Volume 1 Winter 2014
College
Bound
Bound
Your Future Starts Here! Are You Ready?
By: Ashley Carter and Antroy Palmer
Many students dream of going to college but most of them aren’t really prepared. Believe it or not- the process of preparing for college starts at your freshmen year. As a freshman, you should figure out which classes you should be taking or whether or not you want to be placed in any advanced placement courses. Your GPA is very important freshman year. Start off strong and maintain or increase it throughout your four years in high school. There are many different programs available at Boyd H. Anderson, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the Health and Wellness program. Colleges take in consideration the amount of challenging classes you took and how well you’ve done in them. If you are interested in any of these programs, be sure to visit your guidance counselor to help plan and choose the right classes for your schedule. Also make sure to involve yourself in many extracurricular activities. Our school is filled with amazing clubs and organization. Look out for posters and announcements or ask an upperclassman about the different clubs available. Being a freshman is not easy, be sure to get a head start on your community service hours, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! Ask your teachers, join clubs or the YMCA for convenient community service hours.
It’s sophomore year and you’re one step closer to graduation. Consider taking more challenging academic classes and go to your counselor to discuss them. You should become more serious about joining extracurricular activities and taking on leadership roles. Being involved in various organizations would look very nice on your college applications. Also dedicate some of your time volunteering outside of school. Colleges love to hear about what students do outside of the classroom. If you didn’t get a chance to dedicate your time to an activity as a freshman, you still have time to get active. Your sophomore year is the year to start researching colleges you would like to attend. Speak to friends and family about their college experiences. Go to college fairs and begin narrowing down the colleges you are interested in. once you found a few colleges you would like to attend, begin your financial planning. Attending college is very expensive. Visit the college's website to figure out how much their tuition is. Scholarships are really helpful in funding your college tuition. You can start applying for scholarships at Scholarships.com.
Now you’re a junior and senior year is right around the corner. Junior year is just as important as your senior year. This is the year you should finish piecing out your future. You want to make sure you have everything together so your senior year can go by like a breeze. You want to keep track of the amount of credits you have left to graduate, take care of all your obligations, take the ACT or SAT, and have at least forty hours. Junior year is the best year to become best friends with the BRACE Advisor Ms. Minnis. Go there to sign up for waivers for the ACT and the SAT. If you are on free or reduced lunch you are eligible for free waivers. Talk to her about colleges and scholarships that are available for you. You can find Ms. Minnis in room 135.
FINALLY IT'S SENIOR YEAR! As a senior you are getting ready to go off to college. You want to have everything planned out. Narrow your college list down to at least five, continue your research and try to visit their campus Don’t forget to get an upper hand on filling out your college applications. Study and do your best on the SAT and or ACT. Don’t forget to stop by the BRACE Advisor Ms. Minnis to pick up your waivers. Continue your search for scholarships and try to rack up as much scholarship money as possible. Scholarship money will help out a lot when it comes down to tuition and college necessities like books and other supplies. Another important aspect of getting enough money for college is applying for FASFA. FASFA is a free application for federal student aid. Tell your parents ahead of time to do their tax refund so you won’t miss your chance at applying for FASFA. Getting recommendations from teachers, coaches, advisors, and or volunteer directors are very important. Colleges are interested in knowing you personally. So establish and maintain a close relationship with your teachers, and other adults you are involved with academically. Preparing for college is not easy but it can be if you follow some simple steps and plan ahead.
"The world is full of opportunities and options. Each of you are brilliant enough to take on those opportunities. Remove the doubt!"
- Ms. Minnis
It’s sophomore year and you’re one step closer to graduation. Consider taking more challenging academic classes and go to your counselor to discuss them. You should become more serious about joining extracurricular activities and taking on leadership roles. Being involved in various organizations would look very nice on your college applications. Also dedicate some of your time volunteering outside of school. Colleges love to hear about what students do outside of the classroom. If you didn’t get a chance to dedicate your time to an activity as a freshman, you still have time to get active. Your sophomore year is the year to start researching colleges you would like to attend. Speak to friends and family about their college experiences. Go to college fairs and begin narrowing down the colleges you are interested in. once you found a few colleges you would like to attend, begin your financial planning. Attending college is very expensive. Visit the college's website to figure out how much their tuition is. Scholarships are really helpful in funding your college tuition. You can start applying for scholarships at Scholarships.com.
Now you’re a junior and senior year is right around the corner. Junior year is just as important as your senior year. This is the year you should finish piecing out your future. You want to make sure you have everything together so your senior year can go by like a breeze. You want to keep track of the amount of credits you have left to graduate, take care of all your obligations, take the ACT or SAT, and have at least forty hours. Junior year is the best year to become best friends with the BRACE Advisor Ms. Minnis. Go there to sign up for waivers for the ACT and the SAT. If you are on free or reduced lunch you are eligible for free waivers. Talk to her about colleges and scholarships that are available for you. You can find Ms. Minnis in room 135.
FINALLY IT'S SENIOR YEAR! As a senior you are getting ready to go off to college. You want to have everything planned out. Narrow your college list down to at least five, continue your research and try to visit their campus Don’t forget to get an upper hand on filling out your college applications. Study and do your best on the SAT and or ACT. Don’t forget to stop by the BRACE Advisor Ms. Minnis to pick up your waivers. Continue your search for scholarships and try to rack up as much scholarship money as possible. Scholarship money will help out a lot when it comes down to tuition and college necessities like books and other supplies. Another important aspect of getting enough money for college is applying for FASFA. FASFA is a free application for federal student aid. Tell your parents ahead of time to do their tax refund so you won’t miss your chance at applying for FASFA. Getting recommendations from teachers, coaches, advisors, and or volunteer directors are very important. Colleges are interested in knowing you personally. So establish and maintain a close relationship with your teachers, and other adults you are involved with academically. Preparing for college is not easy but it can be if you follow some simple steps and plan ahead.
"The world is full of opportunities and options. Each of you are brilliant enough to take on those opportunities. Remove the doubt!"
- Ms. Minnis