September 8th ... What to do with all this essay stuff ...

OBJ: Students will visit and analyze websites geared to their postsecondary plans.


Warm-Up:

NONE TODAY!



Today:

Officially, this is the day you will go to ApplyTexas.org and begin the application process.  If you have completed this already, proceed on down the page to other sites you can/should visit and be aware of.  If not, get your account set up and spend some time exploring the site.

If your intended college destination requires a different website to apply ... then feel free to use that website instead ... the purpose behind this is to get YOUR plan rolling.


Next ... entrance exams ... visit The College Board and The ACT to learn more about the SAT and ACT respectively.  You may also want to set up accounts here to make it faster when you sign up for these tests.  Look at the test prep info as well - there are few better free resources to these exams than the exam companies themselves.


As far as money for school, you will need to complete your FAFSA (preferably by the end of January) ... however, you can also set up an account here and begin the process (your folks will have to provide some income tax info, so you won't be able to complete it yet.  But at least visit the site and get rolling ... FAFSA.gov


If you have a different idea for your PLAN A, that's ok ... but don't assume that by June that will still be what you want.  So, even if you have a different PLAN A ... take the time today to consider your PLAN B and visit those sites and set up those accounts.  If you never use them again, it's still time well spent (and a daily grade well earned) today.


If you finish all that, but aren't sure WHERE you want to go to school, spend some time taking virtual tours of different schools here: CampusTours.com

You can also google "Scholarships" and add key words like your intended major or school and find scholarships you can spend some time applying for.


FINALLY ... Before the end of the period, log into your blog you created and click on the pencil icon and write a brief entry (a paragraph or two) about what you did today and what you did today to plan for life after graduation (even if you worked on your PLAN B only).