College Admissions Planning

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - It’s never too early to start preparing your student for college. Here are some things you need to do, as early as their freshman year.

Grade 9: Make a Plan

Meet your counselor

Check parent portal grades frequently

Create a study schedule / determine/refine personal study habits

Make a 4-year course plan based on requirements for possible colleges - strongly consider dual credit, Advanced Placement and
International Baccalaureate – balancing rigor will be key

Check career pathways offered at your high school – Can potentially set up a student for local internship and co-op
opportunities

Take virtual college tours via college websites

Add to or begin savings account – based on

Grade 10: Learn What it Takes

Attend college fairs

Take a college tour

Maintain strong grades – Check parent portal frequently

Maintain involvement in clubs/activities

Study and maintain a strong gpa.

Grade 11: Prepare to Apply

Seek ACT/SAT Prep

Take the ACT (KY Public Schools – All juniors take ACT in March of Junior year)

Narrow the college choices – note scholarship and admission deadlines

Campus Tours / College Fairs – meet the admissions officer

Seek a position of leadership in club/activity

Study and maintain a strong gpa – Check parent portal frequently

Ask teacher for letter of recommendation, if required by schools

SUMMER BETWEEN GRADE 11 AND GRADE 12

Finalize the list of colleges and then create admissions and scholarship deadlines spreadsheet, finalize resume, write essays.

Grade 12: Application Season

Re-take the ACT (either in part or whole) if necessary, with writing if the college requires

Follow-up with the teacher for letter of recommendation, give due date

Request transcripts via the Parchment account

Apply to colleges before deadlines – strive to have all applications submitted before the end of October

***Many competitive scholarship deadlines are earlier than the regular application deadline (some are as soon as October)

Seek out and apply for scholarships (visit the Guidance Office)

Attend a Financial Aid Workshop

Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) after October 1

Study and maintain a strong GPA

Once you’ve applied, check your email for communication from the college.

You will create a college email account and will begin to receive official documentation, info about financial aid awards,
scheduling orientation, housing info, etc.

Helpful links:

Collegedata.com - explore colleges, see profiles of admitted classes, find financial info

Myintution.org – Explore a financial aid calculator for Ivy/Ivy Plus schools

KHEAA.com – review KEES account and find helpful information regarding the financial planning for college

Research college costs and your specific financial situation (what you can expect to pay) with the Net Price Calculator https://professionals.collegeboard.org/higher-ed/financial-aid/netprice/participating-schools

FAFSA4caster – fafsa.edu.gov Estimates your eligibility for federal student aid – a great planning tool for families

NEW FALL 2020: If a student has taken a full ACT they will be able to re-take one section at a time.

Free ACT prep at https://academy.act.org/

Find out which dual credit classes are offered at your high school, then visit individual college websites and check the transfer equivalency info and compare it to general education requirements

Collegeboard.com Check AP Credit policies for any college/university then cross reference with general education requirements

Career exploration tools: BIG FUTURE – collegeboard.org

CAREER INTEREST/EXPLORATION TOOLS:

Myers-Briggs: One of the most well-known assessments, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator results in a four-letter “type”—INFP or ESFJ, for example. The test is meant to identify basic preferences for each of four dichotomies (such as introvert and extrovert) and describes 16 distinctive personality traits. You’ll have to pay $50 to take the real test, but there are plenty of imitators on the Internet.
Keirsey Temperament Sorter: This personality assessment is based on Keirsey Temperament Theory, which divides people into four “temperaments:” guardian, idealist, rational, and artisan. The assessment measures how people communicate and what their actions tend to be. Yes, the test is 71 questions long; no one said getting to your emotional center would be quick.
MyPlan.com: This assessment can help you identify your motivations and what’s really important to you in your career. By ranking different aspects of work, the results can encourage you to look at jobs or industries you may not have considered before. You’ll walk away from this test with a list of 739 jobs rank-ordered based on how well they suit your style.
iSeek “Clusters”: This survey lets you rate activities you enjoy, your personal qualities and school subjects you like. Then you can see which career clusters are a match for your interests. And this is another quick one, clocking in at 5 to 10 minutes.
MyNextMove: This tool uses information from O*Net information, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, to help determine your interests as they relate to work. Unlike the other tests, this one asks you how to rate how much you’d enjoy performing very specific work tasks like “building kitchen cabinets,” “laying brick” and “buying and selling stocks and bonds.” It’s really nicely color-coded as well. This one is 60 questions.
Holland Code: This self-assessment examines your suitability with different careers based on six occupational themes: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. The test identifies your top interest area and how it compares to the other areas, and what this means for your career interests.
Career Outlook Assessment: The Career Outlook Assessment helps you find out what your interests are and how they relate to the world of work. It does this by asking you to answer questions that represent important interest areas. Your Interest Profiler scores will help you identify your strongest work-related interests. Knowing your work interests can help you decide what kinds of occupations and careers you want to explore.