If you are just starting high school, you need to start thinking about college admissions. Getting into college is not difficult, but getting into the more competitive colleges require early planning and hard work.

The College Admissions Planning for the High School Students

Ryan can show you How To Get Backstage Passes to concerts and events in your area at http://www.FreeBackstagePass.com

If you are just starting high school, you need to start thinking about college admissions. Getting into college is not difficult, but getting into the more competitive colleges require early planning and hard work. A consistent academic record, good grades, standardized academic testing, and extracurricular activities must all come together in a way that shows the college admissions officer that you will be an excellent addition to the school’s student body.

Many high school students do not start thinking about college until late in their junior year. They have no clue what they want to major in, what schools they want to apply to, or even if they will go to college at all. Most of these students will go to the local community college or in state university. While this is a viable option, so many more opportunities can be available with early planning.

The first thing you need to do is start thinking about what general areas of study you want to pursue. Math and science or the liberal arts like history and languages. Start thinking about what kinds of careers these areas of study offer. Do any of those interest you? Do you have a natural talent or gift for something? Ask your friends and family what they think you would be good in. The answers might surprise you.

Next you want to start aligning your high school courses with those interests. Talk to your counselor about which classes to start with and ones that will let you advance in a logical progression. For example, if you choose a foreign language, you will start with Spanish 1, then move onto Spanish 2, Spanish 3, and finally Spanish 4 in your senior year. Math, science, and social study courses will have a similar progression. Ideally you will have 4 years of a foreign language, 4 years of math, and 4 years of science or history by your senior year.

Once you’ve outlined your class selections, start to think about extracurricular activities that your school and community offer. If you chose a math and science path, join the math team or biology club. Athletics such as football, basketball, and tennis can also add tremendous value to your academic resume. The key to choosing an extracurricular activity is to choose one or more that you know you can excel in. For example, when joining the math team, strive to become the team captain. If joining the student government, run for president. Anyone can join a club or participate in a sport, college admissions officers are looking for those that excel.

You can also do things in your community. Volunteer at the local fire station, museum or food kitchen. Look for ways to improve or add value to wherever you are. For example, if you volunteer at a local state park, maybe start a fund raiser to build a new playground, or form a team of students to pick up trash and recycle. Whatever you can think of, be sure to take the leading role and see the project to a successful completion. This will show the admissions officer that you take initiative, work hard, and see things to its finish.

However, do not forget how important your grades are. If any extracurricular activity starts to affect your grade point average, you need to take a pause. Your grade point average is a critical component to the college admissions officer. If you cannot handle high school class work, he/she will be harder to convince that you can handle college level courses and will be less likely to admit you despite all your other activities.

Just as important, and sometimes more important, is your class selection. As mentioned earlier, make sure they are focused and show a logical progression in the area of study you have chosen. Take the most advanced courses available up to AP level courses in your junior and senior year. Ideally, you will take 4 or 5 AP level courses in your senior year.

Your grade point average needs to remain consistent or improve as you take harder courses. Admissions officers do not like to see your grades deteriorate as you advance into harder courses. Even if your freshman year grades were horrible, if you really shine in your junior and senior year, you will make an excellent impression to the admissions officer.

You will also want to start building your network of people who can write letters of recommendations. This can be teachers, community leaders, or your counselors. Anyone who can vouch for your character and accomplishments. If you are very motivated, you may even want to visit the college of your choice and ask them if it is okay to attend one or two days classes. Get to know the professors and admissions officer. Then, when you apply, ask the professor for a letter of recommendation!

Next you will need to start planning for standardized academic testing. The SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, and AP Tests. Find out what the schools of your choice require. The most competitive schools will require the SAT and two SAT Subject Tests. For the SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests, choose the ones that match your area of study. For example, take SAT Math Level 2 and Physics if you are thinking about applying to a technology school. Take U.S. History and World History if you plan on going into the liberal arts.

There are several subjects to choose from. Ask your counselor or the college admissions offices which ones to take. The most important thing with standardized testing is the final score. Check the web site of the college or university you are interested in for averages and percentiles of admitted students. Generally speaking, for competitive schools, you need to be over 700 on each of the SAT Reasoning Test subjects – Critical Reading, Writing, and Math. You also need to be over 700 on the SAT Subject Tests. For the SAT subject tests, anything less than 700 is very unfavorable.

To improve your chances, look into schools that offer early action and early decision. Only the most competitive schools will offer one or both of these options. More than half of the students admitted to a competitive school, apply early. Also, write a compelling essay. Do not chose a worn out subject about some childhood dream or the impact some event has made in your life. Write about how you used your talents to make a significant impact in your school, community, or on others. You want to project what is special about you and that you know how to use it.

Admissions officers are looking for students who are motivated, work hard, and will excel in their field of choice. If you have followed the guidelines above, kept your grades up, apply early, and scored well on the standardized tests, then you will have an excellent chance of getting into a competitive school of your choice.

Looking For More Information?

Make sure to explore other articles in the Uncategorized category or contact us to suggest a website or a service to review.

Need to FIND something QUICK? SEARCH!