“Did you sign up to take the SAT?” my mom asked me as I walked inside of the kitchen. I had hoped to find some Oreos to eat, not my mom asking me questions about the SAT, questions I didn’t want to answer. I found myself shaking my head at her. Truth be told, the SAT/ACT had not been on my mind. I had other things on my mind, such as the play, keeping my grades up, and finding those delicious Oreos to eat. Signing up for the SAT was the last thing I wanted to do. My mom then gave me that look. It was a look to show that she was displeased. “You need to sign up for it soon,” she said. “You may think you have a lot of time, but you don’t.” I only nodded my head at her, not really listening to her. I grabbed the package of Oreos and a glass of milk and vanished off into my room.

  This is the first time I am going to admit it, but my mom was right. Every student out there believes that they have all this time. They believe that there will be time to sign up for the SAT/ACT. They believe that they will have the time to prepare for college. They believe that there is so much time out there in the world, that they can procrastinate a moment longer. But this is not true. Time is of the essence. One day, the time that each of us have now is going to sink within our fingers and we will not be able to grasp it within our hands.

  This is an extremely scary thought. Another scary thought is that 43-percent of the test-takers for the SAT in 2013 were prepared for college. The other 57-percent were not prepared at all. That is over half. Over half of students in America were not prepared for college at all. College Board President David Coleman said, “We at the College Board see this as a call to action.” But why does it feel as if there is no action being taken?

  I’m excited for Noll’s adoption of the program called Naviance. Naviance is a college and career readiness software provider that provide students with college planning and career assessment tools. I truly believe that through Naviance, it can help many students learn more about colleges and what career they should major in. However, I also believe that many students did not even go on the website and begin the preparation for college. Those students are going to be the ones who are going to have many regrets when they graduate.

  Freshmen should be talking with their guidance counselors, asking them questions on what they can do to prepare themselves for college already. They should already be in extracurricular activities, because colleges love when a student is active after school. It shows that the student has leadership qualities.

  Sophomores should still be meeting with their guidance counselor, asking questions of what will benefit them in helping them with college. Sophomores already should be setting out a plan for college, searching over colleges, learning which colleges they want to attend. Sophomores should also begin financial planning. Let’s be honest. College is a lot of money and if students plan two years earlier, then they should have a backup plan of how they are going to afford college.

  Juniors should still be searching for colleges, but they should also be considering their major. Do you want to major in psychology? English? Nursing? Now is the time where Juniors should be learning of their talents and what they should be doing for the rest of their life. It is a major decision to make and it’s extremely difficult. Many students are not sure of what they want to do after college. If you ask me, my answer would be “I don’t know.” Juniors should also be searching online for some scholarships. Scholarships are so significant in helping with college. Lastly, juniors should be preparing for standardized tests. The SAT/ACT is around the corner. It’ll be here before any of us knows it.

  Last but not least, the seniors. Seniors should be getting recommendation letters from their teachers. This is imperative, because whatever teachers say in that letter is what colleges will be taking in consideration. So, word of advice for all grades; be nice to your teachers. Seniors should be registering for the ACT or for the SAT. Once they do that, they should be applying to colleges that they’ve been searching for the past few years. They should also be searching for scholarships and submitting the FAFSA form, free application for federal student aid.

  I know for a fact some students are greatly behind of what they should already be doing for preparing for college and for the SAT/ACT.  As a school, it is essential that we become more serious about the SATS, ACTS, and college. We do have college visits, but there are often times when they are not publicized enough. During CCP and SRT, we are not often sure what colleges are coming to show us what they have to offer. But that can be changed. We need to open our eyes and see that we really don’t have much time left. There is this big world out there, a world that I don’t think any of us are truly prepared to experience yet. But we can be prepared. High school is about making memories, but there is more to it. High school is about preparing you for college, for taking that leap to a great future. Each and everyone of you can have that great future. It is there, but there has to be work to get to it.

  So, take a deep breath. Count to ten. Prepare for college. Prepare for the SAT/ACT. Prepare a good life for yourself, because in the end, it is all up to you.