Create Your Scholarship Game Plan

Meet with your school counselor to discuss your college plans and lay out a course schedule for your high school career. Pace yourself. If you take the most challenging classes too early, it may leave you with nothing good to take during your senior year. Colleges and scholarship judges notice if your senior course load looks unusually light. You still want to demonstrate that you are a serious and committed student in your senior year.

Discuss your plans for AP courses and honors courses. Take a challenging but manageable course load. AP and honors courses will impact your grade point average (gpa) more heavily than other courses because they are given more weight in the gpa calculation. However, students sometimes sabotage their own success by taking unrealistically challenging classes, hoping for the extra point advantage but instead find themselves with less than stellar grades. Only you, your parents and your counselor can develop a plan that is the right balance for you.

Stay strong in the core classes and make sure to get 4 years of English, history, math and science. Have at least 2 years of a foreign language, more if you plan to major in a language. Also confirm with your counselor when you will take the PSAT, SAT and/or ACT. Make sure your plan requires you to take the PSAT in October of your junior year so that your scores may be considered for the National Merit Scholarships, National Scholarship Service and the National Hispanic Scholar Recognition Award.