Each counselor establishes their academic advisement plan based upon the competencies set by Gwinnett County. Students’ advisement plans are delivered throughout the school year by some of the following means:

• Classroom Lessons
  • Counselors conduct classroom core curriculum lessons throughout the school year in order to meet the standards and competencies set by Gwinnett County Public Schools, similar to standards set forth for curriculum areas. Classroom core curriculum lessons are an integral part of a student’s education.
• Small Group
  • Counseling groups are offered to students to address specific individual needs. Group participation is considered instructional time and is not a class absence; students are responsible for the material that may have been missed in class.
  • Communications within the group are strongly encouraged to be kept confidential.
• Individual Sessions.
  • Counselors meet with students individually based upon student, teacher, and parent requests. Each counselor's case load is approximately 450 students. Students will be seen in an appropriate timely manner dependent upon the caseload and commitments of each counselor.

If students have specific questions regarding their academic plan, they are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their counselor.

NOTE: Counselors do not make schedule changes at Peachtree Ridge High School. We work with students on academic advisement and course selections. Students are encouraged to listen for announcements from the Curriculum Office regarding schedule change procedures.

Click here to access the Gwinnett County Graduation Requirements

SchooLinks is a college and career readiness tool/software that allows students to research and prepare for careers, college, personal life goals, and most importantly, to manage and send college application documents.

Seniors will use SchooLinks to do virtual tours, research colleges, and request transcripts and letters of recommendation. Students can access their SchooLinks account through the student portal.

College planning begins as soon as you step foot in the door freshman year, arguably even before then. Every class counts, as you will learn through the Freshman Four-Year Plan, so take it seriously. It is never too soon to plan for your future! Start by making sure you've completed the basic steps to preparing for college:

1. Beginning Freshman year, students should consider taking Honors and AP level courses where appropriate. Many colleges will be looking for academic rigor (the level of difficulty in each class) as a means to determine admissions, particularly Emory, Georgia Tech, UGA, Georgia State and many out of state institutions.
    
2. Click here to create an account on GaFutures and begin to familiarize yourself with the site’s layout. Those students who plan to attend college in Georgia will need an account with GAfutures in order to apply to various Georgia colleges/universities, check HOPE/Zell Miller GPA and send official transcripts electronically.
    
3. Students interested in out-of-state institutions and general post-secondary planning are encouraged to familiarize themselves with College Board's Big Future website. Click here to access the Big Future website to learn more.
    
4. During 10th & 11th grades, students will have the opportunity to take the PSAT during their Sophomore year (free of charge). The PSAT is a good indicator of what subject areas you’re best in for the SAT, as well as areas for improvement. Click here to learn more about the PSAT.
    
5. By Junior year, students should be actively researching colleges and majors.

• Juniors should also consider taking the PSAT during the October administration for a chance to qualify for National Merit. Click here to learn more about National Merit.
• During the Spring semester of the school year, Juniors will participate in the SAT for All, which will be administered during the school day and is free of charge for all Juniors. No makeups will be held.
• All Juniors are strongly encouraged to take the SAT and ACT in the Spring.
  • Click here to register for the SAT
  • Click here for FREE SAT practice
  • Click here to register for the ACT
  • Click here for FREE ACT practice
• It is a good idea to begin visiting campuses and contacting the college for information if you've not already done so.

6. Senior year should be a time of making final preparations for college. When students should begin applying will depend on the college's application deadline, but the earlier the better. Your SAT and ACT scores will need to be submitted electronically from the testing agency to your college of choice; if you are planning to attend a two-year or technical college inquire about the COMPASS placement exam.

• Click here to access HOPE Scholarship Information
• Click here to access Zell Miller Scholarship Information

Click here for information on FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Seniors, contact the Financial Aid Office at the college/university you are applying to and/or click here to check the GAFutures website for more specific questions regarding financial aid & scholarships.

Websites to Begin the Scholarship Search

• Click here to access the SVGS Foundation Scholarships
• Click here to access UNIGO Scholarship Database
• Click here to access the National Database of Scholarships 
• Click here to access College Scholarships
• Click here to access the Fastweb Scholarship Site
• Click here to access the Scholarships.com website
• Click here to access the GCPS Foundation Scholarships

Two Common Scholarship Types:

Service-Based:

• Click here to learn more about the Bonner Scholarship
• Click here to learn more about Coca-Cola Scholars
• Click here to learn more about Posse Scholars

Economic Need-Based:

• Click here to learn more about the QuestBridge Scholarship
• Click here to learn more about the Gates Scholarship
• Click here to learn more about the Horatio Alger Scholarships

*Make sure the current scholarship year has been updated by the organization. If not, check back at a later date!