Know Your Learning Style

Ninth grade is a big year. Teacher expectations in high school are different than they were in middle school. Students should determine what is needed to be organized and successful. Consider the following:

• Assess how you learn
• Use a planner to keep track of assignments, due dates, etc
• Create detailed notes
• Ask teachers questions about what you don’t understand
• Consider how you successfully study

• What are the college's top academic programs?
• What does it mean to attend a large university or a small college?
• What is student life like on campus?
• What do students do outside of class? Are there activities on campus on the weekend?

Not all scholarships are limited to seniors. There are scholarship opportunities available for any students of high school age. Check out the websites below.

• Going Merry
• Niche
• Scholarships.com
• Unigo

You have made it to high school! You are in charge of making it a positive experience.

• Be engaged in the classroom and your extracurricular activities. (This could lead to future leadership opportunities!)
• Ask for help. Don’t wait until feeling overwhelmed.
• Check out colleges that visit campus.
• Periodically assess if you are on track to meet your goals.

Succeed Academically!

Students should challenge themselves academically pursuing the most rigorous level of curriculum in which one can be successful. Typically, colleges consider a student's GPA and their level of rigor. Often the more selective the college, the more rigor matters.

That doesn't mean that a student must take AP courses if they feel that they could not achieve the best grades at that level of rigor. It's better to have an A in an honors or advanced honors course than a C in an AP.

It's not just about grades, colleges also like to see that students are involved. Are you an athlete, active in theater or an avid club participant? Is your primary extracurricular pursuit outside of school, such as a part-time job, camp counselor or church youth leader? Colleges don't have a specific list of activities that they expect students to undertake. They are looking for well-rounded students who are pursuing their passions.

Undertaking leadership roles in your endeavors is also a plus. Not all leadership roles have defined leadership titles, such as President, Secretary, etc. The key is understanding how you contribute to your community.

Not all scholarships are limited to seniors. There are scholarship opportunities available for any students of high school age. Check out the websites below.

• Going Merry
• Niche
• Scholarships.com
• Unigo

It's not too early to think about college. What major (academic interest) do you plan to pursue? Do you understand the types of colleges that are available? Would you prefer to attend college in a city, surburban or rural area? Do you prefer a big campus or a small one?

Scoir has a college search function that allows students (and parents who have created a Scoir parent account) to create a list of colleges that fit their selected criteria.

• Sign in to Scoir
• Select the 'Discover' icon on the top right toolbar.
• Start your search by selecting an option shown among the top toolbar.
• On the next screen, select 'All Filters' to see all the options available.
• Once search is complete, select the 'Follow' flag to move a college to the student's 'My Colleges' list.

If you have not already created a resume, now is a perfect time to do so. If you already have a resume, take a moment to update it. It much easier to update your resume periodically while your memory is fresh.

You should set a goal of having a target ACT or SAT score by the end of your junior year. Testing in the summer after your sophomore year gives you a baseline official score. With a baseline score and a target score in hand, you have your whole junior year to participate in test prep and continue to test. Starting now gives you a great opportunity to finish testing in your junior year. That allows you to focus on one less thing during your senior year.

Begin Testing

Juniors should take the SAT and/or ACT during junior year engaging in test prep as needed. The goal is to finish the junior year with satisfactory testing

Do not wait to test for the first time during the summer after junior year. If you wait summer to test and don’t like your scores, you will have limited time to prep and test before early application deadlines.

Not all scholarships are limited to seniors. There are scholarship opportunities available for any students of high school age. Check out the websites below.

• Going Merry
• Niche
• Scholarships.com
• Unigo

Add your colleges of interest to Scoir under 'Following'. You are under no obligation to submit applications to these colleges. This features helps to commnicate to college counseling your current colleges of interest

In addition to adding your colleges of interest into Scoir, go to the college's website to check their application requirements. Do they require students to self-report their grades? Are recommendations required? If so, how many?

Before the end of your junior year, you will provide college counseling with the names of teacher(s) who have agreed to write a recommendation for you.

Testing

Try your best to have test scores that are in line with the profile of the colleges that you are interested in attending. The first ACT for the school year is in September. The first SAT for the school year is in August. These are the last exams to take if hoping to submit test scores before the early application deadline of October 15 (EA at FSU, UGA & UNC). The October 5 SAT may work for November 1 application deadlines. Students are responsible for submitting testing to colleges. The process could take weeks.

Note: Many highly selective colleges require additional essays/short responses. Based on colleges of interest, some students will be required to complete multiple essays.

Schools that use the Common Application