It's Never Too Early to Start Thinking About College

   
      The GPA (grade point average) is that magic number that can have a huge effect on the rest of a student's life as it plays a big part in determining what college/university they will be able to get into.  The SAT/ACT scores and extra curricular activities such as sports, clubs and community service also play a big role in this, however, it is the GPA that lays the foundation.  
     Colleges/universities want to see that high school students are challenging themselves.  This is why we encourage all our students to take a few honors or Advanced Placement classes.  They generally want to see an upward trend in grades, however, life is not over if a C graces a report card.    They also want to see that the student has made a positive contribution to their school and community.  A friend of mine who is the Director of Admissions for Catholic University in Washington D.C.  once told me that the bottom line for most colleges/universities is that they want to accept students who will enhance the university with their learning and participation efforts.  The GPA, SAT/ACT scores and extra curricular activities helps them gauge this.  
     It's never too early to start thinking about the process while in high school.  I encourage freshmen to start researching the colleges/universities that are of interest to them now so they can learn about their entrance requirements and start setting some goals.  For example, the University of Massachusetts, generally is looking for a 3.5 GPA, a mid 500 score on the SAT components or a 24-26 on the ACT.  
     I encourage all of our sophomore students to take the PSAT this fall so they can gauge where they stand on taking this very important assessment.  If the student is not where they want or need to be, it might be a good idea to think about SAT/ACT prep classes.  Our guidance department has many resources and ideas for students who are looking to start planning now.  I encourage all our students and parents to take advantage of the services and information provided by guidance.  Good luck and know that we are always here to help!