SPECIAL GUEST BLOG

College Preparation for High School Students - Academic Checkups

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG by Rhonda Manns, College Admissions Consultant, www.A2ZCollegePlanning.com

Planning on a high school diploma is not something that should begin in the senior year of high school. There are specific requirements that must be met and within a certain time frame.

You don't want your college bound student to find themselves in their senior year only to discover they neglected to complete an English or math requirement and have no space in their class schedule to accommodate its completion (I’ve seen it happen!).

At least twice during your student’s high school career, he or she should perform an academic checkup – an evaluation of the current courses being taken, those which are completed, and whether they’ll be sufficient to achieve admission into the perfect college after high school.

Here are a few tips on making the most out of a planning session and academic checkup meeting with your student's guidance counselor or college admission consultant:

1. Transcript Check Up – There’s nothing worse than finding that you’ve missed a critical credit, or that your transcript contain an error (it does happen!). Your college bound student should have a transcript checkup to make certain all graduation requirements will be met. It is advised to implement this step in the early years of high school and again in the junior or senior year.

2. Recommendation Letters - In the senior year, students should begin to request recommendation letters from their instructors to have on file for submitting along with college admissions forms and scholarship applications. This is often a source of stress for high school students, who don’t know what to ask for or how to ask in such a way as to get a great letter. A college admission consultant can help students formulate a respectful and effective approach for recommendation letters.

3. A Selection of Colleges – By Junior year, students should be prepared to discuss colleges they are considering attending so the counselor or consultant can provide input on application submission materials, GPA requirements, and provide recommendations that will make college acceptance easier.

High school guidance counselors and college admission consultants have years of experience in helping students plan and prepare for life after graduation, and they can be an invaluable resource of information and assistance.  It is essential to communicate with him/her throughout the high school years so that your student's transcript is complete and the college application process goes as smoothly as possible.

Have your student schedule a meeting with the counselor or consultant in the early years of high school, and once again at the beginning of senior year. There will be less chance of unwanted surprises that might otherwise impede graduation and college entrance.