College Planning

PERSONAL GRADUATION PLAN (PGP)

• What is a Personal Graduation Plan (PGP)?
  When the 83rd Texas Legislature passed House Bill 5 into law, high school graduation plans changed for all students who will be freshmen during the 2014-15 school year and thereafter. The bill provides more flexibility for high school students to pursue either higher education or a career.
  
  House Bill 5 established a single graduation plan, the Foundation High School Program (FHSP). Students will also have the opportunity to build on the FHSP by earning Endorsements, Performance Acknowledgements, and a Distinguished Level of Achievement.
  A focused and successful high school path is the road to future success in higher education, workforce training, and career. Revised state requirements and HISD’s own rigorous standards — along with a broad choice of career pathways — help students work with parents and educators to map their coursework to align with their aptitudes and interests. Planning a path — identifying a direction and setting goals — helps make education relevant to a student’s future.
  Each student works with their advisor to develop their path toward graduation. Some of this work begins in 8th grade, but the complete plan is developed in 9th grade and modified when necessary in subsequent years. The PGP is meant to be a roadmap. Our charge is to help students select paths of study that allow them to earn endorsements with their diploma.
  Many students have already chosen pathways and are well on their way to earning these endorsements. The State requires that schools work with parents and students, and PGPs require a parent signature. We invite you to work with us on charting your student's path to graduation. Join our academic advisors to learn more about Personal Graduation Plans, ask questions about your child's pathway and endorsement potential, and sign off on the PGP.
  
  All 9th graders will complete their PGP during their freshman year of high school
  These endorsements will help create a personalized learning plan in line with a student’s career interests and goals. Families will be introduced to these options at the end of year 8th grade parent meeting to assist them in selecting a high school endorsement and career pathway that meets the student’s career interests and post-secondary goals.
  
  
  Key Things To Know

• A student must complete a PGP upon entering 9th grade

• Students and counselors will plan the 4 years of High School classes along with the corresponding endorsements. 

• Students and parents must confirm and sign the personal graduation plan

College Planning

Texas Gear Up - College Application Process 

https://www.texasgearup.com/public/content/TXGU-College%20Application%20Process%20Packet.pdf

Texas Gear Up - Campus Tour Contact Information

College Campus Tours – General Information

 

Best Colleges provides information on colleges that may suit your needs.

BestColleges.com

 

The Student Loan Report provides helpful information regarding different ways to pay for college.

https://lendedu.com/blog/the-student-loan-report-merges-with-lendedu/

College Planning for Grades 9-11

Freshman through juniors can begin to prepare for the college admittance process by starting a resume listing all activities and sports in which they participate, as well as a log of community service hours and a list of all awards given to that student throughout his or her high school career.

All sophomores and juniors should take the PSAT (practice version of SAT) in the fall. This test is a practice test for the sophomores and serves as a National Merit Scholarship Qualifier for juniors. Additionally, sophomores should take the PLAN (practice version of ACT) test in the fall.

Students should take the SAT and ACT beginning in the Spring semester of their junior year. This leaves plenty of time for improvement, and studies show that scores generally improve with practice and preparation.

Juniors can estimate their financial aid eligibility by inputting their information into the FAFSA Forecaster.http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov

 

Applying to College

Seniors, get ready!  Your senior year will be fast and furious, and it starts early with the college application process! 

For seniors wanting to apply to PUBLIC, TEXAS universities, www.goapplytexas.org provides a common application.  This common application allows you to fill in (most) of the information only once.  Each university will have questions specific to that institution, but much of the information is the same and will be automatically copied. 

Apply Texas opens in August for students to start working on their applications, and most universities will start taking applications by mid-August to September.  I cannot stress enough how important it is for students to apply early, especially if they will not qualify for automatic admission. 

Students receive automatic admission to state schools (with the current exception of UT) if they are in the Top 10% of their graduation course. The University of Texas provides automatic admission to students in the top 7% of their graduating class**.  Others will fall as review admits, in which instances a review board will make application decisions based on high school grades, course rigor, SAT/ACT scores, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and college application essays. 

Collegeboard provides students with tips on writing an effective college admissions essay:  http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/9406.html?99720112013360697Nav=|&NodeID=1772. 

After you have written your essays, have someone proofread them. I will be glad to look over any essays you have written and give you tips for improvement. 

After you have completed the admission application, you will be required to pay an application fee before sending your application to the university.  Once the application has been sent, complete a transcript request form online or complete a paper request form and turn it in to Mrs. Granger to have your transcript sent to the college.  Please allow up to 48 hours to process all transcript requests.

Do not overlook the Scholarship Application tab on many Apply Texas applications.  Fill that out at the time of application, and the universities will automatically select you for any University specific scholarships for which you qualify.