College Prep Timeline

7th & 8th Grade:

• Focus on your academics

• Talk to your parents, teachers, and counselor about college

• Start the conversation with your parents about saving and paying for college

9th & 10th Grade:

• Start thinking about your career interests and skills 

  • Check out this Career and Education Explorer tool to help you. What you're interested in and what a potential career might be will help you figure out what type of education you'll need. Talk with school counselors, teachers, friends, and parents about career ideas and college options.

• Earn college credit while in high school

  • See College Credit Opportunities Page to learn more information 

• Explore your interests through extracurricular activities and job shadowing 

11th Grade:

• Continue to explore your career options and interests

  • OJT (on the job training), job shadowing, taking classes about your interests

• Keep planning your high school classes to maintain your grades and keep your GPA up

• Consider taking practice ACT tests in the fall, and ACT tests in the spring

• Continue conversations with your parents about saving and paying for college

  • Begin looking for scholarships

• Start looking into colleges and participating in college visits

College Application Process

Applications

• October is Free Application Month for the majority of MN schools (we will apply in College and Career class)

  • Even if you are not sure which college you want to go to, just apply to multiple schools in October to avoid application fees

• Most college have you complete applications online

• Several colleges use Common App which can help you apply to multiple colleges at a time

Transcripts

• If applying through Common App, a transcript will be attached with the Counselor Form

• If applying through an individual college application, a transcript can be requested from the school counselor at least 2 weeks in advance 

Test Scores

• Most colleges require that testing scores are sent directly from the testing agencies. High schools are unable to send these scores 

Counselor Forms

• Counselor forms and secondary school reports are done online by the school counselor after you give them my email: Mrs.Christensen@sesmschool.com

Letters of Recommendation

• How to choose the right recommender:

  • In which class do you participate the most?

  • Which teacher knows you the best? 

  • Which teacher can tell positive stories about you and/or has seen you be kind to others?

• When you ask someone for a letter of recommendation, it is important to give them helpful information. The form below is a good outline to print, fill out, and give to people you ask for a letter of recommendation from. We will go over this in College/Career class, but here is a copy if you need one. 

  • You can also make a copy of this form to your drive if you wish to type your answers before printing.

How Much Does College Cost?

College may cost less than you think. Click HERE to learn about the cost of colleges.

Minnesota Private Colleges

The Basics of Having a College Roommate

CLICK HERE for information on the pros and cons of roommates, strategies for success, and FAQs!

Work Study Facts

Work Study: provides jobs for students with financial need, by allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student's course of study.

• Provides part-time employment while you are enrolled in school

• Is available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with financial need

• Is available to part-time and full-time students

• To learn about work study employment, check with your college's financial aid office to find out if your school participates 

• If you are interested in work study, you need to fill out your FAFSA as early as possible, since funds are limited