College Prep Guide
why go to college
Why college? That is what you need to ask yourself. What do you want to accomplish with a college degree?
Going to college requires some prep to understand what college means to you. Use this module to understand your strengths, your career pursuits and talents to select the right college or vocational school for your education and career objectives.
Below are four (4) quick summary tasks:
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Why Go to College
Spend time researching future career opportunities to help decide what you want out of college. You need to answer the question:
"Is college or trade school right for me?"
To answer this question, research job statistics, employment trends, and collegiate majors using our detail prep guide.
Find out what jobs are going to be hot and what's jobs will not. This will help you decide whether to go to college, vocational school or jump right into your career.
| some helpful resources | |
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occupational outlook |
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employment projections |
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state-by-state labor statistics |
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Complete a Personal Assessment
Get to know yourself ...
by taking some career and personal self-assessment tests to determine your aptitude and character for career opportunities.
By understanding your personality type, it will help determine what career opportunity will bring you the most satisfaction.
| helpful resources in self-assessment | |
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online quiz on what career type |
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Myers & Briggs self assessment |
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Keisey Temperament assessment |
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Get Ready for College Exams
Almost all colleges and some trade programs require a college entrance exam. These exams measure your ability to understand college-level materials.
Most colleges require the SAT college exam; some require the ACT Assessment exam. A few colleges will require both exams. So check with your college which exam will be required.
You should take these exams in your junior year. So get some practice with the college entrance "preparation" exams. It will help on the day of the real exam.
| about college entrance exams | |
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about the SAT exam |
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about the ACT exam |
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Meet with Your School Counselor
Meet with your guidance counselor (or school administrator or teacher) as soon as you can to discuss your post-high school plans.
Items to coordinate with your guidance counselor:
- availability of and enrollment in Advanced Placement classes
- schedules for the college entrance exams (includes P SAT, SAT I and II, and ACT). Discuss with your counselor on the exam required to get into your college of choice
- admission requirements to college including GPA requirements, credits, exam type and scores, etc. Try to fill in any gaps.
- and more ...
Helpful Tools
Some helpful tools for making decisions:
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