9th Grade Planning

If you’re thinking that 9th grade is too early to start preparing for life after high school, you’re wrong. Some of what you do in 9th grade will impact your career decisions and college applications, and it could influence admissions decisions.

Also, if you have the mindset in 9th grade that you’re going to college, you’ll be much more likely to stay on the path to achieving your college goals.

Below are important tips for 9th-grade college and career readiness:

• Take the Right Classes
  When you start high school, you need to make sure you’re taking a college prep curriculum if you plan to go to college. Talk to your counselor to ensure that you’re on a college prep track. In many schools, the math or foreign language class you take in your freshman year of high school will determine what level you’re able to reach when you’re a senior in high school.
• Colleges will evaluate you based on the classes you’ve taken. If you have any aspirations of attending a top college, the most selective schools want to see that you’re challenging yourself and taking some of the hardest classes that are offered at your school.
• You don’t have to take every single honors or AP class, but to get into the top schools, you should demonstrate that you can do well in the most difficult classes. It is recommended to take honors or AP classes in the subjects you're best at and the subjects you're considering studying in college.

Sources: College Board, Big Future, Great Schools.org, Williamsburg Learning, NCAA, Federal Student Aid office of the US Department of Education, Princeton Review and US News and World Report.