Post-Secondary Planning

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  • Plan Early

    Getting a college education is an investment that will pay back for a lifetime: people with post-secondary education/training have better job opportunities, earn more money, and develop skills and knowledge that can never be taken away. However, what many families don’t realize is that preparation must begin before a student’s junior or senior year of high school. It begins even before a student first sets foot in school, and it continues through middle school and high school. It is never too early to start the college planning process! So, don’t procrastinate…start planning now! There are a few things you can do from day one to help ready yourself for the next big step!

  • Develop Good Study Habits

    Even if school comes easily to you, it’s important to get into good habits now. These will serve you through high school and into the more difficult challenges you’ll face in college.

  • Pursue Extracurricular Activities

    Colleges are looking for well-rounded applicants who succeed both inside and outside of the classroom. Look for extracurricular activities that suit your interests – these should be fun! – and demonstrate positive qualities such as leadership and social responsibility. Volunteering is another good way to show prospective schools that you’re more than just a grade point average. This can also help you fulfill your high school’s service-learning requirement if it has one.

    Here are the clubs STHS offers.

  • Stay on Track

    It’s important to keep your college goals in mind as you continue through your sophomore and junior years. Here are a few additional things you can do during these years:

  • Pursue Advanced (AP) Courses

    Always challenge yourself by pursuing the most advanced classes within your ability, including Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment courses may even lead to some college credit. This will not only help you get the most from your high school experience, but also impress college admissions officers and help prepare you for college-level coursework. AP courses may even lead to some college credit.

  • Prepare for College Entrance Exams

    The beginning of your junior year is a great time to start thinking about what your strengths are in testing and how you can most effectively prepare for college entrance exams. Most students take the PSAT early in their junior years and you’ll need to take the SAT or ACT either late junior year or early senior year to have time to retake it if necessary. (Note: The PSAT is not a college admissions test, but a high score can lead to certain competitive state scholarships.)

    Here is valuable information regarding preparing for the exams.

  • Stay Active

    Keep up either your extracurricular activities or your volunteering service, or both if you’re ambitious. Research your colleges. Your junior year is a good time to start learning more about colleges. Start thinking about what factors are most important to you, such as size, location, and type of institution, and do some research into schools that meet those criteria.

  • Senior Year Activities

    Your senior year is crunch time for college applications. Here’s how to stay on top of the game:


    Visit Schools

    If you have the time and money to travel, start visiting colleges to get a feel for what they’re really like. If you can’t travel, long-distance options include phone interviews, virtual campus tours and forums where you can ask questions of current students.

     
    Attend information sessions

    Many colleges send recruiters to visit high schools and share information about their schools. Attend as many of these as you can, particularly if you aren’t doing very many campus visits.

     
    Take tests

    Get the SAT and ACT out of the way as early as possible, just in case you need to retake a test to get a better score.

     
    Polish your application

    Meet with your school’s college counselor for tips on preparing an effective application. Make sure you leave yourself lots of time to get good recommendations and write a solid admissions essay.

     
    Apply for financial aid

    Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) starting in January. Most federal and institutional funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so this will help you get an early start on financing your education. Apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship and keep abreast district’s scholarship bulletin.

    Online Resources Post-Secondary Education Planning Online Assistance

    Scholarship & Other Financial Aid 

    Exams