High School "To Do" List - Junior

Junior-year tasks

* Continue your involvement in school- or community-based extracurricular activities.
* Continue exploring assistive technology.
* Focus on matching your interests and abilities to the appropriate college choice.
* Research the resources in your state to find a college preview event for students with disabilities. If your community has this type of event, plan on attending.
* Look for college campuses that have majors in which you might be interested and the kind of campus community in which you would like to live.
* Identify the appropriate academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services that you will need in the postsecondary setting.
* Keep a current list of the academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services you use in high school in your “Going To College” portfolio.
* Consider taking a course to prepare for the SAT or the ACT test.
* Research how to get accommodations on the SAT or ACT.
* Take the SAT or ACT in the spring. Consider taking them more than once.
* Establish a possible career goal (you can always change your mind).
* Think about a possible college major consistent with your career goal and your strengths and interests.
* Learn time management, organizational skills, study skills, assertiveness communication, stress management and test-taking strategies which will help you get good grades.
* Learn how to set short-term and long-term goals.
* Learn how to advocate for yourself — not everyone will understand your disability or be sensitive to your needs.
* Gather information about college programs that offer the disability services you need (you may want to add these to your “Going To College” portfolio).
* Speak with college representatives who visit your high school and at college fairs.
* Visit campuses and especially service providers to verify the available services and how to access them. Or if you can’t visit the campus, take a virtual tour on the college’s Web site. Make sure to check the disability support services section of the college’s site to understand what you need to do to receive academic services and supports.
* Consider people to ask for recommendations — teachers, counselors, employers, coaches, etc.
* Investigate the availability of financial aid from federal, state, local and private sources.
* Investigate the availability of scholarships provided by organizations, such as corporations, labor unions, professional associations, religious organizations and credit unions.
* Continue saving for college.
* Contact the vocational rehabilitation counselor who serves your school to determine your eligibility for vocational rehabilitation's services.
* Invite the VR counselor to attend your planning meeting.
* Make sure that the documentation of your disability is current. Colleges usually want current testing based on adult norms, usually less than three years old when you begin college.

Step #6: Filling Out a Successful Application

When your teen receives an application to one of the colleges of his choice, he’ll need to do some preliminary work before filling it. Encourage him to read the entire application over and take notes on what he needs to gather up in order to answer all of the questions. He may need to ask for teacher recommendations, make copies of awards or class certificates, etc. Have him answer the entire set of questions on a separate piece of paper first, so that he can go over his answers and make any changes he feels is necessary without ruining the application paper.

Possibly an Interview Too:

Your teen may also have to attend a college interview as part of the application process. If he does, role-play the interview until your teen feels confident that he can answer any question that may be asked.

College Fair Tips 201

Advanced College Fair Tips...

Check out the floor plan. When you arrive at the college fair, go over the floor plan so you will know where the college reps you want to speak with are located. Mapping out your route will give you time to talk with the college representatives from your top colleges first. If there's still time left after that, browse around other tables that catch your eye.

Pass out your resume. Handing out your high school resume at college fairs will show college representatives that you are a go-getter. College reps like to see students who have made the effort to compile a resume. Your resume will allow the representatives to see what kind of a student you are and allow them to take it back to their colleagues in college admissions for review.

Get business cards. Ask the college representatives for their business cards. You may want to get in contact with them again if you have further questions.

Attend information sessions. Many college fairs offer information seminars on topics such as financial aid, the search process, applications, etc. These sessions will give you the opportunity to ask questions about the college planning and admission process.

Follow up. Once the college fair is over, you should read over the college pamphlets that you received and the notes that you took. For the colleges that you are really interested in, follow up by taking virtual tours of the campuses and scheduling college visits.

To find out when local college fairs will be held in your area, contact your high school counselor.

College Fair Tips 101

College fairs are an all-inclusive way to find out about colleges of interest to you because a variety of college representatives are gathered together in one place. Use these tips to make the most out of your college fair experience.

Go prepared. Before you attend a college fair, make a list of colleges that interest you the most. Then visit the websites of the colleges on your list to try to find as much general information as possible. This will allow you to ask more in-depth questions when you talk to representatives at the fair.

Make a list of questions. Write down your most important questions beforehand, so you don't forget what you want to ask. Focus on questions that pertain to your interests. Ask about majors that you are interested in pursuing. What kind of classes will you have to take for those majors? What are recent graduates of those majors doing now? How safe is the campus and its surrounding neighborhoods? What is the campus environment like on the weekends? What kinds of campus job opportunities are available? Just remember to ask questions that you couldn't find answers to from researching the websites.

Make student information labels. Most colleges will have inquiry cards that they will want you to fill out, which will place you on their mailing lists. You can save a lot of time at the fair by bringing along self-stick labels to place on the cards. Include your contact information, e-mail address, birthday, high school graduation date, GPA, and areas of interest.

Bring a pen and notebook. You will need these to take notes with when talking to college representatives. Don't expect to remember everything they say without writing the info down.

College Planning Tips for Underclassmen

As an underclassman in high school, you may not think that you have to start preparing for college until your senior year. However, getting a head start on the college planning process will ensure that you meet most of the requirements of college admission by the time your senior year rolls around. Follow these college planning tips to put you at the head of the game.

Freshmen
• Keep your grades up. While grades are not the only factor that colleges look at when admitting students, it is still a very important factor of college admissions. Be sure to study hard throughout your four years of high school.
• Register for appropriate classes. There are certain classes you have to take in order to be accepted into college, such as math, science, English, etc. Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss classes you should take in order to stay on the college-bound track throughout high school. Try to take as many challenging classes as possible, such as honors or advanced placements courses. Not only will this look good on your college applications, but you may even gain college credit for taking AP courses.
• Get involved in extracurricular activities. By being involved in extracurricular activities, colleges will see that you are a well-rounded student. During your freshman year, find a few activities that you have a genuine interest in and stick with those activities throughout high school. Try to be fully involved in a few activities rather than be slightly involved in a lot of activities.

Sophomores
• Plan your finances. The earlier you start planning for the financial obligations of college, the better prepared you will be when you actually have to start paying for it. Try to get a job during the summer, so you can save your earnings for college costs. Begin to research scholarships and student loans now too; remember to compare lender benefits when researching student loans.
• Research colleges and careers. Start researching colleges and career options as early as possible so you will have some ideas for a major. Click here to get started on your career exploration.
• Practice taking college entrance exams. If you practice taking college entrance exams, such as the PSAT, ACT, etc., during your sophomore year, then you will know what to expect and be better prepared for the real tests when you have to take them during your junior year.

Juniors
• Attend college fairs. By attending college fairs, you will have the opportunity to meet with a variety of college recruiters to discuss campus atmosphere, admissions process, etc. Take a copy of your resume to hand out to college recruiters at the fair.
• Take college entrance exams. In the fall of your junior year, take the PSAT to establish eligibility for scholarships. In the spring of your junior year, take the SAT/ACT. Check with your intended college(s) about which test they prefer. Consider taking Advanced Placement Exams or the CLEP tests, if applicable. This may save you time and money by testing out of college courses you won't need.
• Visit college campuses. Once you have narrowed down your choices for post-secondary schools, you should begin scheduling campus visits for the final schools on your list.
• Research/apply for scholarships. Throughout your junior year, focus on researching scholarships. You should begin applying for scholarships the summer after your junior year, especially if deadlines are in the fall.

By taking steps to plan for college during your freshman, sophomore, and junior years of high school, you should be well prepared to apply to the college/university of your choice by your senior year.