Academic Planning

Academic planning allow students to create a strategic map of their academic career.  While a future career may seem a long way off for students still in high school and even college, creating an academic plan for that future is an imperative step in achieving goals. 

Why is academic planning important?

• Planning is the best form of prevention. Many students face a huge amount of uncertainty when it comes to their futures. They’re making important decisions focused around finances, schools, degree programs, and more.  And while there are always a few students who are able to answer all of these questions at once, many find them overwhelming. But creating an academic plan can help put all of these pieces of the puzzle together, allowing students to have a clearer picture of where they want to go and how they can get there.

• The academic journey is more than just about learning intellectual skills, it’s also about gaining a clearer perspective of personal strengths and weaknesses. Students gain some of this insight through the classes they’re required to take at both the high school and collegiate level; they can begin to understand the subjects they enjoy and the areas they feel challenged in.  Having a plan in place where students can keep track of these personal learnings can help further their own development. For instance, they can record what learning style best suits them. For high school students, this piece of information can be very helpful when it comes to choosing a college. As another example, students can also track the soft skills they already have and where they need to spend time improving. This is an essential piece of information for college students looking to enter the workforce. 

• Perhaps one of the most important reasons for students to create an academic plan is to be able to keep their options open. Changing direction, whether it’s switching degree programs or moving to a different school, is part of the academic experience. Having a plan in place and keeping track of progress helps ensure that students have the ability to take on new opportunities as they arise. *

Students and families are encouraged to use the pages found in the Academic Planning section to help them plan for their academic futures.

* Source: https://www.teacherswithapps.com/top-3-reasons-students-create-academic-plan/