How to Pick the Right Courses for Your Future

The main reason you're in school is to earn your degree, so picking the right courses at the right time and in the right order, is critical to your success.

To help you choose your courses, talk to your adviser. No matter how big or small your school is; you should have an adviser who helps make sure you are on track to earning your degree. Check in with them, no matter how sure you are about your choices. Not only does your adviser most likely need to sign off on your selections, but they can also help alert you to things you may not even have considered.

Make sure to balance your schedule and try not to set yourself up for failure by thinking you can handle more courses than you usually take. Make sure your schedule has varying levels of difficulty. If possible, vary subject matters so that you aren't using one part of your brain all day and choose courses with varying due dates for major projects and exams. When you choose courses, think about your learning style. If, for example, you learn better in the morning, you may want to schedule your more difficult courses for earlier and save electives for the afternoon or evening. See what options you have within a department or course section and pick something that matches best with your learning style.

Do you know of a professor in your department that you have heard has a great teaching style? See if you can take a course with them this semester, or if it would be better to wait until a later time. If you've found a professor with whom you intellectually click, taking another class with them can help you get to know them better and may lead to other things like research opportunities and letters of recommendation. If you're unfamiliar with professors on campus but know that you learn best from a professor’s particular teaching style, such as one who engages a class instead of one who only lectures, ask around and see what experience other students have had with various professors and their teaching styles.

Finally, when choosing classes, consider your work schedule and other commitments. If you know that you will need to have an on-campus job or need to do an internship for your major consider taking a class in the evenings. Planning around your commitments can help to reduce your stress level once the semester is well underway.

High School Juniors – the “Golden Year” for College-Bound Students

It is in the junior year of high school that you'll make critical decisions that could have a major impact on the next five years of your life (and beyond!) as you start narrowing down lists of colleges and career paths. Here are some of those major decisions.

Classes and Grades. The junior year selection of classes--and the grades you receive in them--is very important because it is the last full year of grades that admissions will review while deciding your future. You'll want to stick to a tough regimen of college-prep classes, including some advanced-placement or other honors classes, if possible. Don't go crazy with the courses and overload yourself, but the courses and grades you receive in your junior year are very important. Some of the teachers you have for classes in your junior year may also play an important role for you in your senior year; you may need to ask them to write you a letter of recommendation for college.

Standardized Tests. The junior year, from start to end, is filled with standardized tests. Early in the year, you'll take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). This test, which measures critical reading, math problem-solving and writing skills, is important for a few reasons. It’s a good indicator and excellent preparation for the SAT test that you will take at the end of your junior year, your score may qualify you for a select group of merit scholarships, and it's one of the first chances you have to begin requesting information from colleges.

College Planning. The junior year is also the time to get organized for handling the blitz of college material that will be coming your way. The whole college search can be a little unnerving, a bit daunting, so just relax and take your time during this year and the summer that follows to really focus on finding the right mix of colleges for you. It is a good idea to develop some sort of filing system so that the information from the colleges on your short list is easy to find when you need them.

Try to use your junior year as a time to get ahead and to start planning academically for your future. Remember that the more you accomplish in your junior year, the more you can relax and truly enjoy your senior year in high school!

School Resources for Efficient College Planning - The Guidance Counselor

When the high school years roll around, parents are often less involved at their child's school than they were in the elementary and middle school years. However, there are benefits to opening up communications with certain individuals at the school to help with college planning. This usually includes the school guidance counselor and members of the teaching staff as well.

An often overlooked yet useful school resource is the guidance counselor. They are generally the ones responsible for handling transcripts, tracking student credits to be sure they have what is required for graduation, and much more.

They know what is required for the different types of high school diplomas offered, college scholarships students can apply for, admissions requirements for many different schools and colleges, and tips on applying for financial aid.

Let the guidance counselor at your child's high school know early in the freshman year that your student has plans to attend college. By doing so early, the counselor can better guide you and your child with regard to many different aspects involved with college planning.

Sure, there are many things you and your child can, and should, do on your own for college preparation. However, a trained and experienced guidance counselor can help make the process much easier and possibly steer you toward some benefits and advantages you might not find otherwise.

It is important to avoid taking a back seat with something as important as college planning for your student. The proper planning will assure that your student is fully prepared when it comes time to undergo the proper testing, apply for scholarships and aid, and apply and be accepted at the college they wish to attend.

The high school counselor can provide not only guidance in steps for proper planning, but also other resources such as study materials, suggested clubs your student should join to enhance their college application, and advanced placement course information which can help them sign up for classes that can earn them college credit while still in high school.

Communication between parents and the school can usually be handled via email for parents who work during the day. So don't delay letting the high school counselor know of your student's college intentions. It will help both you and your child plan better for the college years ahead. 

Why Do Families Need a College Admission Consultant?

One of most frequent questions we get here at A2Z College Planning is “Why do I need a College Admission Consultant?” It comes in a variety of forms, but they all address the same thing – what value does a CAC bring to your family?

To answer the question simply – College Admissions Consultants save you time, money, and frustration, and ensure that you’re doing everything you can to help your child achieve his or her college dreams!

Won’t a College Admission Consultant cost a lot of money?
College is expensive, and there’s simply no getting around it. More than 100 colleges in the United States estimate first year expenses at over $50,000. More importantly, your student’s college experience has a tremendous impact on his/her success for the rest of his/her adult life! With that kind of importance placed on college admissions, parents place a high value on ensuring their child gets into the best school and the right school.

 College Admission Consultants work hard to provide a service that is cost-effective and ensures success. A2Z College Planning offers programs as low as $29.95 per month for college planning!

My student already has a Guidance Counselor; isn’t that enough?
Guidance Counselors are some of the most devoted and wonderful people in our high school systems, but the fact is that they’re frequently overwhelmed by the sheer number of students they have to support and limited in how much time they can spend with each individual.

College Planning Consultants provide the dedicated one-on-one  support that your student needs to get ahead in the college planning process, and they provide objective guidance on how they should structure their Junior and Senior years to achieve the best success. We work with your school counselor to provide the best advice for your student.

College planning takes so much time and effort! How can I manage one more thing?
College admissions and college planning do take time and effort, but it doesn’t have to be a daunting task! Parents often start early (as early as Grade 8) to build a plan that will ensure their child’s success.

College Planning Consultants share the burden of college planning with you and your student. More importantly, we provide experience, advice, and guidance that you may not find anywhere else, so you can direct your time and energy exactly where it’s needed to help your child achieve success.