If you have a child who plans to attend college, the preparation begins well before their senior year in high school. Students should consider and pursue the following while in high school:

• Get to know his/her guidance counselor very well.
• Take the PSAT before their junior year in high school. This will help to familiarize the student to the College Board better known as the SAT test.
• Prepare well to avoid taking developmental or remedial courses in college.
• Select academically challenging courses.
• Research all post-secondary options and their educational requirements (community colleges, technical colleges, universities, the military, or the workforce).
• Enroll in college courses through your local community college system while in high school. These concurrent credit classes can count toward college and high school graduation.
• Take advanced placement classes and exams to "place out" of college hours.
• Explore career options fully to avoid changing "majors" in college.

Fall of Junior Year

• Take PSAT. This test is only offered once a year in the fall. Sophomores are encouraged to partipate.
• Attend College Night, a college fair with representatives from throughout the United States, usually end of September, beginning of October.

Spring of Junior Year

• Take college entrance exams. (SAT or ACT)
  Registration packets available from counselor's office. Note deadlines for payment. Mail direct to SAT or ACT. Registration is also available online, at http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/html/satform.html and http://www.act.org/.
• APPLY NOW if interested in a Military Academy.
• Student-athletes register with the NCAA Clearinghouse http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/ if you plan to participate in NCAA Sports in college.

Spring Break/Summer

• Visit Colleges, talk to college students.
• Request college applications, usually sent late summer.
• Ensure high school course selections meet the college admissions requirements.
• Make sure you are lined up for High School graduation.
• Go to summer school if needed.
• Take credit by examination if needed.

All Year/ Senior Year

• Visit College/Career Resource Center and read college catalogs, gather information about colleges. See our Internet Links for informative college search sites.
• Visit with college representatives that visit our school. Representatives will often have informational meetings in Houston, you may want to attend these as well.
• Listen to announcements.
• Read Senior Bulletin Boards weekly for new information.

August

• Attend Senior Parent Night.
• Begin applications for college. Be sure to allow plenty of time for teacher recommendations, and to have a transcript sent.

September- December

• Check for Scholarship deadlines for all the schools to which you are applying. (Many deadlines are as soon as December 1st, and you may apply before being accepted by the school).
• Apply for on-campus housing at all colleges to which you are applying.
• Determine if the institution(s) require the SAT II (achievement tests). Applications are available in the counseling office, the college room and online at http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/html/satform.html. Juniors may consider taking SAT II tests in courses they have just completed.

September/October

• Take college entrance exams if needed. Retake them if needed to meet minimum scores for the college you wish to attend.
• Attend College Night, a college fair with representatives from all over.

November

• Attend Financial Aid Workshop.
• Apply for the FAFSA PIN number at http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp.

January

• Pick up FAFSA, a financial need analysis form, available in the counseling office, the College/Career Resource Center and online. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ Complete as soon as possible, do not wait until you file your income taxes, it will be too late for financial aid determinations.

January-May

• Inform counselor of any financial awards, scholarships, grants, etc. received. This information is very important for your graduation program and ceremony.
• Take THEA exam if needed (a college placement exam required by Texas public colleges) http://www.thea.nesinc.com. You may be exempt, check with your admissions office.

April

• Complete all correspondence courses.

May

• Make arrangements with your registrar and/or counselors' office to send final transcript to your college.

Attend college nights and fairs. These events provide an excellent opportunity to talk to many college representatives and gather information. High school counselors know when and where these events are scheduled.

Often those staffing the booths at college fairs are current students or recent graduates. So, have questions prepared about student life, etc.

To make the most of this event, plan ahead. Here are a few tips:

• Find out which colleges will be represented.
• Decide which colleges interest you.
• Prepare a short list of questions.
• Dress appropriately?make a good impression.
• Take notes before moving to the next table.
• Gather brochures and business cards.
• Allow time to browse.

College nights are especially helpful if you're unable to visit all the schools that interest you.

While everyone's priorities will be different, there are some things all students should consider. Read through the sample list of criteria provided here. If an item is important to you, make sure to include it with your own criteria.

• Curriculum: What do you want to study? Do you have a specific subject in mind, like art or music, or do you want a more general education? Do you want a range of potential majors and study programs? Are you interested in a career that requires professional certification, and does the school provide the necessary training? Do you want to take advantage of special programs, like study abroad and internships?
• Quality of education: How much contact do you want with your professors? How much does it matter to you whether professors or graduate students teach your courses? How involved do you want to be in research and in learning outside of the classroom?
• Size: How large or small a school do you want? Do you prefer large lectures with hundreds of students or small classes with lots of student participation? Do you want to be on a big campus with many majors, an impressive library, and lots to do? Or would you prefer a small college where you know everyone's name?
• Admission requirements: What does the school require for admission? What does the school look for in prospective students? And what are your chances of being accepted?
• Facilities: What would you like to see on or near your college campus? Are restaurants, shops, and health clubs important to you? What about laundry rooms? The computer lab? The library and research facilities? What about transportation on and around the campus?
• Campus life: How is life outside the classroom? What special interest groups, activities, fraternities/sororities do you want to be involved in? Are they active in campus life?
• Campus security: What's the local community like? How safe are the campus and surrounding neighborhoods?
• Athletics: Does the school offer intramural and varsity sports? How are the sports facilities?
• Location: Which part of the country would you like to experience? Do you want an urban or small-town setting? Do you want to stay close to home so you can visit frequently?
• Housing and resources: If you plan to live on-campus, make sure you check out the quality of dorm life. Find out if housing is guaranteed for returning students. And don't forget to check on the meal plan?can the school provide for special diet needs?
• Retention and graduation rates: Retention rate is the percentage of students who stay for four years. Graduation rate is the percentage who graduate within four years. Both rates tell you whether students are satisfied with their experience at the school and get the support they need.
• Cost: How much can you afford? What kinds of financial aid does the school offer?
• Others: In addition to these and others you come up with, you might also want to consider:
• Percentage of applicants accepted
• Average test scores of the students
• Job placement services

Scholarships Info Links:

www.r6.fws.gov/dcr/scholarship.htm

http://www.texashealthcareers.org/

http://www.blackstudents.com/

www.teartaylor.com/scholarships.htm

www.scholarship.bettergpa.com/3/african-american-free-scholarship.html

www.blackexcel.org/link4.htm

www.free-4u.com/african.htm

Bell Labs Fellowships for Underrepresented Minorities