Making the Most of Junior Year at JFK

Mrs. Kimberly Leigh, Student Advisor

WHAT TO DO IN THE FALL (1ST SEMESTER)

Meet with your counselor or student advisor Build a relationship with them because they will be involved in your

application process

Make sure you are taking rigorous courses and courses that will help you get into college

Meet with your Norco College Counselor Creating a plan at Norco College can help you take the right educational

classes you need at the college for the major you plan on applying to

Take the PSAT in October

This is a preliminary test that helps students practice for the SAT and assesses their academic skills. Juniors who score well on the test are also eligible for scholarship opportunities.

Set goals for the school year and stay organized

TAKING THE SAT OR ACT

During your junior year, you should plan on taking the SAT and ACT.

At the end of junior year, you should retake the SAT or ACT, whichever one you did better on the first time.

If you plan on attending an Ivy League or UC, you should plan on taking at least 2 SAT Subject Tests. While these are not always mandatory from the colleges, they do like to see them and it makes you a better candidate.

Visit www.collegeboard.com or www.actstudent.org to sign up for these tests.

Also, visit Mrs. Leigh prior to taking the test to see if you are eligible for a fee waiver. You can use up to 3 fee waivers in a calendar year.

GET INVOLVED

Colleges like to see that you have done other things with your life besides attending your classes

Participate in community service

Participate in clubs on campus

College like to see consistency in your community service and participation.

Make sure that you take on what you can handle. Don’t overwhelm yourself or spread yourself to thin!

www.calfiorniavolunteers.org is a great website to help you get involved with different community service organizations

WHAT TO DO IN THE SPRING (2ND SEMESTER)

Start your college research (if you haven’t done so already) The Collegeboard website is a great resource for college searching

Begin Researching Scholarships Some scholarships are very extensive and take a lot of work, so start planning for those.

Use the Collegeboard website to do scholarship research

Plan for your senior year and college applications

If you need to make up or retake any classes, try to sign up for one online during 2nd semester. Talk to your counselor for more information!

Pass all of your classes!

In February, sign up for summer school (if necessary) All students should have passed their high school graduation requirement and A-G

courses with a C or better. If they did not, they should sign up to take the class during the summer. (CNUSD only allows students to make up 2 classes during summer).

COLLEGE PLANNING2nd Semester

Develop a preliminary list of colleges that interest you and visit their websites.

Make sure that the colleges have your major and that you meet the criteria for their application

You should visit the colleges that you want to apply to! You don’t know if a college is a perfect fit unless you are there.

Attend all college fairs and presentations (even if you think it isn’t for you)

We have on campus presentations and there are public college fairs, including one at Norco College

ARE YOU APPLYING TO A UC OR CSU?

By the time you have completed the end of your 11th grade year, you should have completed at least 11 A-G Courses

Make sure you show that you are a competitive candidate!

A – History B – English C – Math D – Science

E – Foreign Language

F - Visual/Performing Arts (VAPA)

G – College Prep Elective

9th Grade LA Algebra 1 Biology For. Lang. Yr 1 1 Full Year VAPA

1 Full Year

World History 10th Grade LA Geometry Chemistry For. Lang. Yr 2 **Or 3 unit College Course

**Or 3 unit College Course

US History 11th Grade LA Algebra 2 **Physics

12th Grade LA (Only 2 years required)

A TYPICAL 11TH GRADE SCHEDULE

Typical 11th Grade Schedule

1. Language Arts 11A/11B

2. US History

3. Math

4. Science

5. PE or Foreign Language or AVID

6. College Course

7. Excel or Choice Excel (Students must meet the criteria for Choice Excel)

**This schedule is based on a student taking one college course that is 3 or more units****If a student does take a college course (3+ units), then they can have a minimum of 4 classes at JFK.

We try to ensure that all of our students are on track to be A-G eligible, even if they do not plan on attending a 4 year

university after high school.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND KEEP UPDATED ON ANNOUNCEMENTS

Visit the Guidance page on the JFK website for more information regarding college and high school planning We are currently refurbishing our website, so continue to check back for updates

Read the announcements and listen to them throughout the day Our announcements are posted daily on our website and are also announced

during Excel on Monday – Thursday. If a student isn’t listening to the announcements they may miss pertinent information like Norco College deadlines.

Follow us on Facebook (John F. Kennedy Middle College High School) There are also special groups that the kids have created like “JFK

Announcements” and “Class of 20**”

Sign up for our Remind 101 that we will be starting next month! (Text messages and emails sent directly to you)