Meet in the fall with your counselor to review college-preparatory course selection.
Check class rank based on grade point average for freshman and sophmore years. It is never to late to improve your grades. Colleges look for an upward trend.
Sign up for and take the PSAT/NMSQT. In additon to National Scholarship, this is the qualifying test for the National Scholarship Service and Fund for Negro Students and the National Hispanic Scholar Recognition Program.
Work through sample questions provided with the explanatory materials in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Bulletin.
Be sure you have a social security number.
Make a list of colleges that meet your most important criteria (size, location, distance from home, majors, academic rigor, housing, and cost).
Speak to college representatives who visit your high school.
Begin building you college application online at http://www.collegequest.com.
If you are interested in one of the military academies, start the application process now. See your guidance counselor.
Collect information about college application procedures, entrance requirements, tuition and fees, room and board costs, student activities, course offerings, faculty composition, and financial aid. The internet is a good way to visit colleges and obtain this information.
Discuss your PSAT score with your counselor.
Begin narrowing down your college choices. Find out if the colleges you are interested in require the SAT, ACT, or Subject Tests for admission.
Register for the SAT I and additional SAT II Subject Tests, which are offered several times during the winter and spring of your junior year. You can also take them in the fall of your senior year if you are unhappy with your scores.
Register for the ACT, which is usually taken in April or June and then again very late in the junior year or in the fall of the senior year, if necessary.
Set up a filing system, with individual folders for each college's correspondence and printed materials. You can also track you colleges on line via CollegeQuest.
For More Help View These Sites: www.gsgis.k12.va.us~This is a handbook written by the staff of GSGIS to assist you and your parents in finding the suitable college that would suit your needs. www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu~This site is for college searching where you can find a college in the right location. www.educationone.com~This site is another helpful calendar for students to keep on the right track all year round. www.admiss.wesleyan.eduGo here for helpful tips on SAT planning and more. www.collegeconfidential.comThis site is to help you find the perfect college that you want.
This material reproduced from Peterson's -- Get a JumP! Your Guide to College Planning and Career Exploration
Texas 2000 Edition, Copyright 1999
Peterson's, Princeton, N.J.
web address: http://www.petersons.com
Put Link to Individual Section of Peterson's here (and take out this text): e.g. Peterson's Finance Section on the Web
