Sophomore Year Action Plan

Fall

• Review your schedule to make sure you are enrolled in challenging courses!
• Consult your guidance counselor about taking the PSAT in October. The PSAT is a preliminary test that will prepare you for the SAT Reasoning Test.
• If you plan on taking the ACT, talk to your guidance counselor about taking the PLAN this fall. The PLAN is a preliminary standardized test that will give you some preparation for the ACT. PLAN does not have national testing dates, so ask your guidance counselor about test dates offered by your school.
• You need to register several weeks in advance for the PLAN and the PSAT, so consult your guidance counselor early in September.  
• Sign up, if you have not done so already, for co-curricular activities that interest you. The level of involvement and accomplishment is most important, not the number of activities.
• Keep a record of your co-curricular involvement, volunteer work, and employment (all year).
• Guidance counselors will be in your classrooms for sophomore presentations to provide you with grade specific information. Be ready to ask questions that you may have!

Winter

• Keep studying!
• Consult your guidance counselor to explore ways to improve on future standardized tests and courses to discuss which may be required or beneficial for your post-high school plans.  
• Learn about college costs and how financial aid works.
• Volunteer-a great way to identify your interests and to develop skills.
• It is never too early to start researching colleges and universities. Visit your guidance office to browse through literature and guidebooks or surf the Web and check out college and university home pages.  
• Find out about college first hand from college friends who are home for the holidays.

Spring

• Stay focused!
• Prepare yourself for MCAS!
• Continue to research career options and consider possible college majors that will help you achieve your career goals.  
• Plan now for wise use of your summer. Consider taking a summer course or participating in a special program (e.g., for prospective engineers or journalists or for those interested in theater or music) at a local college or community college. Consider working or volunteering.
• If you work, save some of your earnings for college.