Your school counselor is one of your most important resources. She or he can help you schedule your courses, balance your workload, and plan for college. Don't know your counselor very well? Make an appointment.
Here are some basic questions to get your conversation started. It always helps to think ahead about what you want to ask or talk about. They're busy and you're busy.
What are the required and recommended courses -- for graduation and for college prep?
How should I work my schedule so I'll complete them?
When is the Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) exam going to be given here?
Is this school a testing center for the SAT or ACT, or will I need to go somewhere nearby?
Do you have any after school or evening sessions available for college planning, or for taking the SAT or ACT?
Do you have college handbooks or other guides that I can browse or borrow? Do you have a copy of the free Taking the SAT booklet, which has a practice test in it? Or a test booklet to prepare me for the ACT?
What activities can I do at home and over the summer to get ready for college?
What kinds of grades do different colleges require?
Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?
Where do other kids from this school go?
Can you put me in touch with recent grads who are going to colleges on my wish list?
Do you have information about colleges far away, or do you favor schools nearby?
If my colleges need a recommendation from you, how can I help you know me better, so it can be more personal?
What are the requirements or standards for the honor society?
Are there any special scholarships or awards that I should know about now, so I can work toward them?
Can I see my transcript as it stands now, to see if everything is as I think it should be?
Do you have any forms I would need to apply for financial aid?
How does our school compare to others, in terms of test scores?
Getting a college degree is part of the American Dream. College graduates generally earn more money and have a better quality of life. So it’s not surprising that students from immigrant families or who are immigrants themselves are making up an increasingly larger percentage of associate’s, bachelors and masters-seeking students in America. [...]
At Scholarships.com, we help students find scholarships to pay for college tuition. But what if you didn’t have to pay tuition? There are a handful of schools in the U.S. that are tuition-free, meaning that while students may have to pay for room and board or meal plans, they do not have to pay tuition to attend the college. On the flip side, tuition-free schools may require students to work alongside their studies or, for military academies, to enlist upon graduation. [...]
In the year of COVID-19, student loan borrowers have experienced much-needed and historic college financial relief via the CARES Act, including temporary loan forbearance and significant interest rate reductions, extended through the end of 2020. One of the most beneficial outcomes of the pause of student loan payments has been the improved credit ratings of borrowers. [...]
