Your sophomore year of high school is a pivotal year to make sure you are challenging yourself and expanding upon what you learned your freshman year. As a high school senior about to transition to college, I’ll be continuing this week with my focus on what to do each year to make sure your beyond ready for college.

When Sophomore year came around, I felt like I had high school figured out. Little did I know there was so much more that I could have done to help me be prepared for college.
Here is my to do list for high school Sophomores:

Take the ACT or SAT– It is important that you do this for experience.
Pay attention to scholarship opportunities– Even if it is for a small amount or you don’t think you will get it, do it anyways. It will give you practice and you could win and already be saving money for college.

Challenge yourself– Start thinking of what level classes you want to take to next year. If the classes you are taking right now don’t push you, plan to go to the next level. I suggest that you take any AP class that is offered your sophomore year. Getting an easy A now will not help you when you get to college.

Choose your priorities wisely– When building your resume it is important to think quality over quantity. If you joined a club your Freshmen year that did nothing, don’t join it again. Spend your time on things that will set you apart. Trust me there are hundreds of science or spanish club members that will applying to the same college you are. Join the the clubs or organization that helped you get volunteer hours and make you be involved.

With each year comes more opportunities to prepare yourself for college. It is rare for students to have that focus and drive to take those opportunities in order to be ready for college. The Horizon Point’s Checklist provides a plan for students to make college a reality.