good grades, and keep pace with what's
going on:
- Record the information you find. Download
these tracking sheets:
FREE download
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