Eleventh grade: looking ahead

The junior year of high school is the time I recommend for most students to begin their college search process in earnest. Here are Jim’s top 5 tips for high school juniors wanting to get ready for college:

1. Do well in school. If you’re applying to selective colleges, doing well academically is always important. But it’s especially important to rise to the challenge during your junior year. Eleventh grade is the year colleges examine most closely when they look at your application. Be sure to shore up your study habits, take care of your health, and ask your teachers for extra help when you need it.

2. Begin drafting a college list. This can begin with thinking about your high school. What do you like and dislike about your high school’s community? Do you like a small school or a large school? Do you want the option of taking honors classes? Do you like sports teams and a strong sense of school spirit? Do you prefer urban or rural? Then make plans to visit schools, either as part of family travel or as a college-specific trip.

3. Study for, and take, the SAT and/or ACT. Many colleges and universities are now test optional, but some still require standardized testing. Once you get your results back, then you can decide whether to take the test again, send your results to colleges, or omit sending scores.

4. Practice kind, respectful self talk. You may experience pressure from parents, teachers, coaches, and peers to get good grades and also perform well in sports and other extracurricular activities. This can be stressful. Remind yourself that you are doing your best, be proud of your achievements, and offer yourself words of affirmation and positivity. You deserve it.

5. Make use of your college counselor. Whether this person is an employee of your high school or an independent college admissions consultant, this person knows the process inside and out and is there to support you.

If you'd like to learn more about any aspect of the college admissions process, use the contact form on my website to schedule a free one-hour consultation.

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