NINTH GRADE TO DO LIST
If you attend one of our free College Information Evenings, you will hear us say it is important to start early. We don't mean ninth grade. C'mon, you just finished middle school!
The most important thing you can do in ninth and tenth grade is to set a good base for success in high school. This simply means:
- Think about what you hope to accomplish in high school; set goals.
- Start now to develop good habits:
- Do your homework as soon as you can each night
- Read your assignments; don't just rely on being smart and memorizing.
- Read things for fun – if you presently don't read for fun, find something you enjoy and start to do this.
- Take college bound classes – if you fulfill the course requirements for UC and CSU, you will be on track for almost EVERY college in the nation. Talk to your counselor about this or go to one of the following web pages to see the UC or CSU required classes as well as a planning tool:
INTERESTS
While colleges mainly focus on grades and test scores, selective colleges will also evaluate personal aspects. At Ames Seminars we are loathe to encourage kids to go out and do stuff just for their college resume – it encourages kids to be phony as they pretend to be interested in many things they do not care about. College admission people know this, so they look for genuine interest, passion and commitment. They look for a couple of items that kids have thrown themselves into, not a bunch of things in which they have dabbled.
If your school does not have things of interest to you, look elsewhere. Your life will be enhanced by the experience.
TENTH GRADE TO DO LIST
College admission is mainly about grades and test scores.
College admission is about grades and test scores.
College admission is about grades and test scores.
Take a look at this information about a national study of admission factors and you will learn … that admission is about grades and test scores.
Public colleges in California, (UC and CSU schools) use grades from 10th and 11th grade. Private schools will look at ninth grade and twelfth grade (first semester).
So, what should you do?
Get good grades and begin to think about test scores. If you are academically inclined, take the PSAT for practice and shrug off your score (it's hard). Or go by your counseling center and pick up the bulletin SAT Preparation Booklet and look at the material and practice test. Why? Because one thing you should know is that these tests are hard. If you have any glaring weaknesses, for example you do not know the grammar rules or how to write an essay, these weaknesses will be exposed by the test. To patch up basic reading, writing or math skills takes time. Summer between 10th and 11th grade is a good time to work on these skills.
TESTS and TEST PREP
Start learning what tests you will have to take. You should seriously think about taking a Subject Test if you have taken an honors or AP course in a subject. A good time to take a Subject Test is in June of tenth grade.
See: Required Tests and When to Take Them
Consider taking our SAT PREP SEMINAR in the summer after 10th grade. Summer is a good time to prepare and possibly fix a skill gap.
Note: Several SAT Prep companies are trying to get people into classes in ninth or tenth grade - they are thinking about money, not what is good for students.
INTERESTS
While colleges mainly focus on grades and test scores, selective colleges will also evaluate personal aspects. At Ames Seminars we are loathe to encourage kids to go out and do stuff just for their college resume – it encourages kids to be phony as they pretend to be interested in many things they do not care about. College admission people know this, so they look for genuine interest, passion and commitment. They look for a couple of items that kids have thrown themselves into, not a bunch of things in which they have dabbled.
If your school does not have things of interest to you, look elsewhere. Your life will be enhanced by the experience.
COLLEGE RESEARCH: Start thinking about college … don't stress.
Visiting a college campus or two near your home or on a family trip is a good start. Don't get too serious. Do have fun, get inspired and go back to high school and, yes, get good grades. Do: ask yourself why you like or dislike a school. Remember: successful college matching comes from knowing yourself. If you can't stand a college and know why you dislike it, the trip was absolutely worthwhile!
If you are ready to start researching colleges:
- Visit your College and Career Center and see what college books they have on hand.
If you can afford to buy a book, see our preferred list in the Books and Resources section of our College Connection page.
- Visit one of the comprehensive web college search sites. See the College Search section of our College Connection page for a discussion of these sites.
Bill Ames — Ames Seminars
|