College Preparation by Grade

• Attend EHS Soar Day in early August to learn basic high school logistics like following your class schedule, meeting your teachers and counselor, finding your locker, and taking a campus tour.
• Review the general college entrance requirements and begin a four-year plan to take the required curriculum. Keep in mind that a rigorous high school course load is the best way to prepare for college. Remember: even though APS doesn't require 2 years of a foreign language, a 4th science, or a fine arts class to meet graduation requirements, some colleges will expect you to take these classes. Plan accordingly!
• Research and identify extracurricular activities that interest you. Find a way to become involved with your high school other than simply taking classes. Join a team, join (or start!) a club, get involved in student government.
• Take care of your coursework while adjusting to high school. Remember, your grades all go onto your permanent record called your transcript. You can view your transcript in StudentVue after you've completed your first HS semester.
• Utilize available resources to assist you with your coursework. EHS has advisories built into its schedule, in which students can receive additional instruction from their teachers. EHS also offers free tutoring some days after school. Your high school counselor has other available tutoring resources they can provide you; make an appointment with them.
• Begin to explore available career interests through online exploration (see Career tab of Counseling website) or with the assistance of your College & Career Counselor. It is important to understand the link between high school coursework and its relation to your life in a broader sense.
• Consider pre-registering for honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and/or dual credit (CNM OR UNM*) courses sophomore year or after. *CNM allows students to take dual credit classes starting the summer after their Freshman year of HS; UNM requires students to be rising Juniors.

Fall

• Review your high school course selections and activity plans.
• Take the PSAT in October.Taking the PSAT as a sophomore is great college entrance testing practice, although it does not count as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT); it will provide you with practice for re-taking it as a junior, when the PSAT does serve as the NMSQT and as the qualifying test for National Recognition Programs like National Hispanic and National Indigenous Scholars Programs.
• Complete the YouScience Career Assessment in your science class. YouScience assesses your personal strengths and abilities and gives helpful career suggestions. Take a close look at the in-depth results that are emailed to you, and consider the feedback when registering for the rest of your HS classes and to help drive your college and career planning.

YouScience Website Login

Spring

• Pass all Competency exams. Students will have additional attempts to pass the portions of the tests which were not successfully completed the first time.
• Attend PSAT teach-back sessions. Your College & Career Counselor can provide you with information on how to utilize the feedback that College Board provides.
• Monitor progress with your four-year plan during pre-registration with your counselor in February. Give serious consideration to your course selection for junior year.
• Start to think about colleges you may want to apply to.
• Start to develop a resume, including listing your activities and accomplishments. Look online for template ideas.
• Make plans for meaningful summer activities. If working in the summer, start a college savings account.

August

• Review your high school course selections and activity plans.
• Review your YouScience Career Assessment results and use these to help inform your course selection for the rest of HS and your college & career planning.
• Keep in mind that colleges look for the following:
  • Challenging coursework (Advanced Placement, Honors, and Dual Credit courses)
  • Strong GPA
  • Involvement in extracurricular activities
  • Leadership
• Obtain a Social Security Number, if possible, if you do not already have one. You may need it to apply for college and financial aid.

September

• Put together a wish list of at least 10 colleges that you would like to attend. Plan to apply to at least 3-5 schools (one of which needs to be a New Mexico college or university.
• Attend the NM College Fair at the ABQ Convention Center.
• Attend the NMCAN College Fair (at EHS, all juniors attend with classes).
• Talk with your parents and your high school counselor/College & Career Counselor about where you want to go to school.
• Register for the PSAT (optional during Junior year but highly recommended).

October

• Take the PSAT.
• Attend college visits in the Counseling Department.

November

• Look into eligibility requirements for federal student aid and alternative student loans (See "FINANCIAL AID" tab.)
• Attend college visits.

December

• Review your PSAT results.
• Start planning to take the SAT or ACT college entrance exams. All colleges & universities accept EITHER the ACT or SAT these days. Pay attention to registration deadlines for the dates offered.

January

• Start to narrow your college choices by researching and considering:
  • Programs of study (majors offered)
  • Location (city size, geographic region, weather, proximity to home)
  • School size
  • Tuition & housing costs
  • Scholarships offered
  • Housing options (on-campus versus off-campus)
  • Extracurricular activities offered (student life)
  • Internship, externship, research and employment opportunities

February

• Attend (with parent/guardian(s)) College Info Night for Juniors with Ms. Velhagen.
• Study and register for the SAT/ACT.
• Investigate private scholarships and other student aid programs (see "SCHOLARSHIP" tab).
• Visit a couple of search engines/websites listed on the Scholarships and Financial Aid pages.

March

• Register and study for the SAT/ACT, if not already done.
• Continue investigating outside funding sources.

April

• Start to schedule visits to each of the colleges that are on your list. If appropriate, apply for an interview and/or overnight visit. Every college is happy to arrange a campus visit for you; contact their Admissions office.
• Take your SAT/ACT test(s). All Juniors will take the SAT on campus for free this month. Consider taking the SAT on your own.

May

• Take your SAT/ACT test(s).
• Take your AP exams.

June

• Last chance to take your first SAT/ACT test in your junior year.
• Continue to work on math skills.
• Get a summer job (paid or volunteer) that might be related to your career interests.
• If possible, save some money from your summer job to pay for college costs.
• Consider scheduling a college visit to the more distant college(s) on your list.

August

• Review your course schedule to make sure it fits into your academic plan and post-secondary goals.
• Narrow your college choices to approximately 5-12 universities/colleges (at least one of which will be in-state)
• Familiarize yourself with websites, admission & scholarship information from colleges in which you are interested.
• Make a calendar of each school’s application & scholarship deadlines. List tasks to complete on weekly basis on this calendar.
• Review emails from scholarship web sources on regular basis. See websites & search engines on the Scholarships and Financial Aid pages of the Counseling website.
• Contact potential sources for your letters of recommendation.
• Contact Ms. Velhagen or your counselor for SAT/ACT test dates.
• See the Counseling website main page for a listing of universities/colleges visiting EHS.

September

• Meet with college representatives visiting EHS and at community events.
• Visit EHS counseling department and Counseling website for scholarship opportunities.
• Sign up for the SAT/ACT.
• If not already done, contact teachers, counselor or other sources for letters of recommendation.
• Visit your top college choices. Interview some faculty, students, and staff.

October

• Complete and submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after Oct. 1 at fafsa.ed.gov. First you'll need an FSA ID for yourself and one for one parent. Apply for these on the Federal Student Aid website. Once your FAFSA is submitted, you will receive an SAR (Student Aid Report) with your federal financial aid information. Ms. Velhagen offers FAFSA help workshops in the fall/winter.
• Take/retake the SAT/ACT, if necessary.
• Look at and review admissions applications. Make note of deadlines and when the materials need to be submitted.
• Work on admissions application essays (outline, rough draft, final draft). Ask adults to provide constructive criticism.
• Find out which financial aid applications your college choices require and when the forms are due. FAFSA and CSS Profile are the two applications.
• See Ms. Velhagen in Counseling to make an appointment for the UNM, NMSU, NM Tech, ENMU, Ft. Lewis, NAU and/or CNM onsite registration events: colleges come to EHS, waive the application fee, and you apply right there. You'll need your SS#. (If you don't have a SS#, see your counselor or Ms. Velhagen! There ARE scholarships available for students who are undocumented!)
• Visit your top college choices. Interview some faculty, students, and staff.
• Inquire about housing options at each of your schools. Obtain a housing application, if appropriate, and make note of the deadline to send in a deposit.

November

• Read financial aid information from all colleges to determine what information is required for completion and when the applications are due. (Sometimes FAFSA is all that is necessary, while some private/out-of-state colleges also require the CSS Profile online application through College Board.)
• Prepare your college applications, including getting any necessary recommendations. You may need your counselor to complete a section of the application. If so, give her advanced notice (minimum two, ideally three weeks).
• Obtain official transcripts from Carol Ellis, EHS Registrar. You will need to create a Parchment account (www.parchment.com) OR complete a ¼ sheet form outside of the Registrar's office to get this done. The first 4 transcripts are free; after that, it's $1 each.
• Visit the Counseling website and Counseling department to view available scholarships. Apply by the deadline for appropriate scholarships.

Turn in the scholarship application for UNM and NMSU, especially if you are applying for the Regent’s and/or Presidential scholarships (due December 1).

December

• Some college deadlines -- including UNM & NMSU on Dec. 1, if you want their best scholarships! -- start this month. Complete those applications! Also consider applying for Honors Colleges!
• Visit the EHS counseling department and Counseling website for scholarships and apply for outside scholarships.

January

• Once transcripts have been updated with fall grades, prompt your counselor to complete a Mid-Year Report for each of your college choices on CommonApp or SendEDU.
• UNM's Priority FAFSA Deadline falls in the first week January. Check with your other college options for their deadlines, and get that FAFSA submitted!

February

• Complete your FAFSA, if not already done. Once your FAFSA is submitted, you will receive an SAR (Student Aid Report) with your federal financial aid information.
• Check to see that Mid-Year Reports/transcripts have been sent to your college choices.
• Begin to rank your finalized list of colleges.
• Complete housing applications and send in appropriate materials.

March

• Complete your FAFSA, if not already done. Once your FAFSA is submitted, you will receive an SAR (Student Aid Report) with your federal financial aid information.
• Submit tax forms to the financial aid office if requested. Follow up with each office to make certain that your application is complete. Find our what else you need to do to establish and maintain your eligibility for financial aid.

April

• Watch the mail and check your email for college acceptance, scholarship award letters, and/or financial aid award letters. Compare the scholarship awards and/or financial aid awards you receive.
• Make your final decision and send in a deposit by the posted deadline.
• Check with the college you’ve chosen about the details of signing and returning financial aid award letters.
• Notify other schools that you will not be attending.
• Watch for important deadlines at your chosen college (housing, financial aid, etc.).

May

• May 1= College Signing Day. Make your decision and notify the college of your choice!
• Take AP exams.
• Finalize summer job plans.
• Keep safe and make smart decisions.

June

• If going off to college, think about what to pack, remembering to prioritize these items:
  • School supplies, including computer
  • Personal care items
  • Towels, washcloths
  • Bedding (sheets-- often in longer dorm-bed size; blankets)
  • Beanbag chairs
  • Lamps and extra light bulbs
  • Floor rug
  • Crates for make-shift shelves
  • Clothes for upcoming seasons
  • Prescription medications
  • DVDs/CDs and players
  • Hobby-related items
  • Photos, posters
  • TV
  • Small refrigerator, microwave
  • Plastic utensils and paper plates
  • Tissues and toilet paper
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Cell phone & charger
• Set up a bank account at a local bank.
• Determine transportation plans, including purchasing a parking permit.