Prospective Students

Ninth grade to college in three years.

NAASE empowers high-achieving students like you to begin full-time, on-campus studies at The University of Iowa after your junior year of high school. Preparing to enter college early can begin as you start your high school years. Start thinking about the academic, social, and creative opportunities early entrance could bring – will you be ready? The following are suggestions for what you should do during your ninth grade year to prepare to enter NAASE after your junior year.

• Plan ahead to take as many honors courses or Advanced Placement (AP) courses as your school offers. Talk with your counselor about your interest in leaving high school early so they can assist you in choosing the courses which will best prepare you for life as a University student.  Refer to the Building Your Future Resource (pdf) for entry requirements for The University of Iowa.
• Talk with your school about your intentions to leave early. Work with their guidelines for graduation requirements. Try to set up your schedule to incorporate as many of the graduation requirements into three years as is possible.
• Take the PLAN or PSAT exam. Your high school counselor will probably recommend you take these as you prepare for the ACT or SAT.
• Attend a summer residential camp to gain experiences away from home. Gaining experience on a college campus will help with the adjustment and preparation to become a full-time university student. The Belin-Blank Center offers a number of residential summer programs that are academically and socially stimulating.
• If you are involved in extra curricular activities, begin planning to achieve all of your goals during the three years you are in high school (for example: if you want to be the editor of the school newspaper, make sure to do that during your junior year!).
• Keep track of your achievements so when you start filling out college and scholarship applications, you won’t have to try to remember all of your awards and extracurricular activities.