Sophomore Checklist

Your sophomore year is when your dreams of life beyond high school start taking shape. This is the
time to discover your dreams and make a plan to achieve them. Each little step — from taking more
college prep classes and finding a volunteer job to improving your study habits — will place you
closer to your career goals.

SUMMER BEFORE SOPHOMORE YEAR

Think about what problems you’d like to solve.

How will you make the world a better place? What do
you need to learn to be able to do that? Don’t restrict
yourself to academic or career achievements or by your
current resources. When you think about the problems
you want to solve, the question changes from “Where do
I want to work?” to “What do I need to learn to prepare
for solving these challenges?”

Identify how you will solve those problems.

Determine what education you will need to achieve
your goals. What steps will you need to take to solve the
problems that interest you?
Stay focused. Nothing should keep you from your
goals. Ask your counselors, your teachers, and other
adults for help with your plan and goals. Remember,
a postsecondary education is available to everyone,
regardless of how much money your family may have.
Financial assistance is available to students who need it.
Discuss your course schedule with your
high school counselor. You want to plan to take
challenging courses that will prepare you for your
career path. Ask about prerequisites for advanced-level
junior- and senior-year courses. Make sure you are on
track for graduation. Talk with your counselor about your
best fit for classes. It’s important to find a good balance
between a strong grade point average (GPA) and taking
challenging classes.

FALL Your grades matter. Delaware offers a SEED scholarship,

which covers your tuition at Delaware Technical
Community College or the University of Delaware’s
Do your best on the PSAT/NMSQT. You’ll be
Associate in Arts Program, and you need at least a 2.5
taking it this year. Take the test seriously. Although it’s
GPA to qualify. Delaware State University offers the
also taken in 11th grade, all Delaware sophomores take
Inspire scholarship, which pays up to $3,900 per year
it free in school. Check your results and work on any
toward tuition. You need a 2.75 GPA to qualify for Inspire.
academic weaknesses while there is still plenty of time
So work hard in your classes!
to make improvements. Use Khan Academy — a free
online tool that provides customized study guides just
for you at khanacademy.org/sat. It will help you improve
Make time each month to discover potential
your scores for the SAT, which is often needed for college
majors and colleges. Use online tools to explore
majors that match your interests: roadtripnation.com,
admission.
bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges or
nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator.
 Sophomore Checklist
WINTER
Participate in school activities or volunteer
efforts. Extracurricular activities can help you develop
time management skills and enrich your high school
experience, all of which looks great when you apply to
college.
Look at your PSAT scores. Go back to Khan Academy
to work on areas where you need to improve. Your test
scores will show you how ready you are for college-level
courses.
Learn about financial aid. Read about the
differences between grants, loans, work-study, and
scholarships at studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types. Attend
financial aid presentations at your school.
SPRING
Visit college campuses and attend college fairs.
Official college tours and virtual tours are great ways
to experience campus life. Go to the admissions section
of college websites for more details. Ask your school
counselor when local college fairs will be held, and
then plan to attend. Speak to college reps to learn about
different schools.
Stay active in clubs and sports. Colleges look at
more than just your academic record. It’s important that
you demonstrate your abilities outside the classroom,
too. Build your leadership skills in these activities —
colleges look for leaders.
Think about how you can make best use of
your summers. Look for a job, internship, or volunteer
position that will allow you to learn more about a
particular field of interest and gain work experience.
www.DelawareGoesToCollege.org
  
Higher Education Office
401 Federal Street, Suite 2, Dover, DE 19901-3639
Phone: 302-735-4120
Fax: 302-739-5894
Email: dheo@doe.k12.de.us
Sources: The College Board, The National Association for College Admission
Counseling, and Oregon Goes to College