September
October
November
December
January
February & March
April
May
June
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College & Career
- Advising and information
- Resources and expertise
- Recommendations
- Transcripts, school profile, secondary school report, etc.
- Help with submissions
College & Career Preparation Timeline
9th Grade
- Build strong academic, language, mathematics and critical thinking skills by taking challenging courses.
- Study hard and get excellent grades.
- Strengthen your vocabulary by increasing your reading.
- Become involved in co-curricular activities.
- Meet your high school guidance counselor and discuss your plans for the next four years.
- Browse through college literature or surf the Web to get an idea of what kinds of schools may be of interest to you.
- Check out what high school courses colleges require.
- Know NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) eligibility requirements if you want to play sports in college.
- Keep an academic portfolio and co-curricular record.
- Research career possibilities.
- Begin saving money for college.
10th Grade
- Consult your school counselor about taking the PSAT in October. The PSAT is a preliminary test that will prepare you for the SAT Reasoning Test.
- Take NCAA-approved courses if you want to play sports in college.
- Take the PSAT for practice. The results will not be used for college admission.
- Sign up, if you have not done so already, for co-curricular activities that interest you. The level of involvement and accomplishment is most important, not the number of activities.
- Keep a record of your co-curricular involvement, volunteer work, and employment (all year).
- Make sure you are "on top" of your academic work. If necessary, meet with your teacher for additional help.
- Save your best work in academic courses and the arts for your academic portfolio (all year).
- Receive results of the PSAT. Read materials sent with your score report. Consult your school counselor to explore ways to improve on future standardized tests and courses to discuss which may be required or beneficial for your post-high school plans.
- Keep studying!
- Volunteer! A great way to identify your interests and to develop skills.
- It is never too early to start researching colleges and universities. Visit the counseling office to browse through literature and guidebooks or surf the Web and check out college and university home pages.
- NACAC has developed a list of resources to help you in the college admission process called Web Resources for the College-Bound.
- Register for June SAT Subject Test. These are one-hour exams testing you on academic subjects that you have already completed. Among the many to choose from are biology, chemistry, foreign languages and physics. Some colleges require or recommend one or more of the SAT Subject Tests for admission or placement. You can take SAT Subject Tests when you have successfully completed the corresponding course in high school study (B+ average or better). Talk to your teachers and counselor about which tests to take.
- See your school counselor for advice.
- Continue to research career options and consider possible college majors that will help you achieve your career goals.
- Plan now for wise use of your summer. Consider working or volunteering or taking a summer course or participating in a special program (e.g., for prospective engineers or journalists or for those interested in theatre or music) at a local college or community college.
- Take any SAT Subject Tests that you registered for in April.
- If you work, save some of your earnings for college.
- Make your summer productive. Continue reading to increase your vocabulary.
Reprinted from NACAC's PACT Guide, 2000. Revised Online Only: March 2005
11th Grade
PLANNING CALENDAR FOR JUNIORS AND THEIR PARENTS/GUARDIANS
JUNIOR YEAR SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE, JULY and AUGUST
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12th Grade
On Campus College Visits
The schedule of colleges visiting is continually updated on the Naviance website. The list is also posted on the board outside of the Counseling office in the senior hallway. Most visits last approximately one half hour. Students should alert teachers if they will be missing class time. On rare occasions a college representative may schedule a student interview. These are scheduled directly through the college admissions office, not through the high school.