College & Career

Tips for Freshman Year

• Meet with your school counselor and find out your high school’s graduation requirements.
• What kind of high school diploma do you want in 4 years? Honors, College & Career Ready, Standard? The choice is yours!
• Decide on a graduation plan with classes and electives.
• Get Active! Choose a few electives and extracurricular activities to get involved in. Try something new. High school is a great time to try out new things. There are lots of clubs and athletic opportunities that may not have been available to you previously.
• Have fun and study hard.
• Make sure you complete your 8 hours of community service requirement.  See your English teacher for information and the form to track your hours.
• At the end of the year: Write down your accomplishments! Were you in music? What did you play? What clubs did you try? Did you play sports? Did you have an after-school job? Did you help at home? Start your list and save it to your OneDrive; you’ll need it in 3 years.
• Volunteer or learn a new hobby during your summer break.

Tips for Your Sophomore Year

• Meet with your school counselor for a follow-up on your grades from freshman year. Has your type of diploma plan changed? There is still time to make changes. Remember your counselor is here to help you. Be sure to communicate!
• Implement any advice gained from your school counselor check-in into your yearly plan.
• Take the PSAT to get familiar with the testing format and time constraints before taking the SAT/ACT in your junior year.
• Stay involved by adding extracurricular activities to your schedule. Try something you didn’t try last year.
• Complete your required 8 hours of community service. See your World History teacher for information and the form to track your hours. Talk with your academy teacher and upperclassmen in your academy for the possibility of completing hours through legacy projects.
• Add electives to your schedule that allow you to explore areas of study that you might be interested in.
• At the end of the year, break out that list! Add to it. What did you do? Did you have an afterschool job? Where? How many hours? Did you volunteer? Did you check out any new clubs? Did you do something to stand out in your academy? Did you show any art? Have you gone viral for a musical instrument you created? Did you receive any awards? You get the idea now WRITE IT DOWN.

Tips for Junior Year

• Meet with your school counselor. Review your grades and discuss your graduation plans. Discuss your current GPA. Keeping in contact with your counselor is important because you will need a letter of recommendation from them next year. It is easier to ask when you know them and it’s easier for them to write a personal letter when they know you too.
• Now is the time if you haven’t already... start paying attention to when colleges come to campus for visits. Check out a few. It does not commit you to applying, but it may give you better ideas about what is important to you and where you want to apply next year.
• Start checking out colleges on-line and request information.
• Take the ACT/SAT. If you don’t like your score, consider taking it again. Check out the ACT boot camps.
• Start paying attention to the scholarship board for scholarships and essay contests that are open only to juniors.
• Take a career interest survey. Take more than one.
• Your classes will probably be tougher this year. Stay focused. Get good sleep and build in relaxation time. For some college applications, these are the last grades that will show up on your applications to them.
• Complete your Mavericks Commitment to Service project through your U.S. History class.
• Stay involved. If you have the time, say yes, instead of no.
• Grab your list! Were you selected for any varsity sports? Have you started taking leadership roles in your clubs, academies, and student government? Were you awarded most argumentative for your persuasive essay? Did you solo the Star Spangled Banner at a swim meet? What about volunteering and your MCS project? What about after-school commitments? How many hours a week are you spending on a job? This has become your activity resume! This will be VERY helpful next year.
• Make summer plans: visit colleges, consider finances, get a summer job.

Tips for Your Senior Year

• Meet with your school counselor to review your current academic standing. Finalize your last classes and make sure you are on track for graduation. You don’t want any surprises in May. 
• Retake the SAT/ACT if needed. Remember, some colleges are making these tests optional, but some are using these tests for scholarships and class placements.
• Life is about to get busy! Study hard and have fun.
• Participate in Senior only activities, like Senior Sunrise and Senior nights for sports and clubs.
• Take lots of pictures!
• Complete your Capstone Project and presentation through your Senior English class. 
• If you are thinking about applying to TMCC, submit the Promise Scholarship application before the deadline in October.
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in October.  Attend FASFA night if you need support.
• Narrow your college list down to the top five and find their application forms, deadlines, and enrollment requirements. Apply to those schools.
• Fill out a “brag sheet” and ask for letters of recommendation.
• Write college application essays.
• Attend college fairs that come to campus and visit with the military. Ask lots of questions. What about cosmetology? Consider CTE/trades. Often, these great programs will pay you while you are learning. Not interested in a four-year degree program? Look into certificates and two-year programs. There are lots of opportunities out there that you may not have considered. It is not too late. 
• Remember that list, the activity resume you’ve been working on for 3 years? You are set to finalize and submit it to colleges. It can also be used to fill out your “brag sheet” for letter of recommendation requests.
• Find and apply for local and national scholarships. See a list on our scholarships page. Deadlines for those come fast and furious in the spring!
• Order transcripts.
• Order cap and gown.
• Order graduation announcements.
• Graduate!