8 Things to Ask Your High School Teachers Before You Graduate

What classes do I need to be ready for college?

See your guidance counselor about this important question. You want to be confident that you've taken all the right classes you need before you graduate and continue into your college career.

How should I prepare for the SAT/ACTs?

Your SAT scores are important for many colleges to see, so you want to prepare well to make sure you get a high score. There are lots of books and online practice tests that will be recommended to you. You may be overwhelmed at first, which is why it's important to pace yourself. Get a head start in asking your teachers about this so you'll have lots of time to prepare.

College Information

If you are undecided about what college to look into or even what to study, talk to your high school teachers about it. They learn more about you than you think and can provide great insight to help you make a decision. Take some time with them after school to discuss what your passions are and the types of colleges that might be a good fit for you. Something else you want to consider in this discussion is if you want to stay local or go away for college.

Ask for Recommendations

Before you break away from your high school career, it's a great idea to ask your teachers for college recommendations. Before I graduated high school, one of my teachers wrote me a recommendation for every college I applied to. Don't be afraid to ask multiple teachers and talk about what schools and majors interest you so they know what to highlight in their letter.

Review College Essay

Take the opportunity to let your teachers review your college essay. Maybe your English teacher. Ask to meet after school so they can read, review, and offer edits and other helpful tips for your application. Guidance counselors also have great experience working with students on their applications, and knowing specifically what colleges look for in an application, so they’ll be able to help you out.

Resume Review

High school teachers and counselors help students each year with their resumes. So they'll be able to point out which parts need to be emphasized more or less. Take your resume to a teacher or counselor for help adding or removing certain activities that will make your resume stand out.

How to Write a Cover Letter

The best time to learn about writing cover letters is now. Waiting until you have a job application in front of you that's missing a cover letter is very stressful. You'll be researching and editing over and over again. So, before you graduate high school, use the resources right in front of you. Ask your teachers if they can help you write a cover letter. Get out your resume and start structuring the letter from there. Your teacher can provide tips and instruction that you’ll be able to use moving forward in your career.

What else should I be doing?

Although you feel like you've done everything you can before going to college, there is always more you can do. You'll be advised to continue looking for more scholarship money or improving your chances of being accepted into college.