February Newsletter

Dear Students & Parents,

The month of February sits on the border of winter and spring. The days will start to get longer and if you’re in the upper regions of the country, the snow will begin to fall less and less. Soon, February will lead us into March and spring will peek its head around the corner. Meanwhile, we have outlined the most important areas for you to consider and be working through.

The newsletter breaks down action steps for each grade level. Each grade level breaks down the action steps for both the student and parent in that grade level. Be sure to seek out your own specific grade level/section and read the outlined tips.

If you have not logged into your College Strategy account in 2+ weeks, please be sure to revisit your “Recommended Student To-Do Actions” lesson to jump back in and keep moving forward through the process.

Freshman Students

Keep a journal to record your involvement in activities

If you are not already doing this, we highly recommend that you start. When it comes time to list your activities on your college applications (during the fall of senior year), you will have space to explain your role in each activity you participate in. Having specific notes to jog your memory will help you write this section AND make your application stand out.

Reflect on how your year is going so far

If you start to notice yourself struggling, check in with yourself and reflect. If you are doing well, that is also a great time for reflection. Remember: reflection helps us grow!

Below is a list of questions for you to consider.

• What study habits are working for me?
• What study habits could I improve?
• What am I most excited about this year?
• Is this year going the way I want it to?
• What goals have I set for myself?
• What goals have I accomplished?
• If I have not set any specific goals, what kinds of goals could I set for myself?

Freshman Parents

Check-in with your student and provide encouragement if necessary

Freshman year is a big transitional year for your student. If you notice your student is struggling, be sure to check in with them. We’ve included a list of possible questions below that might help you, if necessary.

• How are you feeling overall about your freshman year so far?
• What has been the most challenging part?
• When homework gets hard for you, what do you do?
• What subjects are you doing well in?
• What subjects do you maybe need some extra help in?

 Drive through a nearby college campus with your student

It’s never too early for the student to start picturing life as a college student! Driving through campus can help the student begin developing preferences and better understand what kind of campus they could be successful at in the future.

Sophomore Students

Register for a foundation test (SAT or ACT)

We recommend taking a test this year to see what your initial foundation score is with no preparation. This serves as a baseline score that will help you figure out which areas you are strong in and which areas need to be improved. Since this is your first test and we do not recommend prepping for it, all you need to do is get registered.

Below are the links to get registered:

SAT: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration

ACT: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration.html

Be sure to get a good night’s sleep, eat a nutritious breakfast, and do your absolute best!

Take the MyPlan Assessments (if you haven’t already)

By taking the four assessments on the MyPlan program you will be matched with hundreds of possible careers! Sophomore year is the perfect time to start this process. Our hope for you is that you take the assessments, dive DEEP into research and that you change your mind as many times as possible during your high school career. It’s so important to consider all the options and all of the different aspects of each career of interest.

If you have not already taken your MyPlan assessments, then it’s time to get started. Please visit the lesson titled “Career Assessments & Research: How-To Use MyPlan.” There are multiple video lessons that will walk you through the entire process.

Sophomore Parents

Check-in with your student and provide encouragement if necessary

Each year of high school will progressively become more and more challenging for the student. If you notice your student is struggling, be sure to check in with them. We’ve included a list of possible questions below that might help you, if necessary.

• How are you feeling overall about your sophomore year so far?
• What has been the most challenging part?
• When homework gets hard for you, what do you do?
• What subjects are you doing well in?
• What subjects do you maybe need some extra help in?

Ask your student questions about college preferences

It’s important that your student begins to consider all of the different preferences they may have when it comes to the type of college they would be most successful at. Below are some of the most important preferences to consider.

Small, medium, or large student population?

Most public universities have larger student populations. This oftentimes ends up meaning larger student-to-professor ratios and less individualized attention. If the student is concerned about doing well without those smaller class sizes and individualized attention, then a small to medium campus could be a better fit.

Near, far-ish, or far away from home?

In the past, our advisors have worked with students who pictured themselves going to college out of state and far away from home. However, when we asked the student questions about what it would feel like to really be that far away from home, to understand the number of miles between here and there, we would oftentimes sense a shift in the student. When the student started to break it down and fully understand what living that far away meant, they would generally start making some preference changes.

While there are always students who are ready and up for the challenge of going to college far away from home, we want to make sure that every student considers what it means to do so, with the hope of helping those students who are not truly prepared to live that far away from home avoid the mistake of attending college out of state and then transferring back in state one to two semesters later (which can be very expensive).

Junior Students

Stay consistent with ePrep and/or Khan Academy

By now, most of you are likely in the thick of test preparation for your spring SAT or ACT. We know that junior year can be hectic, and quite stressful, as you prep for these tests while also keeping your grades up.

Do your best to manage your time efficiently and always ask for help when you need it!

Notes for ePrep Users:

As you review the many different lessons and topics under the Study Hall tab, be sure to keep a list of any areas that you are still struggling with after you review. You can bring this list of problem areas to a teacher, friend, or parent in order to get some extra help before the test. We recommend doing this during the 2-3 weeks leading up to your test so that the information is fresh in your mind.

Notes for Khan Academy Users:

If you are preparing for the ACT using Khan Academy, it will be most beneficial for you to review concepts in the different subject areas (since Khan Academy does not specifically cater to ACT prep). These subject lessons will help you get a better grasp of the content, especially when it comes to math topics. If there is an area you are struggling with, be sure to bring these concepts to a teacher, friend, or parent in order to get some extra help before your test.

Reflect on how your year is going

Junior year can be one of the most stressful years of your high school career. If you start to notice yourself struggling, check in with yourself and reflect. If you are doing well, that is also a great time for reflection. Remember: reflection helps us grow!

Below is a list of questions for you to consider.

• What study habits are working for me?
• What study habits could I improve?
• What am I most excited about this year?
• Is this year going the way I want it to?
• What goals have I set for myself?
• What goals have I accomplished?
• If I have not set any specific goals, what kinds of goals could I set for myself?

Junior Parents

Encourage your student to stay consistent with test preparation (ePrep or Khan Academy)

Junior year is a busy and stressful year for your student. While juggling coursework, activities, a job, and/or family responsibilities, we have also asked them to commit to 8 weeks of test preparation leading up to this spring SAT or ACT. We know this can be overwhelming for students. At this time in his or her high school career, they may need more support and encouragement than ever before.

Notes about the spring test:

Public high schools offer a free SAT or ACT during school hours (generally the week after spring break… strange, we know). If you attend a private high school or are homeschooled, you will very likely need to register for a spring test on your own.

If you are unable to afford to purchase an ePrep test preparation course ($129 for an 8-week course), there are a couple of other options. You can use the 30-day free trial of ePrep for the spring test. We recommend that the student starts using the 30-day free trial 30 days prior to the test date. Before that 30 day mark, the student could use Khan Academy (a free resource) to begin prep beforehand.

While we know that the ePrep test prep course can be a hefty expense for many families, it is important to note that a score increase on the SAT or the ACT will result in the student being in a higher scholarship bracket. This could mean thousands and thousands (and in some cases tens of thousands) of dollars in merit-based scholarships.

Check-in with your student and provide encouragement if necessary

Jumping off the last point, we have provided a list of questions below that might be helpful in order for you to check in with your student (especially if you notice that your student is struggling with the chaos of junior year).

We’ve included a list of possible questions below that might help you, if necessary.

• How are you feeling overall about your junior year so far?
• What has been the most challenging part?
• When homework gets hard for you, what do you do?
• What subjects are you doing well in?
• What subjects do you maybe need some extra help in?

Senior Students

Continue to work on and submit third-party scholarships

Many local third-party scholarship deadlines land on March 1st. Be sure to check each third-party scholarship deadline that you are working on to ensure that you have or are on track to submit by the proper deadline.

Keep in mind that searching for and applying to third-party scholarships is something you can do year-round. Keep your eyes and ears open for the many opportunities around you!

Think about summer employment opportunities

On average, there is usually approximately $3,000 in indirect costs for college each year. These indirect costs include books, transportation, and personal expenses. This is money that is not paid directly to the college, but that still needs to be budgeted for.

How much money do you think you could save to put toward these expenses for next year? Getting a summer job could help you save money and go into your freshman year of college financially prepared.

Senior Parents

Continue to collect and input award letters into your spreadsheet

Each and every award letter you receive should be inputted into your own Award Letter Comparison Sheet. We highly recommend making a habit of inputting these immediately upon receiving them. Also, be sure to keep those award letters in a safe place.

This is especially important because if we use an award letter from a specific college as leverage for an appeal at another college, the college we appealed to might request to see the award letter in order to confirm.

It’s a good idea to dedicate a folder to these award letters and correspondences from the college. Having these all in the same place will be beneficial.

Check-in with your student and provide encouragement if necessary

It’s important that you continue to check in with your student throughout senior year. Your student is about to go through a major life transition, and mentally preparing for that is crucial.

Below are some questions that may help you get your student talking about any concerns they have about the future.

• How are you feeling about going away to college next year? If applicable.
• What will you miss the most about home? If applicable.
• Do you feel prepared for college classes next year?
• What are you most excited about?
• What are you most nervous about?
• Are there any study habits you might need to modify/improve in order to be successful next year?
• Are you still planning to pursue _____? (Insert student’s #1 career interest).
• What excites you most about this career?

Quote of the month

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

– Michelangelo

 We hope this month’s newsletter will help you continue forward through your college planning journey and we’ll be back next month with more!

Until next time…

All the best,

Hannah at CollegeStrategy