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INSTRUCTIONS
FOR PARENTS OF COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS
9th
grade
What
you can do to guide and advise your freshman.
When a
student becomes a freshman, everything starts to “count”.
Freshman grades are used in determining GPA, and GPA is used to
determine class rank. Freshman
activities, honors and awards can all be listed on college and
scholarship applications. Freshman
courses, grades, credits and attendance will all become part of the
student’s transcript.
1.
Monitor academic progress.
Make sure that you see all progress reports and report cards.
(Do not assume someone will contact you if there is a problem.)
Provide encouragement and support, making certain that your son
or daughter understands that freshman grades are vitally important.
2.
Encourage you son or daughter to become involved in a wide
variety of activities.
In
addition to asking students to list their high school activities, many
college and scholarship applications ask for evidence of leadership.
It is therefore a good idea to encourage your son or daughter to
develop leadership skills by volunteering to be an officer of a club,
captain of a team, squad leader in the band, etc.
Encourage your son or daughter to also participate in
activities outside school (e.g., church, scouting, recreational sports).
Community service is particularly impressive on an application.
Tip:
Sometime during you son or daughter’s freshman year, start
keeping a list of school activities, honors, awards, leadership
positions, employment, volunteer work, community activities, etc.
Keep a list and include everything!
This will be helpful later when your son or daughter is required
to list activities, honors, etc. on college and scholarship
applications.
3.
In the spring, review your son or daughters’ four-year plan,
making certain he/she has selected the most appropriate courses for the
sophomore year.
4.
Help your child choose meaningful activities for the summer
months.
Many excellent summer programs are available on college campuses.
There are also a wide variety of more traditional summer
activities. For example,
your son or daughter could join an athletic team, take a course, mow
yards, babysat, perfect a skill, take lessons, develop a hobby, read,
and/or volunteer at a local hospital or nursing home.
College Recommended Courses
Four-year colleges recommend students complete certain courses
while in high school. These
generally include:
4 years of English
3 years of math, including Algebra I (IA and IB), Geometry and
Algebra II
3 years of science, including two lab classes
2-3 years of the same foreign language
3 years of social studies
1 year of fine arts
although not needed for admission but very
beneficial, an advanced computer class.
Students admitted into college without all of these courses may
need to take remedial and/or additional courses at college.
A high school student who plans to attend a four-year college
should therefore try to complete all of the above-recommended courses.
Be aware, however, that many colleges would consider the above
courses as “minimum requirements”.
As a general rule, college bound students should take as much
college preparatory math, science, English, foreign language and social
studies as they can handle academically and as will fit into their high
school schedules.
NCAA requirements
Before an athlete can play a sport or receive an athletic
scholarship at a Division I or II college, he/she must meet the specific
academic criteria as set forth by the NCAA.
Because the NCAA has such
specific requirements and because these requirements can be confusing,
it is very important that athletes meet with their counselor to obtain
information on all of the NCAA requirements. At this time athletes also need to make sure that their
four-year plans include courses that will satisfy NCAA requirements.
Two-year Community Colleges
and Technical Schools
Although only 20% of today’s careers require a four-year
college degree, about 90% require education or training beyond high
school. A four-year college education is not for everyone.
In fact, students can often best prepare for many of today’s
high growth career fields by attending a community college or technical
school.
All students should take as many academic courses in high school
as possible. Students
attending a community college or technical school, however, will not be
required to complete all of the recommended college preparatory courses
in high school. These
students generally will not be required to take the ACT or SAT of
admission either.
Students who prefer to study courses that relate directly to
their career goals and/or students who enjoy a more hands-on approach to
education should consider a community college or technical school as a
post-secondary option.
Students may also begin their education at a two-year college and
later transfer to a four-year college or university to complete their
bachelor’s degree, provided they take courses that will transfer.
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