How do I prepare for college?

You can prepare yourself for college by 1) Getting good grades 2) Developing good study habits 3) Developing good time management skills 4) Working on your writing skills and 5) Working on your leadership skills. If you don't already, start reviewing your notes every evening and begin to study for exams a week in advance. Write papers early and ask your teacher if they can review your rough draft and give feedback. Take good notes and do all of the readings. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Also, get a planner and use it to plan assignments and study time and to keep track of due dates and exam dates. College courses require a lot of writing. While you will be required to take or test out of English courses that help teach you the basics of college writing, the better you are to begin with, the easier college will be. Especially for a history major. So take the time and really work hard on your essays. Consult your teacher throughout the process for feedback. As for leadership skills, start getting involved in extra curricular activities and try for leadership positions. These help round out your college application and show colleges that you are a leader and therefore have potential to not only graduate college but obtain a good job. Choose something that you enjoy so it makes it easier to get involved and stay involved. And don't be afraid to start your own club if there isn't anything that suits you. Don't worry if you don't know what you want to study in college just yet. Focus on doing well in the classes you have now. All college degrees require a set of general education requirements like Math, English, Science, etc. These courses can give you an idea of what to major in. You typically don't have to declare a major until your junior year anyway. But do keep in mind that some majors require a lot of prerequisites, like business, science, engineering, and art. So if you think you might be interested in these courses, make sure you take the classes you'd need early or you'll have to delay graduation. However, with history, that shouldn't be a problem at all. As for the ACT/SAT, they are standardized tests that are designed to give colleges an idea of your potential for success in college. Generally, it is assumed that if you get a high score, you have great potential to do well in college. These tests are often used to determine admission and good scores can make you eligible for scholarships. So it is a good idea to do well on these exams. Some colleges accept both, others one or the other. That's why I think it's best to take both. Invest in a prep book, like Barron or Princeton Review, and start studying about 4-6mo before you take the exam. These books tell you all about what to expect and help you study for the material on the test. If the books are too expensive, check out your local public library as many have the books available to check out. They generally recommend that you take the exam during the second semester of your junior year and the first semester of your senior year.

If you are a sophomore what you should be doing is getting good grades, doing as many extracurriculars and working part-time. Universities love that stuff. The ACT and SAT are standardized tests where if you get a high score on them, you get accepted into better colleges. The SAT is used much more than the ACT, but I recommend taking both. From what I remember you submit the scores on their website or something to the university you are applying to. Don't worry right now what classes you should take in college, just get a good idea of what you want to study. Last but not least, visit universities. When there, talk to the dean or whoever and network to make your name known so when they see your application they won't treat you like everyone else. When writing your essays or personal statements make sure you include that you have visited the university. Goodluck.

If you are a sophomore what you should be doing is getting good grades, doing as many extracurriculars and working part-time. Universities love that stuff. The ACT and SAT are standardized tests where if you get a high score on them, you get accepted into better colleges. The SAT is used much more than the ACT, but I recommend taking both. From what I remember you submit the scores on their website or something to the university you are applying to. Don't worry right now what classes you should take in college, just get a good idea of what you want to study. Last but not least, visit universities. When there, talk to the dean or whoever and network to make your name known so when they see your application they won't treat you like everyone else. When writing your essays or personal statements make sure you include that you have visited the university. Goodluck.