Choose
your classes carefully to make sure they will later
satisfy the requirements for admission to your college of
choice. Talk to
your high school counselor and review the recommendations
in Building
Your Future*, a brochure created for college-bound
students by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, which governs
The University
of Iowa.
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.
Make
a list of colleges that interest you and create a filing
system to keep track of information about them.
Establish
your college selection criteria and create a checklist.
A college's size, distance from your home, academic offerings,
opportunities for social involvement, and job placement rates
might all be factors
to consider. Use your filing system to keep track of contact
information, admission requirements, important dates, and
application deadlines
for each school. Also, keep lists of what you like, what you
don't like, and information you still need from each school.
Sign
up for a summer program. Spending time on a campus
can help you determine if it is right for you.
Signing
up for a summer program at a college that interests you will
allow you to check things
out. The University of Iowa offers a variety of Youth
and Pre-College Programs to choose from year-round. Even
if you don't end up at the school you visit, you will still
learn a lot, make new friends, and become more familiar with
college life.
Participate
in extracurricular activities at school and in your community.
College admission and scholarship applications ask about and value
this type of experience. Keep a list of these activities, awards,
honors, jobs (volunteer or paid), and offices you held in organizations.
Update your list at the end of every term to make those senior-year
forms (and college applications) easier to complete.
Learn
and master time-management skills
and avoid overextending yourself. Academics should take priority
over extracurricular activities for college-bound high school students.
Use
your summer vacation to
hone your skills in any academic areas in which you underperformed
during the school year. Retake a class during summer school or simply
review course materials in your spare time. Succeeding in college
requires mastering the basic academic skills you learn in high school.
