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Tips for High School Seniors
You're almost finished! Don't quit now. Continue to take challenging classes and maintain good study habits.
Fall semester
- Begin narrowing down the list of colleges that interest you.
- Research scholarships. Scholarships are available for just about anything, and they are awarded by a variety of organizations. While searching, think about your academic performance, your interests and extracurricular activities, volunteer work, race/ethnicity and anything else that makes you special. Apply to every scholarship that seems to fit you. Note: Many scholarships have application deadlines as early as December and January, so apply early!
- Narrow down your choices. As you examine a variety of schools, decide which ones best meet your needs. Think about what you want to do with your life after school and which schools will help you meet your goals. Also think about cost, location, and size. Schedule campus visits to help you make your decision. Don't limit your choices to one school.
- Sign up for the October ACT or November SAT if you have not already taken a test or need to improve your score. When you register, indicate the schools where you will be applying and need your test scores sent. If you feel that you will be unable to pay the test fee, speak to your ETS counselor or high school guidance counselor, you may qualify for a fee waiver.
- Consider taking an ACT or SAT test prep course to give you an edge.
- You should have received your college applications by now. If you have not, or have added new schools to your list, contact the school to obtain an application. Many schools have deadlines in November and December so it is important to start work on these applications early.
- Begin writing your application essays early. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the people who will be deciding to either admit you as a student or not, and sometimes how much financial aid you deserve. And first impressions count! So carefully write and rewrite these essays to convince them that you really are a wonderful, fantastic person that they want to know better.
- Ask schools about housing applications and deadlines.
- By this point you could have college application deadlines, scholarship application deadlines, and housing application deadlines on top of all your other work and obligations! Put all of your deadlines on a calendar and check it weekly. Make sure you know your deadlines!
- Decide which teachers you will ask to write you letters of recommendation. Give each teacher at least two weeks to write and send the letter. Remember that some teachers will get many requests so earlier is better. Don't forget to send thank you cards!
- Make copies of every form and application you send in. Stuff happens, things get lost in the mail, but you should have copies just in case.
- Some schools allow students to apply online and not pay an application fee. Check college web pages to see if this is an option for you.
Spring Semester
- All students should apply for federal financial aid by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Most schools require the FAFSA. Urge your parents to file their income tax returns as soon as possible in January because students will need that information to complete the FAFSA.
- Get a paper FAFSA from your ETS or high school guidance counselor or fill it out online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Beware of all other Web pages that ask for money to file the FAFSA-they are scams! The FAFSA is always free.
- Keep track of your applications and make sure schools have received all the information they have requested.
- Check your mail for notification letters!
- Carefully consider all the schools that you have been accepted to and the amount of financial aid they offer. You may want to visit schools at this time to help you make this decision. Decide which school you wish to attend and send letter of acceptance with tuition deposit.
- Notify other schools of your decision.
Tips for High School Juniors
- Start your year off right! Get to know your teachers and their expectations.
- Go to www.kheaa.com and access your KEES account to see how much money you have earned for your grades and test scores. Keep up the good work and you will earn even more!
- Investigate college options. Seek any and all information about post-secondary opportunities. Talk to your counselors, get on college Web pages, visit libraries and college campuses, attend college fairs, and have information mailed to you.
- Apply for the Governor's Scholars Program if you qualify. This is a great opportunity to see what college is like, live in a dorm on a college campus, and earn scholarships later. And it is a lot of fun!
- Take your ACT during your junior year. This will give you the opportunity to take the test again in your senior year if you want to try to improve your score.
- Continue the activities that interest you most and that you are committed to. Participating in a large number of activities is not the goal. It is more important to be actively involved in a few extracurricular activities that you are really committed to.
- Be a leader on your teams and in your activities. Leadership positions look great on college and job applications and like everything else it takes practice to be a good leader.
- Start looking for a job or volunteer opportunity that is relevant to your career goals. Ask your guidance counselor about summer internships.
- Go on college tours during your spring break and over the summer.
Tips for High School Sophomores
- Take AP classes if you can. Colleges will be interested in more than your grades. They will also look at how challenging your classes were.
- Start researching colleges that seem interesting.
- Take the PLAN or PSAT. These are shorter versions of the ACT and SAT that can give you an early projection of how you might score on these tests. They are also great practice instruments that will help you score even better on the tests that really count!
- Establish strong time management skills. Continue to improve your reading and writing skills.
- Keep a folder or list with accomplishments, awards, extracurricular/volunteer activities, and leadership positions. This will be really helpful in filling out job, college, and scholarship applications later.
- Consider teachers whom you would like to ask to write college recommendations for you.
- Talk to college students or recent college graduates that you know about college and their experiences.
- Attend local college fairs. Collect information and speak with school representatives there.
- Begin locating sources of financial aid, particularly scholarships.
Tips for High School Freshman
- Develop and maintain good study skills. This will be vital throughout high school and college.
- Keep in mind that your grades from freshman year forward affect your overall high school GPA. And can earn you money through the KEES program!
- Think about several career possibilities and learn how much education is required for each job.
- Try to memorize your social security number now. You will need it for important paperwork like college and financial aid applications, and the older you get, the more often you will use it.
- Participate in extracurricular activities at school or volunteer in the community. Now is the time to try new things and do what you enjoy.
- Plan rigorous high school courses. You will need to take four years of English and at least three years of math, science and social science. Also, many colleges require at least two years of a foreign language.
- Get to know your high school counselor.
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