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For Incoming or Current Sophomores

Sophomore year is known as the chill year, but do not let your grades slip! All the more reason to go hard academically and put time into your extracurriculars.

 

If you feel alone in paving your path to college, know that you are not and there are programs and different communities that are here to support you.

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Important Reminders: 

  • Remember that a  grade of C or better is required for each core-course (math, English, science, history). If you receive an F in English 1, for example, you must retake this course for a C or better otherwise you will not be eligible for admission to most 4-year universities.

  • There are programs designed to support students who are low-income and/or first in their family to go to college and/or identify as Black, Indigenous, person of color.

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Resources for 11th Grade Students and Parents: 

Student's Checklist: 

  1. Meet with your counselor at the beginning of the school year. Evaluate your freshman year and plan the years ahead of you. Discuss your progress and potential future plans. Discuss colleges and their requirements to make sure you are on track to meet them.

  2. Deepen involvement in extracurricular activities that align with values, interests, and long-term goals (But also explore new things). Participating in meaningful extracurricular activities is key. If the activity you’re interested in doesn’t exist at your school, start a new club. Run for leadership positions this year or next.

  3. Maintain grades + take more challenging courses

  4. Prepare for the SAT/ACT. Our Standardized Testing page has more information and tips on this.

  5. Join programs like Upward Bound and EAOP that exist for first generation and/or low-income students. Get ready for the Questbridge College Prep Scholars Program for low-income juniors with at least a 3.5 GPA.

Parent's Checklist: 

  1. If the process to go to college is unfamiliar to you, know that there are programs that can help guide your child to go to college. 

  2. Find out whether your child’s school has college nights or financial aid nights. Plan to attend those events with your child.

  3. If you aren’t able to start visiting colleges yet, now is a great time to get key information using the College Scorecard for the schools your child is thinking about. Visit each school’s website to see if virtual tours are available.

  4. Help your child develop independence by encouraging them to take responsibility for balancing homework with any other activities or a part-time job.

  5. Learn about the standardized tests your child will be taking during 10th through 12th grades.

  6. Get a brief overview of financial aid from "Do You Need Money for College? Apply for Federal Student Aid."

Information collected for these checklists based on ChangeMakers' experiences and information from the U.S. department of education, Questbridge, Piedmont High School, and College Essay Guy. 

Reach out on Instagram @WCCUSD_CHANGEMAKERS
Or through Email: ec.changemakers@gmail.com.

Do you have anything to add to our lists? 

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