There's an old Chinese saying that goes, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." But no matter how unsure you feel taking that  first step, every single one after that will be a little easier. It also helps if you have a plan to follow through your freshman year - and here it is. For more online resources on college prep, check out Links2GO.
 
 For details on each step, click on the notes below: 
What Do You Want To Do DO YOUR BEST IN CLASS START SAVING TALK TO YOUR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR OTHER TOP TIPS

Plan out a challenging program of classes to take.

  • Colleges care about which courses you're taking in high school. Remember, you will have more options if you start planning now for college and do your best to earn good grades.
  • The courses you take in high school show colleges what kind of goals you set for yourself. Are you signing up for advanced classes, honors sections, or accelerated sequences? Are you choosing electives that really stretch your mind and help you develop new abilities? Or are you doing just enough to get by?
  • Colleges will be more impressed by respectable grades in challenging courses than by outstanding grades in easy ones.
  • Do your high school course selections match what most colleges expect you to know? For example, many colleges require two to four years of foreign language study.
  • Establish your college preparatory classes; your schedule should consist of at least 4 college preparatory classes per year, including:
    • 4 years of English
    • 3 years of math (through algebra II or trigonometry)
    • 2 years of foreign language
    • At least 2 years of natural science
    • 2 years of history/social studies
    • 1 year of art
    • 1 year of electives from the above list
    • Enrolling in algebra or geometry classes and a foreign language class for each semester (most colleges have math and foreign language requirements)