COLLEGE GUIDANCE PROGRAM
Make Your High
School Experience Count for Post High School Pursuits
By Rodney and Robi Marshall
The wisely planned
high school experience will prepare teens for life and give them
every advantage for their future development. God has called each
Christian teen to a life of influence for His glory. God calls
some to Church work. The calling of most will lead them to godly
impact in the broader society through education, law, public policy,
medicine, technology, management, entrepreneurism, the arts, various
trades and so on. Use this Guidance
Calendar as a checklist to procure the advantages of wise
preparation. Recommended
resources are available.
Mission: To prepare an influential generation by providing a biblical
approach to college and career guidance and money management for
youth.
Four-Year
Check List
High School
Guidance Overview
Discover how
God designed you for life and work. Seek to discover your calling.
- Pray and study the Word
of God
- Utilize the Career Direct
guidance system to match your unique design with career direction
- Observe or intern in
your fields of highest interest
- Seek counsel from parents,
teachers and pastor
- Write a brief mission
statement for life
School
- Choose the right courses
- Determine to achieve
great grades
- Learn how to take college
preparation exams
- Learn biblical principles
of managing money using Christian Financial Concepts products
Extracurricular
Activities
- Participate in church,
community and service activities
- Engage in sports if
appropriate
- Seek a part time job
to learn skills
Colleges, Technical
Schools and Apprenticeships
- Select a school or apprenticeship
opportunity
- Navigate the application
process
- Plan to finance your
education
High
School Calendar
Freshman
Year
Fall
- Find out how God designed
you for life and work. Begin to find direction for your future.
Recommended resources: Youth Exploration Survey! (YES!) and
YES! Leaders Guide now or in 8th grade. This Biblically based
survey will help teens 13+ understand how God designed them
for life and a future career.
- Draft a four-year
schedule of courses that meets the requirements for graduation
and college/school admission.
- Draft a four-year schedule
of athletic and extracurricular activities you’d like
to become involved in.
- Commit yourself to learn
Biblical principles of managing money during high school.
- Build a schedule that
allows for these things.
Spring
- Set a goal to get higher
grades in the key subject areas (English, math, science, history,
and foreign language).
- Begin a vocabulary building
program.
- Look into work, study,
ministry or sports summer programs.
Summer
- Volunteer some time
in a good cause.
- Pursue extracurricular
and athletic interests.
- Read at least four great
books.
- Consider a part time
job.
Sophomore
Year
Fall
- Update your four-year
course schedule.
- Seek to complete most
of the minimum requirements for college/school admission by
the end of your junior year.
- Update your four-year
athletic and extracurricular calendar and Register for the
PSAT/NMSQT. Recommended resource: PSAT
Success
- Take the PSAT (given
only once in October).
- If your are pursuing
a sport seriously, research NCAA
requirements
Spring
- Continue to set and
achieve higher-grade averages in key subject areas.
- Sharpen math and vocabulary
skills.
Summer
- Read at least four great
books. Link to summer reading list
- Involve yourself in
at least one organized work, athletic, ministry or study program
especially focusing on career interest areas.
Junior Year
Gear up for the college/school application process.
Fall
- Register and take the
NMSQT on 15 Oct 2002 at Coram Deo Academy (This time it counts).
Resource:
PSAT Success
- Narrow your choices of
intended post-secondary education. Work toward choice of a
college major field of study or vocational direction. Recommended
resource: Career Direct Guidance System now or in the spring
semester. This biblically based instrument matches the student’s
God-given pattern of personality, and vocational interests,
skills, and priorities with fitting career and educational
direction. Designed for high school juniors, seniors and college
students.
- Begin the college search
process. Narrow a list to no more than 20 schools. Write for
admissions information. Write to college coaches if college
sports are a goal. Recommended resources:
resource list, www.collegeboard.com,
www.ncaa.org/eligibility/cbsa/.
- Attend local college
fairs and begin visiting colleges/schools.
- Compare academic requirements
to your course schedule and adjust as necessary.
- Identify SAT I, ACT,
and SAT II test requirements for your target schools. Match
these with your PSAT scores (multiply PSAT by 10 to compare
with SAT). Recommended resources:
Master
the SAT, 2003/e, 4th Edition
ACT Assessment Success 2003
Master the SAT, 2003/e w/CD/ROM 4th Edition
www.collegeboard.com
- Begin preparing for
the SAT I or the ACT. Recommended resources listed above.
- Estimate college costs.
Recommended resources:
Cost
Effective College
www.collegeboard.com
- Begin
searching for scholarships
Spring
Summer
Senior year
Time to get serious about applying for colleges, technical schools
and apprenticeships. Stay organized as you approach numerous deadlines.
Fall
- Narrow your target college/school
list.
- Retake
the SAT I in Oct, Nov or Dec or ACT if you need higher
test scores and have prepared over the summer to improve them.
- If pursuing collegiate
athletics, make telephone contact with coaches. Update your
athletic resume. Find out Letter of Intent date for your sport
from the NCAA.
- Send for college/school
applications, and financial aid materials. Complete and submit
materials. www.collegeboard.com
- Send for scholarship
and grant program application materials. Complete and submit
materials. www.collegeboard.com
- Visit your target college/school
campuses.
- Select two teachers
and two extracurricular advisors to write glowing recommendations
about you.
- Obtain a copy of the
Free
Application of Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Request a Coram
Deo Academy Transcript
Spring
