Class ranks, GPAs, SAT, ACT scores are all important numbers that prove students’ academic knowledge and have a huge role in determining a possible future college.

“These are EXTREMELY important for college bound students,” counselor Nichole Demby said. “A higher GPA will lead to a higher-class rank, which could allow students an opportunity for automatic admissions for some state colleges. These scores should be taken very seriously, as students who struggle a bit and don’t have the best GPA could still possibly get into their desired college with a high SAT/ACT score. GPA can be improved by taking advanced classes to get extra grade points and studying regularly to maintain high averages. SAT/ACT scores can be improved by using review books or going online to work through practice problems.”

Graduation is going to sneak up before students know it. Although juniors have another year of high school left, the preparation should start now. It is never to early to start looking in to a school and checking out the requirements for acceptance, tuition fees and locations.

“I want to play football in college, so I started looking at schools and emailing them a few months ago,” junior Jonathan Scalli said. “I take several Dual credit classes to help also. Over time I have gone and visited many campuses and done a few tours. When I look at colleges, I pay close attention to the community and the majors offered.”

The SAT is an exam created by the college board. Most colleges and universities use this test to make decisions regarding the approval of admission. Usually this test has multiple parts including math, reading, and an optional essay. It takes on average about four hours to complete with a fee of 43 dollars if the optional essay is chosen. On Wednesday, March 7, juniors will take the SAT plus write the essay here at school, with no fee charged.

“I can not stress enough how important it is to study and prepare for the SAT,” senior Jaelyn Oakes said. “I started studying about a month ahead and my scores were much higher than I expected them to be. It’s a test you only want to take one time, so you are going to want to do the best you possibly can. It feels so good knowing my hard work paid off by being able to pick where I want to go for college.”