Message to Students:
Congratulations on reaching your junior year of high school! You have completed two years of high school and you know the ropes, the attitude and strategies it takes to be effective in high school. You should be very familiar with our SOAR (Safety, Ownership, Achievement and Respect) expectations and can help promote those with the underclassmen. Lead by example! If you are not where you want to be in your high school journey, ask a teacher or school counselor for help to get you on the right track.
Use this year to gain leadership skills by running for an office of one of the clubs or organizations you participated in last year. Vocational students, not considering college, start exploring options for internships for your senior year and work diligently on honing your skills this year. College-bound students, consider applying for the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP), the Governor's School for the Arts (GSA), the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs (GSE) or the Commonwealth Honors Academy (CHA). Be sure to maintain, or increase, your grade point average and challenge yourself by taking Advanced Placement or technical courses. If you have not already taken the ACT, begin preparing by developing test-taking strategies and using practice tests for the exam. Start your college list and start your career list and begin job-shadowing in those careers. Everyone, continue to have fun and take care of your mental and physical health.
Consider the goals and suggestions below to help you get a great start to your junior year.
Academic Goals
Plan your high school courses. Do they meet your high school graduation requirements?
Record any awards or achievements you have gotten during this school year.
What career and technical education courses do you need to take this year?
What Advanced Placement classes are available to you and how would they benefit your future?
Consider taking the PSAT/NMSQT exam if you are interested in qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s competition.
Career Goals
Take an interest survey or career assessment and record your results in your ILP.
Write your career goal down. What educational requirements will you need to meet that career option?
Review and update your resume.
Attend a career fair. Research the military. Take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) exam.
Learn college and career vocabulary such as admissions, admissions requirements, student loans, grants, KEES money, scholarship, dual credit, work-study, work-based learning opportunities, management and job duties.
Postsecondary Planning
Write down your post high school educational or career goal.
Take a college readiness test. Review the results and write down your thoughts in your ILP.
Review two universities, community and technical colleges, apprentice programs or work-based opportunities that meet your post high school goals.
Do a review of costs for those two colleges. Write your findings in your ILP.
Learn college and career vocabulary
Research the military.
Extracurricular Activities
Document in your ILP portfolio any club, sports, visual/performing arts experience, community service and work experiences, including summer experiences.
Document any leadership experiences you have been involved in this school year or summer.
Consider a career and technical student organization aligned with your career pathway.
Apply for GSP, GSA, GSE or CHA.
Social and Emotional Learning
This year is all about learning leadership skills.
Evaluate your self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making skills.
Use TASSEL to help you research, plan, and document!
FALL TIMELINE
Take solid elective courses (foreign language, computers, etc.). Make sure you are enrolled in the classes that are required for graduation.
Get involved–GCHS offers a variety of clubs/organizations for students. Browse the clubs available during Rush Week. Join Clubs. These activities will help students build a competitive resume for work, college, or scholarships. Research has shown that when students are involved they are more successful. Students gain experience in leadership and team building skills when they are involved in extracurricular activities. In order to compete for jobs, college, and scholarships, students need to participate in a variety of activities, clubs, and organizations. Joining the Interact Club will earn you points on the Rotary Scholarship if you apply during your senior year. Students may also think about joining national clubs to widen their learning opportunities.
Run for leadership positions–Holding some leadership positions is also a great advantage.
Stay involved in extracurricular activities and community volunteer work.
Discuss your college plans with your school counselor, parents or another trusted adult.
Review your transcript to make sure you are on track to graduate and be admitted.
Use your ILP/TASSEL to check out career goals and interests.
If you think you want to take dual credit courses as a senior, start preparing for the ACT and attend some of our free ACT review sessions.
Consider signing up for the PSAT. It is excellent practice for timed tests and it is the only way to qualify for National Merit Scholarships. You get to review your results and answers. If applying for GSP, this score could be better than your ACT score. The PSAT is usually offered once per year in October.
Consider applying for GSA, GSE, GSP or CHA.
September
Get organized! If you haven’t already, start a “College Binder” by making an early list of target colleges in a notebook. Visit college websites. Become familiar with general college admission requirements and financial aid. Make notes in your TASSEL about awards, accomplishments and volunteer work. You are collecting information for college admission applications, scholarships, and your resume.
Work hard and develop good study habits. The better your grades, the more KEES money you can earn.
Consider signing up for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. Your results can qualify you to enter the military and can help you better research career choices. This ASVAB is usually offered once per year in October.
Continue working on GSA, GSE, GSP or CHA applications.
Get to know your school counselor.
Take the PSAT or ASVAB.
Read as many books as possible from a comprehensive reading list. It’s one of the best ways of preparing for the ACT and for college.
Continue working on GSA, GSE, GSP or CHA applications.
Work on your writing skills. No matter what you do in life, you’ll probably have to write.
Start thinking about financial aid. Review the Paying for College section on kheaa.com.
Continue working on GSA, GSE, GSP or CHA applications.
Research college websites for their academic requirements for admission.
Take midterm exams.
Continue to explore interests and careers that you think you might like.
Keep your grades up so you can have the highest GPA and class rank possible. The cumulative GPA from your 9th, 10th, and 11th grade years will be the GPA you will use for applications and resume.
If you’re interested in a military academy/branch, start planning and getting information.
Start making initial summer plans for working, studying, volunteering, or attending a summer program. Try to make sure your child is involved in something that looks good on a college application.
Consider essay contests. Winning will be a nice addition to any application and resume, plus you can earn extra scholarship money.
Scheduling classes for the next year: Attend meetings about course scheduling, attend meetings about dual credit courses, and study the high school curriculum guide.
Participate in ACT bootcamp/preparation and take the State ACT.
If you plan to participate in collegiate sports, and have not registered, be sure to research NCAA and NAIA websites and create your accounts.
Maintain your GPA, work on your test-taking skills, and register to take a National ACT during the summer.
Consider a summer job. You can save money for college and maybe find out more about your career interests.
Keep learning all summer. Read!
Chat with college students home for the summer, especially if they attend a college you’re considering.
Continue committing time to community service efforts.
Improve your ACT by taking it again.