10th Grade College Planning: Sophomore

Mrs. Joanne Lewis
Director, College & Career Center
Phone: 310-378-8471 Ext. 43618
[email protected]

Mrs. Teresa Hoffman
Scholarship & Financial Aid Coordinator
Phone: 310-378-8471 Ext. 43347
[email protected]

SEPTEMBER

Meet with Counselor to ensure you’re meeting ‘A-G’ eligibility requirements for UC/CSU
Update your Schoolinks information. On Schoolinks you can start keeping track of your awards and honors, school and community activities that you’re involved on – both paid and volunteer work, and descriptions of what you do. If you have any problems with your Schoolinks account, contact your counselor for assistance.
Concentrate on academics
Continue to develop extra-curricular interests; try new ones...attend CLUB RUSH!
Participate in Community Service that is meaningful to YOU!
Attend at least 2 or more of the Mini College Fairs on Tuesdays held over lunchtime from mid September - mid November. No registration needed... bring your friends and start investigating colleges you might not have heard of along with those you have!
Start thinking about and investigating what kind of careers you might enjoy most! There are great resources in Schoolinks under the "careers" tab!

OCTOBER
Participate in College Week which is October 16th - 20th, 2023. All sophomores will take a practice college entrance exam to become exposed to the new Adaptive Digital SAT to get a glimpse of what that tests is like on October 18th... registration is required and details will be made available in early September. For extensive information regarding college testing please see the link College Admission Tests.
Attend the College Fair in Senior Park on October 19th! This is a great opportunity to get to know some great colleges from outside of California right here at PV High.
Stay on top of academics: turn in homework on time, follow up on test with test corrections.

NOVEMBER – JANUARY
Receive and review results from the College Day testing. This will help you understand more about college entrance exams and help you prepare for the actual ACT and/or SAT which you will take in your junior year.
Sophomore families are encouraged to attend our college admission testing night in December to gain a better understanding of the testing process looking forward to a more concrete testing plan in junior year. For extensive information regarding college testing please see the link College Admission Tests.
Remember, grades, GPA, and your academic schedule is important!!

Testing is ONE component of your college application. It can be an added value to showcase your academic strengths and potential for success in college. Your day in day out course work and effort in your classes are the biggest component of the academic review in an application. Not JUST your GPA, but how you've grown over time, consistency or growth in grades, adding honors/AP/advanced coursework in academic areas of strength, etc. Take the time to do well in classes.
Get organized. You might begin receiving mail and e-mail from Colleges. Start a file of important documents and notes… you can keep the information in a file box or in a digital folder, but you should keep your test scores in a folder along with your transcript, report cards, etc.

FEBRUARY – MARCH
Keep up your grades; retain good writing samples for personal use
Continue with community service; focus on service that you feel is important and where you can try to make a difference.
Learn what resources are available to help you plan for college by visiting the College & Career Center and speaking with your Counselor. Check out catalogs, guidebooks, college search programs and college web sites.
Explore upcoming summer internships and jobs. Talk to your parents about your family plans for summer and discuss the possibility of participating in a summer enrichment program, workshop or camp with specialty focuses such as music, arts and science.
Military Academy Information – If you are interested in applying to a U.S. Military Academy as a senior, plan to attend the Military Academy Information session or contact your local Congressional representative to obtain a timeline of application procedures.

APRIL – MAY
Meet with your Counselor to discuss your academic plan and course selections for your junior year. Talk to your counselor about Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses; keep in mind that you will want to challenge yourself with tougher courses that make sense for you. Every student should take the most challenging courses he or she can perform well in.
Prepare for college entrance exams by taking a practice full length ACT / SAT. These are valuable tests to help you prepare for the actual ACT / SAT that you might take in your junior year. It’s important to understand which test works better for you so that you can focus on preparing for that test you can do your best on... keep in mind that the UC's and Cal States are TEST FREE and will not consider any college entrance exam scores for admission.
Attend College Fairs where sophomores are admitted: The NACAC College Fair is one of the largest and a great opportunity to meet admissions representatives from hundreds of colleges around the nation.
Sign up to take summer courses if appropriate. Volunteer or work over summer, take classes or enrichment programs – whatever the case, make those plans now so you don’t miss out later.

JUNE – AUGUST
Enjoy your summer doing whatever it is you decided to do! Try something new or dive deeper into projects or activities where you are excited and eager to participate.
Start now or continue a discussion with your family about College: Find out about the different types of schools. Decide which characteristics are most important to you, such as size, distance from home, cost.
Begin your college search and visits right here in California by visiting some of our amazing local colleges and universities!

ATTEND

College Night 2023

September 14, 6:00pm – 8:00pm (MPR)

Keynote: Kirk Brennan / USC Dean of Admission

Facts vs. Fiction, Insights & Tips: Navigating College Admissions in 2023

Followed by breakout workshops:

How to Craft a Standout College Application

EA vs. ED vs. RD? The variables and how they impact decisions

“Geek is Chic” – College Admissions Collaborative Highlighting Engineering & Technology

Overview of the UC System

CA Community College & Transfer Admission Guarantee

Athletic Recruiting – Playing your Sport in College

Coming Late to the Party: How to Build & Finalize your College List

College Admission Counselor Visits

Mini College Fair Tuesdays @ Lunchtime

College Day for Sophomores

Practice Adaptive Digital PSAT

October 18^th - Details TBA

College Fair

October 19, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

40 colleges / universities in attendance

Financial Aid Information Night

Oct. 24, 6:30 p. m. – 7:30 via Zoom

Understanding the NEW BETTER FAFSA

READ

Class of 2024 PVHSCCC Weekly Updates

For deadlines, tips, upcoming events including a list of colleges visiting the CCC, essay review

sessions, application workshops and more. Everything you need to stay organized!

UTILIZE

The PVHS College Career Center (CCC) Room 318

Drop-ins welcome, college essay reviews, college list review, etc.

Schedule appointments with Mrs. Lewis or Mrs. Hoffman via Schoolinks