Talk with your teachers

Talk to your teachers and counselor regularly. In order for them to help you make the best decisions regarding college, you have to make yourself available to them. Don’t be afraid to visit often. You won’t get on their nerves. Just come prepared with any questions you may have and they’ll appreciate your organization.

You should also make it a point to speak with your teachers on a regular basis. Your instructors see your mental prowess first hand. They are the best to evaluate your academic performance and to write letters of recommendation for you. Letting your instructor in on your goals allows them to better help you when the time comes to make big college decisions.

After all, teachers are there not just to teach, but to help their students as well. If you have any concerns regarding your classroom performance and how that will affect your college admissions, try to set up a meeting time with one of your teachers. More often than not, they are glad to help you make sense of the college prep process.

College entrance exams can be a real pain. Let’s face it. They don’t exactly test your intelligence or your breadth of knowledge from high school. Rather, you need to study specifically for the test to ensure you know the kind of information that’s on it.

It may seem pointless, but standardized tests are the, well, standard of most colleges regarding entrance exams.

This year, you should research the specific requirements of each of the schools on your list. The tests you will most often run across include:

PSAT/NMSQT
SAT Reasoning Test
ACT
SAT Subject Test

What do you each of these tests require? What sorts of questions will you be asked? Do your research on the specifics of these tests and pick up a handbook with a few sample questions inside.

Even though standardized tests only really matter in terms of applying to college, they matter big time in this one area. Do your best to prepare early for the exams by knowing which ones you’ll need to take and what subjects you’ll need a refresher course on before test day.