Freshman Planning Guide

Take advantage of new opportunities and you will grow to recognize your strengths, interests, and passions along the way. Open yourself to academic endeavors, excel, and begin shaping your life—class by class, year by year. Practice making one good decision after another and you will find that you have created dynamic college options for yourself.

1. _____ Meet with your guidance counselor: Carefully build your four year plan from the beginning. Think about how your course load will unfold over four years and begin creating a map for setting and accomplishing your goals. Grades are important in ninth grade, but rigor is key, so don’t just go for easy A’s. There’s no way to over-emphasize the importance of good planning.
2. _____ Get involved in extracurricular activities: Join a club. Click on Harlan Clubs for a list of clubs at Stevens.
3. _____ Earn money now for college: Go to Raise.me and sign up.
4. _____ Study hard and make good grades.

1. _____ Explore your interests: Take an interest assessment to make sure your endorsement path and courses align with your interests/values. Click on career interest assessment .
2. _____ Explore possible careers: Visit CareerShip. CareerShip lets students review careers by cluster, match careers to interest, or search on and get information about a particular career.
3. _____ Start thinking about the classes you will be taking next year: Meet with your counselor to do individual planning and create your four year plan.
4. _____ Study hard and make good grades.

1. _____ Get involved: Continue to build your credentials. Keep track of your extracurricular awards, community service achievements, and anything else you participate in.
2. _____ Begin learning about college: Visit the College, Career and Military Readiness Center in A.105 or the CCMRC Smore!
3. _____ Start studying for your PSAT/NMSQT: You will take the PSAT this year. It is practice for the SAT and will determine your eligibility for National Merit Scholarships. Start studying for it early. Click here to review and start a study plan.
4. _____ Search for summer internship opportunities: An internship or a job may provide a brilliant opportunity for applying knowledge while gaining significant work experience. Internships and paid positions often require a resume and interview, both of which provide useful practice for the college application process.
5. _____ Study hard and make good grades.

1. _____ Volunteer
2. _____ Schedule college visits
3. _____ Create your resume: Fill it with activities and accomplishments from freshmen year.