GETTING READY FOR COLLEGE

DO'S & DON'TS FOR THE COLLEGE BOUND

By Cheryl Rilly

It’s never too early to make sure you’re on the right track to get into the college of your choice. Here are a few “do’s and don’ts” to help you on your way.

Do- focus on your GPA! Take the most challenging courses you can. If you’re a senior, it doesn’t mean you can relax. Colleges have been known to rescind their acceptance offers if you don’t keep up your GPA.

Don’t- take AP classes unless you can do well in them. A low grade can crash your overall GPA.

Do- start looking for colleges ASAP. Make sure you include “safety” schools (colleges that you’re sure to get into) on your list.

Don’t- disregard the above advice. Plenty of students with great GPAs and SAT/ACT scores get rejected by colleges every year.

Do- visit the government Web site www.bls.gov/oco. There you’ll find the Occupational Outlook Handbook. You’ll get the lowdown on every job in America – educational requirements, job outlook and salary. Browse around and see what interests you.

Don’t- forget to talk to adults about their jobs. Do they like them? What would they do differently? Are they making the money they thought they would? Are they satisfied? Don’t know anyone with the career you want to pursue? Call a company and ask for the person with that job. As long as you’re respectful, most people are more than happy to give you advice.

Do- start researching scholarships as early as your freshman year. The more scholarships you know about, the more likely you are to get one.

Don’t- forget to ask your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles if the companies they work for offer scholarships to family members.

Do- get to know at least two teachers whom you’ll be able to ask for a recommendation.

Don’t- put off asking teachers for letters of recommendation until the last minute. Your application won’t be considered by a college until it’s complete. If the letter is late and the college is on a rolling admission (first come, first served), it can hamper your chances.

Do- take the SAT and ACT your junior year. If your scores are lower than you’d like, you’ll have time to take them again.

Don’t- take the tests cold. Both the SAT and ACT have Web sites where you can take practice tests, and there are plenty of resources to help you study.

Do- start talking to your parents about what finances are available for your college education. Ask them to look into federal financial aid to see what help is available.

Don’t- overlook community colleges, especially if money is tight. You can take the core curriculum at a CC at a much lower dollar-per-credit-hour rate, and since most CCs act as “feeders” to four-year colleges, you’ll be able to transfer in. (This is also a good plan if your GPA isn’t up to par).

Do- get involved in extracurricular activities. Try a variety to see what interests you, but...

Don’t- overdo it! Colleges don’t want a laundry list of things you belong to. They want to see you involved, interested, taking on leadership roles and being a team player.

Do- take a deep breath and relax! Even though it doesn’t seems like it could, everything does work out in the end.

Cheryl Rilly is the author of COUNTDOWN TO COLLEGE: 21 ‘TO DO’ LISTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL and the creative director of Front Porch Press.