Preparing For College Early

Students stall for a long period of time, just to enjoy their senior year in high school, and try to look the other way. Unfortunately, college can sneak up on students and they start to panic at the last minute. They must think about it earlier. Just the fact that they are reading this essay is a step in the right direction. Here are some ideas to help prepare for college.

Freshman and Sophomore Years are times for hanging out with friends, trying to get a learner's permit, and planning for their future. College is only a few years away and although that seems like an eternity, those few years fly by before they expect it. It's time to start considering careers to pursue by talking with their guidance counselor and family. Get involved in extracurricular activities. These activities look good on college and scholarship applications, but are also a lot of fun and help students meet interesting people. Try to get into the habit of reading new and different books Ð'- without being told to by a teacher. They need to discuss with their parents and guidance counselor on how to pay for college, so start looking into financial aid. The earlier they get involved with planning for college; the rest of the plan becomes smooth sailing.

Junior Year: They don't call their junior year "the wall" for nothing. This is the year they have to work hard in order to show the world what they're made of and either climb the wall or slam into it face first like a Looney Toons character. Sign up for the PSAT, stay involved in after-school activities and start attending college fairs and financial aid nights. Students need to gather information about as many colleges as they can. Brochures don't help much if all the students do is look at the pictures. So start reading the information and start writing, calling and visiting colleges that they're interested in. They need to make sure they keep their grades up during all these activities. Start thinking about taking the ACT or SAT. If they can't decide which one to take, they can talk