At any point in your high school career, you are preparing for college. Regardless if it is studying for a history exam, acting in the school play, or scoring the winning goal on the soccer team, each task you work on or complete throughout grades 9-12 make a difference in terms of which colleges you’ll get into – and which one you’ll attend.

Let’s look at some steps you can take each year to solidify yourself for college admissions officers:

* Get good grades – Sure, it’s most important to work hard in math and English, but schools do consider your overall GPA. So make sure you don’t slack off in Phys. Ed and be careful not to overcook your beef stroganoff in Cooking II.

* Practice for the standardized tests – Most people say you can’t study for the SAT/ACT. I agree. But, what you can do is become familiar with what they test. I definitely recommend either taking a class or getting a book on whichever test you need to take. This way, when it’s time for the real thing, you’ll know how they’re formatted and the types of questions you’ll be up against.

* Take only the tests you need – I took the SAT IIs and ended up not needing them for the school I went to. Research your schools and don’t waste your time (and money) with extraneous testing.

* Extracurriculars are important – Do you enjoy volunteer work? Can you slam dunk? How about play the viola? Any of these skills should be practiced in your high school club scene. Join the band, basketball team, and Habitat for Humanity. Stick with them and attain leadership roles. Just don’t let your grades suffer!

* Utilize AP classes – The sole purpose of these classes is to prepare you for its respective AP exam. If you score a 4 or 5 (and sometimes a 3) you’ll receive college credit for the class. Get enough credits, and graduate a semester early. Think about how much tuition and housing costs you’d save!

* Research your financial aid options – Most likely, Mom and Dad won’t have you entirely covered when it comes to paying for college. Therefore, make sure you know the 411 on potential student loans. Complete your FAFSA on January 1 of your senior year. Apply for any college scholarships you can find. File for as much in federal aid as you can. Still need more? That’s where private student loans come in.

Find below six top financial tips for new college graduates.

* For new college graduates, it is quite important that they shop around in the market and take quotes from at least ten lenders when taking student loan. There are some students that just accept the first loan offer. This is not the right way to go as your lack of knowledge may cost you plenty of money in the long run. By shopping around in the market, you will be able to make a much better decision in terms of selecting a loan package.
* To get loan at low interest rates and easy repayment schedule, new college graduates need to make sure that their credit rating is good. Improving credit rating takes time but if you are willing to put in your efforts, you will start availing benefits of it very early in the piece. To improve your credit rating, start paying all your dues on time and keep a keen eye on your monthly expenses. If possible, try to save some money on a monthly basis.
* If you have taken three or four student loans in order to complete your education then it is advisable that you go for a debt consolidation. With debt consolidation, your monthly installment and rate of interest is going to decrease appreciably. Another good thing about debt consolidation is that you only need to deal with one lender which is much easier to do rather than dealing three or four lenders on a monthly basis.
* With regard to student loan, you have two choices, private student loans and federal student loans. Getting an approval for Federal Student Loans is quite tough as so many students apply for it because of low interest rates and flexibility in terms of repayment schedule. If your federal student loan application is rejected, you should go for a private student loan. Although, you need to pay much higher interest rates in Private Student Loan but if your credit rating is good, you can get some discount from the lender.
* For new college graduates, it is quite important that they go for a loan package where they get a grace period facility. The best part about grace period facility is that during this period, there is no pressure on you in terms of repayment.
* Only take the services of a lender which is accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Instead of taking loan from a completely new lender, you should stick with your current lender.