Senior Students

     There is much to do and many plans to be made during your senior year.  The weeks will pass by quickly, so keep a calendar of important dates for yourself. 

        Are you unsure of your career interests?  Research a large variety of careers, take an interest inventory, compare colleges, and more at the Career Cruising website.   Go to www.careercruising.com, username:  Lockhart, password:  Lions.   Figure out what your general career interests are, and what types of training are required to achieve your career goals.  Then, find schools that offer the training you need.  Go to the schools' websites to learn more about each school.  Tour the school over the summer, or in the fall semester of your senior year, to see if you like what the school has to offer.  Can you picture yourself on that campus?  Is it a comfortable place?  What are the students like?  Is the location a good one for you?  How much does the school cost?  Plan to apply to 3 or 4 schools so that you have plenty of choices when making your college decisions in spring of your senior year.

      Are you considering a 4-year college or university?  Will you need a Bachelor's Degree or higher to be eligible for your desired career?  College entrance exams are required for 4-year post-secondary institutions.  Both the SAT and ACT college entrance exams are given on specific Saturdays throughout the fall and spring semesters of the school year.  Deadlines for registering for these are usually 6 - 8 weeks before the actual test.  Each test costs between $45 and $50 dollars.  If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, you may request a 'fee waiver' for up to two SAT and two ACT exams.  The Career Center has fee waiver applications available - see Ms. Hess for assistance with fee waivers.  If you have already taken the SAT and/or ACT college entrance exams during the spring or summer of your junior year, then decide whether you wish to retake either of these tests for a possible higher score.  Several 4-year universities have moved their admission deadlines to December of your senior year, so take the college entrance exams in plenty of time for the scores to reach the universities before their deadlines.  Register for the ACT + Writing at:  www.act.org, and the SAT at:  www.collegeboard.com.   Complete your admission applications online as early as possible.  Check college websites in June and July to see when the fall admission applications will be available.  Many Texas schools have their applications available at the website:  www.applytexas.org.  [You may check at the specific college or university if they are not included on the Apply Texas Application.] There are also deadlines for specific college admission, FAFSA (financial aid form) completion, and college scholarships listed at the application website.  A completed admissions file includes:  1)  completed admission application, 2)  official high school transcript, 3)  application fee (some schools), 4) SAT or ACT scores, 5)  essays (some schools), 6) recommendations (some schools).  It is up to you to be sure that your application file is complete!  Usually, you will receive emails from the colleges with your 'status', and a list of what is missing from your file.  Check often.  Most colleges and universities offer scholarships to incoming freshmen.  Again, deadlines are early and non-negotiable.  You must complete both your admission and scholarship applications before the scholarship deadline, in order to be eligible for college scholarships.

BE AWARE OF EVERY DEADLINE SO THAT YOU HAVE THE MAXIMUM COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM!  Earlier is usually better.

     If your intended career requires a two-year degree (Associate's Degree) or a Certificate, you may still wish to take the ACT or SAT test to be more competitive for scholarships.  However, most 2-year colleges and trade schools do not require these college entrance exams.  Check with the schools that you are considering to see if taking a college entrance exam is something you may wish to do.

     Testing for college-level skills is required by state-supported 2 and 4-year colleges and universities.   This is known as the Texas Success Initiative (TSI).   Lockhart High School students meet these testing requirements through the Austin Community College (ACC) dual college credit and College Connection programs.  Students take the ASSET (paper/pencil version), the COMPASS (computer-ACC campus version) or some combination of these tests during their high school years.  Students may also be exempt from these requirments by scores on their  exit-level TAKS, SAT or ACT tests.  Exemptions are listed in the Austin Community College page of the Career Center website.

      Seniors, make a plan for 'life after high school', now.  Discover your career interests, learn what schools offer the training that you need, get all admission and college scholarship applications in well before the deadlines, complete the FAFSA and any other required financial aid forms in January or February.  Then, you will be ready to compare school offers and costs during the spring semester of your senior year, and to make a final decision as to the best post-secondary training for you!

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