Best Collegeprep Timeline 2013

College-prep Timeline 2017-18

The Valencia Counseling Office is committed to providing students every opportunity to prepare themselves for university admissions and to offer academic support and counsel to these students and their families. Please feel free to call, email, or drop by the Counseling Office, if you have a question or concern regarding your student, their academic program, or their post-graduation plans.

9th grade

Freshman students hoping to prepare for competitive university admissions should focus on three objectives. These objectives serve as the primary criteria colleges use in evaluating potential students. These objectives are: 1) earning exceptional grades and test scores2) taking the most rigorous academic program available3) having a strong resume of leadership and service activities. Freshman students need to begin early working on earning good grades. Successful students learn good study skills and time management as freshman. These students find friends who share their academic goals and start study groups with them. They build strong working connections with their teachers. They use a planner to organize their homework and assure assignments are completed on time. These students prioritize success at school and organize less important activities around it.

The annual VHS Club Rush week will take place the early weeks of September. This is a great opportunity for new students to check-out our campus clubs and service groups. It is never too early to begin to build a strong resume of extra-curricular activities. Activities to consider include leadership (school, sports, scouts, religious),school and community volunteer service, theater/ dance/ music productions, business/industry internships, boy/girl scouts, summer academic enrichment, cross-cultural experiences, mission trips, travel, and athletic or academic competition. Plan to use your extra-curricular activities to do something noteworthy. Keep a journal about these activities so you will remember significant people and events when you go to write your college and scholarship essays. The Counseling Office is able to help families tailor their student’s extra-curricular activities in order to build a significant resume for university admissions.

10th grade

Sophomores should re-assess their four-year plan with their counselor at the beginning of the year and make sure their fall schedule is correct. Grades, Grades, Grades!! Grades are the first priority for all college bound students. This is the first year that your grades count for public university admissions. Do your absolute best! Continue to build your resume of extra-curricular activities. Take the PSAT in October for practice. Make an appointment in the spring with your counselor to review your four year plan. Invite your parents to this conference and plan out how you will complete your graduation and college admissions requirements.

11th grade

Eleventh grade is the time most students take their national college tests; the PSAT in the fall, the SAT/ACT test in late fall or early spring. This PSAT is required for students who want participate in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Juniors who score in the top 1% nationally are named National Merit Semifinalists. This is a prestigious national award and these students are actively recruited by top universities and are often eligible for cash scholarships. The NMSC holds separate competitions for Hispanic and African-American students. The PSAT is only offered once during the fall of 11th grade. Students who miss this test miss the opportunity to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Register for the PSAT at the VHS Activities Office the first week of September.

The VHS Counseling Office recommends that students take SAT or ACT tests twice in the 11th grade, normally in the winter/ early spring. Students who follow this sequence normally earn scores appropriate to their goals for university admissions. Those who are still not happy with their scores can dedicate the summer after 11th to a test-prep program and still have three additional test dates in the fall of 12th grade before college application deadlines. SAT2 subject tests are only used by very selective universities. Signup for both SAT and ACT tests online.

In the summer after 11th grade, students should begin to finalize their resume and start working on their college essays. Get a Brag Sheet from the counseling office, the Brag Sheet helps you create a resume of your high school experiences. Give the completed Brag Sheet to one or two of your favorite teachers and ask them to write a letter of recommendation for you. These letters will be used of college and scholarship applications. Continue to focus on earning very good grades.