Counseling Corner Junior Plan for College & Career Readiness (scroll down)

College & Career Readiness

The goal of high school is to prepare students for college and a career. A high school diploma is the first step, but that is just the beginning. The majority of careers now require more advanced education: a 1-year certificate, 2-year associate degree, 4-year bachelor's degree or more (college = 1, 2, 4, or more). The good news is that some certificates and college credits can be completed while in high school for little to no cost. What's important is that students and families know that the path starts now. Work with your counselor to develop a plan that's right for you.

Use the YouScience Aptitude Test below to find out how your strengths relate to career options. Search 'You Science' in your school email to find your login credentials, or contact Emily Grass in A104.

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Choosing Senior Year Classes

Graduation Progress - You must earn 24 credits in specific areas in order to graduate (see below). You can check which requirements you still need on PowerSchool by going to 'Grade History' and selecting 'View Graduation Progress'. If you have questions see your counselor.

Future Education and Career Goals - Make sure you are college and/or career ready.

• Colleges often require or recommend additional coursework (see below).
• Earn college credit while in high school at a reduced rate with Concurrent Enrollment (CE).
• Complete CTE courses and Pathways to prepare for a job or addition training in your field.

Required for High School; Recommended for College

• Language Arts - 4.0 credits
• Math - 3.0 credits; 4.0 credits
• Science - 3.0 credits; Biology, Chemistry, Physics
• Social Studies - 3.0 credits
• Fine Arts - 1.5 credits
• Career & Technical Education - 1.0 credit
• Computer Tech - 0.5 credits
• Financial Literacy - 0.5 credits
• PE/Health - 2.0 credits (PE Skills, Fit for Life, Lifetime Activity)
• Electives - 5.5 credits; 2 years of a World Language in a progressive manner

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Honors Diploma & Valedictorian

Honors Diploma:

• 16 honors, AP, IB or Concurrent Enrollment Credits; 3 must be AP or IB during high school
• 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher
• 2 years of a World Language (Level III and IV of a language count as an honors class)

Valedictorian:

• 4.0 cumulative GPA
• Home Release greater than 1.0 credit during senior year will disqualify the student from consideration.
• Release Time and Teacher's Aide greater than 1.0 credit during senior year will disqualify the student from consideration.

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ACT/SAT

The ACT and SAT are college readiness exams. Some colleges will require a copy of your ACT/SAT scores. Some colleges use it to accept or decline admission. Most use it for scholarship awards. Others use it for class placement only. In Utah we focus on the ACT, but students may take either. Colleges will accept either one.

Every Junior will have the opportunity to take the ACT on March 12th during school for FREE. Contact Highland's Testing Coordinator, Swede Robinson, for questions.

Students may take the ACT multiple times. It is generally recommended to take it twice, a third time if the student has done considerable preparation that might impact their score. The ACT is offered 6 times a year. In order to take it a second or third time, students must register online with ACT.

**Fee Waivers available for those who qualify; See your counselor.

ACT Prep

Shmoop offers an online ACT prep program that is FREE to Utah students. This program includes tutorials targeted toward the specific needs of each student as assessed in an initial practice test. Students can access Shmoop through the menu in their canvas courses.

Highland offers a FREE afterschool ACT Prep class. The class takes place on Wednesdays each week for 6 weeks. The next available session will take place at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. Students should contact their counselor in August to sign up. Space is limited.

There are additional classes in the community. Check out the links below.

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Choosing a College

First and foremost, college choice should be based on career goals. Which career path you wish to pursue will dictate what education you need to attain. College = 1, 2, 4, or more. This means it can include a 1-year certificate, 2-year associate degree, 4-year bachelor's degree, or more such as graduate school, law school, medical school etc. It's important to keep in mind that not every college will offer every major or degree program. The links below can help you to find a college program that is right for you. Not quite sure what you want to study in college? Keep in mind that larger universities will have more programs to offer.

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College Tours & Events

Once you have a list of schools you are interested in, it's a good idea to take a tour or attend an event. Touring a college's campus and attending admission events allows you to get a sense of the school community to see if it's a good fit. If you aren't able to physically go to the school for a tour, many schools have virtual tours available on their website or on YouTube.

It is also possible for you to set up a more specific tour or meeting with someone from a program or department of interest. Not every program is the same from school to school. Knowing the pros and cons and what they have to offer can help to inform your decision to apply or attend.

Contact your schools of interest to find out what tours and events are coming up.

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Get Organized

Use the college guide and grade level checklists:

Once you have found colleges with majors you are interested in, narrow them down to 4-10. You should have schools that fall into three categories: Safety Schools, Good Fit Schools, and Reach Schools. To find out what category the school fits into, use the College Scorecard link below to see how the college's average ACT score and GPA compare to your own.

Next, create a calendar of important deadlines:

• Application deadlines (Priority vs Final)
• Scholarship deadlines (General and Department)
• Financial Aid deadline
• Audition/Portfolio deadline (if program requires)
• NCAA deadlines and requirements

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Paying for College

How to pay for college is on everyone's mind during this process. There are a lot of opportunities to decrease the cost of college. Paying attention to deadlines is equally important in this process as in the application process.

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Financial Aid

FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Up to $6,000 is available in grants per student. While federal aid is based on need, many colleges require students to fill out the FAFSA in order to be eligible for other scholarships as well. The application opens October 1 of your senior year. It is only necessary to fill out the application one time in order to submit it for all schools, but the deadline varies by school; Some deadlines are as early as February of your senior year so get it done early!

Many Utah colleges will cover the remainder of tuition costs for up to two years if a student qualifies for any portion of the federal grant. See below:

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Scholarships

Scholarships can come from a variety of places and can be awarded for a variety of reasons.

**UtahFutures has been replaced by Keys to Success (ktsutah.org)

Scholarships may be awarded for:

• Academics/Merit Based
• Talent
• Service
• Leadership

You can get scholarships from:

• College/University in general
• Specific Department at College/University
• Community Organization

Here are some tips to get started:

For help finding scholarships, contact the colleges and universities of interest and work with Highland's Scholarship Coordinator, Landon Clark. Scholarship bulletins, organized by month, are available on the Highland Counseling website.

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Help is Available

See your counselor

• Claudia Kassner, A-Cl
• Nicole Bogue, Co-G
• Mia Naddeo, H-Le
• Lisa Madsen, Li-O
• Lia Martinez, P-Sn
• Jerly Alcala-Gomez, So-Z

Scholarship Coordinator - Landon Clark

Registrar - Emily Zavala Lopez