A Four Year Plan for College Preparation

Created by Jostens and Coosa High School Guidance Department

Freshman Year:

1. Begin investigating colleges that have programs with your interests and goals.
2. Do your best in the classroom. All grades count. HOPE scholarships are based on academic classes. You must have a 3.0 GPA to qualify.
3. Begin your high school portfolio. Using www.gacollege411.org is an excellent place to start. Update your profile regularly as you complete semesters, receive awards, and/or participate in clubs and activities.
4. Be active. Join clubs, organizations and/or athletic or music competitive activities.
5. Volunteer for community service. Keep a log of your hours and places where you do volunteer work. Set a goal for the number of hours you want to work each year.

Sophomore Year:

1. Start seriously researching colleges that have programs with your goals and interests. Keep a list of these schools.
2. Continue to do your best in the classroom.
3. Update your portfolio regularly.
4. Continue to be active in clubs, organizations and competitive activities.
5. Consider summer camp opportunities on college campuses. Visit the guidance office in the spring to find out about opportunities.
6. Visit some college campuses during summer break.
7. Volunteer for community service. Increase your number of goal hours.
8. Take the PSAT in October. There are practice tests online. See a counselor for details.
9. Log on to www.jostens.com and click on After School Explorer. There are practice tests available through the Princeton Review.

Junior Year:

1. Select a “top 10” of college options.
2. Investigate your “top 10”. Find out if your course selections and grades align with admission requirements.
3. Register at www.ncaa.com if you are interested in athletic scholarship with a Division I or Division II school. See Mrs. Whitfield for more details.
4. Update your high school portfolio regularly.
5. Continue to be active in clubs, organizations, and competitive activities.
6. Log on to www.jostens.com and take practice tests through the After School Explorer program with Princeton Review.
7. See Mrs. Whitfield about taking the PSAT again as part of the National Merit Scholarship competition.
8. Take SAT Prep as a class or during intersession.
9. Volunteer for community service. Increase your number of goal hours.
10. Visit some of your “top 10” choices and narrow the list to “top 5”.
11. During the summer, begin writing essays that your college applications will require.
12. Investigate scholarship opportunities. Register at www.fastweb.com and begin filling out scholarship applications.

Senior Year:

1. Set up your senior conference with Mrs. Whitfield.
2. Begin the application process for your “top 5” schools. The early deadlines are usually the middle of October.
3. Update your high school portfolio.
4. Keep copies of all paperwork so that you have it if someone else requests the same information.
5. Decide by the beginning of September what teachers/administrators (at least 3) that you would like to write a letter of recommendation for you. Go ahead and ask them. They can create the letter for you that can be updated each time you need a recommendation. Don’t ask at the last minute.
6. Schedule your final college visits. All college days must be approved by the principal before you take them.
7. Continue to be active in school and in community service.
8. Continue to do your best in the classroom.
9. Take a full load of classes. Academic classes always look better on your transcript.
10. Check the scholarship bulletin board frequently for new postings. Complete applications and mail them in plenty of time to meet the deadlines.
11. Check with Mrs. Whitfield in August to see if you should take the ACT or SAT.