College & Career Center Coordinator Ms. Amy Sisson shares her tips on how to work on future goals and choices for every grade.
Freshmen
“Freshmen can use Naviance to do career assessments that will identify areas of interest, traits they may have, likes and dislikes to guide them into a general career interest area. From there they can look deeper into what they want to do after high school. The biggest thing colleges want to see in a student is that they have challenged themselves academically in school. I feel incorporating both extracurricular activities and academics could help one to be well rounded not just as a student, but as a person.”
Sophomores
“For sophomores, they should take the PSAT in October and start attending college fairs to meet with representatives. In December they can begin to research and apply to summer programs and ask local businesses about the possibility of job shadowing for a day.”
Juniors
“Juniors should be attending a few college presentations in the College and Career Center. Doing so will give students a broad view of what is available at each campus and the degree offerings. They should also be preparing to take the ACT or SAT in the spring. We have FREE test prep materials available for check out and there are more resources online. Save your money on test prep and use it to actually visit colleges to find your perfect fit.”
Seniors
“Seniors should focus on finalizing their college list, attending college presentations and applying for the FAFSA in October. Pasadena City College will host a free Cash For College event in November to assist students and their families with the FAFSA application. A final thought for seniors: stay ahead of deadlines and double and triple check the requirements for applying to your colleges.”