Planning for College Timeline Freshman & Sophomore Years
Freshman Year: This year is important for you to develop the study strategies that will serve you throughout your academic career. You will begin to develop a co-curricular and volunteer record. You will also begin thinking about your post-Prep options.
September
- Freshman counselors visit classes to welcome the new students and to introduce the counseling process.
- Freshman counselors meet with small groups of freshman to help familiarize students with the counseling environment.
- Freshmen will complete an initial questionnaire with personal goals.
October
- Freshmen counselors will register students on TCCI/Family Connection and students will complete the Learning Style Inventory and update their profile.
March
- Freshmen counselors will guide students in the process of developing a resume on TCCI/Family Connection and update their profile.
- Use vacation trips to visit college campuses in the vicinity of your family’s vacation destination(s).
- Read, read, read to increase your vocabulary.
Summer
Sophomore Year: Continue to concentrate on academic preparation. Make sure you are “on top” of your academic work. Engage in co-curricular and volunteer activities.
September
- Sophomore counselors visit the classes to encourage sophomores to begin researching college/career interests. Sophomores will edit/update their profile and resume on the TCCI/Family Connection Program.
October
- October 12, 2011 Standardized Test Day. All sophomores take the PLAN as a practice for the ACT. The PLAN measures educational development in English, reading, mathematics and science reasoning. The PLAN also has a career guidance component. The results will not be used for college admission. For more information on the PLAN go to act.org.
November
- November 5, 2011 Seattle National College Fair: The National College Fair will
be at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center Saturday from 12:00-4:00pm. Representatives from over 200 colleges will be at the fair. Take advantage of this event to begin your college search.
- Counselors will meet with groups of sophomores to complete the Do What You Are personality assessment and career preference profile.
December
- Results of the PLAN will be mailed home. Counselors meet with students to help interpret the results during the month of January.
January
- Counselors will meet with sophomores to conduct college search workshops, introducing various functions of the TCCI/Family Connection program.
- Sophomore Parent Night, January 31, 2012 @ 7:00pm. The sophomore counselors will present results of PLAN test and introduce parents to the TCCI/Family Connection Program. They will also discuss preliminary information regarding the college planning process, including the Matteo Ricci Option and discuss issues facing sophomores.
February/March
- Sophomore counselors hold lunch time meetings with groups of sophomores to review current transcripts and discuss implications for college admissions process. Students will be challenged to focus on the four components of college admissions: GPA, test scores, leadership, activities.
- Sophomores will take a practice PSAT – internal use/information only.
May
Summer
Consider a summer course or participating in a special program (e.g. for prospective engineers or journalists or for those interested in theatre or music) at a local college or community college. Consider working or volunteering.
- Consider signing up for a PSAT/SAT prep course, use computer software, or do the practice tests in books designed to familiarize you with standardized tests.
- Make your summer productive. Read, read, read to increase your vocabulary and other verbal skills; this is the absolute best way to prepare for the PSAT.