Middle School College Prep 101
- ~READ, READ, READ! No matter how much you read, how well, or how fast you read now, you should strive to increase and improve in each area. Read WHATEVER interests you. If utilizing the internet, be careful not to go cross-eyed and get your parent/guardian's permission!
- Take Algebra and a foreign language this year, if possible!
- Take school SERIOUSLY! Work hard, learn as much as you can and do your homework even when you don't have to! Though colleges won't see your junior high grades, studying hard now will prepare you for the years to come.
- Visit high school websites and identify appropriate schools of interest. Be sure to shadow schools before the magnet application process.
- Visit college websites that you are interested in for information about their requirements.
- Plan a high school class schedule that follows a college preparatory track.
- Develop skills that are valuable in high school and essential in college, such as word processing, online research, note-taking and time management.
- Get a job to make extra money and show your work ethic. Think about putting money aside in your own college account. With your family's permission, you could start your own business! You could rake leaves, shovel snow, cut grass, babysit, tutor, walk dogs, etc,
- Talk to your parents/family members about you going to college. Ask if they went to college and where. Talk to them about what they did in college-studying, sports, classes, leadership, fun, etc. If they didn't go to college, ask why and process this. College isn't for anyone and that is ok! Just make sure there is a plan in place if that is the case. Tell your parents that you want to go to college and ask how you can work together to pay for it.
- Think about careers/majors/jobs you might be interested. Research them online (with your parent's permission). If possible, volunteer or get a job doing something related. Look for summer camps that relate to what you are interested in doing or a camp that will help you look at different careers-colleges and universities often host these.
- Get involved in extracurricular activities (if not already). Join clubs related to your interests, participate in sports, learn a musical instrument, take up a hobby, get active in student council or church youth activities. Run for an office or volunteer to coordinate an event or project.
- Spend time on college campuses. Go to events when you can. Tell your family you'd like to see what a college campus is like and go do it.
- Stay off drugs and out of trouble---colleges really do care about that stuff!
- Utilize the CollegeBoard website and PLAN AHEAD! A great resource to plan financially and research different colleges and careers is Big Future, which can be assessed here.