College Counseling - 11th & 10th Grade

Fall (Aug - Dec)

College/Career Exploration

Begin/update your resume (a brag sheet)
College exploration
After you've identified potential careers of interest, find at least five colleges or universities that offer related majors. Visit their websites and find the Admissions Office page to request more information about the college.

Preparing for College

Take the PSAT
- Use the fee waiver (if you qualify)
10th-11th grade academic GPA is what colleges will focus on for admission decisions
- Do your best in all A-G classes (more information on A-G available here)
Attend as many college representative visits as you can
- Attend both the CUSD and CSU Dominguez Hills college fairs
- Various colleges will send representatives to our high school
- Listen to morning announcements and visit the College Center to see when presentations are happening

Financial Aid

Your GPA now will impact qualifying for a Cal Grant
- Pell Grants (federal funds) depend on your parents' income
- Cal Grants (state funds) depend on your parents' income and your grades
- Cal Grants are also available to undocumented students
- It pays to get good grades!
Be involved!
- It's important to volunteer and be involved on and off campus to build leadership skills and your resume.
High Profile Scholarships
- Questbridge Scholars program
  - application completed your junior year; typically due in March
- Gates Scholarship
  - open in July
  - work with your counselor and English teacher to prepare for it
Institutional Aid
- Funding provided directly by the college/university
- Private colleges give the most, then the UC system, then the CSU system
Outside Scholarships
- If you want to get a head start on scholarship applications, visit our Financial Aid page for more resources (the process and timeline for most scholarships will be similar each year)

Spring (Jan - June)

Prepare for Summer

Look for summer internships or college programs
- Find something you're interested in and apply to a summer program
- Summer programs can make your college application more competitive
Check the Compton College calendar for summer session dates
- You are expected to take a college class during summer to stay on track for graduation

11th Grade Spring (Jan - June)

Prepare for SAT/ACT tests

Prepare for College Applications

Summer (June - Aug)

Visit Colleges

Visit as many colleges and universities as you can
Official tours and unofficial walk throughs can both help you decide if a school is for you

Complete Summer Program

Attend your summer internship or college program
Collect a transcript, certificate of completion, or contact information for someone who can verify your participation
Update your resume (brag sheet) to include summer program
- If you have a paid job, remember to include that on your resume too

Complete College Class

College Counseling