High School Game Plan

High school can be a stepping stone into molding and defining who you are, not only as a student, but as a person ready to take on new, exciting challenges. If done correctly, and you're actively taking part in your education, the people you meet and your experiences in High School will get you on the path to success going into college, your professional development, and BEYOND!

Whether you're a first-day Freshman, or a Senior riddled with a contagion of "Senioritis", the High School Game Plan found below will get you where you want to go. Meet us half-way, and take part in your education!

Follow this High School Game Plan, and you'll be on the fast track to success!

Freshman Year

  • Explore Your High School - Found out about which extracurricular activities, clubs, sports, and services are available to you, and get involved! From the Soccer Team to Anime Club, there's a team or club for everyone.

  • Challenge Yourself - take a good variety of classes: Advanced Placement (AP) courses, electives and a foreign language class! If you can take an extra class, take it. When it comes time to apply to college, you'll thank us later.

  • Good Study Habits - Bring your A-game in and out of the classroom everyday and form good, long-term habits that will yield consistent performance through-out your High School career and beyond.

  • Active Summer - Don't let your summer dwindle away playing video games or doing nothing! Keep your mind active, participate in community service, or learn the value of the hard-earned dollar by getting a summer job through the Summer Youth Employment Program, or S.Y.E.P.

Sophomore Year

  • Continue Challenging Yourself - AP classes and electives not only look good on your transcript, but will show colleges what you're made of and that you're prepared or are preparing for college coursework.

  • Start Researching College - High school is going to go by in the blink of an eye, and college is right around the corner. So, if you start researching now, you'll be ahead of the game.

  • The PSAT - The Practice SAT Exam (PSAT) will give you a good idea as to what to expect on the SAT Exam. Use your PSAT results to help you learn where you excel and where you might need some work.

Junior Year

  • College Now Courses - As a Junior, you are now eligible to earn college credits for FREE. Look into taking College NOW Courses offered by Queensborough Community College & Queens College at QHST and earn college credits for FREE! Stop by the College Office to learn more

  • SAT & ACT Exams - Colleges will ask that you take the SAT and/or ACT so they can measure your college-readiness. Check out our SAT & ACT Exam page to learn more. These scores will weigh heavily in your admissions decisions from colleges.

  • The College Search - Find out what you want in a college and explore your options! Check out our College Catalog page to get started on the search.

  • Career Exploration - Look into the multiple and various career paths and job fields out there and narrow down what you might want to study in college. Check out our Career Exploration Page to learn more.

Senior Year

  • Start Early & Finish Early - College Application and Financial Aid Deadlines are not going to wait on you. Get started on those early and stay ahead of those unforgiving deadlines. Check out the Applying To College page and Paying For College page to learn more.

  • The Second Time Around - Ever heard the saying, "love is better the second time around"? That goes double for the SAT & ACT. If you don't like your old scores, register to take the exam again early in the school year. That way, you'll have plenty of time to receive and send your new exam scores to colleges you're applying to.

  • Be Consistence - You might get your college admissions letter early in your Senior Year. However, that's not an excuse to engage into "Senioritis-Mode" for the second half of the school year. Colleges still have the right to revoke your acceptance if you start slacking so, keep your A - Game.

  • Regents Exam - Talk to your adviser about Regents and schedule to retake a regents exam early in the school year if you need it to graduate on time!