Whether this is your first time stepping foot on your campus or you are just wondering what there is to do, we hope you use this page to find life hacks, resources, college-specific advice, and other tools to help you thrive!

This is what you should do or some tips to help you be your best in high school!

FRESHMAN:

• Download the remind app on your smart device and add your classes so you can get important notifications about it!

• Meet with your school counselor and find our your high school’s graduation requirements
  • Ask your counselor the Top 5 questions listed in the 4-year plan
  • Print & Ask these Top 50 Questions to Ask Your School Counselor
•  Perform a Self-evaluation
  • Ask yourself the Top 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
• Get Active! Choose a few electives and extracurricular activities to get involved in
• Decide if you’d like to take the ACT Aspire exam to evaluate your academic strengths
• Volunteer or learn a new hobby during your summer break

SOPHOMORE:

• Meet with your school counselor for a follow-up on your grades from freshman year
• Implement any advice gained from your school counselor check-in into your yearly plan
• Take the PSAT/NMSQT® or PSAT™ 10 to get familiar with the testing format and time constraints before taking the SAT/ACT your junior year
• Get more involved if you can by adding extracurricular activities to your schedule (Guide to Choosing the Best High School Extracurricular Activities & Electives)
• Add electives to your schedule that all you to explore areas of study that you might be interested in
• Research your future career
  • Learn its education requirements
  • Expecting annual earnings for the next 3-5 years
  • Review LinkedIn profiles of people currently in that profession to see the steps they took to get there
• Start your college search!
  • Decide what you want and need in a college
  • Research and develop a list of 20 colleges that offer your major and fit those needs you’d like to attend
  • Request information from those colleges
  • Review their acceptance/graduation rates, financial aid, scholarships resources, and tuition costs
• HAVE FUN

JUNIORS:

• Meet with your school counselor at the beginning of each 9-weeks
  • During the first meeting review your grades from the previous year
    • Find out what your current GPA is
    • Ask if you’re on track to graduate on time
    • Inquire about local scholarships
    • Decide when to take the SAT/ACT
• Re-visit your college list and try and narrow it down to a top 10
• Attend college fairs
• Consider job-shadowing a few professionals working in your dream career
• Apply for some scholarships
• Visit colleges from your list and start reaching out to admission counselors for more information
• Take the SAT and/or ACT (each more than once)
• Sit down with your parents to talk about finances and commitments
• Enroll in test prep (Free Test Prep Resources)
• Update your activity résumé at the end of the year
• Make summer plans
  • Re-access and review your chosen career path
  • Visit colleges (How to Plan & Prepare for Your College Visit)
  • Consider getting a Summer job
  • Earn community service hours by volunteering
  • Job shadow a professional
• At the end of the year narrow down your college list to top 7 schools
• Brainstorm college essay topics and create outlines (What Makes a Great College Application Essay

SENIOR:

• Meet with your school counselor to review your current academic standing and learn if there are any new scholarships available
• Retake the SAT/ACT, if needed
• Research deadlines for the FAFSA and State Financial Aid
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) in October
• Apply for State Financial Aid Before the Deadline (How to Find and Apply for State Financial Aid: A Complete Guide)
• Narrow your college list down to top 5 and find their application forms, deadlines, and enrollment requirements
• Begin applying to colleges
• Ask for letters of recommendations
• Write college application essays
• Finalize your activities resume to submit to colleges (How to Write an Activities Resume for College Applications)
• Complete college applications (A College Applications Guide)
• Find and apply for local and national scholarships ( The Mega List of Scholarships You Should Apply For)
• Submit college applications
• Review financial aid packages offered by the schools who accepted your application (How to Evaluate Your Financial Aid Award Letter)
• Revisit your top colleges before accepting if needed
• Make your final college choice and enroll (Accepted to Multiple Colleges? Here’s How to Confirm—and Reject—Your Admission)
• Finish high school strong (avoid senioritis)