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How can I prepare for college?
I'll be graduating in a year or so, and I'd want to get some tips and advice on college readiness.
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Grant’s Answer
Hi Elaine! here are some tips to help you prepare for college:
1. Academic Preparation: Make sure your high school curriculum aligns with the academic requirements of the colleges you're interested in. Take advanced classes if possible to get a feel for college-level coursework.
2. Financial Planning: Understand the costs associated with college, including tuition, books, housing, and living expenses. Start exploring scholarships, grants, and work-study opportunities.
3. Develop Good Study Habits: College coursework can be challenging and requires a significant amount of self-study. Develop good study habits now to prepare for the rigor of college academics.
4. Career Exploration: Start thinking about potential career paths. Research what degrees and courses are beneficial for those careers. This can help guide your college major decision.
5. Life Skills: Learn basic life skills like doing laundry, cooking, managing money, and time management. These skills will be invaluable when living independently at college.
6. Emotional Readiness: College is a significant transition and can be stressful. Build a strong support system and learn stress management techniques. It's also helpful to familiarize yourself with the mental health resources available at your future college.
Remember, preparation is key. The more you prepare now, the smoother your transition to college will be.
I hope this helps!
1. Academic Preparation: Make sure your high school curriculum aligns with the academic requirements of the colleges you're interested in. Take advanced classes if possible to get a feel for college-level coursework.
2. Financial Planning: Understand the costs associated with college, including tuition, books, housing, and living expenses. Start exploring scholarships, grants, and work-study opportunities.
3. Develop Good Study Habits: College coursework can be challenging and requires a significant amount of self-study. Develop good study habits now to prepare for the rigor of college academics.
4. Career Exploration: Start thinking about potential career paths. Research what degrees and courses are beneficial for those careers. This can help guide your college major decision.
5. Life Skills: Learn basic life skills like doing laundry, cooking, managing money, and time management. These skills will be invaluable when living independently at college.
6. Emotional Readiness: College is a significant transition and can be stressful. Build a strong support system and learn stress management techniques. It's also helpful to familiarize yourself with the mental health resources available at your future college.
Remember, preparation is key. The more you prepare now, the smoother your transition to college will be.
I hope this helps!
Updated
Grace’s Answer
Hi Elaine, starting to look at colleges is an exciting and somewhat scary time for most high school juniors and seniors. In terms of academics, don't let your grades slip as you get closer to graduation. Your GPA will impact admissions and often is in consideration for scholarships. Also, make sure you know if a school you are applying to will require SAT or ACT scores as some universities are beginning to bring back this requirement. If the colleges you are applying to don't require SAT/ACT scores but you feel like other aspects of your application are lacking (maybe you're lacking in extra curriculars or your GPA isn't as high as you'd like it) I would look into taking one or both tests and trying to get a higher score to boost your application. If you are going to take the SAT and/or ACT, take it seriously and schedule your first attempt early enough that you can retake it to hopefully boost your score. You might also want to start practicing writing your college application essays. It feels really overwhelming when you're given a pretty basic topic (which you usually are, something like a hardship you endured or your strengths and weaknesses) and you're supposed to make yourself sound unique and accomplished at the ripe age of 17/18. Take a look at some of the most common college essay topics and try to write some practice essays. This will get you thinking about your life experiences and how you can mold them into an impressive essay. If you graduate in a year I'm assuming you are wrapping up your junior year right now. If this is the case, I would take this summer to really start thinking about what colleges you want to apply to. It's the perfect time to do a road trip to some colleges to tour, even though campus won't be as busy is it is in the fall. There are a lot of things to consider like big versus small school, city versus small/college town, public versus private, etc. so it's good to get a head start on thinking about these things before applications open. Also, if you can afford the application fees, apply to a university even if you think you won't get in. Maybe not Harvard, but if there's a university you're not sure about, just apply because you'll never know if you don't send in that application. You also never know what scholarships a school will offer you (I received exponentially more scholarship money from a private university than the public one I ended up attending).
In terms of your personal life, if you plan on going to a university farther from home, soak up your time in your home town/state. If you're looking at colleges out-of-state, eat all the foods local to California that you won't be able to get somewhere else. Also, don't get too caught up in where your best friends want to go to college. It's great if your college plans line up with your friends', but ultimately it is YOUR college experience and it can have a large impact on the job you get post-college. If the friendship means enough to both sides, you will keep it up long distance while in college.
My last piece of advice is to use your resources! There are lots of websites where you can find the average GPA, test scores, etc. of accepted students; average cost of attendance; average scholarship amounts; etc. Reddit can be a good source of personal stories about admissions or life at a university, but I'll say take that with a grain of salt as people are more likely to complain online than tell their success stories. Choosing a college will probably be the biggest decision you've made at this point of your life so make sure you use your support network (friends, family, trusted teachers or coaches, etc.) when you feel overwhelmed. Good luck!
In terms of your personal life, if you plan on going to a university farther from home, soak up your time in your home town/state. If you're looking at colleges out-of-state, eat all the foods local to California that you won't be able to get somewhere else. Also, don't get too caught up in where your best friends want to go to college. It's great if your college plans line up with your friends', but ultimately it is YOUR college experience and it can have a large impact on the job you get post-college. If the friendship means enough to both sides, you will keep it up long distance while in college.
My last piece of advice is to use your resources! There are lots of websites where you can find the average GPA, test scores, etc. of accepted students; average cost of attendance; average scholarship amounts; etc. Reddit can be a good source of personal stories about admissions or life at a university, but I'll say take that with a grain of salt as people are more likely to complain online than tell their success stories. Choosing a college will probably be the biggest decision you've made at this point of your life so make sure you use your support network (friends, family, trusted teachers or coaches, etc.) when you feel overwhelmed. Good luck!
Updated
Sydney’s Answer
Hello Elaine! I want to reinforce some of the advice you've already received on this post, while also offering some additional guidance to help you prepare:
- Begin exploring schools that align with your passions: Every college has its unique strengths and offerings, so it's crucial to identify those that match your interests. As your passions evolve throughout your college journey, starting with a college that supports your current interests can be highly beneficial.
- Cultivate a robust work ethic early: College life can demand a lot of your time, making it essential to establish good study habits and skills well in advance. While you'll have the opportunity to fine-tune your approach once you start your college courses, proactively working on these skills can only benefit you!
- Decide where you'd like to spend your college years: Have you always dreamt of studying in a different state or even abroad? Or would you prefer to stay closer to home? Considering you'll likely spend 3-5 years in undergraduate studies, it's important to choose a location where you'll be content. The environment significantly affects our daily lives, so it's important to understand what you want in terms of your living situation.
- Engage in conversations with mentors: Mentors can come in many forms - counselors, family members, teachers, or coaches. The prospect of college can be overwhelming as high school comes to an end, so discussing your thoughts and concerns with someone you consider knowledgeable or good at giving advice can be very beneficial. Plus, talking through your feelings can be quite therapeutic!
Whether you’re starting college or finishing up your studies, Access Your Potential Career Readiness and Digital Skills curricula are available to help you grow and discover what you want for your career. For more information: http://accessyourpotential.pwc.com/.
- Begin exploring schools that align with your passions: Every college has its unique strengths and offerings, so it's crucial to identify those that match your interests. As your passions evolve throughout your college journey, starting with a college that supports your current interests can be highly beneficial.
- Cultivate a robust work ethic early: College life can demand a lot of your time, making it essential to establish good study habits and skills well in advance. While you'll have the opportunity to fine-tune your approach once you start your college courses, proactively working on these skills can only benefit you!
- Decide where you'd like to spend your college years: Have you always dreamt of studying in a different state or even abroad? Or would you prefer to stay closer to home? Considering you'll likely spend 3-5 years in undergraduate studies, it's important to choose a location where you'll be content. The environment significantly affects our daily lives, so it's important to understand what you want in terms of your living situation.
- Engage in conversations with mentors: Mentors can come in many forms - counselors, family members, teachers, or coaches. The prospect of college can be overwhelming as high school comes to an end, so discussing your thoughts and concerns with someone you consider knowledgeable or good at giving advice can be very beneficial. Plus, talking through your feelings can be quite therapeutic!
Whether you’re starting college or finishing up your studies, Access Your Potential Career Readiness and Digital Skills curricula are available to help you grow and discover what you want for your career. For more information: http://accessyourpotential.pwc.com/.