• Focus on your academic coursework.  Your achievements in class as well as your course selection will be paramount in the review process for admission to college.  More significantly, you are attending a rigorous college preparatory school to achieve an education and become a scholar.  Take advantage of your teachers, your advisor, and your peers so that you make the most of your GA education!
• Explore your interests beyond the classroom.  GA is known for the diversity of its extracurricular offerings.  Get involved, try out a club, a sport, an arts activity.  Determine your passions and devote yourself to them.  The personal rewards will be numerous, plus you will have the added advantage of being a more attractive candidate for admission to college.  You grow as a person and colleges notice!
• In Freshman Seminar, students are being introduced to Family Connection from Naviance, a Web-based service designed especially for students and families. Family Connection is a comprehensive website that students can use to help in making decisions about your courses, colleges, and careers. Family Connection is linked with Counselor’s Office, a service that we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that’s specific to our school.  Freshmen will be introduced to the Learning Style Inventory in Family Connection.  Use of Family Connection will increase as students progress through the Upper School and parents will be hearing much more about this impressive tool.
• GA is also now offering Peterson’s StudentEdge, a 24-hour, easy-to-use online resource center that  allows students to prepare for tests, find a college, search for financial aid, and explore careers—all in one convenient package—and at no cost!  We are offering this resource in addition to Family Connection because it provides comprehensive standardized test prep at no cost.  All of the components of StudentEdge are outlined here”
• Peterson’s award-winning online course for the ACT®, SAT*, and PSAT*
• Unlimited access to online practice tests for the ACT®, SAT*, SAT Subject Tests*, AP* Exams, and ASVAB
•  Comprehensive college match tool linking to more than 4,200 schools with interactive profiles
• The most complete financial aid tools available with more than $8 billion in public and institution-based aid in a comprehensive scholarship database
• resources that include a career assessment, career outlook tools and a resume builder

• Access Peterson’s StudentEdge at http://www.mystudentedge.com, click on New User, and  enter an access code of KQYFAZWD. 
• In the Spring of Freshman year, students should review the list of Subject Tests, which are offered by the College Board (www.collegeboard.com).  If a student is completing a course in a subject tested and the student has achieved at a very high level, the student may want to take a Subject Test in June while the material is fresh in the student’s mind.

Looking Ahead

• All sophomores take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT) in October of their sophomore year (we automatically register them).
• College Counselors are assigned midway through the sophomore year.