Are you ready?

 

You’ve probably chosen your classes by now, but that’s only a small part of being ready for high school.

Do you have..?

·        Career goals. Find jobs that might interest you. You don’t need a job title, but strong career possibilities are good.

·        4-year plan. Don’t just select classes for next year; think about classes for the next four years. Take your possible careers and select classes that help you in that field. Your planning will impress colleges. Just make sure to include Advanced Placement (AP) classes!

·        Extracurricular Activities. Extracurricular activities are also a great way to explore career interests and impress colleges, if you choose them carefully. Colleges look at everything you do in high school; give them something to look at.

·        Learning style. You need to know how you learn best. In high school, there’s more work to do and less time to do it. Not using your learning style to play to your strengths means working harder to keep up.

·        Reading level. You should be reading books at a high-school level, but which ones? Freshmen and seniors read very different books for English class. We have 100 literary classics on our college prep reading list that give you a head start on this year’s assignments.

·        Financial planning for college. If you haven’t begun saving for college, you’re already behind. And even among parents who save, they likely haven’t saved enough. The average family only saves enough to pay for 18% of college costs. Develop a plan – learn to maximize your financial aid. Getting every penny you deserve is the best way to pay for college!

You want to use college prep to achieve your goals, do more and be the best candidate at your chosen colleges. The key is to aim for the highest level possible. If you aim for the Ivy League but don’t get in, you’ll still land at a very good school.

 

That’s why college prep works best as a 4-5 year plan. It gives you more time to work toward your goals. With long-range college prep you develop and implement a comprehensive plan to reach the right college for you. That’s difficult to do if you start college prep junior year. You’re already halfway through high school, meaning those who started early are way ahead of you in the college admissions line.

 

What’s good about getting ready for high school now is that it’s also getting you ready for college – if done correctly. Determine your goals and then be determined to meet them with a 4-year plan developed with RSC’s tools.

 

For more on how to do this, attend an online college prep workshop specifically designed to help 8^th graders start preparing for college now. Register here or call 800-898-4636 and get started!