Steps for becoming College Ready
9th Grade Goals:
Start planning early so that you are better prepared.
take a Career assessment and consider your skills, values, and interests and how these connect to careers.
Begin a college savings account.
Keep track of courses and grades.
Be mindful that colleges will look at grades from 9th-12th grades.
Meet with your School Counselor and be certain you are taking the right courses .
Develop relationships with your Teachers.
Use electives to try out courses of interest.
Learn about college entrance requirements.
Create a file for report cards, awards, honors, school and community activities, and volunteer work.
10th Grade Goals:
Prepare to take the PLAN/PSAT tests.
Get involved in clubs, sports, community service, and other extracurricular activities.
Consider the reasons you like different colleges such as programs, location, cost, size.
Tour colleges of interest.
Consider taking more challenging courses such as honors, advanced level courses, and AP.
Keep your resume up-to-date by including awards, scholarships, relevant courses, and workshops. Your career center can help.
Consider your academic schedule before making a part-time job commitment.
11th Grade Goals:
Be mindful that colleges look closely at junior year grades.
Challenge yourself academically.
Take ACT/SAT http://actstudent.org; http://sat.collegeboard.org
Attend college fairs
Visit colleges
Know admission requirements to colleges of interest.
Find a summer job or internship in field of interest.
12th Grade Goals:
Review courses, graduation requirements, and scholarship information with your school counselor.
Update resume.
Write college admissions essays early to be reviewed by teachers.
Ask teachers and counselors for letters of recommendations.
Make transcript request early and follow up.
Complete college applications
Be prepared for Early Decision Replies Dec. 1-Dec. 31.
Complete the college financial aid application and FAFSA between Jan. 1-Feb. 15.
Make sure your parents have completed their income tax returns.
Be prepared to hear from colleges by Spring.
Decide on a college and accept before college deadline.
Prepare to take exams for AP and college-level courses.
Determine when fees for tuition and room and board are due and how much they will cost.
Learn about student health insurance in case of an emergency.
Prepare for college placement exams.
*source College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC)
College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC)
Plan apply and pay for college. CFNC is a free service of the State of North Carolina that provides comprehensive college and career planning resources; electronic applications and transcripts accepted by all 110 North Carolina colleges and universities; and, information on student financial aid and college affordability. www.cfnc.org
North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS)
To research NC Community Colleges, Degree Programs, Distance Learning Opportunities and read Success Stories visit the NC Community College website: http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/about-us/main-campuses
North Carolina Universities & Colleges
Research the sixteen NC institutions that grant baccalaureate degrees at http://www.northcarolina.edu.
Learn about:
the online application process
programs and degrees
certificate programs
campus profiles
FAFSA
Complete a FREE Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by visiting the website: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Also learn about deadlines, your college’s school codes, and other options for filing your FAFSA.
Check to see if your colleges use the Common Application- nearly 700 schools do, but some only have applications through their school website
Start early- this will give you plenty of time to go back and make revisions as needed
Make sure you are putting activities in order of importance
You only have 150 characters to describe each extracurricular activity- make each word count
Don’t work on your essay in the Common Application- type it up in Microsoft Word and then paste it over when you are ready.
Start in the summer- many schools release their essay topics during the summer, so start writing before senior year starts. Your future self will thank you.
If you get to choose between several prompts, pick the one that speaks to you the most
Write with personality- this is your chance to show a part of yourself that the rest of the application can’t
Keep an eye on your word count
Don’t stress- college admissions will look at more than just your essay, so write as well as you can, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself
Try to choose someone that knows you well and will have lots of positive things to write about
Give your recommender a resume or “brag sheet” to remind them a little about yourself and your interests
Don’t be afraid to follow up- if it’s been two weeks and you haven’t heard anything from them send a polite email reminding them of the deadline
Give thorough information on how to submit the letter- does it need to be submitted online or do you need a physical copy?
Be sure to send a thank you note