Career and College Planning
Xello: College & Career Readiness
Preparing Students for a Successful Future
Parents, ask your UHS students to log into their Xello account and show you all that they have been doing.
TIMELINE -- What to do when! (adapted from the Scholarship System)
HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN YEAR:
FALL
- Meet your guidance counselor
- Get involved in extracurricular activities
- Enroll in the appropriate college-prep or tech-prep classes that you’re taking
- Study hard and get good grades
- Read
WINTER
- Start off on the right foot with your grades
- Explore your interests and possible careers
- Discuss your skills and interests with your guidance counselor
- Consider a college savings plan and add to an existing one if you have already have one started
- Start thinking about the classes you want to take next year
SPRING
- Getting involved: Continue to build your credentials- Keep track of your extracurricular awards, community service achievements, and anything else you participate in
- Begin learning about college
- Keep your grades up
- Schedule a meeting with your counselor to discuss your plans for the summer and the upcoming school year
- Search for summer internship opportunities
SUMMER
- Volunteer
- Get a job and begin saving for college
- Sign up for an enrichment program
- Schedule a college visit
- Create your resume and fill it with activities and accomplishments from your freshmen year
HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE YEAR:
FALL
- Take a practice PSAT
- Begin getting ready for the ACT
- Stay on track with your courses: Talk with your guidance counselor to make sure you’re enrolled in the classes you need to prepare you for college or a career
- Get familiar with general college admission requirements
- Start attending college fairs in your area
- Explore your career options in more detail: “Job shadow” someone who does what you think you’d like to do
- Look for a job and start a college savings account and regularly deposit into it
- Get involved in extracurricular activities
- Volunteer in your community
WINTER
- Stay involved with your extracurricular activities: Work toward leadership positions in the activities you like best.
- Read and practice your writing
- Meet with your guidance counselor to make sure you are on track
SPRING
- Study hard and keep your grades up: remain focused
- Start your college search
- Reach out to colleges that interest you: Ask for information about their academic requirements and any programs that potentially might interest you
SUMMER
- If you haven’t already, start preparing for the SAT or ACT
- Get a job and begin saving for college
- Volunteer
- Participate in activities that align with your interests
- Go on one or two summer campus tours at local colleges
SHOULD BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR YEAR:
- Meet your guidance counselor
- Get involved in extracurricular activities
- Consider a college savings plan and add to an existing one if you have already have one started
- Getting involved: Continue to build your credentials- Keep track of your extracurricular awards, community service achievements, and anything else you participate in
- Create your resume
- Begin getting ready for the ACT
- Stay on track with your courses: Talk with your guidance counselor to make sure you’re enrolled in the classes you need to prepare you for college or a career
- Explore your career options in more detail: “Job shadow” someone who does what you think you’d like to do
- Volunteer in your community
- Start your college search
FALL
- Start studying for the SAT/ACT, SAT Subject Tests, and AP exams as soon as the school year begins
- Take the PSAT
- Stay on track with your classes and grades
- Have your child study for the ACT/SAT
- Make a list of potential colleges you would like to attend
- Make sure your resume is up-to-date and continue updating it throughout the year
- Create a document of any awards and involvements to use in the future
- Evaluate education options: vocational-technical school, career college, two-year or four-year college, a military college
- Discuss careers and which majors can lead there
- Gather college information: Attend college fairs, and college nights and speak to representatives from colleges that attend your high school
- Begin planning campus visits
- Mark the dates on a calendar for upcoming tests: SAT, ACT, and AP exams
- Continue involvement in extracurricular and volunteer activities and seek leadership roles
- Continue building relationships with your teachers as 11th-grade teachers are the ones that you will most likely ask for letters of recommendation
- Read as much as possible: Expand your outside reading list
- If a course member, begin watching videos, implementing action items as you go
- Apply for scholarships as many allow juniors to apply
WINTER
- Stay involved with extracurricular activities
- Study for the ACT/SAT
- Getting involved: Holidays and winter break are great times to volunteer
- Organize your college information
- Start narrowing down your college choices: if you haven’t already started planning some college visits
- Note merit scholarship requirements for these colleges
- Continue discussing careers and corresponding majors
- Shadow career fields
- Prepare for standardized tests: research the test requirements of the colleges you wish to attend (SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject Tests) and register for the tests
- Learn more about financial aid
- Apply for scholarships: find scholarships with little competition but can fund a free ride
- Start planning for a productive summer: Check on internship deadlines
- If a course member, winter break is a great time to implement a large portion of the materials
SPRING
- Getting involved: Some schools allow new members to join after winter break
- Prepare your class schedule for senior year: stick with a schedule that challenges you versus all easy classes/meet with your school counselor to discuss your options
- Consider ways to earn college credit via Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, CLEP, or Dual Enrollment courses
- Continue your scholarship search and apply: find scholarships with little competition BUT will fund a free ride
- Contact your letter of recommendation writers: employer, coach, activity leader, or adult who knows you well outside of school
- Check for local scholarships in the guidance office before the school year ends
- Apply for a summer internship or job
- Set up appointments at your top college choices including a personal interview, tour of the campus, and meet with a professor/coach
SUMMER
- Visit Colleges: Visit the top 5 campuses on your list
- Work a summer job to gain experience, build a resume, and save money for college
- Maximize summer to build competitiveness
- Talk to others about their experience in college especially if the student is attending a college on your list
- Organize your financial aid information
- Start working on your college application essays: Have a teacher read and discuss the essays with you
- Continue to pursue scholarship opportunities and apply! *Junior year summer is ideal for mastering the scholarship process, slowly working through the 6-step process Doing so over the summer means you can have materials ready to reuse for senior year!
- Letters of Recommendation: Request these letters with at least a 2-week notice
- Develop a strong personal statement for scholarships
- Retake the SAT/ACT to improve the score
- Finalize personal statement based on junior year
- Write down all deadlines for FAFSA, admissions applications, and scholarships (including state-based and merit-based scholarships)
A COMPLETE COLLEGE-PREP CHECKLIST: HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR YEAR
THINGS THAT SHOULD BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR YEAR
- Make a list of potential colleges you would like to attend
- Make sure your resume is up-to-date and continue updating it throughout the year
- Discuss careers and which majors can lead there
- Gather college information: Attend college fairs, and college nights and speak to representatives from colleges that attend your high school
- Apply for scholarships
- Learn and organize your financial aid
- Consider ways to earn college credit via Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, CLEP, or Dual Enrollment courses
- Set up appointments at your top college choices including a personal interview, tour of the campus, and meet with a professor/coach if desired
- Start working on your college application essays: Have a teacher read and discuss the essays with you
- Discuss Letters of Recommendation: Request these letters with at least a 2-week notice
- Take the SAT/ACT
FALL
- Getting involved: It’s never too late for students to get involved
- Continue to visit schools
- Finalize your college list: use all the information that has been gathered from your college visits, interviews, and your own research to determine which schools you wish to apply to
- Stay on track with grades and extracurricular activities: don’t slack off colleges look into what you have done your senior year too!
- Take your standardized tests: Register for and take the ACT, SAT, or SAT Subject Tests (as necessary).
- Create a calendar detailing application deadlines for admission, financial aid, and scholarships
- Create a final draft of your resume
- Ask for letters of recommendation: request these with at least a 2 weeks notice
- Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss options for scholarships and admissions
- Retake the ACT/SAT at least once, perhaps twice depending on the score
- Complete applications: Finish application forms for the schools you are interested in. *To avoid rushing to make deadlines, complete prior to winter break*
- Check that colleges received all materials: applications, letters of recommendation, and test scores
- Submit financial aid forms: Fill out the FAFSA no matter what, and if necessary, the PROFILE as early as possible beginning in October
- Continue your scholarship search: use the successful strategies we cover – October is a major scholarship month!
WINTER
- Continue building involvement
- Follow up on your college applications: Check with the schools to make sure they have received all your information, including test scores, transcripts, and recommendations
- Take the ACT/SAT if scores can still be submitted to colleges
- Keep working hard on your grades
- Complete remaining admissions applications
- Compare the costs of the schools your child is considering
- Update personal statement with Fall semester experiences
- If a course member, winter break is a great time to implement a large portion of the materials
- Work a part-time job for experience and to save money
- Continue with your scholarship search: Holiday breaks are a great time to knock out some applications
SPRING
- Continue saving up for college (part-time job wages)
- Keep an eye out in the mail for notification from colleges: Admissions decisions go out by March or April
- Keep your grades up
- Have a family meeting about college finances/financial aid and compare financial aid packages: ideally debt-free options
- Check out your options if you’re put on a waitlist: Keep in mind being put on a waitlist does not mean rejection. You should receive a decision by May
- Prepare for any last standardized tests: AP, IB, and CLEP exams
- Choose your school: Notify all colleges of your decision by May 1st
- Complete enrollment paperwork for the college you will attend: complete all paperwork by the deadline (this includes: course scheduling, orientation sessions, housing arrangements, and other necessary forms)
- Don’t give up on scholarships there’s still time to apply and receive money for the Fall semester! Use the successful strategies we cover
- Just in case, begin researching and learning about student loans
SUMMER
- Getting involved: Have your child join organizations if they haven’t already
- Work and save money for college expenses
- Continue to apply for scholarships – deadlines go all the way through July and into August for money for the fall!: use the successful strategies we cover
- Be on the lookout for college admission notifications
- Research student loans if needed, narrowing down your choices
- Talk with your child about college bills