You’re Ready To Sharpen Your Focus
Check out this site for a fun and informative checklist into how to kick-start your college and career plans: http://www.knowhow2go.org/. You might also have seen these next two site under “Step One: Explore My Options — Additional Skills Assessments & Career Searches,” but if not, now’s the time to explore them:
Partnered with the US Department of Labor, My Next Move is an easy to navigate site. You can approach your career search by key words, industry groups, or by your interest and abilities.
And now… for your month-by-month plan:
This is your year to concentrate on academic preparation and continue to develop basic skills and co-curricular interests. (That’s a fancy-pantsy way of saying you’ll want to stay strong academically AND develop skills through clubs, volunteering, and other outside-of-school opportunities and experiences.)
September
Be sure to take NCAA-approved courses if you want to play sports in college.
Start the year out strong academically. If you haven’t already done so, develop study habits that make passing your proficiencies easier: take notes during class and review them before the class meets again (click here for ideas about how to take notes that work for YOU), read and re-read course materials, ask your teacher for help if you don’t understand something, take advantage of after and in-school tutoring, form study groups, and get in the habit of doing at least one thing each night to prepare for your classes the next school day. If you need help, seek it out before things feel overwhelming.
October
All Willamette High School sophomores take a career and skills assessment in October. This preliminary standardized test gives you some preparation for the SAT college entrance exam, as well as help you identify areas in which you excel and subject areas which you might want to strengthen. There is also feedback about careers which might match your interests and abilities. You can practice for this assessment here.
Sign up, if you have not done so already, for co-curricular activities that interest you. The level of involvement and accomplishment is most important, not the number of activities.
Keep a record of your co-curricular involvement, volunteer work, and employment (all year).
Attend the Willamette Valley PNACAC College Fair.
November
Make sure you are “on top” of your academic work. If necessary, meet with your teacher for additional help.
Save your best work in academic courses and the arts for your academic portfolio (all year).
Attend the National College Fair, held in Portland in November or December.
December
Receive results of October SAT assessment. Read materials sent with your score report. Consult your guidance counselor to explore ways to improve on future standardized tests and courses to discuss which may be required or beneficial for your post-high school plans.
January
Keep studying!
Volunteer-a great way to identify your interests and to develop skills.
February
It is never too early to start researching colleges and universities. Visit your guidance office to browse through literature and guidebooks or surf the Web and check out college and university home pages.
March
Check out some of the many on-line resources to help you in the college admission and financial aid processes. There are many linked from this website, and you can get more information from Mrs. Cameron in the C&CC.
April
See Mrs. Cameron or Mr. Josh with college and career questions.
Continue to research career options and consider possible college majors that will help you achieve your career goals.
May
Plan now for wise use of your summer. Consider taking a summer course or participating in a special program (e.g., for prospective engineers or journalists or for those interested in theater or music) at a local college or community college. Consider working or volunteering.
There is a notebook of Summer Opportunities in the C&CC office.
June
If you work, save some of your earnings for college.
July
During the summer, you may want to sign up for a PSAT/SAT prep course, use computer software, or do the practice tests in books designed to familiarize you with standardized tests.
Continue to visit college campuses, so you can get an idea of what you might want to study, and what kind of a school will feel most comfortable to you.
August
Make your summer productive. Continue reading to increase your vocabulary.
Adapted from NACAC’s PACT Guide, 2000. Revised Online Only: March 2005