Planning and Achieving College and Career Goals

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.03: The Graduation Maze Runner

"Uh…can anyone tell me where the graduation ceremony is?"
(Source)

High school is a string of tests lasting for (around) four years. Thankfully, there aren't any Grievers chasing us down as we race from corridor to corridor, seeking the exit called graduation. Sometimes, the twists and turns we face confuse our sense of direction and may even lead us to several "dead" ends—pun intended. With a good map and focused determination, we can conquer this maze and achieve our education goals, and maybe find cheese at the end.

Mmm, cheese.

The maps are our goals, and the maze is high school—as if we don't have enough problems, right? Without a map, we're doing nothing but skipping through life, whistling our favorite tune, and hoping for the best.

And that's pretty much only on our good hair days.

What does this have to do with planning and achieving our college and career goals?

Our first college and career-oriented goals actually begin as high school goals. It may seem that we're putting the cart before the horse. We've already discussed the things about us that help us choose a suitable career path, and now we're focusing on goals for high school graduation? Don't think of this process as simply following steps. We're not putting together IKEA furniture.

In other words, we need to know where we're going before we take the first step in getting there. Imagine starting a journey without knowing where to go. If everyone did that all the time, we'd face utter chaos on the highway resulting in a postapocalyptic, dystopian future where creepy scientists test us while we run like rats through a life-size maze filled with poisonous, robotic Grievers.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.03: Graduation Requirements and College Expectations

So you want a career? Try getting a degree first.

Wait, wait—let's back up. Shoes and shirts are required in—most—restaurants and shops. Fishing licenses are required for anglers to catch fish, and driver's licenses are required to operate automobiles—just not at the same time. Most software and online services require that we accept their terms and conditions by checking a box stating that we read them, even if we didn't.

We won't tell if you don't.

Shouldn't we expect that school districts have requirements for graduation from high school? While our first thought might be a resounding "No," deep down we know that it's "Yes."

High school graduation requirements vary from state to state and even school district to school district. This means that there are no uniform standards that apply to everyone across the nation. In addition to specific course credit requirements, some schools may insist upon the following for their students to earn a diploma.

State Assessments

Currently only half of U.S. states require students to pass a high school exit exam to earn a diploma. By 2018, three more states will enforce similar requirements. Typically, these exams cover reading, writing, language arts, and mathematics, though in varying combinations across the states.

Seriously—another test? Groan.

What does this mean for you, Shmoopers? On the level, it means paying more attention to teachers and not our crushes, and taking test-taking classes to make sure we pass high school exit exams. Plenty of resources abound at Shmoop University for those of us wanting to strengthen our skills. In addition, consulting our teachers, administrators, and counselors will help us prepare for state assessments that are required for graduation—as lame as this might sound in the moment.

Community Service

We're not talking about wearing orange vests and picking up trash along the highway. The kind of community service some states and school districts expect for high school graduation is voluntary—well, sort of. Laws requiring teens to perform community service to earn a diploma are aimed at teaching students to become good citizens in society.

Community service for high school graduation can be completed at schools, houses of worship, community organizations, nonprofit organizations, and a variety of other approved places—though generally not amusement parks. Usually, the organization providing the opportunity for community service will have to document the hours.

Career Pathway

States requiring students to study a "career pathway" prior to graduation mostly refer to Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses—that is, elective courses aligning with a particular set of careers.

Pretty fab—right? CTE may include courses in business and accounting, cosmetology, early childhood development, communication technology, or even the arts. A school might even allow students to take animal science and horticulture if we're pursuing an agriculture pathway.

Can anyone say, "Moo"?

CTE courses provide an important foundation for us if we've decided on a major and career that we want to pursue. Therefore, we should be careful in selecting them even if our state doesn't require us to complete a pathway.

There may be requirements for core classes, such as math, to be relevant to our career pathway, therefore we must always make sure that we appropriately select courses. We love our guidance counselors, but they have hundreds of other kids to worry about—unless we live in a tiny rural village—so we've got to be our own advocates, leaving nothing to chance.

College Scrutiny

We shouldn't be fooled by minimum graduation requirements, especially when it comes to our coursework. Taking the minimum courses won't serve us if they fail to meet college expectations. For example, a state may require only three math credits for graduation, but a number of universities expect four credits. These colleges will reject us if this happens, and we face enough rejection in high school already. Does prom night really go smoothly for anyone?

Therefore, we should become familiar with what colleges are looking for when it comes to high school coursework. To get a general idea of what most universities seek in their applicants, read this article.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.03a: Battle of Requirements

Let's get down with a little C&C activity to compare and contrast the high school requirements of our local school district and/or state with The College Board recommendations for college bound students—and keep this open for the upcoming activity.

Remember that high schools set a minimum for graduation that covers all kinds of students. Only about six in ten students who graduate actually move on to college (Source). The other four find other training opportunities or attempt to enter the workforce. With that in mind, let's see how barely making it across the finish line affects our race to higher education.

If you have your local high school graduation requirements, then it's time to take them out. If not, then access your state's requirements here. Just scroll down until you find your state and compare the requirements with the expectations in the article.

Now that you've looked at two sets of requirements, take some time to answer the questions below in three to five sentences each.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.03b: Showdown at High Noon