Senior Year: Spring

• Seek advice from the Rice Guidance office about student acceptance days, and how to evaluate college options, navigate waitlists and understand financial options available. 

Senior Year: Fall

• Attend local college fairs and open houses. 

• Carefully review the college application checklist and senior packet provided by Rice Guidance, paying special attention to relevant deadlines. 

• Continue taking advantage of in-school visits by college admissions representatives. 

• As college deadlines approach, get extra help with the Common Application or other college application at the after school bi-weekly “drop-in” sessions offered by Rice Guidance. 

• Attend meetings organized by your Guidance Counselor at least twice before your first college application deadline.These meetings also provide a good opportunity to discuss the recommendation letter your Counselor will be writing to accompany your application

• If needed, take the SATs again to improve your scores.

• If needed, request a mock college interview with Rice Guidance.

• Senior Parents: Attend Financial Aid Workshop for Parents hosted by Rice Guidance for assistance completing the Federal and State Financial Aid application. 

Junior Year: Summer

• Consider enrolling in the Rice Guidance program that assists students as they complete the Common Application (fee required).

• Carefully review the College Planning packet Guidance provides to all rising seniors.  This provides information outlining the details of the College Application process and deadlines. 

• Consider enrolling in the college essay writing workshop offered by Rice to rising seniors (fee required). 

Junior Year: Spring

• Develop a list of schools to explore.

• Arrange college visits (ideally when classes are in session).

• Develop a plan for preparing for the tests (prep class, practice tests, etc). Consider enrolling in the Rice SAT prep course offered in late February. 

• Students applying to highly selective schools should arrange to take any SAT subject test exams that may be required.

• Attend presentations organized by Rice Guidance that help families navigate the college admissions process

  • Junior Night Workshop specifically for juniors and their parents/guardians

  • NCAA Workshop

  • Introduction to the College Application for parents/guardians

  • Paying for College workshop. Most college websites include a financial aid calculator.

• Regularly update your resume.

• Attend “mini” sessions hosted by Guidance on the following topics:

  • Common Application

  • Resume Building

  • College Search Tools

  • Naviance

  • NCAA Eligibility and Requirements

  • SAT’s and ACT’s

  • Open Question and Answer Session

Junior Year: Fall

• Attend presentations by the Rice Guidance department on the college search.

• Consider senior course options and with help from Rice Guidance, choose courses that best prepare you for your higher education goals.. 

• Attend Junior Night, a presentation by Rice Guidance featuring an Associate Director of Admissions from the University of Vermont.

• Attend the UVM or St. Michael’s College Fair (or both!) in September. 

• Take the PSAT administered at Rice. This test is a practice test for the SAT, a college placement exam. National Merit Scholarship recipients are chosen based on the results of this test.

• Continue thinking about what is important to you in a college. Start asking yourself some of these questions.

• Utilize the CollegeBoard College Search tool and the College SuperMatch tool both found on Naviance.

• Take advantage of opportunities to meet with college admissions counselors from around the country. Rice Guidance coordinates these visits with an average of 90 schools per year! You are encouraged to attend as many of these presentations as you can. 

• Decide which college standardized test you will be taking. Most colleges and universities require students to present scores from either the SAT or the ACT. It is recommended that students take one or both of these in the spring. Rice Guidance speaks to students about which test they think highlights their strengths. Students can register for tests at Collegeboard.org (SAT’s) ACT.org (ACT’s). We recommend that students take one of these exams more than once.

Sophomore Year

• Take challenging courses in each subject. 

• In the fall, take the PreACT administered at Rice. This is an introduction to the ACT college placement exam and a career interest survey.

• Meet with Guidance to review the results from the PreACT career survey. Learn what colleges are looking for and what is important in the college application process. 

• Attend the Sophomore Summit hosted by Rice Guidance to start thinking about future plans. Some of the events on this day include: 

• Career Fair

  • Introduction to strengths and career interest inventories

  • Introduction to the college application process (presented by a College Admissions counselor from UVM or St. Michael’s College)

  • Introduction to interviewing and professional etiquette (presented by a local business owner)

  • Introduction to Naviance and College Board, software programs to assist with the college search and application process.

• Start a college folder including a preliminary resume. Explore the Naviance resume tool.

• Discuss as a family how to plan for college tours sophomore and junior year.

Freshman Year

• Acclimate to the rigor and expectations of high school academics. 

• Enroll in a Freshman Foundations course which provides tools to help students thrive academically, as well as prepare them for college: 

  • Computer Literacy

  • Study Skills

  • Social, Emotional and Physical Health

  • Understanding Diversity and Inclusion  

  • College Admissions and the Rice Transcript 

• Participate in various Rice clubs, activities and sports where students can develop life-long passions. 

• With resources provided by the Rice Guidance office, visit college campuses to start thinking about the college search process and develop a baseline for comparisons.

• Understand the importance of course sequencing and how it best prepares students for college.