Freshman/Sophomore Recs

FRESHMAN/SOPHOMORE Suggestions:

Academic performance.

Enroll in a college preparatory curriculum (Pre-AP/AP, Pre-IB/IB). If you expect to go to college, you MUST enroll in college preparatory classes. 1) Colleges expect them to be on your transcript, and 2) you need to prepare for challenging college courses best you can. AP/IB is as close as you will get. IB INFO: IB is an internationally accredited program and accepted at universities all over the world. The IB program has a specific format, so if you are IB, you will take SL and HL courses (www.ibo.org). AP INFO: Take a minimum of two AP courses a semester. Choosing these routes will better prepare you, and you are also more likely to finish college. **(Dougherty, Mellor, and Jian (2006) followed more than 67,000 8th graders in Texas to determine the impact of taking AP courses. Students who took AP courses were at least twice as likely to graduate from college in five years compared with those who did not.) (IB graduates are more likely to persist through college: A new research study conducted by Dr. David Conley and a team of researchers from the Education Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) found that IB graduates in the University of Oregon’s Honors College were more likely to stay in college and persist in their studies than their non-IB peers. The researchers found that IB students were able to better cope with demanding workloads, manage their time and meet expectations.)

Grades DO count. ANY grade you receive is permanent. Work hard now so you will not have to worry come application time. Check out a sample college eligibility index. A CEI is a tool used by colleges to filter applicants based strictly on numbers. Each college has a different combo of expected scores/grades/numbers. To help you understand GRADES DO MATTER, see the CEI for California for non-residents (notice you can't gain regular admission with a 2.45) http://bit.ly/1lwe5QL, or University of Colorado - Denver, http://bit.ly/1By3SHH. PARENTS: sometimes it takes "proof" before a student will apply themselves. Show them.

4 years. Remember the goal is 4 math, 4 science, 4 English, 4 humanities, 4 years of foreign language. Highly selective schools (means the numbers they expect are usually higher, but even if you meet the criteria they may reject your application) want to see a packed schedule. Shoot for the diploma with highest honors.

College credit. If you are completely comfortable with your study habits and success thus far, talk to your counselor about credits for community college courses and approved online programs.

Create a study plan and stick to it. Organization/planning is the key to a successful freshman and sophomore year. Create a homework timeline. Have a dedicated area in your house where you keep all of your study materials. Continue to tweak study skills so you maximize study time. Sign up for a study skills class (we offer one here at GetReadyU, for questions email tracey@getreadyu.com) or search for tips online. Talk to other successful students. You never know what might shave a few hours off of homework/test prep time.

Read, read, read. Keep a list of your academic and leisure reading for any future portfolios. The more you read, the faster you get, the more you understand content, how to write, etc. Books are full of fantastic ideas, information, and inspiration. If you need something to keep you motivated, take an online speed reading test and try to improve your speed. Create a list of the top 10 books in an area of interest and reward yourself with something special when you complete each one. Great testimony - “Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.” – Socrates

Research the requirements for 4 or 5 universities. These do not have to be schools you want to attend, but you do need to get a general idea of what schools are looking for. Strategy: Research a local uni, one in another Texas city, two out of state schools in two different regions of the US, and one school in England (you never know, www.UCAS.ac.uk). Take notes and then file.

Scholarships and honors. Check out scholarship/honors requirements at particular schools if this is your goal, and you know where you want to go.

Foreign language skills are a must these days. Colleges are looking for "globally-minded" students. All colleges want to be the top dog when it comes to international reputations (not to mention employers are looking for these skills in some industry areas). This will provide you with an extra bump at some point. Speak it. Practice it. Summer program participation would be great at some point.

Is Ivy League part of the dream? You can attend Harvard (and other Ivies) for FREE if your family income is below $65-80K and you meet the criteria. Families making less than $150K pay 10% of household income for those making up, so work hard if this is your goal. Make it happen. Start freshman year. Work hard if you want the opportunity! If you want to attempt this, read profiles of rock star Ivy applicants. Do what they do. Become them.

Take the PSAT. Normally this is taken the junior year, but practice is always a good thing. You can buy a practice book at Half Price Books and complete the tests that way, or sign up and take it each year. Your score does not qualify you for National Merit until your junior year.

General skills and extracurriculars.

Identify your unique abilities and skills; develop them. Start developing unique you. This is imperative! Don’t be a clone. Everyone plays sports, everyone volunteers, instead, what makes you unique? Why would a college want you more than another student? You have passions and interests unique to you. Develop those. These days even a superb writer stands out.

Enter essay contests, speech contests, or science fairs/contests for scholarships and awards. Awards like these matter if you want to qualify for any college merit aid.

Get involved. There are opportunities at your school to join clubs, participate in plays, join a debate team, or a robotics program, etc. Choose something you enjoy, and be consistent. You want multiple years of commitment to something. Possible side effect? The more passionate you are about a particular topic, the more likely you are to develop the skill to a significant degree. Sometimes things fall into your lap when you pursue what you enjoy. This may result in merit aid as well.

Volunteer in your community. Volunteer because you want to, not because you have to. If you want to get into a competitive school, and you love to give to your community, organize or start something on your own versus simply showing up for an event. Propose a fundraiser for your school, or raise money for a local charity. Do something that matters. Merit aid is an even greater possibility if you are very active outside of your "40 hours" of charitable work. Something so few try: register for and work toward the Congressional Award. It would be nice to complete it spring of junior year (takes a few minutes to register, and you have two years to complete it): http://bit.ly/1IGWSOB If you are committed to charitable work, this is an excellent way to track your involvement and receive national recognition for it.

Begin compiling artifacts for your ePortfolio. Save samples of work, tests, poetry, writing, projects, photos, game videos, etc. Keep up with this year to year - you never know what event or activity will be a game changer! Contact tracey@getreadyu.com when you are ready to put one together, or call 512.922.3236.

Create a college ONLY email. Send yourself ideas, college websites, financial aid info, college info, etc. Choose a mature name you can use when you apply to schools. If you keep college information, websites, and correspondence in this account, you can quickly see the communications received from various schools once the application process begins. Good email name? MariaSmith@yahoo.com, but sweetgirl100@yahoo.com? Not so good.

Is your strategy to get an athletic scholarship? Then know that you MUST have outstanding grades by the end of your sophomore year. Given that many scholarship discussions start junior year, you must be ready to demonstrate a good track record. Train academically like you train athletically, and you will be good. Great article from the Houston Chronicle if you'd like to know where the athletic scholarship bar is set: http://bit.ly/1pxGaH4

Fact finding and networking.

Attend an event on a local college campus: plays, concerts, sporting events, activities related to your major, etc. Doing this will give you a better sense of what college campuses are like and help you understand the end goal.

Explore careers and job opportunities across industries. Satisfy a little curiosity. Spend a few hours looking through job postings and see what might be of interest to you.

Get to know your high school counselor (the College or Senior Counselor) and let them get to know you and your goals, career aspirations, schools you are considering, etc. Your parents may want to go along too. Counselors usually begin to discuss colleges during the junior year; this is too late to turn around any issues, so connect earlier.

Talk to your parents and your friends’ parents about what they do. It helps.

Search colleges online, watch videos (just set aside one day at some point during the year and search). Be wary about using search websites. These don't always pull the best options, and many pull up for profit institutions. Be sure you are searching on your own as well.

If you are on vacation and can visit nearby colleges, do. See as many as you can!

Establish relationships with all adults, yes, teachers too. These are the people who determine your grades, write your letters of recommendation, etc. They connect you to opportunity. Give your teachers plenty of positive things to say about you. They do share information. This is a life skill. Continually build a reliable network. Become the teacher's pet!

Attend college fairs. Colleges and universities send representatives to cities throughout the US to speak directly to schools and students. It is never too early to start networking with them. Check out dates - the counseling office can help you. Put them on your calendar. Read about the schools recommended in Loren Pope’s book, Colleges That Change Lives. They host their own fair: www.ctcl.org. Talk to admissions people at these events, ask quality questions and collect information. You don’t have to dress up, but don’t dress down either. TIP: You can win college admissions reps over. You need a champion when you apply. This is an opportunity to create relationships that matter. Let them see the mature, capable you.

Start a filing system for information, colleges, testing, etc. Envelopes? File folders? Save certificates and awards, standardized tests (PSAT), college brochures, etc.

Use your iPhone, smartphone, internet access to connect with the world. Find apps that help you keep up with to do lists, follow the news, learn a language or learn new things about the world, business, art, etc. Be curious!

Summertime (for both post-freshman, post-sophomore year).

Spend your summers in a way that is enjoyable (relax your first month), but also, devote a bit of the summer to work, to improving language skills, to developing writing skills, etc. Colleges do care about what you do during your summer break. Stop the sleepover camps unless they have a very specific focus: debate, leadership, study abroad, etc.

Sophomores, end of year/summer...research target SAT/ACT scores. You will most likely take your first tests spring of your junior year. Know what you need for particular schools. Numbers change each year, but you can, at least, understand a general ballpark figure. Useful site: http://colleges.startclass.com Enter the school name, and scroll until you see the scores.

Don’t pay outrageous amounts for a summer college campus experience. Attendance on campus does not mean acceptance. Save that money for school.

Attend summer school to get ahead of the curriculum (community college?). This will reduce stress levels if you plan to pack your schedule with AP, IB, or community college courses during the year. The more credit hours of college prep/community college you have, the more tuition you might save. For the mature student, a summer abroad to study a language would be great! Instead of spending $2,000 to attend an overnight Texas camp, spend it abroad! Go global!

Or find a way to begin making money. If you have a heavy academic workload, do not work during the school year if it is going to lower your GPA. Run your own business in the summer…soccer camp? Yard work? Tutoring? You know what skills you can market.