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What steps should I start taking as a sophmore in high school to prepare for college?

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Doc’s Answer

Mikayla if you have a specific degree in mind already, you will want to find out the requirements needed to pursue that subject. Most universities focus on the core classes of English, math, science, and history, so make sure you cover these bases. However, depending upon your ambitions, you may need additional coursework like foreign language or advanced mathematics to gain acceptance into the college of your choice. Finding out the requirements well ahead of time can avoid any last-minute stress. Even if you are unsure of pursuing a college education, your High School guidance counselor can help you create a plan for your future career or aspirations. This may be one of the most important steps you can take to ready yourself for whatever lies ahead. Don’t wait until your junior or senior year to develop a relationship with your counselor. They have the resources and connections that can make things much easier and will help you make choices that are realistic and make sense for you.

Once you know the type of courses you will need for the degree you want to pursue, it’s time for an actionable plan. Sit down with your counselor and create a blueprint to help you reach your goals. A multi-year plan will help ensure you have time to complete all the requirements necessary while still allowing you to enjoy your high school years. Your counselor can help you draft a flexible strategy that will outline what you need to accomplish each year to realize your dreams. No student wants to be trudging through an endless schedule of educational requirements without a break. However, you also don’t want to fall behind and become overwhelmed with the coursework involved. A four-year master plan can break down the tasks you need to accomplish into bitesize steps that still leave room for having a life and enjoying other activities.

Enjoy your high school experience Mikayla

Doc recommends the following next steps:

You will be doing a lot of writing in college Mikayla, and now is the time to take advantage of all the resources you can to learn how to be a better writer. Research skills and grammar are similarly essential too. If you can write a near-perfect term paper with impeccable grammar, you will be on your way to smooth sailing when it comes time for college writing.
Up until now (and probably still to some extent), you have likely been relying on your parents to help you manage your time. But when you get to college, you will begin making your own schedule. Many students find that this newfound freedom is harder than it sounds. With nobody to remind them that it’s time to study or suggest they get some sleep, it’s easy to become undisciplined and overwhelmed.
The college you choose will depend on several factors. A lot of work goes into the college application process. There will be essays, tests, recommendation letters, and a lot of paperwork to pull together to have your application completed. If you are applying to more than one school, that adds additional work to the list. Keep in mind that colleges can set their own schedules and will have different deadlines, so make sure you leave enough room in your calendar to get everything in on time—preferably early.
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Andrew’s Answer

Since you're a sophomore, standardized testing like the SAT and ACT will be one of your top priorities entering next year. I'd also recommend having a general idea of where you want to go, so deciding on how far you want to be from home, what you'd like in your future school, and what schools fit your possible major. Of course, stay on top of your academics and try to go beyond that, such as joining clubs or volunteering, since those are great for bolstering your applications. Good luck!
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Aastha’s Answer

Hey! This is a great question especially as you near college application season. I would recommend looking at colleges in your area and see if you are interested in the culture there. Maybe attend a class or two in a major you are interested in. This really helps narrow down your choices as you will see what you like and even what you do not like. I would say the biggest and most important step right now is to stay open minded and see what all your options are!
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Nathan’s Answer

There has been a lot of great answers to your question! What I did in high school to plan for college was to come up with a rough plan on what i really wanted to do, what college I was going to attend, and my major. I believe if you get a rough draft of those things, you can do more research on how you will full-fill those! Get used to doing homework, studying, and staying on top of things. Learn how to make a schedule for yourself and follow through with it. I wish you all of luck in your future!
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Bill’s Answer

My biggest advice that I would give my past self and any future college applicant is to take both the SAT and ACT. I took the SAT three times and after hours of studying I only came out with a highest score of 1370. Then after all of these times taking the SAT, on the first time I took the ACT, I got a 30. If I had taken the ACT earlier and focused on that, I most likely would have been able to improve my score and get a better standardized test score overall. I felt the other aspects of my application were very solid and my SAT/ACT score was the biggest element that was lacking.
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Lauren’s Answer

Hi Mikayla,

This is a great question; it kind of depends on what you want to do and also what you have the time for.

Some would say it's a good idea to try to take some college classes while in high school for the experience as well as the credits, it might help you experience college level classes as well as get you ahead of schedule and help you graduate college early. So if you're able to do this or there are some colleges near you, you could look into taking some classes over the summer.

It's a good idea to take AP classes while you're in high school because these will also give you an idea of what college level classes would be like. You'll definitely want to focus on your grades and make sure they're in the A-B range because that will give you a lot of different options for schools. Alongside this, preparing for the SATs and ACTs is very important because these impact which colleges will accept you.

It's also a good idea to start a list of schools you might be interested in so when it's time to apply you're set. You can look up schools in your area/areas you're interested in and go on their website/look for YouTube videos for what the school is like.

Another thing to consider is what you might want to major in. Not all colleges have every major and some tend to prioritize certain majors so you'll want to make sure you're looking into schools that have exactly what you're looking for as well as good companies that recruit at your school.

Lastly, if you know what you might want to do/major in, try taking some classes while in high school that align with that major that will end up helping you get into your college of choice as well as give you some baseline knowledge for your future college classses.

Hopefully this helps!
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Mikayla! There are many great answers here! I'd just like to add, you should definitely get to know your teachers and have your teachers know you too. It is very important when time comes for recommendation letters, as you will ask them to write upon your character both academically and overall. In applying to college letters of recommendation are important and therefore having a few good teachers who know you well will definitely help in securing a strong letter.

I hope this helps!
Best of luck future undergrad!
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