Preparing for College During High School

Freshman Year

It’s never too early to start preparing for college. During your freshman year, you should establish a relationship with your guidance counselor and teachers (create guidance counselor relationship builder exercise), because their advice will be invaluable to your high school experience, and they can write letters of recommendation for you when you begin applying to college or applying for jobs down the road.

Even though it may seem early, you should discuss the different types of graduation plans with your counselor. It is strongly recommended that you fulfill the requirements under the Distinguished Achievement Program because it will make you eligible for more grants and scholarships, as well as better prepare you for college.

You should take a variety of challenging courses and electives that are of interest to you so that you can begin to discover future career options. You should also become involved in extracurricular activities (including volunteering), which will give you the opportunity to develop leadership and problem-solving skills, and allow you meet people with similar interests – AND they will look great on your college resume! Research the clubs or organizations available on your campus, and choose a few which you can dedicate your time and energy to. Remember to keep a running list of leadership positions, community service, and awards you receive – both inside and outside of school – so that you’ll be prepared later when you start filling out college applications that ask you to describe in detail your extracurricular activities (including the time you committed to each activity).

Also, begin to think about the type of college you think you would like, whether it be small, large, public, or private.

	Develop relationships with teachers
	Visit guidance counselor(s) frequently
	Discuss a Graduation Plan
	Take challenging courses and interesting electives
	Get involved in extracurricular activities
	Think about the college experience you would like

Use this chart and all charts in this manual as a checklist to keep track of the strategies you’re using for success.

Sophomore Year

You should maintain a good relationship with your guidance counselor, as s/he can offer you much needed advice and help – for instance, reminders about upcoming standardized tests like the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). (Your counselor will be able to tell you the deadlines for registering to take the test at your high school.) Although you won’t take the PSAT until the fall of your junior year (probably in October), scoring well on the PSAT could qualify you for the National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Achievement Scholarship Program, or the National Hispanic Recognition Program. So start preparing for the test early on! Look into whether you have a study group on your campus or in your community, or create one yourself, and start taking practice tests. You should also pick up a copy of the “Official Student Guide to the PSAT” from your counselor.

It has 3 main sections to help you:

Test taking help
Information about the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s scholarship competitions
A full-length practice test

Throughout your sophomore year, continue to stay involved in your extracurricular activities to better develop your leadership and problem-solving skills. (And update your list of any leadership positions, community service, awards, or employment you may have so that you’ll be prepared during your senior year when completing college applications.) But more importantly than your extracurricular activities: keep your grades up! Extracurricular activities may look good on your college resume, but your grades are usually more critical. Continue to refer to your Graduation Plan so you know what classes you need to take. During high school, you should be on the constant lookout for ways to finance your college education. Throughout your sophomore year, do some research – usually, your guidance counselor, www.fastweb.com, and local banks and business are great sources of available scholarships. Do not pay for scholarship-finding services.

Your sophomore year is also a good time to research potential colleges and discuss any options you may be interested in with your parents, teachers, and counselors.

Finally, your sophomore year is the ideal time to research college summer programs for high school students. Many colleges offer these programs, where high school students stay on campus and take various classes – and sometimes, the costs are covered by the college or by your high school. Although some programs are only geared towards students who have already completed their junior year, others do admit those who have only completed their sophomore year. If these programs allow you to attend, try to take advantage of as many of them as possible. Again, it will look great on your college resume, and you’ll learn more about what college life is like!

	Continue visits to your guidance counselors
	Start studying for the PSAT
	Continue with extracurricular activities
	Keep your grades up and follow your Graduation Plan
	Look out for scholarships
	Research college options
	Attend college summer programs, if eligible