Students can set long-term goals for the types of colleges they'd like to attend, as well as goals for the year related to each aspect of their college application (ex: courses, grades, test scores, essays, letters of recommendation). The same goals are also displayed in the Goals section. This process of setting goals can be facilitated through guided student reflections and coaching conversations with mentors.
Setting a College Goal
Students can select the type of college they'd like to attend: Minimally Selective, Somewhat Selective, Selective, More Selective, Highly Selective, and Extremely Selective. These levels of selectivity are defined by the selectivity of college admissions. For each type of college, students can see the GPA range, ACT score range, SAT score range, characteristics of incoming college freshmen, and examples of these colleges.
- Explore: In this section, students can read through the different levels of selectivity, then click Make This My Goal to select the type of college that best fits them.
Mentors may want to coach their students to choose long-term college goals that feel both challenging and realistic. At Summit Learning, we often tell students that planning to meet ambitious, but not unrealistic, goals will help them keep more doors open.
Setting Goals for the Year
Once students have set long-term college goals, they can set goals for the year.
- Courses: In this section, students can see the courses they'll need to pass in order to graduate from high school. Courses remain the same for all students at a school, regardless of the type of college a student selects.
- Grades: In this section, students can see the GPA range for incoming college freshmen at the type of college they've selected. They can set grade goals for each of their courses and select which action items they'll need to follow in order to achieve their grade goals. Action items may differ for students, depending on the type of college they've selected.
- Test Scores: In this section, students can see the ACT score range, SAT score range, and AP score range for incoming college freshmen at the type of college they've selected. Students can select which action items they'll need to follow in order to prepare for their standardized tests.
- My Essay: In this section, students are encouraged to think about their passions and interests. If students already have a passion, they can enter it and save it to their goals. However, if students don't already have a passion, they'll be encouraged to enter any interests that may help identify a passion. Students can select which action items they'll need to follow to further develop their passions.
- Letters of Recommendation: In this section, students can select which Habits of Success they'd like to work on and select which action items they'll need to follow to work on those habits.