"When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better." - Maya Angelou
Message to Students
Congratulations on reaching your sophomore year of high school! You have completed one year of high school and you know the ropes, the attitude and strategies it takes to be effective in high school. 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 or apply for the Hugh O’Brian Leadership Scholarship. Be sure to keep or increase your grade point average and challenge yourself by taking Advanced Placement or technical courses. Begin preparing for the ACT by developing test-taking strategies and using the practice tests for the exams, the
CERT and PSAT. Start your college list and start your career list and begin job shadowing in those careers. 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 sophomore year. In addition, at the bottom you will see a linked planner for your sophomore year. After the planner you will see a timeline for sophomore students and parents to use as a guide to better prepare students.
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 are available to you and how would they benefit your future?
Consider taking the PSAT/NMSQT exam.
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.
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 the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Program (HOBY).
Social and Emotional Learning
This year is all about learning leadership skills.
Evaluate your self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making skills.
Links/Resources for planning, research, and preparation
Use TASSEL to help you research, plan, and document!
Both parents and students have plenty to do throughout the college & career search and application process. This timeline can give you some great help to figure out what you should be doing and when.
Specific information will be published through the school counseling website, schoology, email, and remind. Information will also be presented in the classrooms.
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. For example, Young ladies can join national clubs such as Young Women LEAD.
Athletics
Community Service
Clubs & Organizations
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 junior, you might want to research about the ACT and register to take the ACT.
Consider signing up for the PSAT. It is excellent practice for timed tests. You get to review your results and answers. If applying for GSP, this score could be better than your ACT score.
September
Get organized! 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.
If you are interested in any STEM programs, you may want to research The Gatton Academy and Craft Academy. You must have taken the ACT and Algebra II Honors, plus other requirements.
Consider signing up for the ASVAB test. Your results could help you research career choices.
Get to know your school counselor.
Consider applying for Sophomore opportunities such as HOBY, GSE, or GSA.
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.
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.
Research and consider the Lt. Governor's Entrepreneurship Challenge.
Research college websites for their academic requirements for admission.
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.
Begin zeroing in on the type of college you would prefer (two-year or four-year, small or large, rural or urban).
Scheduling classes for the next year: Attend meetings about course scheduling, attend meetings about dual credit courses, and study the high school curriculum guide.
If you plan to participate in collegiate sports, you may want to research NCAA and NAIA websites.
Visit a few college campuses by requesting a tour with the college.
If you plan to participate in college sports, you may want to register for a profile page with the NCAA Eligibility Center and with the NAIA Eligibility Center.
Keep putting away money for college.
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.