Parent Information >> Juniors

• If your teen has a part-time job after school, monitor the hours to make sure the job is not interfering with school. Research indicates teens should work no more than 15-17 hours a week.
• Meet with the guidance counselor to make sure everything remains on track to graduate college-ready and on-time. Begin discussing a list of possible colleges to visit.
• It is not too soon to think about financial aid. Visit the government’s FAFSA4Caster to get an idea of how much aid you can expect.
• Continue to monitor grades closely.
• Use April vacation to visit 3 or 4 colleges. Try to make them different kinds of schools: big, small, urban, suburban, etc. Use the College Search [link to College Search-Teens page] station to learn more about college visits.
• If your teen is taking one or more AP courses, have them sign up for the AP Tests. Students are awarded college credits on the basis of the test scores which are graded on a 1 to 5 scale. Generally, colleges give college credit to students earning a 3 or higher.
• Have your teen take the PSAT a second time.
• Encourage your teen to finalize a college list over the summer.
• Help your teen prepare for the May SAT test which is given to all Maine students in May of their junior year. The state uses this as its measure of the Maine Learning Results.
• Attend College Information Nights held by your high school.
• Make sure your teen’s class schedule is rigorous and includes a first semester study hall which will give the student a chance to meet with the counselor about college applications.