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Things to save:
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Copies of guidance office newsletters
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Cancelled checks or money order receipts
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Admission tickets to tests and correction forms
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All test score reports
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Transcripts of high school grades
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Work copy of the FAFSA and all other financial aid forms
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College Scholarship Services acknowledgment form
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Copies of all correspondence sent to or received from schools including
applications and acceptances
If you're really interested in a health career,
find opportunities to work as a volunteer. Contact a hospital, a
medical or dental office, or the public health department.
Volunteering will give you a chance to experience what working in
health care is really like. It's also a great way to expand your
resume!
Starting college is
like being born all over again. It's like moving to a new town.
It's like going into the Witness Protection Program. It's a chance to
start from scratch, with a whole new identity and a fresh outlook on the
world. If in high school you never liked being called Andrew, now you
can be called Drew. If you've always wondered about strange looking
rocks, now you can study them. So just make sure you squeeze all the
juice out of these next four years. Take the hard courses - the Great
Books and the Human Bio - but also take Ballroom Dancing. Spend hours
and hours in the library, followed by 45 minutes of mud football.
Because college is nothing but one giant opportunity. And as with most
opportunities in life, you will never get the chance to do it over.
(Courtesy of State Farm Insurance)
Thanks to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for permission
to print the "Calendar for College Bound Students" and "Things to Save."
Thanks also to the University of Kentucky Counseling Center Learning Skills
Program for some of the information that appears in this section. |
Freshman Year
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Enroll in the classes designed to prepare you for college. |
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Set up at least two appointments with your high school counselor,
preferably in the early fall and spring to schedule your classes and
develop your four-year plan. |
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Talk about careers, professions, or studies that interest you. |
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Get involved! Participate in school and community activities. |
Sophomore
Year
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Enroll in the classes that are designed to prepare you for college. |
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Set up at least two appointments in October and January with your high
school counselor to discuss career plans. Visit your school's
career center. |
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Read about college opportunities and talk to college representatives
when they visit your region. |
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Ask counselors to post College Day/College Night schedules. |
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Continue your extracurricular involvement. |
Junior Year
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Study the admission requirements for the colleges and universities that
interest you. |
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Take the Georgia High School Graduation Test. |
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Confirm that you are taking appropriate courses to meet college entrance
requirements. |
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Meet with your counselor. |
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Attend College Day/College Night programs. |
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Attend meetings held in your region concerning financial aid or college
admission. |
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Register to take the PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
Test (NMSQT), usually given in October. |
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Set up a calendar for taking tests and completing college applications. |
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Discuss your family's financial resources and review plans for seeking
financial aid. |
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Identify who might write you a recommendation; start with
teachers, counselors, employers. |
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Develop a resume. |
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In the spring, register for and take the SAT, Achievement Tests, or ACT
(American College Test). |
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Begin visiting colleges. |
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See your high school counselor about available summer enrichment
programs. |
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Consider "shadowing" someone for a day to learn about his/her
career. |
Senior Year
July
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Write the colleges you are considering to request application forms,
catalogs and financial aid information. |
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Visit selected college campuses; talk to graduates and students at the
institutions. |
August/September
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Take strong academic courses and keep your grades up. One
predictor of how well students perform their freshman year in college is
the level of difficulty of the 12th grade curriculum. |
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Check with your counselor and use the career center to determine which
admissions' tests are required and the deadlines for applying. |
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Register for the SAT I, SAT II, or ACT tests. |
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Set up a calendar for taking tests and completing college applications. |
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Make sure to fulfill college application requirements.
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Check early-decision admission deadlines. |
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See your counselor when you have questions and need help. |
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Talk with college representatives when they visit your school. |
October/November
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Attend College Day/College Night programs. |
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Apply to colleges with varying admission requirements (least selective
to most selective). |
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Ask your counselor to look over your application forms and discuss the
next steps in applying to college |
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See your counselor about completing the FAFSA (Free Application for
Federal Student Aid). Colleges require students seeking financial
aid to provide the FAFSA, including the part that explains any unusual
financial circumstances. |
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Mail completed admissions' forms to colleges. |
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Check military academy and ROTC application and scholarship deadlines if
appropriate. |
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Apply for merit-based scholarships. |
December
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Send all applications and copies of high school grades to colleges
before Christmas, unless a college indicates otherwise. |
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Some colleges accept outstanding candidates as early as December via
early-decision programs. |
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Give your guidance counselor all required forms at least two weeks
before they are due since November and December are very busy months for
most high school guidance counselors. |
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Take the Achievement Tests (SAT II or ACT) required by some colleges.
Request scores be mailed to colleges. |
January
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Mail the FAFSA. |
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Take the College Board Achievement Tests if required by the colleges (if
you have not taken them previously). |
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Communicate with colleges to be sure your admissions' files are
complete. |
February
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Ask your counselor to send your first semester's grades to the colleges,
along with any other information not already forwarded. Some
colleges provide forms for this purpose. |
March
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Re-check college catalogs and see your counselor to make sure that you
have taken all of the necessary admissions' tests. If you haven't,
make sure you register to take the tests in May. |
April/May/June
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Keep a record of acceptances, rejections, and financial aid awards. |
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Reply promptly to colleges to notify them of your decision. |
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Reply promptly when you are notified that you have been awarded a
financial aid package. |
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Meet the reply deadline or you may lose the admission acceptance or
financial aid. |
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Before you leave high school, see your counselor to request that a final
transcript be sent to the college or university of your choice. |
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