Junior Year College planning calendar
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Transcript of Junior Year College planning calendar
JUNIOR PRESENTATIONGUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
* Instruction - Involvement - Improvement *~ A Student Focused Community ~
JUNIOR YEAR COLLEGE PLANNING CALENDAR
Now it is time to start seriously thinking about college admissions!
Start planning now!
Junior year is critical!
Not only should you continue to take challenging courses, make good grades, and be involved outside the classroom, but also this is the year to attend college fairs, schedule campus tours, begin your scholarship search, take the SAT and/or ACT, and ultimately select the four to six colleges that you will apply to next year.
~~We are all here to help you~~
~~STEP BY STEP~~
Fall
Study for and take the PSATThis will determine your eligibility for
National Merit Scholarships.This will also help identify areas that need
strengthening before the SATs in the Spring Spend time searching for colleges in
NAVIANCE Get an idea of what you are looking for
in a college
How does the PSAT compare to the SAT?
PSAT
-Taken Fall 10th and 11th grade
-no essay
-2 hours, 10 minutes
-usually does not include Algebra II
SAT
-Taken Spring 11th grade and Fall 12th grade
-essay question
-3 hours, 45 minutes
-Algebra II questions
Winter Review PSAT scores
Determine your strengths and weaknesses Make plans for improvement
○ Consider your needs and learning style prep course, on-line course, private tutor,
Plan your SAT taking schedule. Prep courses usually coincide with test dates
Register on collegeboard.com Fee waivers may be available, ask your counselor if you are
eligible Consider taking the ACT
www.ACT.org Attend Junior Parent College and Financial Aid Night
The SAT or ACT?? The choice is yours.
The ACT may be best ifYou are “book smart” and you don’t feel your SAT
scores reflect your academic abilityThe ACT is more straight forward and curriculum
focused than the SAT, so it can better reflect past academic performance
You have great verbal and reading comprehension skills, you are a quick reader, there are 3 sections involving reading comprehension
You feel as though you are better at “common sense” English rather than formal grammar
The SAT or ACT?? The choice is yours.
The SAT may be best if:You did well on the PSATYou have a large vocabulary and excellent
grammar, useful in the essay and writing sectionsReasoning is your strong suit, success is based
more on quick thinking than memorization of facts or formulas
You prefer tests that are fast paced. Even though the SAT is actually 20 minutes longer than the ACT it is broken up in a way where the pace feels faster
You are better at writing essays that call for recollection of specific facts and figures
Use your old friend
Career PlanningLearning Style Inventory, Interest Inventory, Personality
Inventory, Resume Building College Planning
College Search, Application Process, College Major Exploration, Scholarship/Financial Aid Resources
Success PlanningPersonalized Goals and Tasks, Journal Entries,
Student Planner
Goal: by now you should have at least 10 colleges in the colleges I’m thinking about tab.
Spring
Make sure your resume is up to date on NAVIANCE
Consider volunteer activities, especially for the 100 hours for National Honors Society
Athletes: be mindful of NCAA Clearing House Course Selection Process for Senior Year Complete the Pre-College Record with a
parent and return it to your counselor ASAP
Pre-College Record
4 Key Players in your College Decision Making and Admissions Process
YOU!!!!! Parent Teacher Counselor
Colleges will want to see:
Grades from 9th, 10th, and 11th grade Rigor of courses Test scores, SAT/ACT Extra-curricular activities Recommendations (teachers and
guidance counselor) Essay
What do you want in a college?
Location – Many dream of going to school in Alaska or even in a big city. Other students may want to stay close to home or go somewhere warm. Location can make a huge difference.
Size – Does a big school with more students or a small school with fewer students feel like a good fit?
School type – Two-year college vs. four-year college? Public vs. private? Coed vs. single sex? Religious affiliation? Culturally diversity?
These are all decisions that you should consider. Some choices could greatly alter your search list.
So many choices….
Activities – Study abroad? Greek life? Marching Band? Co-ops?These are just some of the opportunities
available for college students (and there are dozens of others)
Sports – For some athletes, playing a sport in college can be a full time job and means possible scholarship money. For others, the idea of being in a huge football
stadium cheering on the team is the motivation for going to a larger school.
And more to think about…
Major offerings – Selecting a school with a certain major may be the most important part of the search. For others who are not sure or do not have a clue, this might be one area to leave off the search list, at least for now.
Selectivity – Some colleges admit less than ten percent of the applicants while others accept 100%. Knowing how difficult it is to get in will also give an idea of how challenging it will be as an enrolled student.
Responsible Choices
Remember that choosing a college is a major decision and it is usually the first big choice you will make in your life.
Some of you will handle this process easily and others will procrastinate to the bitter end.
Whatever your pace, make sure to take the time to do your research and investigate all of your options!
Clean up your social media!
Make sure your profile is PRIVATE
and don’t post inappropriate content
or pictures!
Looking forward: Schedule Classes for Senior Year: Challenge
yourself! Make sure your email and phones are updated for
NAVIANCE. Check you email every day. Sign up for College visits in NAVIANCE Over this summer you should be visiting colleges and
narrowing down your choices. Start your essay: once you figure out what schools
you are applying to find out essay topics! What teachers will you ask for recommendations? HAVE APPLICATIONS READY BY
THANKSGIVING!!!!!
WE ARE ALL HERETO HELP YOU
~~STEP BY STEP~~