Graduation will be you before you know it! It's never too soon to start thinking ahead ...
Dear Parent/Guardian of a Grade 9-12 Student,
High school will come and go really quickly for your son or daughter. You may have some questions for those of you that have children that are planning on going to college. Please review the links to handouts at right. You may find what you are looking for with this information. Please also visit the various pages listed under the Counseling Department on this website to find out more information.
A few facts for you to consider: Depending on where your son/daughter is going, he or she may not need to take the SAT or ACT or may not have to write an essay. Two-year college/community schools do not require SATs or ACTs. Most four-year colleges do. However, if you have a child going to a two-year school, the SAT or ACT will be needed in order to determine eligibility for scholarships or to play intercollegiate sports. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will need to be filled out. For seniors, this can be filled out any time after Oct. 1 of this year.
The PSAT is given to
juniors in October. The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program co-sponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT. It also gives you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools. The PSAT will be given at Holley High School in October. For more information, visit the
ACT, SAT, PSAT & ASVAB Exams (holleycsd.org) page.
SATs and/or ACTs are generally taken in May or June in 11th grade. Depending on the scores, students may have to re-take them again in the fall of their senior year.
Here are a few tips/ideas on how to start getting ready for college in 9th or 10th grade:
- Read every day - People who read more know more. Read at least 30 minutes every day, in addition to studying and doing homework. This habit will pay off when you take tests with timed reading sections, like college admission tests.
- Get involved - Getting ready for college isn't all work. Find something you really like doing, and then dive into it. Maybe you're drawn to sports, student council, music or art. Join a school group or club, or find other ways to follow your passion. You'll develop skills and show colleges you can make a commitment and stick with it.
- Take challenging courses - Take available advanced courses. Colleges look at your grades, but they also pay attention to how tough your courses are - they want to see that you've challenged yourself. Also, if you take college-level courses, you may be able to get college credit.
- Get ready for college-admission tests - As a sophomore, get on track to take the SAT or ACT. One way to do this is by taking the PSAT/NMSQT. This is not an admission test, but taking it is good practice for admission tests. If you take it again as a junior, it can also help you qualify for scholarships.
- Talk to people in the know - Find out about college admission, academics and campus life by asking someone who's experienced it, such as students from your high school who are now in college. Ask your school counselors and teachers questions and learn about their experiences. Talk to a college professor or administrator to get more information.
I hope you find the links below helpful. They should give you an idea of what to do this year. Please contact the counseling office at 638-6335, extension 5510 if you have any questions. Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Counseling Office