Preparing for college is a long journey with a great reward at its destination: your college degree. A college degree can help you reach your dreams and goals. How do you get there? The first thing to know is: you can make it happen if you're willing to prepare. It's best to start early, but it's never too late to start. What does it take? The checklists that follow, for both students and parents, organized by grade level, will explain what you need to do along the way to prepare for college.

Steps to help you prepare for your future:

College Yearly Checklist for Students

6th Grade:

Students

• Develop good study habits.
• Shoot for A’s and B’s in all of your classes.

Parents

• Help your student with school work.
• Encourage the development of independent, critical-thinking skills through reading, writing, solving problems, and asking questions.

7th Grade:

Students

• Consult with your Enrollment Advisor for help in selecting classes that will prepare you for college prep high school courses.
• Take the most challenging English and Math courses appropriate for you.
• Try to earn A’s and B’s, putting extra effort into English and Math.

Parents

• Help your student with school work.
• Encourage the development of independent, critical-thinking skills through reading, writing, solving problems, and asking questions.
• Ask teachers if your student is reading and doing math at grade level throughout the year.
• Start saving for college.  Why?  Even a few dollars a week will impress your student wit the importance of making a commitment to gaining a college education.

8th Grade:

Students

• Consult with your Enrollment Advisor to receive help in selecting classes tat will prepare you for college prep high school courses.
• Shoot for A’s and B’s in all you classes.  Doing well in your course work improves your chances for getting into the college of your choice.
• Stay focused on your classes.  Keeping up with your school work helps you master the student skills you need to be successful in high school and college.
• Take Pre-Algebra or Algebra I, and a foreign language course, if appropriate.
• Sign up to take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test) in September of 9th grade.  This test will help you gauge where you’re doing well and where you need to improve.
• Look into volunteering with an organization that’s important to you.

Parents

• Help your student with school work.
• Encourage the development of independent, critical-thinking skills through reading, writing, solving problems, and asking questions.
• Throughout the year, meet and/or speak with teachers to see how your student is doing in his or her classes.
• Talk with your student about the importance of studying hard and getting good grades to prepare for high school and college.
• Continue to save money for your student’s college education, and encourage her or him to do so as well, from any jobs available.

Please Note: While we're excited to present this tool in order to support you, we cannot guarantee the timelines, or that this is all that will be required for you to prepare for the college of your dreams. Keep in constant contact with each of your particular colleges of interest for the latest and most up-to-the-minute requirements and deadlines.