Freshman Year Checklist
1. Talk to your school counselor to make sure your high school course schedule
is on the right track for preparing for college. Many scholarships in Arkansas
require students to take Smart Core. Smart Core is the college and career ready
set of courses that is the default curriculum for all Arkansas public high school
students. For more information, visit http://www.arkansased.org the Arkansas
Department of Education's website.
2. Be sure to take Algebra I or Geometry (or a higher level math class, if
appropriate). Students who take advanced math in high school, such as Algebra II
or higher by the time of graduation, are far more likely to attend college and
graduate than those who do not take advanced math classes. Many colleges and
universities require four years of high school math, and Smart Core also requires
four math credits.
3. You and your family should continue to put extra dollars into a college fund.
4. Start to learn about college financial aid, federal and state resources that are
available, and how you can use those resources to help pay for college.
5. Be involved in extracurricular activities. Participation in clubs, athletic teams,
music groups, journalism, etc. will be an important factor in many college admission
decisions. You should get involved in school life, but naturally, not to the point that
it harms your academic endeavors.
6. Document all of your extracurricular activities, volunteerism, awards, or
leadership in a notebook or folder. You will be asked to list these on college
applications as well as write essays reflecting on the experiences. Having this
material easily accessible will make the application process much simpler.
Source: Fund My Future Booklet 2016-2017
1. Talk to your school counselor to make sure your high school course schedule
is on the right track for preparing for college. Many scholarships in Arkansas
require students to take Smart Core. Smart Core is the college and career ready
set of courses that is the default curriculum for all Arkansas public high school
students. For more information, visit http://www.arkansased.org the Arkansas
Department of Education's website.
2. Be sure to take Algebra I or Geometry (or a higher level math class, if
appropriate). Students who take advanced math in high school, such as Algebra II
or higher by the time of graduation, are far more likely to attend college and
graduate than those who do not take advanced math classes. Many colleges and
universities require four years of high school math, and Smart Core also requires
four math credits.
3. You and your family should continue to put extra dollars into a college fund.
4. Start to learn about college financial aid, federal and state resources that are
available, and how you can use those resources to help pay for college.
5. Be involved in extracurricular activities. Participation in clubs, athletic teams,
music groups, journalism, etc. will be an important factor in many college admission
decisions. You should get involved in school life, but naturally, not to the point that
it harms your academic endeavors.
6. Document all of your extracurricular activities, volunteerism, awards, or
leadership in a notebook or folder. You will be asked to list these on college
applications as well as write essays reflecting on the experiences. Having this
material easily accessible will make the application process much simpler.
Source: Fund My Future Booklet 2016-2017