Determine the extent to which you believe completing a certification, two-year or four-year college degree is important for your future career and life success.

• Advance Placement Courses: Consider taking Advance Placement (“AP”) or college-level courses to help you better prepare you for college!  Visit College Board’s website to explore the different options available.  Taking AP courses in high school and passing AP exams (when certain scores are earned) can help you earn credit before you even begin college!   Learn even more about the AP exams here.
• Meet with your High School Counselor – TIP: Ensure sure you are enrolled in the right courses that will allow you to get into the college of your choice so you know the college level course entrance requirements.
• CareerZone: This is an interactive website that you can use to explore career paths based on their interests.  It allows you to analyze the opportunity outlook, school requirements, school programs, and colleges that can help you develop a “profile” and a plan for reaching specific career goals.
• Interested in Being a Student Athlete: If you are interested in playing a college sport, you need to know which courses and exams are critical for you to complete while you are in High School. Your Counselor should have additional information about the requirements or visit the NCAA website for information and resources.

Determine how confident you feel in performing critical academic tasks such as reading textbooks, preparing for tests, and working with others. Confidence is important because it indicates how much effort you will give to learning how to improve on past exams and assignments.

• Get Ready for College – Smart Phone Apps: There are a host of apps for your smartphone or tablet that can help you with college-prep.  There are apps to help you research colleges (ex: “Find Colleges” or “College Confidential”), identify and organize application tasks and deadlines (ex: Naviance Student), set up college visits (ex: “Quad2Quad”), prepare for ACT or SAT tests (ex: “EduPath SAT Prep” or “ACT Student”, proofread college essays (ex: “Essay Edge”), etc.  Browse the list here and the education section of your device’s app store to find even more.
• Paying for College: To figure out how you can pay for college tuition, research your financial aid options on the FAFSA website.
• SAT Preparation: Prepare to take the SAT test and consider taking advantage of the practice resources available online.  Make sure you are aware of the dates the SAT test is offered and where it is offered so you have plenty of time to prepare to take this test.  This test is only available on certain dates and can be taken only at approved locations. Get important dates and deadlines, here.
• ACT Preparation: Prepare to take the ACT test.  It is a good idea to take this during your 10^th and 11^th grade years, given you can take it more than one time and work on improving your score.  Visit the ACT website to find out when the test is offered.
• Preparing for the ACT: Take your ACT test prep further by downloading ACT Practice Tests, which are actual tests from previous years.  The five printable practice tests on this page include answer keys, so you can measure your performance.  The site also includes some tips on how to make your practice sessions more effective.
• Preparing College Applications: Many college applications will require you to draft an essay as part of your application. Click through this slideshow to see some of the common essay questions colleges might ask, as well as tips on how to respond to these questions in your essay.

Determine whether you find education meaningful and relevant to your career and life goals. When you find activities and courses to be meaningful and important, you are more likely to put more effort into completing these tasks.

• Build Up Your High School Resume with Extra-Curriculum Activities: The extracurricular clubs and activities you are involved with—or have the opportunity to join—can play a big role in deciding what you might pursue in college, or after college.  Did you know that these extracurricular activities also might make you more likely to be accepted at many colleges?  Find out more about the ways extracurricular clubs and activities can help you now and in your pursuit of college at the Big Future College Board website.
• Find a College that Fits: There are thousands of colleges to choose from, so start by researching options based on criteria like:  What you think you want your major to be, big or small campus, campus and housing, sports and activities, tuition costs, entrance requirements, etc…  To help you narrow your initial list of prospective schools, use the Big Future College Search Tool.
• Customize Your College Smart Phone Apps: There are a host of apps for your smartphone or tablet that can help you with college-prep. There are apps to help you research colleges (ex: “Find Colleges” or “College Confidential”), identify and organize application tasks and deadlines (ex: Naviance Student), set up college visits (ex: “Quad2Quad”), prepare for ACT or SAT tests (ex: “EduPath SAT Prep” or “ACT Student”, proofread college essays (ex: “Essay Edge”), etc.  Browse this list and the education section of your device’s app store to find even more.
• Visit Different Colleges – TIP: To best understand what college is like, visit as many colleges as possible.  Many offer tours and information sessions throughout the spring and summer allowing you to tour a dorm room, the cafeteria, lecture halls and more.  These typically require advance registration, so go to a college’s website to find out what is offered.
• Student Athlete Eligibility Requirements: If you are interested in playing a college sport, you need to know the entrance requirements to be accepted to play at various levels. For more information visit the NCAA Eligibility Center .
• Apply for Scholarships: You might be surprised to find out what scholarships are available for students.  Explore the scholarships you may be a good candidate for by visiting the Federal Student Aid website.