College Readiness
Count down to College
“Making Good Minds Great”
• Focus - on success earlier than later
• Empower - take rigorous Honors, AP and Dual
Enrollment classes
• Engage - essential in accelerating academic
performance great minds discuss ideas
• Participate - get involved
Make an Education Career Action Plan!
CUSD Kuder
• Explore your interest - Find out what occupation you may be
good at and what the employment outlook might be
• Identify what course work is required for that occupation
• Map out a four year high school plan and revisit it each year
• Reach out if you hit road blocks (no one is beyond tutoring!)
Freshman Year
Semester 1
• Work on developing strong organizational and
study skills.
• Look into extracurricular activities (clubs,
sports, government, newspaper etc.)
• Get to know your teachers
• Work on improving your vocabulary and
reading
• Make a list of goals and refer to it often and
revise your list as needed
Freshman Year
Semester 2
• Familiarize yourself with internet resources
• Get involved in volunteer work or some type of
community service.
• Start to keep a file/log of any awards, certificates,
news articles, etc.
• Talk to people about careers; ask questions.
• Discuss your interests and abilities, strengths and
weaknesses with those who know you best.
• Keep your grades up.
Sophomore Year
Semester 1
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Have college discussions
Take the PSAT and PLAN test
Talk to people you know about careers and colleges
Develop a rough target list of colleges
Make sure you know your curriculum and options
Continue extracurricular activities – remember,
quality not quantity!
• Obtain a leadership position in some area (many
scholarship opportunities are based on Leadership)
• Begin or continue to work on your resume. Include
awards, honors, certificates, etc.
Sophomore Year
Semester 2
• Apply for essay and leadership scholarship contests
• Register on college websites - get on their mailing
lists.
• Read more than the minimum high school required
reading – work on vocabulary.
• Plan a challenging junior curriculum. Take the most
difficult classes you can handle.
• Talk to people you know and those who attend your
target colleges.
Junior Year
Semester 1
• Review your high school courses and activities
to ensure you are meeting colleges
expectations
• Take college visits during summer/fall/spring
breaks
• Narrow down your colleges lists and share it
with your parents and counselors.
• Study and register for pre-college entrance
exams (PSAT and or PLAN)
Junior Year
Semester 2
• Attend college fairs and financial aid night
presentations
• Research organizations that award scholarships and
find out when you need to start applying for them
• Have a family discussion about how much you can
afford to spend on your education
• Second semester - Take ACT and SAT College
entrance exams
Senior Year
semester 1
Time Management Becomes Your Best Friend!
• Meet with College Admission Representatives
• Apply for college
• Make a calendar of application and financial aid
deadlines
• Request letters of recommendations for
scholarships and admissions applications
• Take SAT/ACT (again for score improvement,
the higher the score the greater chances you
have for college admissions and scholarship
opportunities)
Senior Year
Semester 2
• Apply for colleges and scholarships
• Gather information needed for the FAFSA
(free application for federal student aid )
• Take AP or IB exams
• Compare financial aid packages with the
different schools you have applied to
• Hang in there – stay focused
• Most important – enjoy your senior year!
Our mission is to increase each student’s ability to
make a successful college/career transition
Each CUSD high school has a
“full-service” College/Career Center and
Guidance Department equipped with
assessment tools to help students prepare
for their post-secondary academics and
career goals.