FCHS College & Career Timeline

• Review your schedule and HS Graduation Plan or 4 Year Plan – is everything aligned and correct?
  • What is your goal: Core 40; Academic Honors; Technical Honors – know the benefits of each.
• Every credit counts! Earn the highest grades you can in ALL of your classes! Having a higher GPA can open up more opportunities for you.
• Be sure to involve yourself in extra- curricular activities. This can open up many opportunities for you when applying to colleges, receiving scholarships, or preparing for the workforce.
• Most colleges REQUIRE two years of a world language and recommend three – get enrolled in one today!
  • Academic Honors Diploma candidates – you MUST take three years of language
• Are you a 21st Century Scholar? Log in to your ScholarTrack today and update your information. Do not get behind on this. There are three sessions to complete each year. Also, you must maintain a minimum 2.5 Cumulative GPA.
• Start to talk to your parents about your goals and what you want to do after high school.
• If planning on attending college, start saving now. College can be expensive. There are ways around having to take a lot of loan debt out. But if you haven’t already started putting money aside,. it is important to think about doing it now.
• Be sure that you are always checking your school emails for important updates from the Office of Student Services and the school.

• Check with your school counselor to assess your progress. Review your schedule and HS Graduation  or 4 Year Plan – are you on track? Thinking about Academic or Technical Honors? Your junior and senior year are very important. Be sure to take college preparatory classes needed to get into your college of choice.
• Have you taken a Dual Credit course yet? AP?
• Attend a college fair. This is a great way for you to compare colleges at the same time to see what is offered and what you are interested in. FCHS has started having an annual college/career fair AT the school! Attend!
• Start to narrow your college search – 15-20 schools is an appropriate number to consider at this time.
  • Weigh the following: Cost; Size; Selectivity; Majors offered; Athletics; Location.
• Be sure to speak to the college admissions counselors that come to FCHS.
• Start visiting multiple colleges this year. This can make all the difference on whether or not you like a school. Visit different types of schools to see what you enjoy. Visit a public, a private, a community college, and a proprietary college.
• As a junior, you will take the ASVAB test. This is a career inventory test that can also be used for the military. Be sure to review your results when these come back.
• Register for and take the SAT and ACT. This will be the first time taking these tests.
  • To register for the SAT, go to  sat.org/register.
  • To register for the ACT, go to www.actstudent.org.
• Take another look at your financial situation to be sure that you are on the right track to pay for college. If you have not done so already, start saving!
• Wrap up your courses strong – Finals can make or break your GPA.
• Do you have solid volunteer experience yet? One day or a single event isn’t enough – get involved and give back!
• Create files for each school you plan to apply to…
  • Note their admissions style – rolling; early decision; early action; set deadline.
  • Note their scholarship deadlines – many are November 1st! You will want to know these before your senior year starts.
  • Note their selectivity – do you have the GPA – SAT or ACT scores needed to get it.
•  Are you a 21st Century Scholar? Log in to your ScholarTrack today and update your information. Do not get behind on this. There are three sessions to complete each year. Also, you must maintain a minimum 2.5 Cumulative GPA.
• Be sure that you are always checking your school emails for important updates from the Office of Student Services and the school. This is going to get more and more important as college information, scholarship information, and additional important dates come out.

• Review your schedule and HS Graduation Plan or 4 year plan with your school counselor – the end is in sight!
• Don’t cruise – colleges will question “easy schedules” and poor academic performance – FINISH STRONG!
• Any 18 year male will register for the selective service in order to qualify for aid. Please see the  Office of Student Services if you have questions about how to do this.
• Finalize your list of schools – APPLY – Hit your admission deadlines!
  • Early decision? Early action? Scholarship cut-offs? Hit your Deadlines!
  • Have an adult (English teacher) proofread your essay
  • CommonApp vs. Regular application – see your counselor for advice.
• Review your transcript – check for errors – be sure you have what you need. When transcripts are sent to colleges for you, be sure to follow up with the colleges approximately 2 weeks after they were sent to ensure they were received.
• One last SAT/ACT? There’s still time if you need to improve your marks.
  • To register for the SAT, go to  sat.org/register.
  • To register for the ACT, go to www.actstudent.org.
• Continue to visit college campuses – make it official with admissions.
• Attend a local college fair again. Remember, we have an annual college/career fair at FCHS! Attend!
• Attend the FAFSA (free application for federal student aid) night at FCHS.
• Scholarship season starts in September – check our listing and search online. The majority of local scholarships will open up in January-April.
• Be sure that you are always checking your school emails for important updates from the Office of Student Services and the school. This is going to get more and more important as college information, scholarship information, and additional important dates come out.
• You will need letters of recommendation – identify two individuals in addition to your counselor that are willing to write you one.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

• Finalize your admissions packets – any last schools?
• Track your acceptance letters and continue visiting to help make your decision final.
• Scholarship season is now in full swing – review your options online and with your counselor.
• Work with your parents/guardians – complete your FAFSA.
• Males will need to register with Selective Service.  This is a requirement to get financial aid as well as the law.
•  Are you a 21st Century Scholar? Log in to your ScholarTrack today and update your information.  There are three sessions to complete each year. If you are behind, you can still complete all the required sessions this year. Also, you must maintain a minimum 2.5 Cumulative GPA. You will have to complete  your FAFSA by April 15 of your senior year. There are no exceptions!

SPRING

• Finish strong – don’t let SENIORITIS get the best of you! Your final transcripts will be sent to colleges and they will want to see that you finished strong.
• Be sure to follow up with the financial aid office of your college of choice to make sure they have everything that is needed. Much of the time, there may be more documents they need to fully award you.
• If you are entering the workforce after graduation, see the guidance office on tips for resumes, interviewing, and other suggestions to help you land that job.
• Enjoy the moments safely – Prom; Graduation; etc.

GOOD LUCK!