10th Grade

Road Map to College - 10th Grade

Stay On Track

Tenth grade is a time for students to review their high school classes and activities and adjust where needed. As the second year of high school is beginning, a student should be narrowing down future careers. This is a good time to meet with your school counselor to ask about postsecondary options and learn about the college admissions process.

Student Tips

Take a practice PSAT

  • Taking the PSAT in tenth grade can help prepare you for the real test. This can also allow your name to be released to colleges.

Get advice from your counselor

  • Meet with your school counselor to discuss PSAT scores, advanced courses and other options available.

Contact colleges

  • Now is the time to ask colleges for more information. Colleges will send you information on academic requirements, activities offered and brochures about the school.

Sample Questions / Practice Test (PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10)

Parent Tips

Encourage testing

  • Making sure your student takes the PSAT and/or PLAN Assessment is a great way for a child to get familiar with the tests needed for college admissions.

Stay involved with your child's education

  • Staying involved with your child's education can help a student if their grades start slipping. Maintain open dialogue on classes, activities and any struggles.

Get a head start on reviewing colleges

  • As a parent you can start checking out college fairs that may happen annually. Find out the colleges your child is interested in attending.

Building A College Resume

Taking notes early on to build your college resume will help you to remember all of your accomplishments and set yourself apart from the crowd. It can also give you a head start on college scholarship applications and can be used to add activities your senior year for even more well-rounded experience. Below is a list of activities to track.

Activities

  • List all extracurricular activities while in school as well as out of school and how long you participated in the activity.

Volunteer Work / Community Service

  • List all volunteer work/community service and if it is an on-going commitment or a one-time thing.

Jobs

  • List all jobs that you have had including how long you worked at the job and your title.

Experience/Skills

  • Look back at your activities, volunteer work/community service, and jobs to get ideas of skills and/or experiences you have gained.

Honors/Awards

  • List any awards, honors, and/or recognitions that you have received while in school as well as outside of school.

Ending with a personal statement is a chance to show a college what you are all about outside the basic college application. While the topic is important, the personality of your writing is also a reflection of yourself. Don't forget to review for correct grammar, punctuation and proper writing conventions.