Spring is right around the corner. For high school seniors, that means a lot of excitement and a lot of significant changes. You have senior prom, graduation and saying bittersweet goodbyes to friends all within a short few months. And, for many students, college is next.
But what about those students who haven’t picked a college yet? Maybe they were concerned about the cost or didn’t think they’d be accepted. Or maybe, they dragged their feet. Well, the good news is it’s not too late. There’s still time to get yourself prepped and apply for late admission. Here, we will discuss a few of the steps you can take to fulfill your dream of going to college.
Take the SAT
Most colleges and universities use the SAT as an entrance exam of sorts. The text helps to determine the academic aptitude of potential students. While SAT scores aren’t the only determining factor when it comes to admissions, they’re still heavily weighed and should not be taken lightly. You can click here for a list of the SAT 2020 dates and start planning accordingly.
Talk to Your Guidance Counselor About Careers
As the title suggests, your guidance counselor is there to “guide” and “counsel” you. If you aren’t taking full advantage of that, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. They know you and they know your academic history. If you take the time to have a discussion with a guidance counselor about the things that interest you, you’ll find that they can be the most valuable resource when planning out a career path.
Apply for a Summer Internship
Colleges (and even employers) love this! With an internship, you can develop vital and useful real-world skills that can help you in both your academic and professional life. Now, obviously, the more desirable companies offering these internships fill their spots up pretty fast, especially the paid positions. (Yes, some internships do pay money, but it’s rare.) So get a move on it! And if you don’t know where to start looking, cnbc.com actually compiled a fantastic list of the ten companies with the best summer internships.
Commit to a School if You Haven’t Already
Now we’re getting to the nitty-gritty… picking the right school. With so many different factors to consider, this may be the most significant decision of your young life. It can certainly be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
There are more resources available than you realize, you just have to make use of them. We already mentioned your guidance counselor, but what about your teachers? They know your strengths and your weaknesses. (And they had to make this same decision themselves not so long ago.) They will probably know what schools offer the programs that may be of interest to you.
Also, talk to your coaches. If you plan to pursue athletics at the collegiate level, you will want their input. How about older friends? Surely you know someone who graduated last year and is attending college now. What was their experience like and what were the deciding factors when making their choice? Was it the cost, programs offered or location?
With some guidance from the people around you who your trust, you’re fully capable of making a well-informed college decision.
Read, Read, Read
You will most likely read more in your first year of college than you have in your entire life, so get used to it. And the content of which will be some of the greatest works of literature ever put on paper. The task ahead of you is both daunting and enviable. To help you prepare, lifehack.org has created a list of 25 essential books that every college student should read. Here are the top 10:
- Freedom by Jonothan Franzen
- This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway
Partake in Extracurriculars to Strengthen Your Time Management Skills
College is hard work. If you’re disorganized or like to slack off, then you’re going to struggle. Consider participating in some after-school activities to help tighten up your self-discipline. Granted, it’s getting a bit late in the school year. But there are certainly still clubs and other activities you can join.
Drama club, yearbook staff, prom committee—these are organizations you can join. If clubs aren’t taking new members, consider checking in with your favorite teacher. Who knows, offering an hour of your time after school to help them grade papers might be worth a few points of extra credit.
It’s Your Future, and it’s Starting Now
You’re about to embark on the largest investment of time and energy you have made in your young life. After all these years, the end is in sight. But every time something ends, it brings with it the beginning of something new. College may not be for everyone, and that’s okay. Plenty of high school graduates will join the workforce and the military this year and plenty more will pursue other ventures. But if college is what you want, then there are no more excuses. It’s your future, and it’s starting now.