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High School Planning Timeline

10th Grade

All 10th grade planning steps are shown.
High School Planning steps are highlighted.

Keep those grades up!
Stay focused on your schoolwork and actively involved in high school.
Apply for Oklahoma's Promise! If you didn't apply in eighth or ninth grade, visit OKpromise.orgnew_window to sign up for this scholarship program.
Sign up for a college savings account at Oklahoma's 529 college saving plan (OK4Saving.orgnew_window). If you have an existing account, remember to continue to add money.
Talk to your parents about financial aid options. It's never too early to start planning how you're going to pay for college.
Keep working on your Individual Career Academic Plan. ICAP activities will help you explore your skills, interests and values as you make plans for life after high school.
Continue your conversations with your guidance counselors, teachers, family members or trusted adults about your plans for college.
Find out about AP and other honors-level courses for junior year.
Update your college planning file - or start one, if you haven't already.
Know what you need. Review what courses you'll need to take to satisfy the requirements of the school you're interested in attending.
Be active. Continue extracurricular activities.  Remember, many admissions officers look for well-rounded students who participate in the world around them.
If you have room in your schedule, consider a part-time job or volunteer position.
Stay motivated. Look into participating in academic enrichment programs, summer workshops and camps with specialty focuses such as music, arts and sciences.
Take the PreACT.
This is a valuable test to help you prepare for the ACT. The Oklahoma State Regents pays for every sophomore in Oklahoma to take it. Ask your counselor for more information.
If you plan to take the SAT, take the PSAT in October.
The scores will not count for National Merit Scholar consideration this year, but it is good practice for taking the PSAT in your junior year (when the scores will count).
It's not too early to start studying for standardized tests like the ACT and SAT.
A great place to start is with the Test Prep section.
Investigate your options for participating in concurrent enrollment next year.
This allows juniors and seniors to enroll in college courses if they meet certain requirements.
Make a list of reasons why you like different colleges and universities - programs, location, cost and so on.
Visit college campuses and "tour" colleges in the Explore Schools section.
Start thinking about what factors are important to you in choosing a college:
size, location, availability of extracurricular activities, for example.
Keep reading!
Expanding your vocabulary and learning new things will help with many things over the next few years.
Track it. Continue adding to your document file or resume:
report cards, lists of awards and honors, school and community activities, and volunteer work.



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OCAP believes that financial literacy and understanding the financial aid process are critical aspects of college planning and student success. OCAP staff who work with students, parents, educators and community partners in the areas of personal finance education, state and federal financial aid, and student loan management do not provide financial, investment, legal, and/or tax advice. This website and all information provided is for general educational purposes only, and is not intended to be construed as financial, investment, legal, and/or tax advice.