Mrs. Siminski
M. Ed.Senior College Coach A - F817-881-4785Shannon.siminski@gcisd.net 
Mrs. Alaniz
M.A.Senior College Coach G-O817-661-2790jessica.alaniz@gcisd.net 
Mrs. Wilks
M.A.Senior College Coach P -Z817-903-8431barbara.wilks@gcisd.net Announcements
Scholarships
CLICK HERE to see Scholarship Opportunities
College Resources and Files
See below for helpful resources on college preparation and planning!
The road to college isn't always clear. It is often full of questions and twists and turns. Here at iUPrep, we hope to help your journey down that road to be as smooth as possible.
Below, you will find checklists for preparing for college throughout high school. You will also find several resources and newsletters that cover topics like scholarships, choosing schools, and finding a career path that is best for you.
If you want more help, one of our school counselors would LOVE to talk with you and help you plan and prepare for college.
Top Tips Each Year of High School
Senior Year
Things you should be doing to prepare for college in 12th grade:
APPLY, APPLY, APPLY!-Know your college application & Scholarship deadlines (hint: there are different deadlines even for the same college) and send in your applications.
January/February: Fill out your FAFSA (Free application for student aid)- for scholarships/grants
October: Sign up for the SAT/ACT tests if you haven't. Make sure you can get your scores before the Dec. 1st application deadlines.
Take the most challenging courses you can and make the highest grades possible. All of your grades in high school count toward your GPA. Courses taken in middle school do not count toward GPA. Do not take a “senior slack” year if you are applying to competitive colleges. Competitive colleges do look at strength of schedule your senior year for admission purposes.
Focus in on colleges you want to apply that are a good fit for you based on the averages of entering freshmen to that college compared with your own academic record. Visit the college and attend events on the college campuses like plays, concerts, sporting events, open houses, etc. to get a feel for the campus. In the fall, attend any open houses specifically for seniors researching colleges.
Start College Planning Folders keeping a separate folder or digital file for each school you apply.
Create a calendar and put all important dates on it so you do not miss any application deadlines. Carefully check deadlines as several colleges in Texas have December 1st as their application deadline!
Complete a senior resume to include your extracurricular activities and leadership roles along with all of your volunteer service in the community. You can use all service and activities you completed beginning with the summer prior to your 9th grade year. Strive to write about those things that show growth in your abilities and/or leadership skills.
Talk to your parents about going to college and research the different types of aid that is available to help pay for college here https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types.
Get a FSA ID on the FAFSA website so you are ready to complete your Federal Student Aid paperwork. Both you and your parent will each need one. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to apply for your ID.
If you have not yet taken the ACT/SAT sign up for a test date no later in October to ensure you have scores by the Dec. 1st application deadlines. For free practice for the SAT go to https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/official-sat-practice?excmpid=SM48-ED-CB-tw Remember to list iUniversity Prep’s school code when you test – 442958.
Polish your essays before you submit your applications. Remember if you are a bubble candidate, your essay can get you in to the college or keep you from being admitted.
Apply to colleges using the common applications when you can to save time and energy. Apply Texas can be found at www.applytexas.org and the Common App can be found at www.commonapp.org . Carefully check application deadlines and get them on your calendar to not miss out on opportunities.
Request for your transcript to be sent to the colleges you are applying. You will request a transcript through Parchment. Here is the link to set up an account with Parchment: https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/8006745/account
Request for your SAT or ACT scores to be sent to the colleges you are applying.
If your college requests a school report or recommendation letter, list Ms. Miller as the person who will complete this information for you.
Her email is Shannon.miller@gcisd.net.
Sign up for a Scholarship Search Engine so that scholarships that match your profile will be emailed to you. Choose one or all of these FREE search engines – just make sure they are free:
Secure at least one teacher who would write a letter of reference for you IF you need one for the college you are applying. Not all colleges require reference letters.
Review all your social media accounts removing any inappropriate or immature material. Ask an adult to review your profile – if you question anything, chances are you should remove it.
Junior Year
Things you should be doing to prepare for college in 11th grade:
October: Take the PSAT This is good prep for the SAT and also could qualify you for National Merit scholarships
Spring: Sign up to take the SAT/ACT (you can take these more than once)
Spring/Summer: Begin working on/drafting your college application essays. Also secure letters of recommendation from your teachers before school is out. (Use the form below for how to do this)
Take the most challenging courses you can and make the highest grades possible.
Get involved in extracurricular activities. Strive to become a leader in these activities and/or show growth in the skills you are learning by doing these activities.
Volunteer in your community.
Talk to your parents about going to college and start planning now on how to make that happen.
Narrow down the colleges that you want to apply focusing on colleges that are a good fit for you by comparing the averages of entering freshmen to that college with your own academic record. Visit the college and attend events on the college campuses like plays, concerts, sporting events, open houses, etc. to get a feel for the campus. In the spring of your 11th grade year, go to any open houses the colleges are holding specifically for 11th graders researching colleges.
Get ready for the SAT, read every day, do practice questions on Khan Academy, take the PSAT in October and then sign up for the SAT/ACT in the spring of your 11th grade year. Go to www.collegeboard.org and/or www.actstudent.org to register. Remember to list iUniversity Prep’s school code when you test – 442958.
Pledge to work hard now, devote time to school and develop sound habits that will help you be successful not only in high school but college and career. Stay on pace, reach out to teachers if you are struggling and attend all Live Lessons and tutorials.
Continue your Activities/Service Folder keeping track of all your extracurricular activities to include sports, work, clubs, hobbies, service hours and anything else you do in your free time as you will need this information when completing your college applications.
Do a rough draft of the Apply Texas and/or CommonApp applications using your activities/service folder information so you can see what areas you might want to focus on throughout the year to add in order to be able write a solid application your senior year.
Take an interest profiler that will match your interest with possible careers. The US Department of Education offers ONet that can be found here:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/careers/search/interestprofiler
After you get your scores on your interests, you can then check out careers that people who have your interest by clicking on the careers button. You can learn about job outlook, education needed and all the specifics of that job on this site.
Research different colleges to find your best fit. You want to try and narrow down over your 9-11 grade years exactly where you will be applying to college your 12th grade year. Some great college search websites include:
College Board’s Big Future: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search
NCEC College Navigator: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
Texas Genuine Site specific for 2 year colleges: www.texasgenuine.org
College for all Texans: http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/
Sign up for FREE scholarship search engines where scholarships that match your profile will be emailed to you. Here are a few popular ones you can register:
Get a part time job or volunteer in places that you are considering for a career path. Make it a meaningful summer; colleges are very interested in how you spend your free time.
At the end of your 11th grade year, secure at least one teacher who will write a letter of reference for you if you need one for the colleges you are applying.
In the summer, write your college application essays and have a good rough draft by the time your senior year starts so you are only polishing it at the beginning of your senior year.
Review all your social media accounts removing any inappropriate or immature material. Ask an adult to review your profile – if you question anything, chances are you should remove it.
Sophomore
Things you should be doing to prepare for college in 9th/10th grade:
Continue your involvement! Build that resume and update it as you go. Volunteer work, part-time jobs, and organization involvement are great plans.
Research college and career options and sign up for scholarship search engines (see info below). Talk to your parents about options that will be best for you.
Begin practicing and preparing for your SAT/PSAT. Khan Academy is a great resource for this. Ask Ms. Miller for more help preparing.
Take the most challenging courses you can and make the highest grades possible. From now on, your grades count toward your GPA.
Get involved in extracurricular activities.
Volunteer in your community.
Talk to your parents about going to college and start planning now on how to make that happen.
Begin researching colleges that you might be interested in attending. Visit the college and attend events on the college campuses like plays, concerts, sporting events, open houses, etc. to get a feel for the campus.
Get ready for the SAT, read every day, do practice questions on Khan Academy, take the PSAT.
Pledge to work hard now, devote time to school and develop sound habits that will help you be successful not only in high school but college and career.
Continue your Activities/Service Folder keeping track of all your extracurricular activities to include sports, work, clubs, hobbies, service hours and anything else you do in your free time as you will need this information when completing your college applications.
Research your career options and possible career majors. You can use the tools at the US Department of Labor found here: https://www.mynextmove.org/ OR Check out College Board’s Big Future here: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/explore-careers
Sign up for a Scholarship Search Engine so that scholarships that match your profile will be emailed to you. Choose one or all of these FREE search engines – just make sure they are free: www.fastweb.com, www.schoolsoup.com, www.scholarships.com, www.scholarshipexperts.com, www.aie.org
Get a part time job or volunteer in places that you are considering for a career path. Make it a meaningful summer, colleges are very interested in how you spend your free time.
Freshmen Year
Things you should be doing to prepare for college in 9th grade:
Choose your courses WISELY. All courses now affect your GPA and go on your transcript. Colleges like to see a rigorous schedule.
Get involved! Colleges want to see your activities outside of school. Find clubs/organizations to join and volunteer work to do.
Create and add to your Resume. Start this now. Create a resume that you can add to throughout high school. It's hard to remember 4 years of work and activities your senior year.
Take the most challenging courses you can and make the highest grades possible. From now on, your grades count toward your GPA.
Get involved in extracurricular activities.
Volunteer in your community.
Talk to your parents about going to college and start planning now on how to make that happen.
Begin researching colleges that you might be interested in attending. Visit the college and attend events on the college campuses like plays, concerts, sporting events, open houses, etc. to get a feel for the campus.
Get ready for the SAT, read every day, do practice questions on Khan Academy, take the PSAT.
Pledge to work hard now, devote time to school and develop sound habits that will help you be successful not only in high school but college and career.
Start an Activities/Service Folder and keep track of all your extracurricular activities to include sports, work, clubs, hobbies, service hours and anything else you do in your free time as you will need this information when completing your college applications.
Research your career options and possible career majors. You can use the tools at the US Department of Labor found here: https://www.mynextmove.org/ OR Check out College Board’s Big Future here: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/explore-careers
Sign up for a Scholarship Search Engine so that scholarships that match your profile will be emailed to you. Choose one or all of these FREE search engines – just make sure they are free: www.fastweb.com, www.schoolsoup.com, www.scholarships.com, www.scholarshipexperts.com, www.aie.org
iUniversity Prep does not rank students. GCISD is a non-ranking district. Students who are in the top 10% their senior year will be notified.
