CPC ACTION PLAN

For: students

College Planning Corp.

cpc@collegepco.org | (847) 450-8001

□ The first consultation with College Planning Corp. to discuss your college road map and take the CPC Personality Test for Potential College Major.

□ The second consultation with College Planning Corp. to discuss classes best suited for your potential major, create a reading list throughout the year and apply to math competitions and science fairs to bolster your extracurricular activities.

□ The third consultation with College Planning Corp. to start a research project personalized for your potential major through CPC’s research classes. This class involves writing the paper, revising the paper,  publishing the project to our journals The Aspiring Scientist: An International Journal for High School and College Scientists, The Top Journal: An International Journal for High School and College Scientists and also your own personalized website blog.

□ Join the United in Music Foundation, an organization where musicians can perform in concerts and volunteer to aid the community.

□ Register and attend annual youth leadership conferences offered by local organizations.

□ For students looking to go into the STEM field, attend gatherings that interest you such as robotics and coding competitions, medical meeting, and engineering conferences.

□ For other students, attend gatherings that interest you such as debate tournaments, speech conferences, and other leadership conferences.

□ Visit a college campus with your family. This will give you an idea what the college environment feels like per school and will help you better understand which colleges you will want to attend.

□ Get facts about college costs.

□ Make a list of interests, talents, and favorite activities and match them with occupations to see what potential career fields you want to go into.

□ Research college summer enrichment programs for high school students. If you find a summer program of interest, start the application.

Fall

September

• Meet with the school counselor to schedule a meeting to talk about college career options and also choose the most-appropriate classes. Continue to build a courteous and respectful relationship with your counselor as they are crucial for advice and recommendations when you apply for college and scholarships. Check with your counselor on your progress when achieving your four-year plan and revise your plan as needed.
• Your GPA is the single-most-important factor for getting accepted to college. This includes freshman grades. Study hard throughout your freshman year to earn top grades so you can have the highest possible GPA and class rank.
• Participate in extracurricular activities and if possible, decide which activities you are most passionate about and wish to continue throughout your high school career. Plan to take leadership roles in these activities.

October

• Join academic programs and organizations that recognize high-achieving students. See your high school counselor for instruction on membership.

November

• Find college summer enrichment programs for high school students. If you find a program of interest, begin the application process by next month

Winter

December

• Do well on your final exams and these exams are weighted heavily towards your final grades for the semester.

January

• Continue participating in extracurricular activities and pursue leadership roles and programs that recognize high-achieving students. Leadership is one of the most valuable student qualifications sought by college admission officers.

February

• Register for next year’s sophomore-level courses. Make sure to follow your four-year plan for high school graduation and college preparation. Sign up for the most challenging curriculum you can handle. See your high school/college career counselor for course registration instructions.
• Build respectful, hard-working relationships with your teachers so they will be glad to write letters of recommendation on your behalf when you apply for college admission and scholarships.
• Continue to think about college majors of interest. Conduct research on possible careers that spark interest in a specific major.

Spring

March

• Start thinking about summer activities. Work on a job or internship, provide volunteer service either within the country or out of the country (for out of the country, students must cover any additional fees), take on an advanced credit course, or perform another activity to build your student resume.
• Continue to study hard to earn top grades. A high GPA is crucial to open college admission doors
• Continue to build hard-working, respectful relationships with teachers and counselor(s)

April

• If organizations and clubs you are involved in hold elections for next year’s leadership positions, become a candidate and run for office.
• Continue to find opportunities for summer employment, internships, volunteering, academic coursework, etc.

May

• Campaign for a leadership position in organizations or clubs you will be involved with next year (become a club president, create and lead a new club, be a student leader in a community organization, etc.)
• Sign up for summer activities and plan to work hard this summer to impress your employers, supervisors, or class instructors; these are people you may ask for letters of recommendation in the fall of your senior year…but only if you do an excellent job for them this summer.
• Continue to discuss college options and costs with your parents over the summer. Calculate how much you and your family can afford to pay for college expenses. Keep in mind a small, private university may offer substantial scholarships and cost you less than other schools that offer very litter financial aid.
• Continue to think about college majors during the coming summer. Conduct research on possible careers that may spark interest in a specific major
• Update your student resume to include freshman year activities and accomplishments
• PARENTS – Plan to help your student with the college preparation and admission process over the next three years. Get informed and help with the important decisions ahead.

Academic Competitions to Boost Your Experience

Science

• Google Science Fair
• MIT THINK Scholars Program
• National Science Bowl

Math

• American Mathematics Competition
• Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament]
• Moody’s Mega Math Challenge

Writing

• The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
• YoungArts’ National Arts Competition
• Bennington Young Writers Awards
• Illinois English Teachers Association Composition Competition

Debate

• National Speech and Debate Association
• World Schools Debating Championships
• International Public Policy Forum

Coding

• Computer Science Teachers Association
• American Computer Science League
• Google Code-In

Robotics

• National Robotics Challenge
• Robocup
• FIRST: Tech Challenge

US, Korea, China Network

CPC Prep. has long been a leader in helping college and graduate school-bound students achieve their higher ­education goals through our test ­preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, as well as through summer classes and online courses and resources. We deliver our programs via a network of nationwide teachers and tutors in the U.S., Canada, and Korea, China international franchises. We also partner with schools and guidance counselors worldwide to help provide students with

college­ readiness, test ­preparation, and career ­planning services.