Freshman Year

• Begin with the end in mind
• Build your schedule around your end goal
• Challenge yourself in all of your classes
• Join clubs and after school activities
• Get to know your counselor so you feel comfortable to check in often in the upcoming years to make sure you are meeting graduation requirements.
• Attend career fairs and begin to explore career fields of interest
• Pay attention to your grades. Keep in mind that you will be turning in six semesters of grades with your college applications.

Sophomore Year

• Attend college and career information events
• Research and begin looking into funding for college
• Look into scholarships, grants, and loans
• Reach out to teachers and mentors in your fields of interest
• Consider taking practice tests for the PSAT test

Junior Year

• Take the PSAT. Students are required to take the test in 11th grade to qualify for National Merit scholarships and other like programs.
• Continue attending college fairs and college-prep presentations. Keep in mind that a lot of this information can be found online!
• In the spring, be sure to register for college admission exams such as the SAT and the ACT. It is recommended to take practice tests before the big day!
• Continue to research ways to pay for college
• Write down all of the scholarships you are planning on pursuing
• Mark all scholarships deadlines on your calendar
• Begin to contact colleges to request information and applications