You’re a high schooler, and college isn’t far away. But how ready for university are you?
Answer these 15 essential questions about your academic skills and the college application process, and we’ll grade your responses to let you know if you’re prepared and what you can do to get ready.
Questions Overview
- Yes, I've made up my mind and decided what my major will be.
- I'm deciding between 2 or 3 specific majors.
- I have a general idea, but I haven't really narrowed it down yet.
- I don't know what I want to study.
- Yes, I've already been accepted!
- Yes, I'm ready to send my applications, or I've already sent them.
- I have a pretty good idea, but I'm not quite certain yet.
- I don't know which college I want to attend.
- Yes. I have outstanding grades.
- I have good grades, but they could be better.
- My grades are below average.
- I don't know, or this doesn't apply to me. (Select this if you took the GED rather than graduating high school, or are a non-traditional student.)
- Intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
- Intro, quotations, and conclusion.
- Intro, argument, and conclusion.
- Hook, citations, and bibliography.
- Yes, I have no problem achieving this.
- Yes, but it takes a lot of effort.
- No, I don't feel comfortable doing that.
- I'm not sure.
- Yes, I'm totally comfortable doing these things.
- I'm able to do these things, but I'm not totally comfortable with them.
- I'm unable to do some things on the computer.
- I'm not able to, or comfortable with, most of these things.
- Yes. I often ask for help.
- I sometimes ask for help, but it makes me uncomfortable.
- I only ask for help when I don't have any other choice.
- I never ask for help. I'll do it by myself, or not at all.
- Yes, I enjoy expressing my views and hearing other people's perspectives.
- I like sharing ideas, but only if things stay civil and polite.
- I know how to express my views, but I don't enjoy it.
- I'd rather not talk about these things in a public space.
- I work on the task at a steady rate and in small chunks, and finish well before the deadline.
- I work on the task in larger chunks, and finish before the deadline.
- I use a lot of effort to complete the task all at once.
- I save the task for the last minute, or go past the deadline.
- Yes, I've asked for letters of recommendation, or have them already.
- I know who I want to write them, but I haven't asked them yet.
- I don't know who will write my letters of recommendation.
- This does not apply to me.
- Yes, I've reviewed my budget and my financial plan, and I'm all set!
- My finances are taken care of by someone else.
- I'm still working on figuring out my financial details.
- I haven't considered finances, or I'm not sure how I'll pay for college expenses.
- Yes, I have these things or know I can get them.
- I have most of my supplies, but still need to figure out the rest.
- I have some supplies, and I'm not sure how I'll get the rest.
- I don't have any supplies, or I'm not sure how I'll get them.
- Yes, and I have a note-taking system that works for me.
- I'm comfortable taking notes, but they're not always organized.
- I'm not very good at taking notes, and don't always take them.
- I never take notes in class.
- Yes! I'm very curious, and often go out of my way to learn new things.
- I sometimes try to learn extra things, but only when it's convenient.
- I rarely try to learn extra things that aren't required by a class.
- I only learn the things required by a class.
- I take pleasure in learning, and don't need outside motivation.
- I'm motivated by my career or financial goals.
- I'm motivated by good grades or praise.
- I learn new things because other people expect me to.
More Quizzes
You've also fostered excellent study habits and a solid work ethic that'll help you keep up in class and earn the grades you need to succeed. Even now, you're a hard worker with competitive grades and a good deal of knowledge in the field you want to study.
You know what to expect when you finally step foot on campus, but you're also ready to have new experiences. That flexibility will get you far. Congratulations on your future studies, and be sure to keep up the good work!
Here are some helpful resources to give you a head-start on your college journey:
- ACT.org<\/a><\/li>
- UNCF College Readiness Checklist<\/a><\/li>
- UCSC What to Expect from College<\/a><\/li>
- UP.edu How to Prepare for College<\/a><\/li>
- CommonApp<\/a><\/li>
- College Board: What\u2019s in a College Application?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Prepare-for-College\/University"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Prepare for College\/University","id":806601,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Prepare-for-College\/University","image":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/64\/Prepare-for-College_University-Step-13-Version-3.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Prepare-for-College_University-Step-13-Version-3.jpg","alt":"How to Prepare for College\/University"},{"title":"How to Develop Good Study Habits for College","id":56853,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/36\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College-Step-17-Version-4.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College-Step-17-Version-4.jpg","alt":"How to Develop Good Study Habits for College"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You're ready, but there's more to do!","meaning":"In terms of preparedness, you probably have some idea of what you want to study and which college you want to attend, but you may not be totally sure. That's okay, and you can figure it out as you go, but it's best to have a game plan before you dive in. Spend a little more time considering your academic strengths and researching universities. Then identify your top 3 fields of study and top 3 universities, and aim for those!
When it comes to basic and necessary college skills, you've got the fundamentals down: You've achieved good grades, fostered good study habits, and have realistic expectations for what college life is like. That said, your grades could probably be even more competitive, and your work ethic could be even more solid. You'll need both these things in order to get into the best university and maintain a stellar GPA.
Congratulations on coming this far, and keep up the hard work!
Here are some helpful resources to give you a head-start on your college journey:- ACT.org<\/a><\/li>
- UNCF College Readiness Checklist<\/a><\/li>
- UCSC What to Expect from College<\/a><\/li>
- UP.edu How to Prepare for College<\/a><\/li>
- CommonApp<\/a><\/li>
- College Board: What\u2019s in a College Application?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Prepare-for-College\/University"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Prepare for College\/University","id":806601,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Prepare-for-College\/University","image":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/64\/Prepare-for-College_University-Step-13-Version-3.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Prepare-for-College_University-Step-13-Version-3.jpg","alt":"How to Prepare for College\/University"},{"title":"How to Develop Good Study Habits for College","id":56853,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/36\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College-Step-17-Version-4.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College-Step-17-Version-4.jpg","alt":"How to Develop Good Study Habits for College"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You may not be ready for college.","meaning":"Based on your results, you might not know what you want to study quite yet, or at which university you want to study. Having that sense of direction is key to success in college, even if that direction ends up changing. Spend a little more time considering your academic strengths and researching universities. Then identify your top 3 fields of study and top 3 universities, and aim for those!
Also, your grades may not be the most competitive. In order to get scholarships and have your choice of university, you may need to spend some more time studying and putting in some elbow grease to raise those grades and make yourself more appealing to university admissions offices.
You might also spend some time developing more basic skills, like your communication, writing, organization, and planning skills. These are all essential for a college student who wants to perform well in university-level classes.
With some hard work and a little effort, you'll be in a much better spot, and we know you can get there! Remember, it's best not to rush in. College can wait (it's not going anywhere!), and the more prepared you are, the better your experience will be.
Here are some helpful resources to give you a head-start on your college journey:- ACT.org<\/a><\/li>
- UNCF College Readiness Checklist<\/a><\/li>
- UCSC What to Expect from College<\/a><\/li>
- UP.edu How to Prepare for College<\/a><\/li>
- CommonApp<\/a><\/li>
- College Board: What\u2019s in a College Application?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Prepare-for-College\/University"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Prepare for College\/University","id":806601,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Prepare-for-College\/University","image":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/64\/Prepare-for-College_University-Step-13-Version-3.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Prepare-for-College_University-Step-13-Version-3.jpg","alt":"How to Prepare for College\/University"},{"title":"How to Develop Good Study Habits for College","id":56853,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/36\/Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College-Step-17-Version-4.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Develop-Good-Study-Habits-for-College-Step-17-Version-4.jpg","alt":"How to Develop Good Study Habits for College"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>
- UNCF College Readiness Checklist<\/a><\/li>
- UNCF College Readiness Checklist<\/a><\/li>
- UNCF College Readiness Checklist<\/a><\/li>
College Readiness Checklist
Everyone’s college journey is different, but you can make sure you’re ready for what’s next by taking some key steps and building the necessary skills that will give you a head start as you continue your education. Take a look at this checklist and see how many points you hit:
Key Steps:
- I’ve identified what I want to study and my desired major.
- I’ve identified the colleges I want to apply to , and ranked the colleges I’d like to attend.
- I’ve taken the ACT, SAT, or any other necessary entrance exams.
- I’ve secured letters of recommendation from my teachers or other mentors.
- I’ve started or completed my applications, including my college essay.
- I’ve considered my financial situation, and have applied for financial aid, if needed.
Key Skills:
- I know how to a complete essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
- I’ve mastered basic skills for my desired major, like writing and grammar, or math skills.
- I have a proven strategy for studying and learning independently.
- I can manage my time efficiently and effectively.
- I’m organized and know how to balance a schedule.
- I seek help when I don’t understand or can’t complete something.
- I stay on top of class assignments and avoid turning things in late.
- I actively seek out new information and knowledge, even if it isn’t part of a class.
- I can communicate and cooperate with others, especially under pressure.
- Attending college is something I want, not just something I’m doing because other people tell me to.
Want to learn more?
For more information about getting ready for college, check out these helpful resources: