Recommendations for College Bound Students
from CCS College Advisor
Seniors
Juniors
Recommendation Letters: You should obtain 3-5 recommendation letters from teachers, coaches, and administrators who best know you. Make sure that a few of these are emailed to you, as you will need some letters on hand to submit to various colleges and scholarships as the need may arise suddenly and frequently.
SAT/ACT Preparations: Analyze your areas for improvement on either the SAT and/or ACT. Be sure to check out www.testmasters.com, as they have a myriad of different types of tutorials to fit your schedule. Schedule another SAT/ACT test date for early fall if you have not already done so. To schedule SAT test, visit www.collegeboard.com. To schedule ACT test, visit www.actstudent.org.
College Essays: Start taking notes and writing down ideas in a Word® document based on sample essay questions, so that you can pull from your own essay database once you are ready to submit your applications.
Narrow the Field: Pick your top five college choices. Look at their SAT score requirements, GPA requirements, and course requirements. Also pay attention to their application dates, so that you can apply as soon you are able. Avoid “early action” application dates as these will lock you into a certain school prematurely.
Career Assessment: Take the computerized assessment outside of the college advisor's office or go on www.getadirection.com to purchase a book, seminar, or more. CD’s are also available for check-out through this office.
Meet with the Counselor: Visit with the college advsior to discuss your plans, your transcript, your choices, and develop a timeline over the next 10 months with a roadmap for success.
Review your transcript: Look over the Graduation Tracker and cross-reference it with your senior schedule. Make sure that your transcripts are error-free and all courses for your desired diploma have been taken into consideration.
Scholarships: Be on the lookout for scholarships fitting your major and skill set. Utilize the scholarship search engines (many on the CCS website via Scholarship Opportunities page) that will match you with numerous scholarships that you are likely to receive. Meet with the college advisor to discuss the types of scholarships and programs of interest to you.
Academic Resume: Start drafting a resume of your accomplishments during high school. Have a rough draft ready by the first day of senior year so college advisor can proofread and give ideas for revisions before it needs to be uploaded.
Prayer: Pray individually and corporately with your parents regarding God’s will for your path as you enter the next phase of your life: adulthood.
