Talk
to members of your family about what you are thinking about
doing after high school. Your interests, and the type of career
that interests you, will help you decide which courses to take—in
high school and in college. You can even go online to find job descriptions
and salary ranges to see if those match your skills and goals.
Talk
with a guidance counselor to make sure your course
work includes the typical curriculum for a college-bound student.
The
Board of Regents, State of Iowa, which governs Iowa's three
public universities (including The University of Iowa), has
a helpful guide
called Building
Your Future* that outlines the academic preparation
you need to be admitted into one of Iowa's Regents universities. Review
this brochure even if you aren’t
sure that you want to attend a traditional four-year college
after high school. Pursuing the recommended academic track
will give you
the most flexibility when it is time to decide whether your
future includes college.
Keep
your grades up. Remember that the work you do now is laying
the foundation for your future study habits, so work hard! Focus
on core subjects like reading, writing, and math, but also hone
your typing skills and experiment with online research.
Try
to complete Algebra I and a foreign language class this
year. Tackling these pre-college course requirements now will give
you more flexibility in course selections during your senior year
in high school.
Go
online in your spare time to visit the web sites
of colleges that interest you. Review each school's degree
offerings and admission
requirements, and look for summer programs that could give
you firsthand knowledge of the college's campus, residence
halls, and faculty.
