College Bound
Who Am I?
What Am I Building?
The Bridge
🦉 Found: 0

You discovered your interests and strengths!

Enter your email to unlock the rest of the journal — activities, habits, summer ideas, and getting ready for high school. Completely free.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Your family will receive the Beyond the GPA newsletter with college planning strategies.
GRADES 6–8 • FREE INTERACTIVE JOURNAL

College Bound
from Day One

Your Guide: Professor Collie B

Discover who you are, what you care about, and why it all matters way more than you think — before high school even starts.

Angela Robles, M.Ed., M.A. • Beyond the GPA

Meet Professor Collie B

Your guide through this journal

I am a professor. I wear a vest. I have excellent taste in anime. And yes, I am an owl.

I have been watching students figure out the college thing for a very long time. Some of them crushed it. Some of them made mistakes that cost their families a LOT of money. I am here to help you be in the first group.

I show up in two ways in this journal:

💬
In speech bubbles — when I have advice or something you need to hear.
🔍
Hiding in the pages — because I am a little ridiculous. I am hidden throughout this journal. See if you can find them all.
PROFESSOR COLLIE B
Quick thing before we start. This journal is not homework. Nobody is grading it. Nobody reads what you write except you. Just be honest about who you are and what you like. That is literally the whole point.

🗺️ Your Journey

This journal has three stops. You will not be bored. I promise.

1
Who Am I?
Your interests, your strengths, what makes you YOU
← YOU ARE HERE
2
What Am I Building?
Habits, activities, sleep science, goal setting
3
The Bridge to High School
What is coming, what it costs, and a letter to your future self
💰
FUN FACT Families who start thinking about college in middle school save $20,000 to $100,000 compared to families who start in 11th grade. You are not too early. You are right on time.

⭐ My Favorites (Right Now)

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
These will change. That is the whole point. Fill this out now, then come back in a year and see what shifted. Your favorites are clues to who you are becoming.
Favorite subject in school
Subject I like the LEAST
What I do on a free Saturday
Something I could talk about for an hour
A skill I wish I had
Someone I admire (and why)
What I want to be known for
The one thing that makes me different

🧩 Discover Your Interest Type

This is based on something called the Holland Code — the same tool real career counselors use. Over 30 million people have taken it. You are about to find out what type of person you are.

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
Rule number one: Pick what you ACTUALLY like, not what sounds cool. If you love organizing your desk more than playing sports, check the organizing box. Nobody is judging you. Except me. And I think organized desks are awesome.

Check every activity that sounds like you:

Realistic (The Builder)
Building things with your hands
Fixing broken stuff
Being outside in nature
Cooking or baking
Playing sports
Taking care of animals
Doing science experiments (the messy kind)
Working in a garden
My count for R:
Investigative (The Thinker)
Solving puzzles and riddles
Watching documentaries and learning random facts
Science experiments (the cool kind)
Math challenges that make your brain hurt (in a good way)
Reading nonfiction about things that fascinate you
Asking 'but WHY though?' about everything
Coding or programming
Figuring out patterns in data or numbers
My count for I:
Artistic (The Creator)
Drawing, painting, or making art
Playing music or singing
Writing stories, poems, or song lyrics
Photography or making videos
Designing outfits or rooms
Acting, dancing, or performing
Graphic design or digital art
DIY projects and crafts
My count for A:
Social (The Helper)
Helping younger kids with homework
Volunteering for things you care about
Group projects (and actually liking them)
Being the friend everyone talks to
Teaching someone how to do something
Taking care of people, pets, or plants
Working on a team toward a goal
Making sure nobody feels left out
My count for S:
Enterprising (The Leader)
Being in charge of a project
Selling stuff (lemonade stands count)
Convincing people to see your point of view
Running for class office or student council
Planning events or parties
Finding ways to make money
Speaking up in front of people
Competitions where you want to WIN
My count for E:
Conventional (The Organizer)
Making lists and color-coded plans
Organizing your room, desk, or backpack
Following instructions to build something
Spreadsheets and trackers (yes, some people love these)
Keeping things neat and in order
Sorting and categorizing collections
Tracking your money or savings
Creating schedules and routines
My count for C:

🔓 Your Interest Code

Write the 2 or 3 letters where you checked the most boxes:

MY CODE:

What your code says about you:

R
Builder — You like making things, being outside, and working with your hands. Think: engineering, veterinary science, cooking, sports medicine.
I
Thinker — You like solving problems, researching, and figuring things out. Think: science, medicine, technology, math.
A
Creator — You like making art, performing, designing, and expressing yourself. Think: music, writing, design, film, architecture.
S
Helper — You like teaching, volunteering, and making sure people are okay. Think: education, counseling, nursing, social work.
E
Leader — You like being in charge, persuading people, and competing. Think: business, law, politics, entrepreneurship.
C
Organizer — You like systems, order, data, and keeping things running. Think: finance, technology, logistics, data science.
PROFESSOR COLLIE B
If you are a mix — like Builder-Creator or Helper-Leader — that is totally normal. Most people are a blend. The point is to notice what draws your attention. That is the beginning of figuring out what you are going to do with your life. (No pressure.)
The connection I see between my code and my actual life:

💪 Your Character Strengths

This is based on the VIA Character Strengths survey — taken by over 30 million people. It tells you what your natural strengths are. Not what you are good at in school. What you are good at as a person.

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
Rate each one 1 to 5. A 5 means "this is SO me." A 1 means "not really." There are no wrong answers and no bad strengths. Even Humor counts. (Especially Humor.)
StrengthWhat it meansThat's me? (1–5)
CreativityI think of new ideas others don't
CuriosityI want to know about EVERYTHING
JudgmentI think before I decide
Love of LearningI actually like learning new things
WisdomPeople ask me for advice
BraveryI do the right thing even when it's scary
PerseveranceI don't quit when things get hard
HonestyI tell the truth even when it's uncomfortable
ZestI have a lot of energy and enthusiasm
LoveI care deeply about my people
KindnessI go out of my way to help
Social IntelligenceI can tell how people are feeling
TeamworkI'm a good team player
FairnessI treat everyone the same
LeadershipI step up and get things done
ForgivenessI give people second chances
HumilityI don't brag about what I do
CautionI think before I act
Self-ControlI can resist distractions when I need to
Appreciation of BeautyI notice beautiful things in the world
GratitudeI appreciate what people do for me
HopeI believe good things are coming
HumorI make people laugh
PurposeI feel connected to something bigger than me

My Top 5 Strengths (the ones I rated 4 or 5):

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
PROFESSOR COLLIE B
Here is why this matters: When you get to high school and start picking activities, writing essays, and interviewing for things, you will need to be able to say who you are and what makes you different. Your strengths are the answer. You just found them. Most people do not figure this out until they are 25 and sitting in a therapist's office. You are ahead.
A time my #1 strength showed up in real life:
🔮
FUTURE YOU When you are a junior in high school writing your college essay, you will come back to this page and use it. I am not kidding. Bookmark it.

Ready for the next stop?

Stop 2 covers the habits and activities that actually matter — plus the science of why sleep is your secret weapon.

STOP 2

What Am I Building?

Habits, activities, and your secret weapon

"You do not have to be great to start. But you have to start to be great."

✨ IN THIS STOP YOU WILL...
Understand what GPA is and why your habits NOW determine it
Learn the 5 WAYS to make any activity count
Discover why sleep is the #1 thing you can do for your grades
Set real goals (not the fake kind)
Plan a summer that actually matters

📊 What Is GPA?

GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It is a number that represents all your grades combined: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0.

Your official GPA starts counting in 9th grade. But here is the secret: the study habits, time management, and work ethic that CREATE a good GPA? Those are built right now. In middle school.

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
Think of it like this: GPA is the scoreboard, but habits are the game. If you build good habits now, the scoreboard takes care of itself in high school.
💰
MONEY MOVE Most college scholarships require a minimum 3.0 GPA just to apply. Many require 3.5 or higher. Every point of GPA = money for college.
My grades right now (best guess):
One study habit I already have that works:
One habit I want to build:

🎭 The 5 WAYS to Make Any Activity Count

Everything you do outside of class — sports, clubs, volunteering, hobbies, side projects — is an "extracurricular activity." Colleges look at these when you apply. But they do not care how MANY you do. They care how DEEP you go.

Here are the 5 WAYS to make any activity count:

🛠️
CREATE — Build something. A project, a business, art, a YouTube channel, a garden.
❤️
SERVE — Help others regularly. Not a one-time thing — show up consistently.
👑
LEAD — Take charge of something. Organize. Decide. Be responsible.
📖
LEARN — Go deeper. Compete. Get certified. Study something because you WANT to.
🎓
TEACH — Show someone else how to do something. Tutor. Mentor. Coach.
PROFESSOR COLLIE B
The cheat code: The best activities show 2 or 3 WAYS at once. A student who joins robotics club (LEARN), becomes team captain (LEAD), and teaches younger kids at a workshop (TEACH) — that is one activity doing the work of three. Quality over quantity.
Things I do outside of school right now:
For my favorite activity, which WAYS am I doing?
Something new I want to try:

😴 Your Brain on Sleep

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
I know. Sleep. In a college planning journal. But stay with me because the science on this is WILD.

Scientists at MIT studied how sleep affects grades. They found that consistent sleep over several weeks was responsible for 25% of the difference in students' grades. Not the night before the test — the WEEKS before.

Another study found that students who sleep less than 6 hours perform like they lost 100 to 150 points on the SAT.

Sleep is not being lazy. Sleep is your brain processing everything you learned, storing it in long-term memory, and getting ready for tomorrow. It is literally the most productive thing you can do for your grades.

💰
MONEY MOVE Better sleep → better grades → better GPA → more scholarship money. Sleep is free. It is the cheapest college savings strategy that exists.

My Sleep Check:

School night bedtime:
Wake up time:
Total hours:
One thing I could change about my sleep:

☀️ Summer Ideas by Interest

Summer is when you explore. All of these are free or cheap:

If you like...Try this
ArtsCommunity theater, film camp (free at libraries), Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, start a YouTube channel
STEMCode.org, freeCodeCamp, NASA STEM activities (free), science museum volunteering, robotics
BusinessStart a small business (lawn care, crafts, tutoring), volunteer at a nonprofit
HelpingCommit to ONE organization all summer (depth beats breadth), mentor younger kids
SportsFree clinics, track your stats, volunteer as a youth coach or referee
Reading/WritingLibrary summer reading program, start a blog, essay contests (many have cash prizes)
My summer plan:

🎯 My Goals (Real Ones)

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
A goal without a plan is a wish. For each goal below, write what you WILL DO, not what you hope happens. "Get better grades" is a wish. "Study for 30 minutes before touching my phone" is a plan.
One thing I want to accomplish this school year:
How I will make it happen (the actual plan):
One thing I want to try that scares me a little:
A person who can help me stay on track:

One more stop to go!

Stop 3 is the bridge to high school — what is coming, what college actually costs, and a letter to your future self.

STOP 3

The Bridge to High School

What's coming — and why you're ready

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

✨ IN THIS STOP YOU WILL...
Learn the words you will hear a LOT in high school
Understand what college actually costs (it is not what you think)
See what is coming in 9th through 12th grade
Write a letter to your future self
Reflect on who you are right now

📖 Words You Are About to Hear Everywhere

These terms are going to start popping up. Here is what they mean — no jargon, just plain English.

WordWhat it actually means
GPAA number (0–4.0+) that represents your average grades across all classes.
TranscriptYour official report card for ALL of high school. Every class. Every grade. Colleges see this.
ExtracurricularAnything you do outside of class — sports, clubs, volunteering, jobs, hobbies.
SAT / ACTTests many colleges want you to take. You do these in 11th or 12th grade.
FAFSAA free form your parents fill out so the government knows how much help your family needs.
ScholarshipFree money for college. You earn it. You NEVER pay it back.
Financial AidAny money that helps pay for college — grants, scholarships, loans, work-study.
Net PriceWhat college ACTUALLY costs after aid. Usually way lower than the website price.
AP ClassAn advanced class where you can earn college credit by passing a $99 exam. Saves thousands.
Common AppOne application you can send to 1,000+ colleges. You fill it out once.
Merit AidMoney a college gives you for your grades/talent — not because you are broke.

💰 The Money Page

The price on the college website is NOT what you pay.

A college that says it costs $65,000 might actually cost your family $18,000 after financial aid and scholarships. A college that says it costs $24,000 might actually cost $23,000 because it barely gives any aid.

The expensive-looking school can end up CHEAPER than the cheap-looking school. Wild, right?

There are three ways to make college cost less — and you can start all three right now:

1️⃣
Earn college credit in high school. AP exams ($99 each), CLEP exams (free), and dual enrollment let you skip expensive college courses.
2️⃣
Win scholarships. Some start in 9th grade. Joining certain clubs (FFA, NHS, 4-H) = access to thousands in scholarship money.
3️⃣
Pick schools that fund you. Some colleges are way more generous than others. Learning how to find them is a skill.
📣
SHOW THIS TO YOUR PARENT Your parents should read The College Money Playbook — it explains all the financial strategies in detail. The earlier they read it, the more money your family saves. Available at beyondthegpa.com.
Questions I have about paying for college:

🔭 What High School Looks Like

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
High school is not scary. It is just bigger. More choices, more freedom, more consequences. Here is a preview so nothing catches you off guard.
GradeWhat happensWhat matters for college
9thGPA starts counting. You pick AP or honors classes. You join clubs.Every grade counts. Every activity you start can become a 4-year story.
10thPSAT test. Harder classes. You start looking at colleges.Your family's money situation starts to matter for financial aid planning.
11thSAT or ACT. Campus visits. Start writing essays. Finalize your college list.This is the busiest year. Everything converges.
12thApplications. Financial aid forms. Decisions. You pick your school.The work you did in 6th-10th grade determines your options now.

The Beyond the GPA High School Planner covers grades 9–12 in detail — month by month, with financial strategy built into every page. When you are ready for high school, it will be ready for you.

💌 Letter to My Future Self

PROFESSOR COLLIE B
This is my favorite page in the whole journal. Write a letter to yourself in 12th grade — the version of you who is about to pick a college. Tell them who you are right now, what you care about, and what you hope for them. Then seal it (figuratively) and come back when you are 17. Trust me on this one.

Dear future me,

Today's date:   My current grade:

— Me (the younger, possibly cooler version)

🔍 End-of-Year Reflections

Come back to this page at the end of each school year. Honest answers only.

6th Grade

What went well:
What I would change:
Something that surprised me about myself:

7th Grade

What went well:
What I would change:
How am I different from last year?

8th Grade

What went well:
What I would change:
Who am I becoming?
What am I most excited about for high school?

📱 Free Resources

Every tool in this journal is free. Scan with your phone or type the URL.

Interest Profiler
mynextmove.org/explore/ip
Character Strengths
viacharacter.org/survey
Free SAT Prep
khanacademy.org/sat
Free CLEP Prep
modernstates.org
College Scorecard
collegescorecard.ed.gov
Beyond the GPA
beyondthegpa.com

All free. No affiliate links. No subscriptions.

Did You Find Them All?

Professor Collie B is hidden throughout this journal.

HIDDEN COLLIE B COUNT
0

(If you found them all, you have the observational skills of a college admissions officer. Seriously.)

📨 A Note to Parents

If you are reading this, you are doing something most parents do not do until it is too late: starting early.

This journal gave your child a head start on self-discovery — their interests, their strengths, and the habits that will determine their high school success. Here is what comes next:

📘
When your child enters 9th grade, get The High School College Planner. It covers grades 9–12 with course planning, activity tracking, scholarship search, testing timelines, net price calculators, essay preparation, and monthly planning through enrollment deposit. It picks up exactly where this journal leaves off.
📗
Read The College Money Playbook now. FAFSA, CSS Profile, base year tax planning, net price calculators, course hacking, scholarship stacking, award letter appeals. The financial strategies in this book need TIME to work — the earlier you read it, the more money you save.
🧭
If your child wants to go deeper on self-discovery, check out Know First — our guided journal built from the C.O.R.E. framework (Character, Orientation, Readiness, Edge) used with 300+ student-athletes from 56 countries.
💬
Talk to your child about money. Not to scare them. Not to limit them. To include them. The families who have this conversation early make better decisions when it counts.

Find everything at beyondthegpa.com

© 2026 Angela Robles. Beyond the GPA Press.
beyondthegpa.com