When high school students make a decision to attend college, they should start planning before their freshman year in high school. The best way to get started is to develop a four year academic plan. This plan should include what kind of courses will be best suited for college preparation. The students should make sure to talk with a high school counselor to see what courses are offered.

When developing a high school plan, the students should take into consideration the courses required for graduation as well as courses needed to prepare for their career. In addition to the kind of courses needed, the students should develop some academic goals to try and achieve. The student might have a goal such as: earning 3.0 GPA for freshman year.

In order to take courses that will prepare a student for college, the curriculum should have college prep classes. The student could follow this basic four year plan of work:

4 years of English
4 years of science
4 years of social studies
4 years of mathematics
2 years of foreign language
1 year of computer class
1 test preparation class
1 year of physical education

The students can take additional courses to enhance preparation.

In addition to the courses, the students need to start preparation for the standardized test that will be required for college. Students should start taking standardized tests in the ninth grade in order to become aware of what their academic strengths and weaknesses are. By starting early, students will have plenty of time to improve any academic deficiencies. The standardized test most widely used is the ACT test. All students should take some kind of test prep class before taking the official ACT test. This can improve students' test scores by two to three points.

The students who are making academic plans for college starting in the ninth grade are preparing for a successful high school and college career.

For additional information go to http://www.stratesville.org
Ronnie Phillips, a very experienced educator and parent.