Sat Test

We’ve talked about a few things in my previous posts that will help you be an attractive admission to the university of your dreams. You need to get and maintain a high GPA, be involved in community service, extracurricular activities and demonstrate that you have developed leadership skills during your high school career. I’m going to tell you another excellent way to bring your admission application to the top of the stack; Take AP classes in your high school.     

AP Classes

In nearly every high school across the country, you are given the option of taking AP classes. An AP class is an Advanced Placement course where the material taught is nearly as tough as a college freshman course. There are a variety of classes available, in most areas of study. Each high school creates its own curriculum, and for a class to be labeled an AP class it must meet certain established criterion by college and university faculty for college level courses. If a class meets or exceeds these expectations, then they are allowed to be designated Advanced Placement classes.

The following AP program facts are from the College Board Website

• The AP Program offers 35 courses in 20 subject areas.
  
• Nearly 60 percent of U.S. high schools participate in the AP Program.
  
• In 2005, 2.1 million AP Exams were administered worldwide.
  
• More than 60,000 teachers worldwide attended AP workshops and institutes for professional development last year.
  
• Over 90 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities have an AP policy granting incoming students credit, placement, or both, for qualifying AP Exam grades.
  

So as you can see, there are many Advanced Placement courses open for you to take. Your high school may not offer the entire range of 35 courses, but there’s an excellent chance that yours will at least offer some of them. Most high schools offer AP History, AP English and AP Math, though your mileage may vary.

The time to begin looking into AP classes is towards the end of your sophomore year in high school, although some schools will allow you to take Advanced Placement classes as a sophomore. Learn which classes your school offers, if there is a test you need to pass in order to enroll in those classes, or if you simply need the instructor’s approval beforehand. If there is an AP night offered at your school for you to familiarize yourself with the AP classes, you need to attend and take your parents with you. Usually they have fliers with all the information you will need to understand how to register for the classes and what the classes will mean to you in terms of time and effort.

Teachers do not want you to become overburdened and stressed by taking on too much too soon, so know your limits. If you are already feeling overwhelmed because you have basketball practice after school or you’re holding down a job, then don’t try to cram too many hard classes into your schedule. Challenge yourself, but not to the point of exhaustion. As I said before, go to the AP night at your school, but also make an appointment for a one on one with your high school counselor.

The more knowledge and understanding you have of this process, the better.

You need to make an appointment with your guidance counselor before you register for your junior year of classes so he or she can give you some direction in what classes are available, what you need in order to get into the classes and how to prepare yourself.

Colleges take a hard look at your grades and if you take more difficult classes and get good grades in those classes, you are considered for admission over those who take underwater basket weaving and get an A+.

You can wait until your senior year to take AP classes if you want to do so, but if you really want to get a head start on preparing for college, nothing will help you more in preparation for your SAT exams and for college admissions, than taking and doing well in your Advanced Placement classes in high school. Some schools allow you to take AP classes in your sophomore year

The Advantages Of Taking AP Classes

There are some great advantages to taking an Advanced Placement class while you’re in high school.

Advanced Placement classes require a student to be more involved, more energetic and work harder than in a regular high school class on the same subject. In other words, taking these classes shows a college admission board whether or not you have what it takes to be a viable student at their school. Taking an Advanced Placement class and getting a good grade in it, is a strong an indicator of how well your grades will be as a college freshman. A word of warning: these classes are not easy Home Economic classes, they will test you. More importantly, they prepare you for your upcoming college freshman studies because the Advanced Placement classes are as rigorous as classes you would take your first year of college study.

Saves You Money

How can taking a more difficult class in high school save you any money? It does so by virtue of the fact that you may not have to take this same class and pay tuition for it in college.

When you’ve finished the Advanced Placement course, you have the option of taking the AP exam, which is generally given in May. These exams are scored from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score given. Most colleges and universities accept AP classes, although each college is different in what score they will accept from this exam in order for you to not have to take that same class in college. Taking it in high school and passing the AP exam in May means that it’s added to your college transcript as though you already took the course. Go you! This can save you thousands of dollars in tuition, if you’re paying for classes by the credit hour.

I’ll talk about more advantages to AP classes later, as well as other important steps you can take to prepare yourself for college application time.

As I’ve mentioned before, college admission boards don’t just look at your G.P.A. when they look at your application. I’m going to continue outlining the things that will be helpful for you to know about as you continue your high school education.

Leadership

Colleges want students that will be independent, bright, creative and well rounded. One of the things they want to see in their applicants is a proven record of leadership.

A position of leadership might sound overwhelming to you, but you can do it! Look how far you’ve come in school and in your classes.

How do you become a leader? There are various ways to gain experience in leadership. Perhaps you’re interested in the Chess Club at your high school. If you join that club (another plus for you on your college application) you might consider becoming the president of your club.

If you attend a church, you may have had leadership opportunities in your activities there. Another way to become a leader is to volunteer as a camp counselor for younger children over the summer.

A huge leadership opportunity can be found right there in your high school. Run for office! Become the class president, vice president or secretary. Most high schools have a governing student body that meets and makes decisions. If your individual classes have opportunities for leadership positions, take them!

You might have an interest in journalism which would translate well to be on the school newspaper as a reporter or better yet, the editor. Being the editor of your high school newspaper always helps on a college application. Another opportunity for gaining leadership experience might be joining the yearbook staff.

Your leadership qualities will shine through on your college application when you explain what it is you’ve been doing and what you have learned from your experiences. Don’t hold back, talk it up! You’ve worked hard to get where you are and your leadership opportunities have gone a long way towards molding the college student you are going to be in the future. You won’t regret taking the chance to lead the way for your fellow class members.

So far we’ve talked about some of the things that colleges look for on your application for admissions, but not all of them. Stay tuned for more helpful information.

You’re planning on going to college. Go you! In my previous post I talked about a few things that will help you in your preparations for future college admissions. You already know that you need to get and maintain a high G.P.A, and to do that, you must prioritize your time accordingly. Make certain you spend enough time studying. Academic pursuit is all well and good, but you must also remember to be a well rounded person and not neglect your growth in other areas as well. After all, colleges don’t just look at your grade point average.

Don’t faint, it’s not as bad as you think. All things are possible, if you are prepared. What are some things that colleges look for on your admission application? Colleges don’t want students that are drones, only involved in their scholastic pursuits. This is why they look at other aspects of potential students in their college admission papers.

Community Involvement

On college applications, you are asked to tell the college about your community service experience. Right now a great many high schools require their seniors to have completed a certain number of service hours in order to meet their graduation requirements.

Community service hours are as different and as varied as the students themselves. How do you find the right community service hours to fulfill this graduation requirement and fill that blank on your college admission?

First of all, your high school counselor is a wonderful resource; use him! He may have a list of places that allow high school seniors to work out their service hours. If you don’t see something on that list that appeals to you, then ask around. How are your friends completing their community service hours? Would you like to spend some time working with the elderly? If there is a Senior Center near your home, you could stop in one day after school and ask about volunteering. Are you concerned about the less fortunate in your area? Perhaps there is a food bank in need of volunteers or a soup kitchen that could use a helping hand. Another idea might be to volunteer at an animal shelter where you can help the staff there, as well as the animals looking for adoption.

There are a great many ways to volunteer in your community. The benefits of volunteering are not simply relegated to being able to check a box on your college application. You, as a person, will reap the rewards of giving time and service to a cause that you believe in. Go with your heart. Here are more examples of places that need volunteers and would make excellent choices to complete your community service portion of your graduation requirement.

1. Zoo
   
2. Boys and Girls Club
   
3. Center for the Blind
   
4. Wildlife Centers
   
5. PAWS
   
6. Youth Suicide Prevention Program
   
7. Children’s Home Society
   
8. A Performing Arts Center
   
9. Nursing Homes
   
10. Museums
    
11. Vet Hospitals
    
12. Food Banks
    
13. Senior Centers
    
14. Assisted Living Homes
    
15. Homes for the Mentally Disabled
    
16. Marine Life Center or Aquarium
    
17. The American Red Cross
    
18. A Woman’s Shelter
    
19. American Cancer Society
    
20. Blood Banks
    
21. Arthritis Foundation
    
22. The American Heart Association
    
23. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
    
24. Hospitals
    
25. Soup kitchens
    

These are just a few ideas for you to peruse to give you an idea of the many opportunities out there needing volunteer services. Community service will help you complete your senior project if you have one, round out your college application and give you a sense of accomplishment that you may not have ever felt before in your life. You will get more out of it than you are giving.