Career & College
College and career planning by grade and other important information.
Free College Application Days
We will host college representatives in the counseling office to assist seniors in applying for Colorado colleges Oct. 17-19. Check back for more information.
FAFSA Night
Families are welcome to come to the counseling office for information about college financial aid during parent conferences.
Planning by Grade
Ninth grade
- Meet with your counselor to determine college or career pathways.
- Get involved in your school community!
- Care about your grades – if you need extra help, meet with your counselor.
- Study and try your best on the PSAT.
- Start to visit different colleges.
10th grade
- Meet with your counselor to choose the right courses for your college or career pathways.
- Take the career interest profiler with your high school counselor. This will happen during class, so make sure you don’t miss.
- Use the results of your career interest profiler to explore college majors, trade school or future careers.
- Take the SAT! This assessment will be administered at school.
11th grade
- If you plan on attending college, this is the most important academic year of your high school career.
- Choose your classes wisely. Now is not the time to take a risk!
- Stay involved with after-school activities.
- Narrow down your list of colleges.
- Study for and take the SAT.
- Begin a rough draft of your personal statement.
- Talk with your counselor, teachers, coaches and mentors about letters of recommendation.
12th grade
- Stay focused on the prize: graduation.
- Keep up with your classwork.
- Finalize your list of colleges and start applying.
- Apply for financial aid and scholarships (counselors will post scholarship information in Google Classroom.)
- Take your Work Keys Exam as needed.
- Re-take SATs as needed.
- Don’t slack off. Senior year is important, and you still have work to do.
College Planning
Ninth and 10th grades
Primary focus: GPA
- Use these years to focus on your high school courses making sure you have a good foundation of learning skills and grades.
- Explore different academic areas, extracurricular activities, and interests.
- Consider different colleges and things you might need to focus on to be competitive.
11th grade
Primary focus: Planning
- Create a list of colleges in which you are interested.
- Visiting campuses on your own or with Alameda is a great way to learn about schools.
- Make sure colleges have specific programs or majors you are interested in.
- Create a financial plan.
- Begin researching scholarships and grants (links below).
- Narrow down your college list.
12th grade
Primary focus: Applying
- Complete The Common Application to apply to many colleges at once (opens Aug. 1).
- Complete the FAFSA for financial aid from the federal government (open TBD).
- Complete the CAFSA for financial aid from the Colorado state government.
- Check the websites of schools you are applying to for additional scholarship opportunities.
We recommend making a list of deadlines associated with each of the colleges you are applying to. Every college has different important dates so you need to be careful to make sure you have enough time to complete the entire application
Pay close attention to your Counseling Google Classroom for Announcements, Scholarships and other Important Information
Resources
College and trade school
- The Common Application (one application for multiple colleges) – Opens Aug. 1
- Collegeboard.org – Log in to your account; get SAT scores
- College Admissions Tool – See what Colorado schools might be a good fit
- Apprenticeship Information
Scholarships and financial aid
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – Free application; class of 2024, use 2022 tax information. You are applying for aid for the 2023-24 school year (your first year of college).
- Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA)
- Understanding Types of Financial Aid
- Financial Aid Award Comparison form – Compare awards and aid from colleges.
- Tips for applying for scholarships
- supercollege.com – Find scholarships
Career & College Pathways in Jeffco
Career and college pathways are a series of educational opportunities that enable students to pursue careers, college and interests after high school. Career and college readiness is a Jeffco Public Schools graduation requirement and is increasingly important, as three out of every four jobs now require education or training beyond high school.
It’s important for students to talk with their families, teachers and school counselors throughout high school as career interests emerge and develop, and to explore different college and career pathways.
Jeffco Career Links
The Jeffco Career Links program connects students from classroom to career.
Military
Alameda International students can pursue a future in one of the branches of the U.S. military.