Freshmen

  • 9th Grade To-Do List:

    Ask most seniors what they wish they could do over to get ready for college and they would reply with two statements:

    • Make better grades in my 9th grade and 10th grade year; and
    • Be more active in community service and extracurricular activities

    Hopefully, you will not make those two mistakes!

     

    Here is a list of things you should be doing to prepare for college admissions and scholarships in your senior year:

    • Make the best grades possible. Colleges only see your final grades from 9th,10th, and 11th grades; they do not see your report card grades.
    • Try to challenge yourself by taking honors level classes, and if your teacher recommends them, AP classes. (Advanced Placement-college level/college credit classes)
    • Get involved!!! Extracurricular activities might not influence college admissions, but they can be a deal breaker when it comes to scholarships.
    • You need community service hours. Keep a calendar and every time you do something to help someone and you are not getting paid for it, mark the time and the service on your calendar.

    How to compute your GPA

    • Add your quality points and divide by the number of classes. Quality points are points awarded to you for the grade you made in a class. As of August 2015, quality points will be awarded as follows:

    GPA Quality Points:

     
     CP  Honors  AP
     A=4  A=4.5  A=5
     B=3  B=3.5  B=4
     C=2     C=2.5    C=3
     D=1  D=1.5  D=2
     

    Grading Scale:

    A: 90-100
    B: 80-89
    C; 70-79
    D: 60-69
    F: 59 and below 
     

    Colleges look at your GPA, SAT/ACT scores, class rank, and how challenging your courses have been for admissions. For merit scholarships, colleges look at the above plus what you've done with your time (ie: Extracurriculars).

    The school counselors will make sure we have you in the required North Carolina admission classes, but what you do with your classes and your time is totally up to you. Big dreams usually require determination, a good attitude, and lots of hard work!

     

    Path to Graduation Planning Guide

    This guide is intended to help students map out the classes they will take over the next four years. Students are encouraged to complete this document and review it with their counselor. Please keep in mind that we cannot guarantee a student will be able to take a class in a certain semester or school year (with the exception of some classes), so what you put in this guide is subject to change. Please contact your counselor with any questions.