Year-Round:

• Sign up for extracurricular activities that are of interest to you. Search for volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch or Just Serve. Search the CEC Castle Rock Club List to find school clubs to join. Also consider local organizations like Douglas County Youth Commission, Teen Court, Explorer Program, or Youth Police Academy. There are also military ROTC and Cadet programs, 4H, Scouting, and many other community service programs.  The more involve you are, the more friends you will make, and the more you can find your passions and pathways!

• Keep a record of your extracurricular involvement, volunteer work (including the number of hours), academic honors, and employment. Write down your impressions, and think about what you do and do not like about each activity. Gradually, you may begin to see where your interests (and college major) lie.

• Make sure to be “on top” of your academics. Meet with teachers or your advisor for additional help. Keep your GPA and class rank up! Maintaining good grades in college classes will be especially important because they will give admissions counselors confidence in your ability to succeed at their school.  It is MUCH easier to stay on track than to try to catch up if you fall behind.

• Strengthen your vocabulary and understanding of sentence structure by increasing the amount of books you read.

• Develop good study habits. If you find yourself struggling with studying, talk with your advisor or visit the ASC to get help.

• If you play a sport and are hoping to play in college on a scholarship, learn about athletic scholarships and becoming a student athlete by reading through the Steps of Becoming a Student-Athlete - also learn the NCAA guidelines for athletes. 

Fall:

• Consider attending the CEC Castle Rock College Fair. The information you collect will be helpful throughout the college search process.

• Meet with your CEC Castle Rock advisor for a fall advising session. Learn what an ICAP is, how it will be used throughout your high school journey, and plan your next semester of classes.

Spring:

• Plan now for wise use of your summer break. Consider participating in a special program (e.g., for prospective engineers or journalists or for those interested in theatre or music) at a local college or community college. Consider working or volunteering.

• Meet with your CEC Castle Rock advisor for a spring advising session to plan next year's classes. Make adjustments to your ICAP and track your progress to completing your high school requirements.

Summer:

• Make summer plans productive. Continue reading to increase vocabulary and knowledge of sentence structure, comprehension, reading speed, and grammar.

• Research occupations and degrees, especially if you will be taking college classes in the fall.

Year-Round:

• Narrow down your activities to 2 or 3 that you will focus on in high school and may want to continue in college. The depth of your involvement and your accomplishments in each of these activities is most important, not the total number of activities.

• Look for leadership opportunities within your clubs or organizations, and opportunities for personal growth through community service, fine arts, and athletics. Search for volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch or Just Serve. Search the CEC Castle Rock Club List to find school clubs to join. Also consider local organizations like Douglas County Youth Commission, Teen Court, Explorer Program, or Youth Police Academy. There are also military ROTC and Cadet programs, 4H, Scouting, and many other community service programs.  The more involve you are, the more friends you will make, and the more you can find your passions and pathways!

• Keep a record of your extracurricular involvement, volunteer work (including the number of hours), academic honors, and employment.

• Make sure to be “on top” of your academics. Do everything you can to stay on track and on time with your academic work!  Meet with teachers or your advisor for additional help. Keep your GPA and class rank up!

• Talk to people about their careers. Check with your academic advisor to see if they can introduce you to someone in a field you would like to explore for an informational interview. 

  1. 1. • If you play a sport and are hoping to play in college on a scholarship, learn about athletic scholarships and becoming a student athlete by reading through the Steps of Becoming a Student-Athlete. Know NCAA guidelines for your sport!

Fall:

• Attend the CEC Castle Rock College Fair. The information you collect will be helpful throughout the college search process.

• Meet with your CEC Castle Rock advisor for a fall advising session. Review your ICAP and track your progress to completing all high school requirements. Discuss the college and career paths that are being considered. Make sure any college classes being taken are in line with the intended path.

• Visit a local colleges to tour the campus and attend an admissions presentation.

Spring:

• Take the PSAT at CEC Castle Rock with the rest of the sophomore class. Scores are not sent to colleges, but practicing the exam has proven to increase scores on the SAT.

• Continue to research career options and possible college majors that will help you achieve your career goals.

• Plan now for wise use of your summer. Consider participating in a special program (e.g., for prospective engineers or journalists or for those interested in theatre or music) at a local college or community college. Consider working or volunteering.

• Make arrangements to visit prospective colleges and universities over the summer.

• Meet with your CEC Castle Rock advisor for a spring advising session. Review your ICAP and track your progress to completing all high school requirements. Complete any required forms for taking college/technical school classes during the summer.

Summer:

• Make summer plans productive. Continue reading to increase vocabulary and knowledge of sentence structure, comprehension, reading speed, and grammar.

• Explore a potential career interest. Call a company to ask if you can connect with an employee to have a career conversation.

Year-Round:

• Narrow down your activities to 2 or 3 that you will focus on in high school and may want to continue in college. The depth of your involvement and your accomplishments in each of these activities is most important, not the total number of activities.

• Look for leadership opportunities within your clubs or organizations, and opportunities for personal growth through community service, fine arts, and athletics. Search for volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch or Just Serve. Search the CEC Castle Rock Club List to find school clubs to join. Also consider local organizations like Douglas County Youth Commission, Teen Court, Explorer Program, or Youth Police Academy. There are also military ROTC and Cadet programs, 4H, Scouting, and many other community service programs.  The more involve you are, the more friends you will make, and the more you can find your passions and pathways!

• Keep a record of your extracurricular involvement, volunteer work (including the number of hours), academic honors, and employment.

• Junior year grades are extremely important in the college admission process because they are a measure of how well a student will do in advanced, upper-level courses. For students at CEC Castle Rock who are taking college classes, this is your way to prove you are ready for college! Grades and test scores are used to determine scholarships, grants, and merit aid for which a student may be eligible. Make a plan to keep your grades up! Always discuss what an appropriate course load looks like for you based on your goals and extra curricular activities.

• Make sure you are meeting NCAA requirements if you want to play Division I or II sports in college.

• Attend college fairs, financial aid seminars, general information sessions, etc. to learn as much as you can about the college application process. This information can be found with your Academic & Career Advisor.

Fall:

• Attend the CEC Castle Rock College Fair. The information and experience of the event will be helpful throughout the college search and application process.

• Register and pay for the October PSAT/NMSQT. This will be announced in the school newsletter in late August/early September. Juniors wanting another practice test or hoping to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship will take this test in the Fall. The only way to enter into the National Merit Scholarship competition is to take the PSAT/NMSQT in October of your Junior year. Test results should be received by December. National Merit winners will be announced in the Spring of your Senior year.

• Meet with your CEC Castle Rock advisor for a fall advising session. Review your ICAP and track your progress to completing all high school requirements. Discuss the college and career paths that are being considered. Make sure any college classes being taken are in line with the intended path.

• Begin reviewing scholarship opportunities from local companies and organizations, as well as the national level.

• Visit college campuses whenever possible. Fall Break, 3-day weekends, and school holidays are great opportunities for this. Create a list of questions to ask or use this list of Questions to Ask on a College Tour to get you started. Schools will start to look the same and thoughts can be forgotten, so complete a short College Worksheet after each school you visit. Maintain a list of schools using a spreadsheet to compare and contrast schools. Here's a template you can use and adapt to your needs. 

  1. 1. • If you play a sport and are hoping to play in college on a scholarship, learn about athletic scholarships and becoming a student athlete by reading through the Steps of Becoming a Student-Athlete. 

Spring:

• Continue to research career options and possible college majors that will help you achieve your career goals.

• Consider from which instructors or other adults you'll request letters of recommendation. 

• Make a preliminary list of colleges you would like to investigate further if you have not already done so. Continue to research these schools online. Request admission literature and financial aid information from the postsecondary programs on your list by contacting their Office of Admission.

• Attend the Denver Gap Year Fair in February. Get information from your Advisor if you don’t know about it.

• Take the SAT for free at CEC Castle Rock with the rest of the Junior class.

• Meet with your CEC Castle Rock Advisor for a Spring advising session. Track your progress to completing all high school requirements. Complete any required forms for taking college/technical school classes during the summer.

• Plan now for wise use of your summer. Look into summer jobs or apply for special summer academic or enrichment programs. Colleges love to see students using their knowledge and developing various skills and interests.

• Make arrangements to visit prospective colleges and universities over the summer. Set up your visit online or by calling the Office of Admission. Sessions can fill up. If you need to go on a certain day or time, schedule your visit at least 2 weeks in advance.

• Attend the Spring College Fair in Denver.

• Begin preparing for the actual application process. Refer to the guide on how to create a college list and apply to colleges. Create an account on CommonApp.org. Begin entering demographic information, extracurricular information, honors, and adding schools to your "My College" list on the Common App. The Common App resets each summer for a new round of Seniors. Do NOT complete any of the Writing section as that section will not save and roll into the new year.

Summer:

• Have a Degree Check done with an ACC Advisor if you will be completing an associates degree when you graduate from CEC Castle Rock. Do this with a person, not using the online "Degree Check" link available in your MyACC account. ACC confers your associates degree and they MUST approve that all courses and requirements will be met by the time you graduate from CEC. You want a person to confirm this. Be sure to check in after this and update your CEC CR Advisor.  Especially if there are any discrepancies or cause for concern, reach out to your CEC Castle Rock advisor right away!

• Make the most of your summer break. Consider applying for an internship, working, or volunteering. Save money for college.

• Plan your summer vacation around visits to colleges and postsecondary programs.

• Draft your Common App essay responses. Essay prompts for the following year should be posted on the Internet. Have a draft ready for a teacher or other adult to review when the school year begins. 

• Collect writing samples and/or artwork to assemble for academic/art portfolios or audition tapes. 

You've made it to your senior year! There is much to do if you are planning to attend college next fall. Click here for a month-by-month guide with helpful links. Staying on top of tasks each month will help ease some of the stress of the college application process. Here is packet of helpful information in your college application journey