High School Tips vol.2

High School Tips: Preparation for
College
Crossroads:Pathways to Success, Inc.
October 8, 2011

Junior Year
 It's junior year, and the time has come for serious
college planning. If you prepare for standardized
tests now, you can avoid the frenzy of senior
year.
 Time spent now will more than pay off next year.
You will be able to keep up your grades and enjoy
your final high school months while scouring
Scholarships.com or other sites for free
scholarship money.

Junior Action Plan
 Goals for the Fall Semester
 Take the PSAT/NMSQT
 Sign up to take these tests in October.
 Always sign up for student search service so that you will
hear from colleges and scholarship programs.
 Start Your College Search
 Make a list of your personal preferences and qualities. List
programs and majors you may be interested in.
 Begin thinking about Financial Aid.

Junior Action Plan
 Winter
 Get Ready for the SAT
 Start studying with friends and being serious about
it.
 Get some SAT prep books.
 Attend the SAT program at Providence.
 Schedule your spring testing
 You can take either the SAT® or up to three SAT Subject
Tests™ on one test day. Plan your testing schedule carefully
if you want to take both, and register for two separate test
dates.

Junior Action Plan Continued
 Explore Colleges
 Begin to visit potential schools you are interested in.
 Prepare well for AP Exams
 Do well on AP exams and receive credit, advanced
placements tests can do a lot for you.
 Plan Ahead for the Summer & Senior Year
 Review your senior year class schedule with your
counselor. Challenge yourself with honors and AP
classes.
 Plan summer activities early. Enrich yourself by
volunteering, getting an interesting job or internship
or even a summer camp of your interests.

Junior Action Plan
Goals for the spring semester
 Explore Colleges
 Start visiting local colleges: large, small, public and private.
Get a feel for which campus works for you. Create a list of
15-20 potential colleges that you wish to attend
 Start Considering possible Majors
 If you are not ready to pin down your career, and most high
school students aren't, consider taking a career assessment
test. Some websites provide free assessment tests that
match your interests with possible careers. You may also
want to speak with your guidance counselor to find out if
these tests are offered at your school.

Junior Year Tips & Tactics
 Keep up your list of your awards and
extracurricular activities, along with the dates you
participated and the names and contact
information of people who you might want to ask
to write a letter of recommendation for you.
Keeping track of all of this information now will
make it easier for you to remember during the
college admissions process.

 Keep a master calendar of all of your deadlines
and test dates. As you decide which schools you
want to apply to, add the dates for their deadlines
for admissions and financial aid.
 You can take the college admissions tests as
many times as you want, and colleges will look at
your highest score. So it does not hurt your
admission chances to take them in the spring or
summer of your junior year to find out what your
testing strengths and weaknesses are.

 Make sure you’re taking all the required courses
you need for college. Many top four-year colleges
prefer your high school education to include
classes in English, math, science, social studies
and foreign language all four years.
 Evaluate your extra-curricular activities, keeping
in mind that quality is more important than
quantity. In addition to your transcript, schools
look at how you spend your free time to see that
you’ve made a meaningful contribution and a
long-term commitment to an organization, cause
or hobby.

Senior Action Plan
Fall
 Narrow your list of colleges to approximately five to eight. Get
all financial aid info from each and try to visit if possible.
 Ask for recommendations.
 Get your teachers, family members, peers to review your
application essay. LET CROSSROADS REVIEW IT.
 Make a master calendar with the following:
 Test dates, fees and deadlines
 College application due dates
 Required financial documents
 Recommendations, transcripts and other material due dates
 High school deadlines for application requests. Decide
whether or not you want to apply for early admission.
 November 1 in the early admission deadline.

Senior Action Plan cont.
 Winter
 Review Application Details
 Most applications are due between January 1 and February
15.
 Have your high school send your transcript to colleges.
 Contact colleges to make sure they have received your
application materials.
SIT BACK AND ENJOY READING ACCEPTANCE LETTERS

University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
 Location: Chapel Hill,
 FALL 2011 ENROLLED FIRST-YEAR CLASS -- ACADEMICS
 1st in high-school class 7.0% (of those whose schools reported
rank)
2nd in high-school class 5.0%
Top 10% of high-school class 80%
Average GPA 4.5 (of 91% whose schools reported 4.0 GPAs)
High-school GPA of 4.0+ 90.0%
 25th-75th percentiles
—SAT Critical Reading 590-700
—SAT Math 610-710
—SAT Writing 610-690
—ACT Composite 28-32

Charlotte-UNCC
 Location: Charlotte, NC
 High School Grade Point Average – 4.0 Scale
3.4 to 4.0
 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) –
1480-1730
 ACT – Middle 50% Range
21-26
 Total Enrollment25,300

North Carolina A&T State University
 Location: Greensboro, NC
 Established in 1891
Profile of Freshmen Admitted Fall of 2011
 A combined Mathematics and Critical Reading Scholastic
Assessment Test Score (SAT) of 750 or higher
 A composite American College Test Score (ACT) of 16 or
higher
 A Final High School GPA – 2.25 or higher.

Greensboro-UNCG
 UNCG seeks men and women with ability, character,
motivation, and the intellectual potential to meet
UNCG standards of performance.
 Application Procedures for Freshmen
 Complete the UNCG application forms, including essay.
A $55 application fee must accompany the application.
This fee covers the cost of processing the application
and is subject to change; it is not refundable and is not
applicable toward tuition or other costs.
*The application deadline for freshman admission is March 1.
Applications received after that date will be considered on a
space available basis.

UNCG
 UNCG seeks men and women with ability,
character, motivation, and the intellectual
potential to meet UNCG standards of
performance. UNCG’s admission decision is
based upon an evaluation of the applicant’s
secondary school record and/or college record,
including the overall grade point average, essay,
and SAT or ACT scores. These factors are used
to determine the applicant’s probability of success
at UNCG.

Seven Excuses Not to Go to
College...
...And Why They're Lame
1. I can't go to college—nobody in my family has ever gone.
In every family, someone has to be first. Why not you? True, being first can be hard. For instance,
you may have to explain to the family why college is important to you. On the other hand, being first is likely
to be a source of pride, for you and for your family.
2. I've been in school for 12 years. That's enough! I just want a good job.
Give college a chance. It's not like high school or junior high. For one thing, in college you pick a
major—a subject area that you want to learn about. As for that good job—the best jobs and the best salaries
go to college grads.
3. I can't go to college because I can't afford it.
Most students get financial aid to help pay for college, and most aid is based on need. This means
that the less money you have, the more aid you might get.
4. I can't go because I don't know how to apply or where I want to go.
Tell your high school counselors you want to go to college fairs, where colleges introduce
themselves to students. Ask them how to write to schools for information. Try to visit colleges that interest
you. Keep at it. After a while, you'll get a feel for differences among colleges, and start to know what you
want.

Seven Excuses Not to Go to
College...
...And Why They're Lame
5. I can't go to college—I don't know what I want to do with my life.
Join the crowd. Thousands of college freshmen haven't decided on a
major or on a career. That's how college helps. It exposes you to all
sorts of subjects you've never heard of before. College is a great place
to learn more about careers you'll love for life.
6. I can't go to college, because I just won't fit in.
 Not so. Most colleges have students from many backgrounds.
Homesick? Need a hand? Look for people with your interests or your
background in the African-American club, on the soccer field, or in a
Korean study group. Remember, college is a great place to meet new
kinds of people with different lifestyles. And the more people you
understand and feel comfortable with, the better prepared you'll be for
the world after college.
7. College is too hard for me.
 In high school, don't just study—learn how to study. Most good students
have strategies for studying. Once you learn how to study, chances are
you'll do fine. Still need help? Professors are really helpful, and so are
tutors

10 Tips To Help You Get Launched
Onto A Successful Career Path
 2. Be the person you truly are. Go after what you
want. Sometimes what others want for us is not
what we want for ourselves. Be honest with
yourself.

 3. Live for today, but plan for tomorrow. Planning
for what could be right around the corner is never
a bad thing. It’s always good to have a Plan B.
Certainly enjoy every waking moment of your life,
but keep a back up action plan for your future
goals as well

 4. Be your own visionary. Have your
own personal vision for your life and make it real
by writing it down and placing it somewhere you
will see it every day. Keep your plan alive by
keeping it in your thoughts.

 5. Be ambitious. Think ACTION and always be
looking out for new opportunities that come your
way to better-up yourself and what you are doing.
Ideas and opportunities sometimes come off the
cuff; leave yourself open to see them when they
appear.

 6. Learn to adapt. Change is the only thing that
remains constant. Change can be your friend so
don’t run from it—embrace it. Fear is not an
option as you move forward.

 7. Think Big. Everything you do should be on a
grand scale and never settle for less than your
personal best. What is yourpersonal best? Only
you know, but one thing is for certain… when you
haven’t done it a voice in your head and heart is
the first to let you know.

 8. Live outside the box. Think about what you
could be doing that others are not doing. Don’t be
afraid to break free from the pack and run wild
with your creative edge. This is where
imagination, ingenuity and driving force come into
play. What is it you have to offer that no one else
has? Don’t stop pursing the idea until you have
an answer

 9. Develop the right mind set. This is your key to
success as your mind set controls your thoughts,
feelings and actions. Stay actively positive as you
move in and out of your day. Not everything you
do will be liked or accepted, but if you push hard
enough one day it might. Quitters never have the
chance to win!

 10. Build genuine relationships with others. No
one is an island. You need help no matter what
you do. Networking is key to
success. Appreciation is never underrated. Doors
will open that you never thought possible.

High School Tips vol.2

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High School Tips vol.2