About LipscombPreparing for College in 10th grade
Preparation for College - Sophomore Year• Grades – if you were lazy in 9th grade then it is time to get to work! Your GPA is very important in the college admissions process so work hard daily to earn good grades.
• Extracurricular Activities – it is very important to be involved in school. Join a club or tryout for a play – do something athletic. Colleges want to see that you were involved in your school community.
• Update your resume! Keep that list current so when you are asked to turn it in before your senior year – you will have it ready.
• Make sure you are keeping up with your community service requirement. You can obtain information about that program from Mr. Millson or the school website. Your experiences in this area are beneficial for a multitude of reasons beyond the required number of hours.
• Start looking on the internet at the schools you are interested in and what they require for admissions. For example, DLHS requires two and a half credits of social studies but some colleges require three. It is important to know these kinds of things before you get much further in school.
• Begin to discuss finances with your parents. Ask about tuition and find out what your options are so that you can plan accordingly. The HOPE scholarship can help if you go to school in the state of Tennessee but if not, then you lose that money. Those are the kinds of things to be thinking about.
• This year you will take three tests. The first is the PSAT on October 17th. As a sophomore you cannot qualify for National Merit Scholarships – only juniors can; however, taking it this year is practice for next year. Take it seriously and try to do your best. You will take the PLAN test which is the 10th grade version of the ACT on November 14th. You will also do a writing assessment sometime in the spring.
• Here are some websites that are very helpful:
PSAT:
www.collegeboard.com and follow links to PSAT/NMSQT
PLAN:
www.act.org/plan
ACT:
www.act.org
Princeton Review –test prep information:
www.princetonreview.com
Let me know if you have any questions,
Lisa Bruce – Guidance 9th and 10th
615-966-6434
Lisa.bruce@lipscomb.edu