Creating Your Four-Year Plan
As we’ve mentioned here before, a strategy session for an 8th grade student can be an incredibly valuable way to set yourself up for success in this process. Some advice that we always give these students is to start creating a four-year plan. Yes, that’s right - make a plan for all four years of high school, now!
This can seem really overwhelming for a lot of students and families. Several weeks ago, we had a parent reach out to ask if we had a template that families could use to create this type of plan. Our first thought was, why didn’t we think of that?? (We LOVE getting great suggestions from students and parents, so if there are materials or tips that would be useful to you in a future blog post, let us know!)
So here it is - our DC College Counseling Four Year Plan Template!
Wondering why it is necessary to come up with a four-year plan? For families with middle school students, it can be difficult to see the big picture, but the truth is that for better or worse, the curriculum students take in middle school will set them up for high school, college, and beyond.
Students who are successful in Algebra I in middle school, for instance, will be primed to jump into high school geometry as freshmen and more advanced math courses in subsequent years. This is especially important for students interested in math or engineering, who will be expected to take calculus before entering college.
Making a four year plan is the best way for you to see where you will be when you graduate high school and start college, and it helps you be prepared early for the admissions process.
This slide from Shannon’s recent presentation on Academic Planning for Middle School Students at the College of William & Mary shows how a very advanced student in middle school will be able to take highly advanced math courses as a high school junior or senior.
If you’re convinced that you need a four year plan, you might be wondering: where do I start?
First, look at the requirements and typical progression for courses in your high school. Depending on whether you are at a public or private school, you may have very different options and expectations for courses.
If you have a dream college or program in mind already, take a look at the college’s requirements too - many schools will want students to have three to four years of all their core subjects, including a language.
And if you are debating transferring from a public to a private school or vice versa, comparing the curricula is a great way to assess rigor and how each school will prepare you for college.
Once you have a sense of the courses available and typical progression, you get to the fun part: what do you love to do? Are you passionate about science? English? History? Choose your passion, and let it guide the courses and extracurriculars that you participate in throughout high school.
Now is the time to start thinking of yourself as an “expert” - how can you explore and deepen your knowledge throughout your time in school? Our template provides reflection questions that you can use to think more deeply about your interests and how you can explore them fully as a high school student.
We hope that this resource helps you break down the next four years and think clearly about your passions and goals.
Questions about how to make a plan? Book a Grades 8-10 Strategy Session now, or let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear your ideas for future posts and other content that you and your family would find helpful.