High School Tips vol.2

Crossroads:Pathways to Success, Inc.

October 8, 2011

High School Tips: Preparation for

College

Junior Year

It's junior year, and the time has come for serious

college planning. If you prepare for standardized

tests now, you can avoid the frenzy of senior

year.

Time spent now will more than pay off next year.

You will be able to keep up your grades and enjoy

your final high school months while scouring

Scholarships.com or other sites for free

scholarship money.

Junior Action Plan

Goals for the Fall Semester

Take the PSAT/NMSQT

Sign up to take these tests in October.

Always sign up for student search service so that you will

hear from colleges and scholarship programs.

Start Your College Search

Make a list of your personal preferences and qualities. List

programs and majors you may be interested in.

Begin thinking about Financial Aid.

Junior Action Plan

Winter

Get Ready for the SAT

Start studying with friends and being serious about

it.

Get some SAT prep books.

Attend the SAT program at Providence.

Schedule your spring testing You can take either the SAT® or up to three SAT Subject

Tests™ on one test day. Plan your testing schedule carefully

if you want to take both, and register for two separate test

dates.

Junior Action Plan Continued Explore Colleges

Begin to visit potential schools you are interested in.

Prepare well for AP Exams Do well on AP exams and receive credit, advanced

placements tests can do a lot for you.

Plan Ahead for the Summer & Senior Year Review your senior year class schedule with your

counselor. Challenge yourself with honors and AP classes.

Plan summer activities early. Enrich yourself by volunteering, getting an interesting job or internship or even a summer camp of your interests.

Junior Action Plan

Goals for the spring semester Explore Colleges

Start visiting local colleges: large, small, public and private.

Get a feel for which campus works for you. Create a list of

15-20 potential colleges that you wish to attend

Start Considering possible Majors

If you are not ready to pin down your career, and most high

school students aren't, consider taking a career assessment

test. Some websites provide free assessment tests that

match your interests with possible careers. You may also

want to speak with your guidance counselor to find out if

these tests are offered at your school.

Junior Year Tips & Tactics

Keep up your list of your awards and

extracurricular activities, along with the dates you

participated and the names and contact

information of people who you might want to ask

to write a letter of recommendation for you.

Keeping track of all of this information now will

make it easier for you to remember during the

college admissions process.

Junior Year Tips & Tactics

Keep a master calendar of all of your deadlines

and test dates. As you decide which schools you

want to apply to, add the dates for their deadlines

for admissions and financial aid.

You can take the college admissions tests as

many times as you want, and colleges will look at

your highest score. So it does not hurt your

admission chances to take them in the spring or

summer of your junior year to find out what your

testing strengths and weaknesses are.

Junior Year Tips & Tactics Make sure you’re taking all the required courses

you need for college. Many top four-year colleges prefer your high school education to include classes in English, math, science, social studies and foreign language all four years.

Evaluate your extra-curricular activities, keeping in mind that quality is more important than quantity. In addition to your transcript, schools look at how you spend your free time to see that you’ve made a meaningful contribution and a long-term commitment to an organization, cause or hobby.

Senior Action Plan

Fall Narrow your list of colleges to approximately five to eight. Get

all financial aid info from each and try to visit if possible.

Ask for recommendations.

Get your teachers, family members, peers to review your application essay. LET CROSSROADS REVIEW IT.

Make a master calendar with the following: Test dates, fees and deadlines

College application due dates

Required financial documents

Recommendations, transcripts and other material due dates

High school deadlines for application requests. Decide whether or not you want to apply for early admission. November 1 in the early admission deadline.

Senior Action Plan cont.

Winter

Review Application Details

Most applications are due between January 1 and February

15.

Have your high school send your transcript to colleges.

Contact colleges to make sure they have received your

application materials.

SIT BACK AND ENJOY READING ACCEPTANCE LETTERS

University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill Location: Chapel Hill,

FALL 2011 ENROLLED FIRST-YEAR CLASS -- ACADEMICS

1st in high-school class 7.0% (of those whose schools reported rank)2nd in high-school class 5.0% Top 10% of high-school class 80%Average GPA 4.5 (of 91% whose schools reported 4.0 GPAs)High-school GPA of 4.0+ 90.0%

25th-75th percentiles—SAT Critical Reading 590-700—SAT Math 610-710—SAT Writing 610-690—ACT Composite 28-32


Charlotte-UNCC

Location: Charlotte, NC

High School Grade Point Average – 4.0 Scale

3.4 to 4.0

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) –

1480-1730

ACT – Middle 50% Range

21-26

Total Enrollment25,300

North Carolina A&T State University

Location: Greensboro, NC

Established in 1891

Profile of Freshmen Admitted Fall of 2011

A combined Mathematics and Critical Reading Scholastic

Assessment Test Score (SAT) of 750 or higher

A composite American College Test Score (ACT) of 16 or

higher

A Final High School GPA – 2.25 or higher.


Greensboro-UNCG UNCG seeks men and women with ability, character,

motivation, and the intellectual potential to meet UNCG standards of performance.

Application Procedures for Freshmen

Complete the UNCG application forms, including essay. A $55 application fee must accompany the application. This fee covers the cost of processing the application and is subject to change; it is not refundable and is not applicable toward tuition or other costs.

*The application deadline for freshman admission is March 1. Applications received after that date will be considered on a space available basis.

UNCG

UNCG seeks men and women with ability,

character, motivation, and the intellectual

potential to meet UNCG standards of

performance. UNCG’s admission decision is

based upon an evaluation of the applicant’s

secondary school record and/or college record,

including the overall grade point average, essay,

and SAT or ACT scores. These factors are used

to determine the applicant’s probability of success

at UNCG.

Seven Excuses Not to Go to

College...

...And Why They're Lame

1. I can't go to college—nobody in my family has ever gone.

In every family, someone has to be first. Why not you? True, being first can be hard. For instance, you may have to explain to the family why college is important to you. On the other hand, being first is likely to be a source of pride, for you and for your family.

2. I've been in school for 12 years. That's enough! I just want a good job.

Give college a chance. It's not like high school or junior high. For one thing, in college you pick a major—a subject area that you want to learn about. As for that good job—the best jobs and the best salaries go to college grads.

3. I can't go to college because I can't afford it.

Most students get financial aid to help pay for college, and most aid is based on need. This means that the less money you have, the more aid you might get.

4. I can't go because I don't know how to apply or where I want to go.

Tell your high school counselors you want to go to college fairs, where colleges introduce themselves to students. Ask them how to write to schools for information. Try to visit colleges that interest you. Keep at it. After a while, you'll get a feel for differences among colleges, and start to know what you want.

Seven Excuses Not to Go to

College...

...And Why They're Lame5. I can't go to college—I don't know what I want to do with my life.

Join the crowd. Thousands of college freshmen haven't decided on a major or on a career. That's how college helps. It exposes you to all sorts of subjects you've never heard of before. College is a great place to learn more about careers you'll love for life.

6. I can't go to college, because I just won't fit in.

Not so. Most colleges have students from many backgrounds. Homesick? Need a hand? Look for people with your interests or your background in the African-American club, on the soccer field, or in a Korean study group. Remember, college is a great place to meet new kinds of people with different lifestyles. And the more people you understand and feel comfortable with, the better prepared you'll be for the world after college.

7. College is too hard for me.

In high school, don't just study—learn how to study. Most good students have strategies for studying. Once you learn how to study, chances are you'll do fine. Still need help? Professors are really helpful, and so are tutors

10 Tips To Help You Get Launched

Onto A Successful Career Path

2. Be the person you truly are. Go after what you

want. Sometimes what others want for us is not

what we want for ourselves. Be honest with

yourself.



3. Live for today, but plan for tomorrow. Planning

for what could be right around the corner is never

a bad thing. It’s always good to have a Plan B.

Certainly enjoy every waking moment of your life,

but keep a back up action plan for your future

goals as well



4. Be your own visionary. Have your

own personal vision for your life and make it real

by writing it down and placing it somewhere you

will see it every day. Keep your plan alive by

keeping it in your thoughts.



5. Be ambitious. Think ACTION and always be

looking out for new opportunities that come your

way to better-up yourself and what you are doing.

Ideas and opportunities sometimes come off the

cuff; leave yourself open to see them when they

appear.



6. Learn to adapt. Change is the only thing that

remains constant. Change can be your friend so

don’t run from it—embrace it. Fear is not an

option as you move forward.



7. Think Big. Everything you do should be on a

grand scale and never settle for less than your

personal best. What is yourpersonal best? Only

you know, but one thing is for certain… when you

haven’t done it a voice in your head and heart is

the first to let you know.



8. Live outside the box. Think about what you

could be doing that others are not doing. Don’t be

afraid to break free from the pack and run wild

with your creative edge. This is where

imagination, ingenuity and driving force come into

play. What is it you have to offer that no one else

has? Don’t stop pursing the idea until you have

an answer



9. Develop the right mind set. This is your key to

success as your mind set controls your thoughts,

feelings and actions. Stay actively positive as you

move in and out of your day. Not everything you

do will be liked or accepted, but if you push hard

enough one day it might. Quitters never have the

chance to win!



10. Build genuine relationships with others. No

one is an island. You need help no matter what

you do. Networking is key to

success. Appreciation is never underrated. Doors

will open that you never thought possible.

Education

High School Tips vol.2