Teens' Guide to College & Career Planning

Introduction

Preparing for your future may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. You can pursue a variety of options after high school: getting a job, entering the military, or seeking further education and training, to name a few. Learning about the choices and creating a plan will help put you on the path to success. You can better understand these options and plan for the future by using this book. Although this guide is intended for students, parents should feel free to peruse it so everyone can approach this important process with the same information.

Preparing for the Future

With this comprehensive guide for high school students, you can explore career options, plan a career path, and find the colleges or career schools that will help you reach your goals. In addition, Teens’ Guide offers alternatives to traditional four-year colleges, facts about many of the standardized tests you may be expected to take during the next few years, and information about financing your education or training.

As you are getting ready to read through Teens’ Guide, parents and teens should discuss these options together:

• Going to college: A college education allows students to exercise their minds and learn critical thinking and analytical skills. And as an added bonus, studies show that college degrees lead to higher incomes. The United States alone has thousands of two- and four-year colleges, each of which offers dozens, and sometimes even hundreds, of majors that can lead to exciting careers. Today, everyone can pursue a college education, and you’ll find out why in Teens’ Guide.

• Enlisting in the military: The U.S. military is the largest employer in the nation. It offers training and employment in more than 2,000 job specialties and provides service-people an opportunity to see the world. Plus, joining the military is a great way to finance a college education.

• Getting a job: College and the military aren’t the only options out there. There are definitely benefits to entering right into the workforce, and the great thing is that this choice doesn’t even necessarily prevent you from attending college later on in life! You may want to experience the work world first and go to college as an adult student. In fact, students over the age of 25 compose more than 30 percent of today’s campus population.

• Alternatives: Higher education isn’t limited to traditional two- and four-year colleges. Apprenticeship programs, career schools, and technical institutes train young people for work as carpenters, auto mechanics, medical secretaries, computer technicians, and many more careers.

Using Teens’ Guide

Teens’ Guide is designed to help teens (and parents) through the process of preparing for life after high school. The basic organization of the book is as follows:

Part 1: Transitioning to High School—While the main focus of Teens’ Guide is planning for life after high school, just making the transition to high school can be overwhelming. This section addresses all the questions and fears looming out there as teens move from middle or junior high school to high school.

Part 2: Jump-Starting Your Future—This section contains exercises and information to encourage teens to pursue higher education and explore career opportunities.

Part 3: The Road to More Education—Here you’ll find the many educational opportunities available: traditional colleges, career schools, technical institutions, apprenticeship programs, and the military. Part 3 contains information about searching for and applying to schools, preparing for standardized tests, and locating financial aid. It also discusses what to expect in college, other possible options after high school, and the military.

Part 4: You and the Workplace—Here you’ll find helpful information on how to succeed in your first job.

Appendixes—This part offers additional print and online resources, with extra information for minority students and students with disabilities.

Forming a Plan

When thinking about your future, there are so many things to consider: career training, military service, college searches, standardized tests, and financial aid. Where do you begin? What should you be focusing on over the next few years? Forming a plan and staying organized will help you throughout the process of getting ready for a job, further education, or the military.

Communication Is Key

The most important things teens and parents can do is to sit down and talk together. Open communication enables everyone to discuss their expectations, hopes, and concerns. Approach your conversations with a positive attitude, ask questions, and listen to one another.

Good luck and happy planning!

You know what TV and movies say about it—being in high school should be cool! But what will it really be like? Will you be able to figure it all out? Of course you will . . . especially since you are reading this! Your high school years will be like nothing else you have experienced, and, as a freshman, you’re going to have questions about everything. Luckily, you’ll be able to get answers right here. Whether you’re wondering about keeping your stuff organized, choosing your classes, or figuring out what a GPA is, this section is here to help.

Even if you’ve never told anyone else, chances are that thinking about your first year of high school is totally scary, especially with all these questions whirling around in your head:

In middle school, you knew where everything was. You knew exactly who would be sitting next to you at lunch. You knew all the teachers. You were at the top of the heap. Now, you’re starting all over again.

First of all, take a deep breath, sit back, and realize that it’s OK to have the ups and downs, the doubts, and the feelings that zip back and forth between I can’t wait to go to high school and I’m hiding under my bed and never coming out. In the first few weeks of high school, you’ll be surrounded by kids who are bigger, who are familiar with the school, and who seem to know an awful lot more than you do. You’ll wonder what it will be like to try out for sports teams or shows and activities with the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders.

FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICE

Freshmen are afraid the upper class students will pick on them, but honestly, that’s not true.

—Guidance Counselor

Second, the friend of a friend’s brother who told you he hated ninth grade isn’t you. Everyone adjusts to high school in different ways and at different speeds. For some kids, the transition from middle school to high school takes a short time—days or weeks. For others, the adjustment takes longer, especially if they’re not admitting to themselves and others what their feelings are and letting others help them get over their insecurities.

STUDENT COUNSEL

Sometimes freshmen give older students too much power. My advice? Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

—Senior student

Third, you are not alone. All those older kids ahead of you have gone through the same fears and have had the same feelings, too. They made it through, and so will you. In fact, it’s very likely that the sophomores, juniors, and seniors are too busy dealing with the problems of being sophomores, juniors, and seniors to be concerned if you forgot your locker combination and have to go slinking off to the school office to find out what it is.

PARENT PERSPECTIVE

My son was nervous about starting ninth grade, but after the first two or three days, he felt so much better. He learned the best route to all of his classes so he’d be on time, and he made a good number of new friends. So the things he worried the most about were no longer a concern.

—Mother of high school sophomore

What’s So Different About High School?

There’s no getting around it. The rules all change in high school. It’s like you’re used to playing soccer, and all of a sudden you’re expected to throw the ball, rather than kick it, to score. The following are some of the major differences of high school:

You are more independent. In middle school, you were part of a group. You did the same things together—ate lunch, took the same classes, goofed off. Same teachers, same schedule. It’s a big adjustment to realize that you’ll have your own schedule of classes that could be very different from your best friend’s. You’ll be in classes with people you don’t know because there are different levels of classes. You could be in the middle level of a math class, for example, and your friend could be in the upper-level class.

You have to take more responsibility. In middle school, you probably had fewer choices about which classes you could take. In high school, you have many more choices to make about your education, especially as you get older. You’ll get to choose some classes, or electives as they’re sometimes called. As a freshman, your choice of electives is limited. But by the time you are a junior or senior, you’ll have more and more choices to make, all depending on your goals and interests.

You are graded differently. Your teachers in middle school were probably more lenient when it came to late homework. They were more likely to look at your past record and give you a little leeway. Teachers in high school aren’t as likely to accept excuses. I forgot won’t work anymore. In high school, teachers will most likely deduct points if you don’t get your homework done and turned in on time.

You have to speak up for yourself. In middle school, your parents probably helped you if you got into a tough situation, academic or otherwise. In high school, you may have to deal with these situations, such as speaking with a teacher about homework or getting your voice heard in clubs and activities on your own. Thus, you have to develop the ability to figure out how to solve the problem, and then take action.

STUDENT COUNSEL

When I was a freshman, I got into band camp and got to know kids in the band. Then, when I was walking through the halls, I knew more people than just my fellow freshmen. If you know people around you, you’ll feel more comfortable. Then, you’ll be more willing to do new things.

—Junior student

Exploring Your Interests

Elective Classes

High school is a time for you to explore your interests. One way you can dig deeper into these interests is by taking elective classes. Although you’ll be required to take a variety of core classes such as math, English, history, and science, your choice of electives can point you in the direction of a future college major. Not to say that your core classes cannot spark a life-long interest, but electives offer you some more personal choice.

You can take electives in areas such as computers, art, economics, or music. Also some schools offer very high-level or specialized English, history, or math classes as electives. Examples of these could be an in-depth study on 18th-century history or an exploration of linear algebra.

You can get the most out of elective classes if you have an inkling of what you might want to do when you grow up. For example, you may think you’d like to be in business someday, sitting in an office overlooking the city. You can begin to realize that dream by taking economics as an elective. Or perhaps you may think you’d rather be building high-rises instead of sitting in them. If your high school offers an architecture class, that could be the course for you!

Clubs and Activities

Explore your interests via clubs and activities. High school offers many extracurricular activities that allow you to learn beyond the four walls of your classroom. You may think these activities are there just so you can have some fun. While that’s certainly true, they also give you the opportunity to find out what your interests are. Extracurricular activities can help you find what goals you want to set and then how to reach them.

Here’s a sample list of clubs and activities in which you can participate. Every school is different, so you’ll have to find out what your high school offers, but this list will give you an idea of what you can expect.

Volunteer Work

High schools often offer opportunities for you to do volunteer work. Are you interested in working with younger kids? In being a lawyer? In helping those who are sick? You can volunteer to help out at a preschool, in a law office, or in a hospital, for instance. By volunteering and working alongside people who are doing the things you may like to do, you can quickly judge if you really do like those fields.

STUDENT COUNSEL

I wish I had joined more clubs and done more activities in my freshman year. If you join a drama club as a freshman, you can be a leader of the club when you get to be a junior or senior. If you wait to join when you’re a junior, you’ll be at the bottom end. Colleges want you to be a leader, so you have to start going out for activities when you’re a freshman.

—Junior student

FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICE

Some kids that I counsel know what they want to be. Others don’t have a clue, and some have an inkling. Your high school courses can help you reach that goal and, if you don’t have a goal, they can help you explore what you want to do.

—Director of Guidance

Choosing Classes: Regular or Honors Track

One of the most critical decisions you’re going to have to make during high school is whether to take classes on a regular or an honors level. Advanced Placement (AP®) classes as well as honors classes are considered more advanced track courses. Courses without an Honors or AP designation are regular track courses. (Check what your individual school calls these classes; some use the term college prep for non-honors, regular-track classes, and some count college prep as honors classes. It can be confusing, so be sure you understand your school’s terminology and designations.) You probably can’t take many honors or AP classes until your junior or senior year, but the time to start planning for this high academic level is actually in your freshman year. If your goal is to take college-level courses in high school (that’s what AP classes are), you should start in the ninth grade by taking honors classes if they are offered. AP classes are very competitive, so there is little wiggle room for poor grades or performance as you move from freshman, to sophomore, to junior year.

But first, you need to know the difference between regular, honors, and AP classes.

Classes at the Regular Level

Different high schools may have different labels for this level, but, basically, if you’re in a regular class, you’re getting what you need in that subject area to meet the requirements to graduate from high school in four years and go on to college. Do the work expected of you, turn in all your homework, do well on the tests, and you’ll get that piece of paper in four years that says you’ve completed the necessary subjects to become a high school graduate.

Classes at the Honors Level

Honors-level classes require more from you. You’ll do more reading and writing that demands better, in-depth understanding of the subject matter. Classes at this level develop critical-thinking skills by asking you to interpret situations and events. Honors classes are designed to allow you to really delve deep into a subject.

In an honors class, teachers will expect you to participate actively in class discussions. You’ll learn to feel comfortable enough with a subject that you’ll be able to talk about it. For instance, when studying the Civil War in an honors class, you’ll analyze the conditions that brought about the war, in addition to dates, geographic locations, and famous names. Then, you’ll look at how the war affected history and learn about the social and political issues that followed. Or in Honors Biology, you may have an extra lab every week or research paper at the end of the year. More will occur in honors classes: content will go deeper, and the work assigned and product expected will be at a higher level.

Classes at the AP (Advanced Placement) Level

In AP classes, you’re actually learning at the college level. You are expected to do the assignments and perform on the tests as you would if you were in college. No wonder you can’t take AP classes until your junior and senior years! Just to get into an AP class, you must be a high achiever.

While the hurdles to succeeding in an AP class are high, the advantages for those who do well are huge. The AP exams are given to students across the United States in May and are scored on a level from 1–5, with 5 being the best. If you get a 3, 4, or 5 in the exam of a particular class, you may be able to waive the introductory level of that class in college. Some colleges may even award you college credit! You’ll not only save time and money, but you’ll also impress college admission offices with the fact that you’re taking AP classes. Colleges look favorably on students who work hard in high school and do well in difficult subjects.

During the college admission process, some colleges weight the different levels of classes you take. For instance, they’ll give you more points for an A in an honors or AP class than they would for an A in a regular class. An A in a class at a regular level may count as a 4, while an A in an honors or AP class would count as a 5, and a B in an honors or AP class would count as a 4.

Are You Ready for an Honors or AP Class?

Do you feel ready to take an honors or AP class? Sometimes you don’t need to make this decision because it could be determined for you by a placement test, teacher selection, or some other method. Occasionally students can apply or petition to take an honors class. If your school allows you to take the initiative, you should really consider whether taking an honors class is the right choice for you. Many students do well in accelerated classes. Others struggle, even though they may have done very well in a regular-level class. Once they’ve become familiar with the different way classes are taught and what’s expected academically of high school students, they may be able to handle an honors class with ease.

You must be honest with yourself and with your parents. Sometimes, parents see their kids through rose-colored glasses and think their sons and daughters are geniuses. Meanwhile, that son or daughter may be struggling to cope with transition from middle school to high school and may fall behind. Your mindset has a lot to do with how well you’ll do in high school, so it’s much better to begin high school at a level that fits you.

If you are terrible at writing but love science, that’s your clue about which honors classes to take and in which sequence. You may take a science honors class in ninth grade and see how you do, and then add an English honors course in tenth grade, if you feel comfortable. A good rule of thumb is to take accelerated classes in the subjects that come easily to you or that you like more, and stick with the regular track for classes that aren’t necessarily your passions.

The worst mistake you can make is to select an honors class because your best friend decided to take it. How well you do in high school determines if many of the doors to your future plans will be open. If you do poorly, you can begin to close some doors even in your freshman year.

Your GPA and Transcript

Your GPA (Grade Point Average)

There’s no getting around the fact that the GPA is important to your future: what college you can attend, what kind of upper-level high school classes you can take (such as those AP classes), what academic and athletic scholarships you may get, or for what special programs you may qualify.

In short, the GPA is the average of all your grades starting from your freshman year. A little planning in your freshman year can go a long way toward a better GPA when you graduate. If you know the impact a GPA can have, you may do things a little differently in your freshman year.

It’s good to know how your GPA is computed. Different schools have their own ways of totaling a GPA, but here is the basic idea.

In general, schools score letter grades as follows:

Some schools give higher points for grades earned in honors courses. That’s something you’ll need to check out in the guidance office. So, let’s take a hypothetical student’s grades for one semester:

The grades total 20 points. Divide that by the number of classes, which is 6, and you get a GPA of 3.33 for one semester.

Let’s take the next semester and see how our student did.

That totals 21 points divided by 6, which equals a 3.5 GPA. Now, add the total number of points over these last two semesters, which is 41 and divide by the number of classes (12) and you get a 3.42 GPA.

This is a simplified version of how schools score GPAs, because some high schools give different points to different types of classes. For instance, an A in English may be worth more points than an A in physical education.

Your Transcript

Your transcript is a history of the classes you took and what grades you achieved in those classes. It’s what colleges ask for to assess what kind of a student you are.

As a freshman, you need to lay a good academic foundation. Competitive colleges that attract thousands of applicants look carefully at transcripts. They’re not only looking at your final GPA but also at whether you challenged yourself enough during your high school years. Did you take courses that stretched you academically, such as honors and AP classes, or did you take only those classes you were required to take?

Students are evaluated based on what courses they have taken within the confines of what their school offers.

Important Things to Know About Transcripts

Transcripts differ from school to school. You need to find out what your school records on your transcript. For example, say you got good grades but missed a lot of classes because you just didn’t feel like showing up. If your transcript shows the number of times you were not in class, and you’re gunning for a top college or university, your good grades (and high GPA) won’t look quite as good.

• Some schools show how many absences you had for each class.

• Some schools are on the trimester system, which means you’ll have three sets of grades for each year.

• Some schools show plus and minus grades (such as a B+ or an A-), and some don’t.

• Some schools don’t count the freshman year, or the first semester of your freshman year, when adding up your GPA.

• Some schools don’t show your rank in your class, such as 168 out of 388, but instead use a quartile system, such as ranking you in the top 25% of your class. Some schools don’t even rank at all.

• Some schools show