Here's a final excerpt from the book Getting into College and Paying for It courtesy of the author (I really liked the book -- I gave it 7 stars.) Today, we'll cover "9th Grade Summary" which is at the end of Chapter 2. It is simply a list of all the things a student should be doing in the 9th grade of high school to get into his college of choice. Here goes:
9th Grade Summary
1. Review the transcript for errors, omissions and inconsistencies.
2. Take a foreign language.
3. Negotiate for better grades.
4. Join clubs, assume a leadership position if possible, and participate in sports.
5. Begin to accumulate community service hours.
6. Begin developing the student’s resume.
7. Families should plan an official or unofficial visit to several of the colleges of choice, check out schools on the Internet, and students should seek out alumni in their area to get another perspective on colleges being considered.
8. Use tutors whenever necessary. Student tutors are acceptable.
9. Parents need to review their student’s work and grades on a weekly basis. Parents must get involved, but shouldn’t take over.
10. Parents need to personally meet with all teachers and guidance counselors and begin to nurture relationships with key players in the student’s future. “Parent’s Night” alone is not enough!
11. Lay the groundwork for superlative LOR’s (letters of recommendation).
12. Arrange for a free financial consultation with a college funding professional to determine whether income planning and/or asset repositioning are necessary. Contact me at: reecy@paylessforcollege.com.
13. Prepare for the PSAT. An exceptionally high score will qualify the student to be a National Merit Scholarship finalist. The prestige earned is far more valuable than the money awarded and will impress college admission committees.
14. Take the SATll in Biology if possible, while the subject is fresh in the student’s mind. Most other SATll’s will come later.
15. Notify guidance counselor(s) if you are also working with a college funding professional. In this way, all can work together for the ultimate goal – the best possible education for the least possible cost.
16. Visit www.monster.com – for admission matching services and their free scholarship search database.
17. Visit www.collegiatechoice.com – their unedited video tours of colleges are most impressive.
18. Visit www.nymenmtor.edu – for their online research of New York’s state colleges and universities.
19. Visit www.campustours.com – they answer questions on over 3,200 colleges and also have virtual college tours.
20. Visit www.collegboard.com – for invaluable, up-to-date college information and to calculate your EFC.
21. If possible, apply for out-of-state summer opportunities, i.e. community service, internships, etc. Any pre-university program students become involved in shows a high degree of seriousness, challenge and the all-important elements of risk and commitment.
22. Read, and read some more. Be sure to have a dictionary handy (and two dictionaries if you’re bilingual), so you can learn 5 to 10 new words every week (in each language). Just think, if you only learned one new word each day while in high school, you would have added more than 1,250 words to your vocabulary! This alone guarantees to substantially raise your SAT English score. Even if you’re a math genius, you can always afford to increase your vocabulary.
23. If offered, students should take a course in Speech or Public Speaking. It will be invaluable later on in life.
24. Students should begin to focus on a career – it’s never too early. This will make choosing a college or university much easier.
25. Try to obtain copies of college newspapers. This can be a very “eye opening” experience. If you have difficulty, go to www.cpnet.com.
26. Students should make a chart of all standardized tests (PSAT, ACT, SAT, II, etc.). List the test, date taken and the score. In this way, areas that need improvement can easily be identified. It’s never too early to get your numbers up.
27. Bilingual students need to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The TOEFL is a computer-based test consisting of 4 parts.
28. Students planning a military career will need to do research and focus on schools offering an ROTC program. They should also make every effort to keep in contact with their US Senators and Congressmen. Their LOR is required for an appointment to one of the military academies.
29. Students should consider taking classes in summer school to make dual enrollment possible in the 11th and 12th grades. This really shows foresight and maturity on the part of a promising student.
30. Students should make an effort to establish friendships with seniors and pick their brains.
31. This is the right time to begin planning 10th grade schedules to stay and keep on track.
32. Fine Arts students should try to establish a relationship with a world-class talent in their field – show them their stuff, and get an LOR. Note: It is widely perceived that contact with a world-class artist is virtually impossible, especially for an unknown high school student. Well, don’t believe it. There are many Don Quixote’s out there looking for a noble cause or gesture – find one of them. Nobody ever promised you it would be easy.
33. After reviewing your options, consider entering an IB Program by the 11th grade.You have now completed college planning for the 9th grade and are ready to move on to the 10th grade. Now is the perfect time to begin Income Planning & Asset Repositioning! (See Section II.)
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If you're not sure what some of these points mean, they are all detailed/explained in the book.
He lists these checklists for every grade of high school (see, I told you it was a thorough book!). They are just another reason this book is a must-buy for those planning to attend college in a few years (and their parents too!).
While I agree with most everything on the list, I have to take exception with #3 (Negotiate for better grades.) I think better advice would have been to learn better study habits, study harder, and EARN better grades. Personally, I'd want to know that I earned what I got, not that my skills as a car salesman got me that grade.
Posted by: J Martin | September 13, 2006 at 09:03 AM
If you read the book, he goes into detail on what this means -- and it doesn't imply getting something you don't deserve. It does mean that the student needs to be proactive and talk to teachers ahead of time and take a "what do I need to do to get a good grade" approach to their schoolwork.
Posted by: FMF | September 13, 2006 at 10:00 AM
Ahhh...that makes more sense. Thanks for the clarification.
Posted by: J Martin | September 13, 2006 at 02:50 PM
This list is great. Both my mother and aunt are high school teachers, so I knew exactly what I needed to do to get into a great college; however, I often feel sorry for the high school students I tutor. In the end, any school can work for you if you know what you want to do, but there's still something to be said for going to a big name school. My boss went to the same school I did, and I know that helped me in getting my job.
Posted by: Brianne | August 10, 2007 at 03:03 PM