In High School

Will German grammar and flipping burgers mean anything to your career?

Actually, yes. Pretty much everything you do in high school (in terms of academics and extracurriculars, that is) touches on a skill that will help you on the road to CPA-hood. Your main goal in high school? Prepare for college. And as the biggest investment of your life so far, college requires plenty of planning, time and money. So, to help you make the most of it, here’s a quick, year-by-year rundown on what to do, when to do it and why.

Freshman – Low man on the totem pole, but with an eye on the future

Sure, you’re new here. But that just means you’re perfectly positioned for a great start. Pay a visit to your guidance counselor – the two of you can make sure your class schedule is giving you solid preparation in college-friendly subjects. Get a season-by-season breakdown of what else to take care of from the helpful CollegeBoard site.

Sophomore – Cruising toward a well-paved future

Getting your driver’s license this year? Consider pointing that hood ornament toward a college campus. Some students wait until Junior year to tour schools, but there’s no harm in starting early. And don’t worry if you can’t make it when school is in session: any occasion or excuse to visit can work. Visiting grandparents or an aunt or uncle over the holidays? You never know – maybe they’ve got a great college in their town.

Junior – Keep on rockin’ in the pre-college world

You’re keeping that GPA up, doing the extracurricular thing and becoming so well-rounded that people wonder if you might roll away. This may also be the year that your school offers accounting courses, or at least a general business class. Take any (or all) that interest you.

Senior – Top of the heap, down to the wire

At last, you rule the school. But don’t let your royal status keep you from important to-dos. Such as: Taking the SAT or ACT exam, narrowing your list of colleges to just your top picks and submitting your FAFSA form on time (That means as soon after January 1 as possible). Check out the latest issue of Start Here Magazine to learn more about choosing the college that’s right for you.

And you're off

This is just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of college-prep info. There’s plenty more on other sites like CollegeBoard. For the details on paying for college – also a pretty key topic – we recommend 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy. They’ve got dozens of articles on preparing, saving and paying for college. There’s even a College Savings calculator to help fine-tune (or create) a plan. Check it out.

Got it covered? Well then, find out what’s in store for you in university.

Sections: