Overview

Developing a comprehensive college-bound plan is a labor intensive process, requiring the support of many people (e.g., parents, teachers, counselors, proofreaders, and editors), for students desirous of successful outcomes. Being offered admission to top colleges and being awarded large dollar scholarships is a highly competitive process, in which thousands, if not tens of thousands of other students are also competing for admissions and scholarships.

Getting organized for the work ahead is important for gathering the information that will eventually be required in developing high quality college admissions and scholarship applications. You will need to maintain usernames and passwords, refer to personal information such as your social security number and household income, and refer to your high school/college transcripts, SAT/ACT Score Reports, community service hours, and copies of recommendation letters. Failing to get organized will invariably result in missing important deadlines or lacking access to important information needed to finalize a college admission or scholarship application.

This process will involve narrative writing, in which you are required to write something (e.g., answer questions, record research, provide a self-assessment) and typically are linked to a secure Google Document. 

Each time that you log into our classroom, you should also log into your Google Account so that you may access the narrative document that you will create and maintain throughout your enrollment in our program. Throughout your enrollment in our program, you will maintain a single narrative document, to which you will refer each time that you are directed to write a narrative. Since only one narrative document will be used for all of the narratives that you write throughout the year, at the end of the year, you (and your parents, counselor, or mentor) will be able to review all of your work. You will see growth in your writing as you explore each component of your college bound plan. Your Google Document is private and is only accessible by people to whom you grant privileges (e.g., course instructor, mentor, counselor, parents, etc.). 

Objective

Gather and organize important information that will be referenced during the college planning process.

Estimated time to complete: Undetermined

Guiding Question

Do I have all of the information required to complete a student profile and academic résumé (e.g., transcript, SAT/ACT Score Reports, activities, awards, classes taken and grades earned, etc.)? Note: As a middle school student you may wonder how a middle school student would have an SAT/ACT Score Report? Middle school students who participate in programs, such as Duke TIP, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and the Northwestern Center for Talent Development programs, take the SAT or ACT in the seventh grade.