All Juniors should begin academic and career planning right away in the fall. Mrs. Logan will be meeting with students regularly second semester to finalize plans for Senior year. Please adhere to the timeline below to promote a successful and productive Junior year:
Fall
· Meet with your advisor to review the courses you’ve taken, and see what you still need to take.
· Check your class rank. Even if your grades haven’t been that good so far, it’s never too late to improve. Colleges like to see an upward trend.
· Make sure that you have a social security number.
· Take a long, hard look at why you want to continue your education after high school so you will be able to choose the best college or university for your needs.
· Make a list of colleges that meet your most important criteria (size, location, distance from home, majors, academic rigor, housing, and cost). Weigh each of the factors according to their importance to you.
· Begin visiting college fairs. You may be able to narrow your choices or add a college to your list.
· Speak to college representatives who visit your high school. Request a college visit the high school, Mrs. Logan is happy to reach out to recruiters for a visit.
· If you want to participate in Division I or Division II sports in college, start the certification process. Check with your counselor to make sure you are taking a core curriculum that meets NCAA requirements.
· If you are interested in one of the military branches, talk to Mrs. Logan about starting the recruitment process now.
Winter
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· Collect information about college application procedures, entrance requirements, tuition and fees, room and board costs, student activities, course offerings, faculty composition, accreditation, and financial aid. The Internet is a good way to visit colleges and obtain this information. Begin comparing the schools by the factors that you consider to be most important.
· Begin narrowing down your college choices. Find out if the colleges you are interested in require the ACT Assessment, or placement testing.
· You will take the ACT for free at MHS in March. It is also an option to register for the ACT Assessment privately, it can be taken at local sites in September, December, February, or April. You can take it again late in June of your junior year, or in the fall of your senior year, if necessary. Students receiving free/reduced lunch can get an ACT fee waiver from Mrs. Logan.
· Begin preparing for the tests you’ve decided to take. Mrs. Logan has practice materials, as do the various testing websites.
· Have a discussion with your parents about the colleges in which you are interested. Examine financial resources, and gather information about financial aid.
· Set up a filing system with individual folders for each college’s correspondence and printed materials.
Spring
· Meet with Mrs. Logan to review senior-year course selection and graduation requirements.
· Discuss ACT Assessment with Mrs. Logan. Register to take the ACT Assessment again if you’d like to try to improve your score.
· Discuss the college essay with your English teacher.
· Stay involved with your extracurricular activities. Colleges look for consistency and depth in activities.
· Consider whom you will ask to write your recommendations. Think about asking teachers who know you well and who will write positive letters about you. Letters from a coach, activity leader, or an adult who knows you well outside of school (e.g., volunteer work contact) are also valuable.
Apply for a summer job or internship. Be prepared to pay for college application, financial aid, and testing fees in fall. Students receiving free/reduced lunch can get a fee waiver for college applications from Mrs. Logan.
· Request college information from schools you’re interested in by mail or via the Internet.
Summer
· Visit the campuses of your top-five college choices, be sure these schools have the majors you are interested in.
· Talk to people you know who have attended the colleges in which you are interested.
· Practice filling out college applications, and then complete the final application forms online through the Web sites of the colleges in which you’re interested.
· Volunteer in your community.
· Compose rough drafts of your college essays. Have a teacher read and discuss them with you. Proofread them, and prepare final drafts. Proofread your final essays at least three times.
· Develop a financial aid application plan, including a list of the aid sources, requirements for each application, and a timetable for meeting the filing deadlines (all financial aid is through fafsa.ed.gov).