High School Timeline

High School Timeline

There are so many things to do during high school. The KEY to success is working ahead. Please do not procrastinate!​​

Freshman Year

  • Plan challenging high school courses

  • Make good grades in your classes (A's and B's)

  • Attend school each day and prepare daily for your classes so that your grades are the best they can be. GPA and class rank are calculated beginning in grade 9.

  • Become familiar with college entrance requirements

  • Join/continue extracurricular activities (consider clubs you will be a part of for all four years of high school and keep a record of your activities)

  • Attend summer camp at a college to experience a college-like atmosphere

  • Research college costs

  • Continue/start saving for college

  • Meet with your college/career counselor at least once a year

  • Complete Naviance lesson in your Titan Time (you will begin your resume and take the strengths explorer)

  • Attend our 9th Grade Night

  • Create a CFNC account

  • Explore personality and interests on CFNC.org and other internet sites

  • Attend the NACAC National College fair

  • If you do not do well on standardized tests, start preparing for the SAT and ACT now

Sophomore Year

  • Continue to take and plan challenging high school courses (register for AP, AS, Honors and IGCSE courses if you are successful in standard level courses)

  • Make good grades in your classes (A's and B's)

  • Meet with your college/career counselor at least once a year

  • Complete Naviance lesson in your Titan Time (you will continue your resume and take a personality assessment)

  • Attend our 10th Grade Night

  • Explore careers on CFNC.org

  • Think about what kind of education/training different careers require

  • Take the PreACT and review results with your parents and school counselor

  • Take the PSAT and review results with your parents and school counselor

  • ACT and SAT prep – use free online study tools by Khan Academy, Collegeboard, and CFNC

  • Start collecting college information

  • Continue/start saving for college

  • Join/continue extracurricular activities

  • Talk to family and friends about their educational choices

  • Attend the NACAC National College Fair

Junior Year

  • Continue to take and plan challenging high school courses (register for AP, AS, Honors and IGCSE courses if you are successful in standard level courses)

  • If you have not yet taken a second language, it is now time to begin one. Most colleges require two years of the same language and recommend that one be taken in the senior year.

  • Keep your grades up (A's and B's)

  • Meet with your college/career counselor at least once a year

  • Continue / Join an academic club

  • Take the PSAT, which is the qualifying test for the National Merit and National Achievement Scholarships and for the National Hispanic Scholar Recognition Program. You can qualify for these only by taking the PSAT in your junior year.

  • Complete Naviance lessons in your American History II class (College SuperMatch, update your resume)

  • Talk with your parents and high school counselor about colleges and majors that interest you

  • Research at least six or seven colleges that interest you

  • Visit colleges and talk with college students

  • Sign up at school to speak with college representatives as they visit your school (sign up in student services with Ms. Junco)

  • Prepare a list of questions to ask on campus visits

  • List, compare and visit colleges

  • Consider putting together a portfolio that highlights your special skills and talent.

  • Investigate scholarship opportunities (Look at the financial aid page of this website)

  • Volunteer for activities and clubs related to career interests

  • Maintain good relationships with teachers and counselor, they will be writing your recommendations

  • Register for the SAT

  • You will take the ACT for free at Hopewell in the spring

  • Re-test if necessary before the fall of your senior year

  • Get a part-time job, apprenticeship, or internship; or job shadow in a job that interests you

  • Attend the NACAC National College Fair

  • If you plan to participate in athletics in college, you will need to register through the NCAA Clearinghouse. Email Mr. Gettings to let him know once you've completed this (he will need to upload your transcript)

  • Narrow down school choices to your top five.

  • Continue to make college visits during the summer before your Senior year.

Senior Year

  • Sign up for and take the SAT / ACT if necessary. Remember - some early deadlines fall as early as mid-October

  • Early action deadlines give you your best shot of being admitted.

  • Sign up for your senior appointment to be sure you are on track to graduate and on track with your plans for after graduation

  • Consider taking courses at CPCC your senior year - you need a 2.8 unweighted GPA in order to take advantage of this

  • Link your Naviance account to Common App

  • Keep working hard all year and keep your grades up, colleges will look at your final transcript

  • Make a master calendar of all deadlines for applications and scholarships

  • Ask for references from teachers, school counselors, or employers early in the year or at least two weeks before application deadlines. References can go through Naviance or be mailed to the universities

  • Visit with admissions counselors who come to your high school

  • Attend a college fair

  • Begin your college essay(s)

  • Apply for admission to the colleges and universities you've chosen and confirm that the universities or colleges have received all application materials

  • Use CFNC.org to send transcripts to North Carolina colleges and universities (including community colleges) and to register with the Residency Determination Service

  • Find out if you qualify for scholarships at each college you have applied to

  • Look for Scholarships - Naviance (in the Colleges section), CFNC.org

  • Start the financial aid process - FAFSA - this opens October 1st each year

  • Visit colleges that have invited you to enroll

  • Compare financial aid packages from different schools

  • Decide which college to attend, and notify the school of your decision - for many schools this deadline is May 1st. If you plan to live on campus, you also need to pay the deposit

  • Keep track of and observe deadlines for sending in all required fees and paperwork

  • Notify schools you will not attend of your decision

  • Continue to look for scholarship opportunities - Naviance, CFNC

  • Keep track of important financial aid and scholarship deadlines

  • Watch the mail for your Student Aid Report (SAR)—it should arrive four weeks after the FAFSA is filed

  • Sign and send in a promissory note if you are borrowing money

  • Notify your college about any outside scholarships you received