Course Selection & College/Career Planning AHS Class of 2015

What should I be doing now? Review high school graduation requirements/ verify that your high school course of study satisfies admission requirements for potential college or career choice Talk to your counselor if you need to make up any credits this summer Prepare a high school resume Begin primary college searches * www.princetonreview.com * www.collegeboard.com * www.collegefortexans.com

During the summer make appointments to visit the colleges you may be interested in attending Begin searches for scholarships, academic aide Examples: www.fastweb.com www.collegefortexans.com www.ed.gov www.aie.org www.fafsa.ed.gov

Gain Experience-Volunteer or Work http://www.idealist.org/ (listed on college board site) YES Service Organization *get a part time job

AHS Counseling Corner College& Career on AHS Access http://ahsaccess.weebly.com/ Info for graduation, scholarships, upcoming events, application information…..

Begin exploring career opportunities The Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco/ Utilize My College Quick Start (access code listed on your PSAT scores) http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/quickstart.html Begin exploring career opportunities

Stay involved with your extracurricular activities-colleges look for in-depth involvement Begin certification for NCAA if you are involved in athletics https://www.eligibilitycenter.org Take SAT/ACT in late Spring Take SAT subject test if necessary www.collegeboard.com www.actstudent.org/ Register in March for AP exams for classes for which you are enrolled. Registration is online again this year.

Deadlines Make sure you are aware of your College Application Deadlines! Many school have November 1 and December 1 deadlines. You cannot take a November SAT and meet a Dec 1 application deadline.

The Texas Common Application *Apply for admission to any Texas public university, as well as participating community and private colleges. *Copy your submitted application to another institution. *Submit your application essays on–line. *Apply for scholarships from participating universities. *Search for and view both general and university–specific information From: www.applytexas.org

The Common Application Many Private Colleges and Universities are found here. *Complete one application online and copies of your application can be sent to any number of participating colleges. The same is true of the School Report, Midyear Report, and Teacher Evaluation forms. www.commonapp.org

Texas Success Initiative All students must take the TSI exam in order to register for a Texas Public College or University. TSI Exemptions: A composite SAT score of 1070 or above with a minimum of 500 verbal and math scores. A composite ACT score of 23 with a minimum English and math score of 19. Check with the school you are applying for further information.

Graduation Requirements 4 credits of English 4 credits of Math 4 credits of Science 4 credits of Social Studies 2 credits of Foreign Language ½ credit of Health 1 credit of PE ½ credit of Speech 1 credit of Fine Arts 5 credits of Electives TOTAL: 26

Should I take two off periods? One of the things admissions officers pay attention to, besides GPA, is course selection throughout high school and especially senior year. They like to see students have momentum going into the freshman year. If you sit back your senior year, it's hard to recapture that momentum. (taken from www.act.org)

REMEMBER: If you are approved for 2 off periods, you CANNOT drop a course for any reason!

Technical Education Center Some of these classes are two-year commitments and take 2 or 3 periods of your day. Please make sure you have room in your schedule. You must apply on line for the Tech Ed programs. http://campuses.fortbendisd.com/forms/tec.cfm

Application Only Programs Newspaper Yearbook PALS Business Marketing Co-op Health Science See sponsors for applications. You cannot register for these courses online.

Check Your Credits Utilize the Credit Assessment Report and your transcript to determine what credits you may still need. If you find any errors please email your counselor ASAP. This is VERY IMPORTANT

What If I Am Missing Credits? FBISD Summer school Correspondence- TX Tech (must be completed by August) SW School HCC Adult High School

Things to Ponder: Colleges look for students who take the most challenging academic course loads they can. Remember, you must pass all EOC exams in order to participate in graduation ceremonies. Make sure you have all required courses for graduation.

REMEMBER: Choose electives wisely…..We will not grant elective schedule changes. You cannot drop a full year course at semester.

DUE DATES Course selection worksheets are due back to your social studies teacher by February 20. Online course selection is available from Wednesday, February 12 – Friday, February 28.