03 October

Freshmen

• • Talk with your parents about saving money for college. Take time to learn more about college savings plans.

  • Know yourself. Think about what you like to do, what you're good at and what you value most. The first step in career planning is self-discovery. Visit www.ihaveaplaniowa.gov, a no cost resource for education and career planning provided by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission and endorsed by the Iowa Department of Education.

  • Start developing an activities portfolio to keep track of your extracurricular activities. It'll become a great resource when you apply for scholarships during your junior year.

  • Take a variety of classes from different subjects in high school. This approach will help you prepare for college-level courses.

Sophomores

• • Explore colleges and careers at www.ihaveaplaniowa.gov, a no cost resource for education and career planning provided by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission and endorsed by the Iowa Department of Education.

  • Know yourself. What do you like to do and what do you value most?Make a list of your answers. The first step in career planning is self-discovery.

  • Talk with your parents about your college and career goals and what you can do to attain them.

  • Find a mentor who can assist you in high school and with the college search process. good mentors are teachers, parents, family members, family friends, etc.

Juniors

• • Fall college fairs are nearing an end. Find remaining college fairs in your area by talking to your school counselor.

  • Colleges receive thousands of admission applications each year. Be sure to meet with your high school counselor to help yours stand out from the crowd!

  • Have you started to gather information on the colleges you may want attend? Research Iowa colleges or do an online college search.

  • Explore college and career options related to your interests at www.ihaveaplaniowa.gov. I Have A Plan Iowa is a free resource for education and career planning provided by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission and endorsed by the Iowa Department of Education.

Seniors

• • Are you narrowing your college choices? Have you completed an admission application? Are you aware of admission deadlines and application requirements at the colleges? Procrastination may cause you to miss out on your first college choice or on valuable scholarship dollars. Be sure to stay on top of these tasks!

  • Did you register in September for the ACT or SAT tests? If you decide to retake the ACT or SAT to try for a higher score, visit with your high school counselor first.

  • Have you made your appointments for college visits? When you visit a college, take along a list of campus visit questions.

  • Visit www.ihaveaplaniowa.gov to search for scholarships and research college majors. I Have a Plan Iowa is a no cost resource for education and career planning provided by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission and endorsed by the Iowa Department of Education.

Parents

• • Work with your student to set clear goals before you visit colleges. Work together to create a list of targeted questions for your student to ask during the tour. Your child's college selection criteria may not be the same as yours, so talk about those differences before the tour. Let your student set up the visit and take the lead in asking questions. College admission staff agree that one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a parent is to take over the process.