GOING to college must be encouraging. Sure, you can immediately get a job – maybe three if you’re diligent enough – after high school but in the long run, it cannot raise a family. That’s why concentrating on college degrees must be your utmost priority. You must shelve your work behind and focus more on your college life. But if you have no money, that’s not a problem really because there are different student loans offered out there.

You must plan your college life as early as when you’re still in your junior year in high school. You must choose what career you want to pursue and focus studying in it. You must have a serious family discussion about your college plans as early as in your junior year. If you are unsure on what degree to pursue, take time out to consult with the closest school faculty you can hang on as a confidant. He or she may be the school guidance counselor. Diligently attend college fairs. Take note of the course offerings and admission and financial aid requirements. If the college is near your area, visit there sometime and get a feel of the campus life. You may not feel yet the academic life or the classroom sessions life but certainly, you will really feel the campus atmosphere. Pretend to yourself that you’re a freshman there. After all, positive thinking can’t beat anything. Stroll at the campus cafeteria and buy food there, visit the campus multi-faith chapel, pass by the soccer field and pass by the students queuing in the various offices in the campus – the cashier’s office where they pay their tuition, the library, the administrative offices, etc. If you are not satisfied strolling in the campus, it’s your opportunity to ask college representatives in the college fairs in your own high school campus. College fairs are usually aimed at junior and senior students.

Sound interested and be keen so that the college admissions representatives will remember you later on if you’re really decided to pursue your degree there. Remember, college admissions staff are behavioral psychologists and they are trained to remember people that well. Also make sure to dress appropriately and that means not so low necklines. Some colleges also conduct fairs outside of high school campuses. They may be held in your community. Diligently attend these fairs too.

Prepare for your SAT. In taking the SATs, answer the easy questions first. In the event of difficult choices, follow your intuition. Avoid stray marks on the answer sheet always as this can affect the results of your exam because they are checked by computers. Any deviation in your answer sheet will be tagged as a wrong answer by the computer.

Organize your resume because this will be one of the requirements needed upon entering college. In your own room, have one section of your closet filled with your school folders and other pertinent stuff. Of course, organizers these folders into whatever convenient way you want them to so that you won’t be disoriented in finding the specific document once needed.