1. Make Your Future Happen
What You Can Do in 8th Grade
Introduce yourself.
Explain who you are, what you do for a living.
Talk about college — how it was important for your job, your life, and how it helped you meet your goals. If you went to school in Indiana, mention it. If you had to overcome obstacles to get to college (first in family, financial barriers, etc.), you might want to mention that as well.
Share why you care whether students go to college or not. 1

2. Your Future
Start interactive airplane exercise. Note for presenters: Depending on how the presentation is projected, you might want to use the paper version of the target and hang it up somewhere else where it is safe for students to throw the paper airplanes.
Ask students how many of them know what they want to do when they grow up. Have them write it down on the piece of paper they were handed when they walked in. Tell them that if they don’t know, that’s okay. They should just write down something that sounds interesting to them.
Note for presenters: There are two ways to handle this activity. In option A, you will do the plane activity at both the beginning and end of the presentation. In option B, you do the activity only at the beginning.
Option A: After students write down what they want to do on the paper, ask them to fold the paper into an airplane and throw it at the target. Don’t demonstrate how to fold the plane. After they throw the planes, mention that some planes flew better than others. That’s because there are specific steps students need to take to fold an airplane so it flies straight. Getting to college is like folding the airplane — there are certain steps students need to take to make sure they fly straight and hit their target. Tell students that what you are here to do is talk about four things they can do — even in 8th grade — to hit that target and get the future they want.
Option B: After students write down what they want to do on the paper, demonstrate how to fold an airplane, with students following along. Then ask them to fly their planes at the target. Mention that some went straight at the target; others veered pretty far off course. The path to getting to college can be like the flight path of those planes. Tell students that what you are here to do is talk about four steps they can take — even in 8th grade — to hit that target and get the future they want.
Ask how many of the students plan to go to college. Most students probably will raise their hands.

3. College Is Important for Your Goals
Whatever your goals — changing the world or simply earning a good living to support a family — you will need to go to college.
Jobs that require a bachelor’s degree will grow the fastest — nearly twice as fast as the national average.
More than two-thirds of new jobs will require some postsecondary education or training — apprenticeships, two-year college, four-year college and beyond.
Ask students why they want to go to college. If students need prompting, ask questions such as: Do you want to change the world? Cure cancer? Get a good job?
Tell students that planning to go to college is good because going to college will help them get the job — and the future — they want.
Good jobs — jobs that pay a good salary, have benefits and the chance to move up the ladder — require education and training beyond high school. Depending on the particular job they want, students may need to go to a two-year college or a four-year college. They may need apprenticeship training, or the military may be an option.
Call on students and ask them what they wrote on the airplane or pick up a few planes and see what is written on them; tell them what degree they need.
Note for presenters: Eighth graders probably will not know what an associate degree is or a bachelor’s degree. You will need to define it for them. Associate degree = two years of college; bachelor’s degree = four years; master’s = six; doctorate or professional degree (law, medicine, etc.) = seven or more years.
Tell students an important thing to think about when choosing a job is whether there will be a lot of openings in that field. It will be easier to find a job in the fields that are growing fastest — and the fields that will be growing fastest will require a four-year college degree.
Bottom line: More than two-thirds of new jobs will require employees to have at least some postsecondary education or training.
Note for presenters: Source for 2nd bullet is Carnevale, Anthony P. and Donna M. Desrochers, Standards for What? The Economic Roots of K–16 Reform, Educational Testing Service, 2003.

4. The More You Learn, the More You Earn
Ask students how they want to live when they grow up. What kind of car do they want to drive? What kind of house do they want to live in? What kind of clothes do they want to wear?
Tell them these things cost money, and the more education they have, the more money they earn.
Pull examples from chart: A high school dropout earns $9,000 less than a high school graduate, $16,000 less than someone with an associate (two-year college) degree and $28,000 less than someone with a bachelor’s (four-year college) degree each year.
Note for presenters: Eighth graders probably will not know what an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree is. You will need to define it for them. Associate degree = two years of college; bachelor’s degree = four years; master’s = six; doctorate or professional degree (law, medicine, etc.) = seven or more years.
Source: College Board, Education Pays 2004: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society.

5. The More You Learn, the More You Earn
That might not seem like a big difference, but over a lifetime, it really adds up.
A person with a bachelor’s (four-year college) degree will make an average of $2.5 million over his or her lifetime. A high school graduate will only earn $1.4 million and a dropout barely more than $1 million.
Money isn’t the only thing you need to get the future you want, but getting a good job and earning a good salary gives you more flexibility to pursue your dreams. And to get that job and that salary, you need a college education.
Note for presenters: Eighth graders probably will not know what an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree is. You will need to define it for them. Associate degree = two years of college; bachelor’s degree = four years; master’s = six; doctorate or professional degree (law, medicine, etc.) = seven or more years.
Source: College Board, Education Pays 2004: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society.

6. 4 Steps You Need To Take To Get to College
Push yourself
Find the right fit
Put your hands on some cash
Find a caring adult to help 1 2 3
Tell students that right now, college may seem like a long way off, but it will be here before they know it.
Remind them that they don’t have to make a lot of big decisions right now, but there are some things they need to do to make sure they keep their options open.
Tell them there are four steps you are going to talk about that they can take — starting right now — to make sure they have as much opportunity as possible and can do the things they wrote down on the paper airplane.
Push yourself
Find the right fit
Put your hands on some cash
Find a caring adult to help 4

7. 4 Steps You Need To Take To Get to College
Push yourself
Find the right fit
Put your hands on some cash
Find a caring adult to help 1 2 3
Tell students they play a huge part in making their future happen. No one else can do it for them, so they need to push themselves to do well in school and take the courses they need to get into college and get the future they want.
More than anything else, the courses students take and how much they learn in those classes is something they ultimately control. Other people can help students fill out forms and keep deadlines straight, but no one else can learn for them.
Tell students that you are now going to talk about a few concrete ways they can push themselves. 4

8. You can do it! Push Yourself Take the right courses — Core 40:
Set of courses you need to take to graduate from high school in Indiana
Completing Core 40 gives you:
Solid preparation for college and work
Career options
Opportunities for scholarships and financial aid
You can
do it!
Remind students that next year, they will be going to high school.
Colleges take a close look at both courses and grades from high school, so pushing themselves and doing well are key to getting into a good college.
Indiana has already figured out what courses students need to take to get into college and hit the ground running.
Ask how many students know what Core 40 is.
Core 40 is set of courses that gives students solid preparation for college and work.
The courses are tough, but students CAN do it.
And they need to do it. All Indiana students have to take Core 40 to graduate high school. But it is more than just another graduation requirement. Core 40 gives students the foundation they need to get to college and get the future they wrote down on the paper airplanes at the beginning of the presentation. Note for presenters: If possible, repeat back some of the things students wrote on the airplanes.
Completing Core 40 also gives students opportunities for scholarships and financial aid.
Indiana colleges expect students to complete Core 40 for admission.

9. What Is Core 40? Course and credit requirements English/Language Arts
8 credits (Must include literature, composition and speech.)
Mathematics (All students must take a math or physics course during junior or senior year.)
6 credits (Must include either Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II or Integrated Math series I, II and III.)
Science
6 credits (Must include Biology I; Chemistry I, Physics I or Integrated Chemistry-Physics; and any Core 40 science course.)
Social Studies
6 credits (Must include U.S. History; U.S. Government; Economics; and either World History/Civilization or Geography/History of the World.)
Directed Electives
5 credits (world language, fine arts, career/technical)
Physical Education
2 credits
Health and Wellness
1 credit
Electives
6 credits
Total
40 credits
Walk students through some of the Core 40 requirements.
Core 40 covers English, math, science and social studies, and leaves lots of opportunities for making choices.
Ask the students if they know what an elective is.
An elective is a course they get to choose.
It can be more math and science, a career/technical course, fine arts — whatever best fits their interests and needs.
Tell students the schedule allows for far more than just what is listed on this table.
Note for presenters: One credit = one semester

10. Sample Four-Year Schedule
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12
English 9
English 10
English 11
English 12
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
Elective
Biology
Chemistry I, Physics I or Integrated Chemistry/Physics
Core 40 Science
Health & Wellness
World History/ Civilization or Geography/History of the World
U.S. History
Government/ Economics PE
Tell students this is a sample of how they might structure their schedule to meet Core 40 requirements. Point out the spaces for electives.
Remind students that when they are thinking about the courses they want to take, especially electives, they should push themselves to make the most of the opportunities to try different things, find out what interests them and explore careers.
They should not select courses because their friends do; they should take challenging classes that best fit their needs and interests.

11. Push Yourself: Go Beyond Core 40
Your high school schedule allows you to make a lot of choices:
Take courses to explore — Career Academic Sequence.
Take courses that challenge you.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Dual credit classes
International Baccalaureate (IB), if offered
Earn distinguished high school diplomas.
Core 40 with Academic Honors
Core 40 with Technical Honors
Tell students they can choose to go beyond the Core 40. Students who push themselves can earn more advanced high school diplomas, can qualify for more financial aid and may even be able to get some credit for college courses early — which means they will graduate faster and save money.
One way to push themselves and explore careers is to complete a Career Academic Sequence, which means selecting electives in a deliberate way to take full advantage of the opportunity to prepare themselves for college and work.
Ask how many students have heard of AP, dual credit and IB courses.
Students don’t need to take these courses yet, but they need to know what their options are when thinking about high school coursework. Walk them through options:
Advanced Placement (AP): College-level courses offered in high school. Students who score well on AP exams can move directly to upper-level college classes and possibly receive college credit.
Dual Credit: Dual credit courses are taught in high school, at local colleges and through distance education (online classes). They meet both high school and college requirements and provide both high school and college credit.
International Baccalaureate (IB): Not all schools offer IB, which is a program for 11th and 12th graders that requires students to study courses across all disciplines. Tell students they should check with their counselor to see if their school offers IB.
Some of these courses are required for distinguished diplomas that go beyond the regular Core 40 diploma: Core 40 with Academic Honors and Core 40 with Technical Honors.

12. Push Yourself To Achieve More
Core 40 with Academic Honors
All Core 40 requirements
Plus …
2 additional Core 40 math credits
6–8 Core 40 world language credits
2 Core 40 fine arts credits
Grade of C or better in all required courses
GPA of B or better
Choose/complete one:*
AP courses/exams
Dual high school/college courses from Core Transfer library
Combination dual credit and AP courses/exams
Score of 1200 or higher on SAT
Score of 26 or higher on ACT
IB courses/exams
Ask how many students have heard of Core 40 with Academic Honors and Core 40 with Technical Honors. Ask why students think getting an advanced diploma would be a good thing.
Distinguished diplomas are a reward for students who push themselves and aspire to do more with their lives. These students are better prepared for the future. They also qualify for more financial aid and have a leg up when they get to college.
Walk students briefly through requirements for Core 40 with Academic Honors.
*See or your school counselor for more specifics.

13. Push Yourself To Achieve More
Core 40 with Technical Honors
Plus …
Related sequence of 8+ career-technical credits
Grade of C or better in all required courses
GPA of B or better
All Core 40 requirements
Choose/complete two (one must be A or B):*
WorkKeys assessment/scores
Dual high school/college credit in career-technical area
Professional career internship
Cooperative education
Industry-based work experience
State-approved industry-recognized certification
Walk students briefly through requirements for Core 40 with Technical Honors.
*See or your school counselor for more specifics.

14. Keeping It All Straight: Career and Course Planner
Plan and track your information on:
Career interests
The courses you need for graduation
Your postsecondary education goals
Checklists of things you need to do each year to prepare
Available in print and online versions.
Complete yours now and revisit it each year.
Tell students that all of these requirements and things they have to think about and consider can be confusing. But the Career and Course Planner is a quick and easy tool that can help them start getting it all straight now.
The planner gives them a place to record information and thoughts on:
Career interests and the courses they need to take for that career
Options for more education and training after high school
What they need to get into the college they want to go to
Tell students that print versions of the planner are provided to their schools.
Ask how many students have seen the Career and Course Planner in their school. Ask how many have started to fill one out.
If students don’t have it yet, they should keep their eye out or ask their school counselor for it. An online version also is available on the Learn More Indiana Web site.
Students should start filling it out with a parent and school counselor right away. The school counselor might keep it for them or their parents. Regardless, they should revisit it each year.
Note to presenters: Make sure you have a sample Career and Course Planner to show students.

15. Stay in School
Graduating from high school most likely will determine how well you live for the rest of your life.
High school dropouts:
Are four times more likely than college graduates to be unemployed.
Earn $300,000 less than high school graduates over their lifetime.
Earn $1 million less than college graduates over their lifetime.
Ask students how many of them know someone who dropped out of high school.
Tell students you don’t and can’t know what is going on in their lives but you do know some of the classes they take in high school will be hard, and they probably have a lot of other stuff going on too. Note for presenters: Insert anecdote about struggles you had to overcome in high school, if appropriate.
Tell students that even with everything else they have to take care of, the most important thing they can do to get the future they want, including whatever it was they wrote down on the airplane, is to push themselves and stay in school. Or encourage a friend to stay in school — even if they are doing okay, their friends might not be.
Tell students we talked to other students who made the choice to drop out. Overwhelmingly, they wish they hadn’t done it. When we asked them what advice they would give to other high school students, they said to stay in school and keep working.
Note to presenters: Following is a quote you can use if you want to: “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” — Thomas Edison

16. 4 Steps You Need To Take To Get to College
Push yourself
Find the right fit
Put your hands on some cash
Find a caring adult to help 1 2 3
Tell students that in addition to pushing themselves and taking more challenging courses in high school, they can start right now trying to find the right fit for their future. 4

17. Find the Right Fit Start thinking about your future and careers.
Different ways you can explore interests and match them with possible careers:
Web sites
Job shadowing
Volunteering
Clubs
Electives (career/tech)
Ask students how many of them knew what they wanted to write down at the beginning when they made the paper airplanes. Tell them that a lot of them probably didn’t know for sure what to write. That’s okay.
They don’t have to figure it out today, or even next year. A lot of people don’t figure it out until college — or later. Note for presenters: Insert your own anecdote or story about figuring out what you wanted to do, if appropriate.
But students should start thinking about their interests and possible careers now. There are lots of ways to do this and lots of resources available to help. They can:
Surf some Web sites (the handout they receive at the end of the presentation will have the URLs):
Learn More Indiana has a section called Career Clueless that helps students take inventory of what interests them and match that up with a career path. It also has a section called Ready for Real World that helps students figure out how much things cost and how much money they need to make to live the way they want to live.
Drive of Your Life also helps students figure out what they want to do and lets them take a virtual tour of that career.
These are just a few examples of Web sites, but there are many more.
Over the summer, do job shadowing — following someone around at work to get experience with different jobs.
Volunteer: Students can learn a lot about life, possible careers, and their own strengths and weaknesses when they volunteer. Volunteering also is a great resume-builder: Many scholarships require community service. And it is a great way to make a difference in the community.
Join different clubs.
Use electives in their course schedules to explore interests.

18. Start Thinking about College Now
Check out college Web sites.
Talk to your parents.
Talk to friends.
Talk to your school counselor.
Visit college campuses.
Remind students that at the beginning, many of them raised their hands and said they wanted to go to college. Ask them where they want to go.
Tell students there are lots of choices. Note for presenters: Tell students where you went. In Indiana, there are public schools like IU, Purdue and Ivy Tech. There also are private schools. Or some students may decide to go to schools out of state. They don’t have to decide right now, but they can start looking at different colleges to figure out which is right for them.
Ask students what they think college is like. Tell them that every campus is different, so they can’t really know until they check out the schools. Some ways to do that:
Go to colleges’ Web sites.
Many offer virtual tours as well as facts about the school, such as location, size, the courses and majors they offer.
Talk to friends, parents and other family.
Talk to their school counselor.
Visit college campuses. Note for presenters: If the presentation is in a city with a local college campus, ask students if they have stopped by. Tell students that groups like yours will be happy to help arrange a visit. Or if they are taking a trip with their parents and are going to be near a school they think they might be interested in, students should ask to stop by. Nothing replaces a firsthand experience. If they can’t visit a campus, students should ask their school counselors for help.
Public college
Private college

19. 4 Steps You Need To Take To Get to College
Push yourself
Find the right fit
Put your hands on some cash
Find a caring adult to help 1 2 3
Tell students that along with pushing themselves and finding the right fit, they eventually will need to get their hands on some money to pay for school. 4

20. Put Your Hands on Some Cash
You can afford college.
There are lots of resources to help you.
Between now and senior year, you will get more information.
Ask students how many of them think college is expensive.
Tell them the good news is that everyone can afford to go to college.
There are lots of resources to help them — some based on financial need and some on merit, such as academics and community service.
More than $500 million is provided to students in Indiana each year to help them pay for college.
Between now and senior year, students will get much more information. But by working hard, pushing themselves and staying in school, students can get more financial aid.

21. What You Can Do Now
Read mini-magazines for information on paying for college.
Attend programs in your community on how to pay for college. Take your parents.
Apply for 21st Century Scholars.
Tell students there are some things they can start doing right now to get financial aid for college.
One thing they can do is read publications like the mini-magazines pictured here. Each magazine is filled with information that is specific for students in that grade about not only applying for financial aid but also what students need to do to prepare for college. So in 8th grade, students will receive the Prep magazine just for 8th graders. In 9th grade, they will receive the On Track magazine just for 9th graders, and so on. They will get one each year, just like they have been.
They also will receive a lot of other information, so they will need to pay attention because there are deadlines.
As students think about how to pay for college, they also should think about other things they can do beyond applying for financial aid.
Ask students how many of them have a part-time job. If they do, they should try to keep a few dollars and put it toward their college fund. Their education is one of the best investments they can make. They also can go with their parents to any programs in their community on how to pay for college.
Another thing students can do right now is apply for the 21st Century Scholars program.

22. 21st Century Scholars
Students who are income eligible, stay in school and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship:
Receive a tuition scholarship at participating Indiana colleges and universities.
Also can get tutoring, mentoring and support to finish college.
Must apply by end of 8th grade.
21st Century Scholars is a program Indiana started to make sure that everyone in the state has a chance to go to college.
Students must sign up by the end of 8th grade.
If they are qualified, stay in school and are good citizens, they are guaranteed free college tuition at participating public colleges and universities in Indiana.
Or if they go to a participating private college, Indiana will award a tuition scholarship that is equivalent to that of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.
Students also can get tutoring, mentoring and support to finish college.
Tell students they will get a handout on this at the end of the presentation or can go to the Learn More Indiana Web site for more information.

23. Consider Other Scholarships
Many other scholarship programs as well.
Increase your chances of getting a scholarship by:
Joining a club
Playing a sport
Exploring the arts
Volunteering
Beyond the 21st Century Scholars program, Indiana provides lots of need-based aid to help make going to college affordable. But there are other options that can help students pay for their education as well.
Students don’t really need to start searching for scholarships until high school, but right now they can start doing things to increase their chances of getting a scholarship, such as:
Joining a club
Playing a sport
Exploring the arts
Volunteering
Every scholarship is different, but all of these activities can also help you grow as a person, explore careers, etc. … it's win, win!

24. 4 Steps You Need To Take To Get to College
Push yourself
Find the right fit
Put your hands on some cash
Find a caring adult to help 1 2 3
If students push themselves, find the right fit and get their hands on some cash, they can get to college. But finding a caring adult to provide advice and guidance can be a big help. 4

25. Find a Caring Adult To Help
Will you
help me?
Everybody needs some help.
Speak up. Be a pain, in a good way.
Talk to a parent, school counselor, teachers, friend of the family, minister, youth group leader.
Tell them you want to go to college — and ask them to help.
There are a lot of steps students need to take to get to college, and it can get confusing. Students don’t want to leave anything to chance, so having a caring adult provide some help can make a big difference.
Ask students whether any of them have talked to an adult yet about college — where they want to go, what they need to get there, etc. If some say they have, ask who they talked to.
Tell students they may need to speak up and ask for help.
They may need to be a pain, but they should be a pain in a good way. Some people they might want to talk to include:
parents
school counselor
teachers
a friend of the family
minister
youth group leader
Students should tell them they want to go to college — and ask for help.
Note for presenters: If there is a person who provided invaluable support for you when you wanted to go to college, talk about it here.

26. Checklist of Activities: 8th Grade
Keep it all straight –
Checklist of Activities: 8th Grade
Begin your
Career and Course
Planner now!
3. Put Your Hands on Some Cash 
Get your Social Security number — you’ll need it for college financial aid and job applications
Apply for the 21st Century Scholars Program
Do the Ready for the Real World activity
Start thinking about college now
1. Push yourself 
Sign up for the right classes — Core 40
Take a learning styles assessment to find out how you can achieve more
Focus on your classes and stay on top of homework assignments
4. Find a Caring Adult To Help 
Attend your high school’s orientation session
Discuss your future plans with your high school counselor and family
Ask to visit colleges
Bookmark
2. Find the Right Fit 
Explore careers
Join clubs, play sports and volunteer
Start thinking about college
Tell students that on the handout they will receive at the end is a checklist of all the things you have discussed, plus a list of resources that can help.
Walk students — quickly — through the items on the checklist.

27. Your Future
Note for presenters: Remove this slide if you demonstrated how to build a paper airplane during the interactive exercise on slide 2 (option B). If you did option A and had students fold and fly their planes without a demonstration, keep this slide.
Remind students about the airplane exercise you did at the beginning of the presentation and that some of their planes flew straighter than others. That’s because most of them didn’t know the steps involved in folding the plane so it would fly straight and hit the target.
In this presentation, you have gone over the steps students need to take to get to college and hit their target — the future they want.
So now you will show them the steps to fold a paper airplane and — if all goes well — the planes should fly straighter and more will hit the target. Note to presenter: Demonstrate steps and have students fly airplanes at target.
Tell students that worked better for some. But, like creating a better paper airplane, there are lots of resources to help you figure out the right steps to get to college.

28. More Resources Learn More Indiana Web site (www.learnmoreindiana.org)
Help line ( )
Know How 2 Go Indiana
Web site (
Tell students there are many resources to help them as they work to make their future happen.
Learn More Indiana is a one-stop resource to guide Hoosiers — students, parents and adult learners — on how to get to college so that students of all ages can achieve the dream of a degree.
The Learn More Indiana Web site has lots of tips, checklists, information and links to other Web sites. There are lots of places on the Web site where students can send to get more information or advice.
Learn More Indiana also has a free Helpline students can call.
The KnowHow2GOIndiana Web site also has many resources.
Ask students if they have any questions.
Thank them for their time.