How to Plan for College Admissions
Planning for college may seem overwhelming. There’s so much to think about! It’s important to start early and think your way through all the steps before it’s time for standardized tests and applications.
Picking Your Classes
Even when picking classes going into your freshman year, it’s important to think about what your college goals are. If you’re looking to get into a good school, you should think about taking AP and honors classes as early as freshman year. You’ll need to continue with challenging, heavily weighted classes throughout high school.
Importance of Grades
This should go without saying, but you’ll also need to do well in these classes. Grade point average is important in college admissions. Getting an A in most classes, and no lower than a B, is essential.
Grades are also important if you’re considering financial aid. If you’re applying for scholarships, you’ll need to show that you take school seriously, and grades come into play when proving this. You can always opt for student loans, which don’t typically have a grade requirement.
Testing
Like grades, test scores are also important. Some colleges weigh test scores more heavily than grades as an indicator of how you’ll do in school. Take the PSAT in 10th grade in order to see what areas you’ll need to focus on and prep for before taking the SAT and ACT.
PSAT scores don’t affect your chances of getting into college at all, so you can go in without any pressure. They do bring scholarship opportunities with them. If you score highly, you may qualify for a National Merit Scholarship.
The ACT and SAT
You’ll want to spend time focusing on areas that you identified as weaknesses when taking the PSAT or even practice ACT and SAT exams. Then you have to study. Outside of regular homework, take the time to learn and practice in areas that you are weak in.
When it’s time to take the ACT and SAT, you’ll feel much more prepared. Remember that you can take the tests more than once, so if you don’t do as well as you would like the first time, you can give yourself another opportunity. You also only have to submit the score of the test you did best on to colleges, so don’t worry if you didn’t do as well on one of these tests.
The SAT and ACT should be taken in 11th grade. You do have the option to wait until 12th grade, but that gives you less time to retake tests as needed. Standardized testing can be overwhelming and comes with a lot of pressure, so give yourself a break between tests.
Extra Curriculars
As you go through your high school career, think about extracurricular activities in addition to test scores and grades. Colleges look to see what you’re up to in your free time and what kind of impact you made on your school and community. Clubs, student organizations and volunteer activities are all important.
Get involved and join clubs. Find clubs that interest you. If you have an idea what you want to major in as a college student, you can also look for clubs that center around your future goals.
Look for volunteer opportunities as well. You may need to earn volunteer hours in order to qualify for scholarships, as well as to show that you have an interest in making your community a better place. You can often earn these hours through school clubs that have a volunteer focus.
Paying for School
As stated previously, it’s never too early to start thinking about paying for college. Look for scholarship opportunities early and begin planning so that you can apply for them. Fill out your FASFA in the winter or spring of your senior year, as you’re putting in college applications. This makes it so that colleges can quickly tell you what kind of aid they can offer you, based on your income status.
No matter what school you have your eyes on, one thing is for sure—it’s important to start planning early in order to set yourself up for success.
