1. What does your future hold for you? College? Local? Out of state? Community College? A job? Vocational Program? Internship? What do I need to know? When should I start researching? What should I do to be competitive?

2. By now, you should have visited websites of various schools you want to consider for college. You should have researched who was accepted at the schools as freshmen this year. You should consider the current student test scores, community service, ethnic backgrounds, talents and skills, and you may want to consider religious background as well.

3. You should have looked at costs, admissions requirements, financial aid, scholarships, presidential scholarships and APPLICATION FEES. These range from $50 to $200 per application depending on the schools. They may have fee waivers. You should look at what kinds of courses you need to be admitted. Art? Foreign Language? How many years? Level of math????

4. Most schools consider the rigor of course schedule and this includes senior year. If you plan to apply for scholarships, you will want to have transcripts and letters of recommendation ready before you leave school for your summer vacation before senior year. Some scholarship competitions require you to apply by July! You should apply to schools as early as possible which usually means BY NOVEMBER of your Senior year!!!

5. This all makes registration critical! Figure out what classes you absolutely NEED! Determine whether or not you want to take AP CLASSES or Honors? Both offer waited credits. AP can be taken EVEN if your current teacher tells you that you may not be able to handle the work. This requires you to CHALLENGE, and this means you will HAVE TO STAY IN THE CLASS for AT LEAST one full semester!

6. WHY AP? 1. Rigor of schedule and course content is challenging and rewarding! 2. College Level work provides you with the chance to acquire college level study habits that will make the transition easier for you and thus, your first few semesters should be easier, and your grades should be better! 3. Consider this:UNLV- One three credit class = $600.00 PLUS BOOKS and FEES! ONE AP Score of 4 or 5 = three credits for the cost of the exam- $89.00 or $56.00 (reduced cost). 4. Start college with credit, graduate earlier!!!!

7. To get out of an AP COURSE… Your parents, the counselor, and the teacher will need to have a conversation! THIS WILL NOW BE STRICTLY ENFORCED! ALL AP CLASSES DO HAVE REQUIRED SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS!!!! There will be brief 10 minute teacher presentations in the theater in late Feb. to explain what the various AP COURSE OPTIONS are for you in JUNIOR YEAR! You will be able to sign up to receive a pass to attend the various presentations!

8. You should consider… Rigor of schedule Community Service Activities Letters of recommendation What kinds of courses will help you be competitive….SPEECH/Forensics! Internships IF YOU HAVE TO WORK, get credit for it by talking with Mr. Philipi !!!

9. Your writing is crucial!!! Writing is absolutely critical in college for exams, lab reports, various research papers, essays, and every basic assignment! If you can’t write a solid, clear, five to seven paragraph essay with strong evidence, you will struggle.

10. READ MUCH? IF YOU can’t read roughly 150-200 pages of informational (textbook type material) each night at a fairly rapid pace WITH CLEAR understanding, YOU NEED TO START IMPROVING YOUR READING NOW! HOW?

11. READ!!!!

12. READ OFTEN!

13. READ MORE than just tweets, texts, and fiction!

14. READ EVERY DAY!

15. READ ACTIVELY!!