Many students don’t think about college until their senior year. As a freshman you don’t have to know what you will major in or even what college you want to go to; you just need to think about your options.

Seniors are categorized on a wide spectrum of over-achievers and under-achievers. Crystal Ganatra falls on the high end of the scale. She has been thinking about college since her sophomore year. “I think people should start thinking about college as early as possible, definitely at least as early as freshman year. The entire college process can be pretty overwhelming and stressful, so the earlier you get to thinking and planning the better.”

Although Ganatra was prepared, the majority of students graduating this coming year wished they had done more. Mary Smith wanted to tell all the freshman, “Don’t wait to take opportunities that can lead towards college… I wish I had taken the opportunity to participate in ACT testing before my junior year and now [as a senior] I am not as prepared as I could be.”

Mrs. Roberts (the College and Career Advisor located in rooms S220 and S221) has provided all freshmen with this easy-to-follow checklist:

Freshman Checklist for College & Career Planning

• Know your counselor. Be sure your alphabetical counselor knows your plans for your post-secondary destination. Complete your 4-year plan in Kuder.
• Pay attention to interest inventories such as Kuder skills assessments to help determine a possible major for college and course selection.
• Keep a clean discipline and attendance record, as this can be detrimental to admission and scholarships later.
• Plan to take the most challenging course load possible. This leaves your options open for the future, as your plans will grow and change as you do. However, while you want to be challenged, do not over-estimate your ability level. If you have questions about this, see your college advisor.
• Be sure your email address is in INOW. If it is, messenger will send you the College/Scholarship/Career Connection bulletin each week (see Mrs. Miller, the registrar, if you do not receive “messenger” in your email). There are even scholarships for 9^th and 10^th
• READ good books, the newspaper, college tweets, etc.
• GET INVOLVED in your community. Build your resume with significant community service. It is more important to have depth of involvement than quantity. Make a difference in the lives of others.
• Get involved in school clubs and activities to show concern for the school climate and school spirit.
• Look for leadership opportunities. Volunteer to be a committee chairman to take charge of an activity to prove your ability to lead.
• Look at ACT and SAT practice books to note the type of material tested. Take courses that will support the information needed to do well.
• If planning to consider private or highly selective colleges, see Mrs. Roberts (the College and Career Advisor) to further investigate the process. Also see Mrs. Roberts if you want to go straight into a career and not go through college.
• Do not let financial need deter you from looking at selective colleges. There are scholarships and programs that support students with rigorous coursework on their transcripts, strong test scores, and good grades.
• Plan visits to college campuses when you have days out of school. This will help you be more informed as to what courses to take for your electives.
• Sign up in the College & Career Center to meet with the college representatives that come to BJHS. Select a few to get an idea of what colleges have to offer.

Follow these steps to get the most out of your high school experience!