In your junior year, start organizing and prioritizing the college and career opportunities you want to apply to in your senior year. Continue to work hard in your classes and participate in extracurricular activities while also learning about financial aid, college applications, and qualifications needed to pursue your career interests.
Fall
Establish goals for the year and develop a plan with your school counselor to achieve them.
Continue to explore college and career opportunities.
Go online or visit your school’s college and career center to learn about and research opportunities that match your goals, interests, and skills. Think broadly. There are many different career and educational options available.
Attend college fairs and career fairs.
Plan college visits. Register with the college admissions office during your visits as schools track and consider interest in admissions.
Plan and participate in career related learning experiences (CRLE).
Speak to your career coordinator and watch for career day events and activities in your school’s bulletin, monitors, or college and career center.
Events and activities may include informational interviews, job-shadows, internships, school speakers, and visits to local businesses and industry organizations.
Log your CRLE in your Oregon CIS account located in Phase 4 Career-Related Learning tab. This will help you complete your CRLE reflection, which is required for graduation.
Include the name and date of the experience.
Write a few sentences about the experience.
Estimate how much you will need for college. Estimated Family Contribution
Explore financial aid options, including grants and scholarships, loans, and work-study programs. Sources of Financial Aid
Winter
Plan to take a college admissions test.
PPS offers the ACT to all 11th grade students for no charge.
You may register directly for a test through the following sites:
ACT - www.actstudent.org
TOEFL - www.ets.org/toefl
Test preparation resources can be found in the following links.
Note that these links include a mix of fee-based and free resources
ACT - www.actstudent.org
TOEFL - www.ets.org/toefl Princeton Review ACTStudent App on itunes Kaplan Test Prep SAT preparation on Khan Academy
Most four-year colleges and universities require the ACT or SAT scores for their applications.
Community colleges do not require the ACT or SAT for admission but will often use the scores for placement into math and English courses. If you don’t have an ACT or SAT score, you will need to take a placement test from the college as part of the application process.
NOTE: Many institutional scholarships require and/or are based on your SAT or ACT scores, so choose the best test for you and take time to study and prepare.
Start to organize and plan your college applications in your junior year.
Create a calendar with application deadlines and other important dates.
Find specific colleges’ deadlines in College Search.
Call or visit an apprenticeship programs you may be interested in and ask about the application process.
See Climb the Ladder of Success for additional application suggestions.
Sign up for advanced courses, such as college-level (dual-credit), 4th year math and science, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and Career and Technical Education (CTE).
College admissions officers look for advanced courses, and they will help you prepare for college level work. If you score satisfactorily on AP and IB exams, they can count for college credit and help offset some costs too.
Many students need academic support to do well in these courses. Speak with your teachers and counselor about support options available at your school.
Consider completing a CTE Program of Study. These courses teach you the technical skills and knowledge in a career pathway with hands-on learning and real-world experiences.
Spring
Narrow your list of careers and post-secondary opportunities that you are interested in.
Continue to track your college list in Oregon CIS.
Research and track scholarships in Oregon CIS.
Familiarize yourself with college applications, common applications, and essays.
Decide which teachers would write good letters of recommendations for you and ask them if they would be willing.
Familiarize yourself with college applications, common applications, essays and apprenticeship requirements.
Make summer plans to work or participate in a variety of college and career related experiences, such as volunteerism, college visits, job-shadows, and internships. Take the time to speak with people in your daily life who are in careers that may be of interest to you.