High School Planning

This section provides you with year-by-year guides to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

Freshwomen

Begin your high school experience on the right foot!

Focus on developing strong study habits
Get involved in your classes, obtain good grades. Ask questions, speak up, discuss. Study! DO your homework!
Join & actively participate in extracurricular activities
Take challenging courses in order to be well prepared for your choices after high school. The Guidance Office can help with decisions and schedules.
Begin to identify areas that are interesting to you and explore potential career fields.
Strive to make good choices
Volunteer!

Freshmen Experience class – 1x/week throughout year
Standardized Testing given in October: ACT EXPLORE (ACT for 9th grade)
Student Awareness Days - Spring
Course registration for following school year - March

Sophomores

Continue with the good habits developed in your freshwomen year.

If you haven’t done so already, dig deep to develop strong study habits.
Continue to obtain good grades – ALWAYS do your homework!
Develop some depth to your extracurricular activities. It is better to do a few well (with passion and leadership) than many activities only superficially. Try something new if you haven’t found anything you love.
Take appropriate yet challenging courses. If you have a specific career interest take courses that will help you to pursue your plans after high school. Your teachers and the Guidance Office can help you determine the best placement for you.
You should definitely be thinking about your interests, skills and talents. If not already, become familiar with the CHOICES program. If possible shadow or speak with a professional in a field of interest to see if you are still interested.
Strive to make good choices.
Volunteer throughout the year- this includes summer!

Summer things to think about -----

Consider participation in academic enrichment programs, summer workshops & camps with a specialty focus such as music, arts, science, or specific major (engineering, nursing, etc.) Information is posted on a Guidance bulletin board.
Visual & Performing Art/Architecture students – Begin to build a PORTFOLIO. Keep all artwork, recordings, graphic design work, etc. Check out www.npda.org for an excellent Portfolio Day in Boston in the Fall (of your junior or senior year). The Maine College of Art also offers a great summer class in portfolio design as well as portfolio critiques during the year.
Athletes – check out www.ncaaclearinghouse.net to be come acquainted with athletic rules concerning playing at the college level.
On family trips, take the opportunity to visit college campuses occasionally. Book a tour through the Admissions Office. If you do this in a low-key manner it will provide a wonderful opportunity to begin to visualize yourself in the college environment. Is it too far from home? Too big or small?

Career Choice – brief career presentations provided throughout the year
Standardized Testing given in October:
- PSAT (practice SAT)
- ACT PLAN (ACT for 10th grade)
Student Awareness Days – spring
Course registration for following school year - March

Juniors

The key phrase for the junior year is – do your best! This is the last full year that colleges and universities will have to look at when they are considering you for acceptance, especially if you decide to apply early.

Continue with the good study habits and decision-making skills from 9th and 10th grades, they are really important now!
Do your best in your studies and your extra-curricular activities. Quality counts more than quantity.
Learn how to use the CHOICES program to assist you in your self assessment & career exploration.
Begin to visit with college/military representatives who come to McAuley High School. If you hope to apply to one of the military academies, you will have to begin a formal application in the spring of your junior year.
Visual & Performing Art/Architecture students – Begin to build a PORTFOLIO. Keep all artwork, recordings, graphic design work, etc. Check out www.npda.org for an excellent Portfolio Day in Boston in the Fall. The Maine College of Art also offers a great summer class in portfolio design as well as portfolio critiques during the year
Keep good writing samples throughout the year. These may be requested by colleges in lieu of standardized scores, or maybe be helpful in preparing your college essay.
Begin COLLEGE VISITS.

Winter into spring ----

Visit college campuses, a good time is during February and April breaks. Contact the Admission Office. Attend an information session, take a tour, and eat in a dining facility, if possible.
Schedule a COLLEGE PLANNING session with the Guidance Office.
RESEARCH colleges through the websites and college view books
REGISTER and take at least one standardized test even if college is not in your immediate plans. Do you need the SAT Subject tests? Check individual college requirements. We recommend the SAT Reasoning and the ACT with Writing; you may do better on one than on the other.
Start a file to save EVERYTHING of interest to you that pertains to career planning and/or college admissions.
Attend evening GUIDANCE WORKSHOPS explaining the college process, visits & interviewing, and applications.
Athletes – check out www.ncaaclearinghouse.net to be come acquainted with athletic rules concerning playing at the college level.
Explore options for summer academic enrichment programs, workshops & camps with a specialty focus. Girl’s State, Space Camp, UMO Engineering camp, Coast Guard AIM Program, Maine Maritime Summer Program, etc., are open to juniors. Some of these programs require applications that may need to be filed as early as February. Information is posted on a Guidance bulletin board.

Summer ----

VISIT COLLEGES if you haven’t already begun to do so.
Complete a COMMON APPLICATION (www.commonapp.org)
Work on your college app ESSAY ideas.
Prepare for any standardized test you may be taking in the fall. Prep by taking a class or studying on your own.
Volunteer!

Standardized testing given in October – PSAT (this one counts for National Merit Scholarships)
Career Study Week (CSW) – spring
Course registration for following school year - March

Seniors

Earning your high school diploma is a great accomplishment! Graduation marks the beginning of many new and exciting opportunities. Pursuing these opportunities will mean that you will need to make informed choices which require exploration and planning. Visit our College Planning – Details & Dates section for very specific information.

DON”T STOP NOW. Avoid senioritis! Continue with the good study habits and decision-making skills that are now (hopefully) ingrained in you. IF you have not done as well as you had hoped, NOW is the time to show your future schools that you ARE up to the challenge of post-secondary education.
Visit with college/military representatives who come to McAuley High School. This is a great way to let the college know that you’re interested in them (and many of them keep track of student contacts)
Visit college campuses if you haven’t already done so. Contact the Admissions Office. Attend an information session, take a tour, and eat in a dining facility, if possible.
Athletes – check out www.ncaaclearinghouse.net to be come acquainted with athletic rules concerning playing at the college level.
Visual & Performing Art /Architecture students – Assemble your PORTFOLIO for college applications. Check out www.npda.org for an excellent Portfolio Day in Boston in the Fall. The Maine College of Art also offers a portfolio critique.
Schedule an interview with the Guidance Office to discuss your college choices and to provide information for your letter of recommendation.
RESEARCH colleges through their websites, college viewbooks, & CHOICES.
REGISTER for any standardized tests necessary for the colleges you are thinking of applying to. Maybe you’d like to retake a test to improve your score? Do you need the SAT Subject tests? Check individual college requirements. We recommend taking the SAT Reasoning and the ACT with Writing; you may do better on one than on the other.
Start a file FOR EACH COLLEGE you will be applying to. This will make your life much easier when you actually start to complete applications.
Attend evening GUIDANCE WORKSHOPS explaining the college process, visits & interviewing, and applications.

Spring ---

Once the college apps are done, relax a little – but not too much! Continue to work hard in your classes as colleges will request your final transcript for the year. Occasionally colleges will “unaccept” or deny a student based on their final report card.
April is a popular time for colleges to host “ACCEPTED STUDENT DAYS”. This is one final opportunity for you to check out a school with other accepted students.
May 1st – Acceptance deadline at the majority of US colleges.

Senior Service Week (SSW) – spring
Graduation – Memorial Weekend

Know What to Expect in High School

People experience greater success when they know what to expect. In high school, expect to find the following:

More Courses to Choose From
In addition to required courses, most high schools offer a wide variety of elective courses (e.g., music, foreign languages, etc.).

New Teachers and Classmates
For many students, going to high school means going to a different, and often, larger school. For all students, high school means new teachers, new classmates, and new friends.

More Extracurricular Activities and Athletic Programs
Most high schools have a wide variety of activities and athletic programs.

More Independence and More Responsibility
Students are expected to be mature and responsible enough to handle the increased freedom and independence they are given.

Greater Emphasis on Academic Achievement
High school courses are more difficult and the grades are more important. High school grades will help determine what jobs a student can get, and which colleges she will be able to get into.

More Social Events
There are lots of social activities (games, dances, etc.) in high school. Some students find that there are also more social pressures.

Consequences for Failing Classes
Students who fail classes may not have enough credits to advance to the next grade. These students may also find that they aren’t able to graduate on time.

Greater Need for Time Management and Organization
High school students have more activities, more homework, and more responsibilities.

Reprinted with permission from, "How to Get the Most out of High School", by Woodburn Press, www.woodburnpress.co