Each year in high school, there are things you can do to prepare for college. Click here to see each grade level page for details, and learn about the college application process,  financial aid, testing, and more.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The Academic Advisement Center partners with CCS parents to help our students understand how God has designed them so they can pursue the best academic and career paths to live a life of meaning, purpose and fulfillment. The primary online platform that students use is Naviance, a premier college and career readiness tool. Specifically, the Academic Advisement Office assists CCS Warriors with:

• Defining and responding to God's purpose and plan for their lives
• Selecting and registering for secondary school courses that plan and prepare for college entrance
• Accessing post-secondary options: higher education, military, gap year opportunities, and more
• Presenting college and career information for high school classes
• Hosting parent/student events to disseminate grade-specific information
• Organizing CCS’s annual College Fair and Warrior Career Expo
• Coaching students in the college application process
• Providing financial aid information: scholarships and grants
• Liaising between CCS and admissions offices within higher education
• Preparing for standardized testing: PSAT, SAT, ACT, and ASVAB
• Overseeing AP administration
• Determining NCAA eligibility

All questions related to college and career should be addressed to the Academic Advisement Director, Leesa Jones at Leesa.Jones@sa-ccs.org.

CCS offers several advanced-level courses. In addition to Advanced Placement^®, such courses are Honors courses. Automatic admission to advanced-level courses is based upon an elite percentile rank superscore on one of the standardized tests used by CCS (PSAT, Renaissance Learning: STAR). AP^® and advanced-level courses are weighted in GPA calculation.

AP^®: Art & Design, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science Principles, Drawing, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, Human Geography, Music Theory, Psychology, Physics 1, Spanish Language and Culture, Statistics, US Government, US History, World History.

Honors: Algebra I and II, Band III and IV, Biology, Chemistry, Choir III and IV, Economics, English 9 and 10, Geometry, Piano III and IV, Pre-Calculus, Spanish III, Strength & Conditioning III and IV, Technical Theatre III and IV, Theatre III and IV.

Throughout their years in secondary school, CCS students use Naviance to plan for college and career (What do I want to be when I grow up?), apply for scholarships beginning in middle school (How will I pay for college?), and take assessments on their personality type, career aptitude, and learning style (Why don’t I like to read more?). See the Academic Advisement Center for further information. Log in at: Naviance.

Higher education is an exciting place where innovation abounds and students are able to discover their God-given abilities. When asked if college has been a good investment considering the cost, research shows that 86% of graduates answered “yes.” Cornerstone Christian Schools adheres to a college preparatory curriculum and encourages students to plan on higher education.

Our students begin the college research and application process on Naviance. Prior to a student’s junior year, Naviance’s college “SuperMatch” feature provides information on the admissions standards and profiles of most colleges and universities. Students should add every college they are considering (at least five) to Naviance’s “Colleges I’m thinking about” screen. At the beginning of their junior year, when students narrow their focus to five colleges and universities, they should access the admissions homepages of their top five schools for the most current admissions standards, deadlines, and platforms.

The application process itself may require multiple components: letters of recommendation, essays, a high school transcript, and/or standardized test scores. Click here for a parent’s guide to the college application process. Students request letters of recommendation through Naviance. Students are encouraged to send a personalized follow-up email to the faculty/staff members to confirm receipt of the Naviance request. Faculty/staff expect three weeks’ advance notice for letters of recommendation. Click here for tips on getting great recommendation letters.

Essays are an important part of the college application process. Use Naviance’s “Journal” feature (within “About Me”) to craft and solicit feedback on essays. Click here for guidance in essay composition.
There are various platforms for submitting a college application:

• The Common App
• Apply Texas
• College’s own application
• Naviance is linked with The Common App, but none of the others.

*Note*: Be sure to check college admissions homepages for the desired platform.

Click here to order a CCS transcript.

CCS recommends that students take the ACT and SAT during their junior year, because these tests can open academic and financial opportunities. Once a student receives their ACT and SAT scores, then they should decide which test they prefer and use the summer prior to their senior year to study for that test. In ideal cases, the final time to take the preferred test is at the beginning of a student’s senior year, when students submit college applications.

ACT

• Test Dates
• Register

SAT

• Test Dates
• Register

Free prep:

• ACT: act.org
• SAT: College Board
• SAT: Khan Academy
• ACT/SAT: Revolution Prep
• ACT/SAT: cafécollege

Paid prep:

• ACT/SAT: Revolution Prep
• ACT/SAT: The Princeton Review
• ACT/SAT: Kaplan
• ACT/SAT: More Than a Teacher (based out of Austin with local classes)

The cost to attend a university rises annually and includes tuition, fees, housing, food, books, and transportation. The College Board estimates that the average published cost for tuition and fees at a four-year public college is just over $10,000/year. Thankfully, that figure drops after students receive scholarships, grants, and educational tax benefits. Private schools cost much more: $32,000/year on average. That figure falls to about $14,000 after scholarships, grants, and educational tax benefits. 

Financial Aid may include scholarships, grants, work-study, and college loans.

To learn more about Financial Aid in Texas, please visit the Texas OnCourse website: https://texasoncourse.org/educators/popular-links/the-texas-financial-aid-graduation-requirement/for-families/  which includes resources for families. 

It is important that all students submit the FAFSA because it is a requirement for most universities scholarship programs. FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Scholarships:

Searching for outside scholarships can be an overwhelming process.  Here are some resources that can be a good start:

ACT Scholarship search:  https://www.act.org/content/act/en/students-and-parents/college-planning-resources/paying-for-college/free-college-scholarships.html

San Antonio Area Foundation (a great resource for local scholarships!)  https://saafdn.org/

Going Merry: https://www.goingmerry.com/

Café College: https://cafecollege.org/scholarships/

Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com/

Scholarships360:  https://scholarships360.org/

Scholarships.com: https://www.scholarships.com/

Technical/Vocational School, Military, Gap Year

The Gallup research article “Do You Regret Your College Choices?” exposes the bright side of non-baccalaureate options, when it reports bachelor’s degree holders are more likely to regret their field of study than technical/vocational or associate degree holders. “5 Ways to Make College a Success” (Gallup) maintains associate degree holders are more likely than those with a bachelor's degree to say they have an ideal job and are very interested in their career path. “Gallup’s Top Education Findings of 2016” shows that the associate degree is more appealing than the bachelor’s, because the former is substantially cheaper. CCS realizes that a bachelor’s degree is not for everyone. Students, who are more excited about taking a break from the classroom or simply are unsure what their path should be after CCS, should use the content in this section to explore options.

Military

The ASVAB is administered to seniors every fall at CCS. For students contemplating military service, the results are helpful, when selecting a branch of service.

• United States Air Force
• CCS assigned recruiter: SSgt Steven Aday steven.aday@us.af.mi
• CCS assigned ROTC recruiter: Capt. Glen Peoples glen.peoples@utsa.edu (210) 458-4624
• United States Army
• CCS assigned Texas Army National Guard recruiter: Sgt James Jones james.s.jones164.mil@mail.mil (830) 388-0639
• United States Coast Guard
• United States Marine Corps
• CCS assigned recruiter: GySgt Gabriel Morin gabriel.morin@marines.usmc.mil (210) 823-3725
• United States Navy
• CCS assigned recruiter: Petty Officer Garrett Henwood garrett.henwood@navy.mil (210) 580-3507

Local/Regional Technical/Vocational/Non-baccalaureate Programs

• Alamo Colleges
• Alamo Colleges District Workforce Training Network
• South Texas Vocational Technical Institute
• Texas State Technical College
• Universal Technical Institute
• Hallmark University
• The Culinary Institute of America
• Aveda Institute
• Paul Mitchell Schools
• The Art Institute of San Antonio
• Southwest School of Art

Gap Year and Other Short Term Opportunities

These programs are varied. Most are designed for recent high school graduates to serve in a year long (= gap year) mission, sometimes Christian, sometimes not, sometimes international, sometimes not. Depending on the program, there may be a significant program fee that participants satisfy with the financial support of friends and family. The benefit to these programs is their brief duration, during which students live away from home, become more independent, and gain a greater sense of what they should pursue long term. Before applying to one of these programs, Warrior-scholars and their parents should research them (to learn application deadlines, costs, and other particulars) and then seek guidance in the College and Career Office.

• Youth With A Mission (YWAM)
• Impact 360
• Gap Year Association
• College Transition Initiative
• World Race Gap Year
• Peace Corps
• Americorps

During the fall semester, the Academic Advisement Center hosts scores of colleges and universities at the CCS College Fair in November. College recruiters should contact the Academic Advisement Director to join the event. Other Christian high schools and homeschool groups are also welcome to contact the Academic Advisement Director about attending.

Warriors are solely responsible to maintain their academics throughout high school, but they need to collaborate with the Academic Advisement Director beginning in grade 9 to ensure they take NCAA approved CCS core courses. In grade 10, students register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. In grades 11-12, students work with the Academic Advisement Center to ensure they are on track to graduate, submit their ACT/SAT scores to the NCAA, request their transcript for NCAA uploading, and so forth. Click here for more information.