Junior Year? Here’s What You Need To Know About the College Search

The class of this year is graduating, which means that parents of juniors are now parents of rising seniors. With less than a year to prepare for college admissions, it's time for your high school student to get started!

Tips for Getting Students (And Parents) Ready for College

1. 1. Encourage your teen to finalize summer and fall plans to focus on leadership and initiative. They need to be busy this summer as colleges expect new seniors to be engaged. They should spend at least 20 to 30 hours per week taking classes, working, volunteering, doing high school internships, and more. They should be planning to take leadership roles this fall in and out of school and really push the initiative factor.
   2. Make sure your high school student's year-end grades are correct and that their fall schedules push their academic paths further. They should not be abandoning content areas, unless they have an absolute weakness in one area, but then they need to pick another class. Colleges expect seniors to have full academic schedules and to push the rigor higher, not lower.
   3. Help your teen choose teachers for college recommendations. They need to choose ideally teachers from junior year or teachers they will have twice. They need to use teachers from different core content areas: English, SS, Science, Math, and Foreign Language. During these tough economic times, many schools are letting teachers go and there are regular transitions, so make sure your teen gets in touch with teachers now about next year.
   4. Help your kids make a high school resume. The resumes should focus on leadership and initiative. Categories: Education, Activities, Work, Service, and more. Resumes should always start with most recent and work their way to the past. Your seniors should use power verbs to begin each entry. Musicians and artists need to make separate resumes for their art.
   5. Do all you can to help your teen prepare for fall standardized tests. There are three ACT and three SAT dates they can take next fall. I always recommend kids take the tests at least once in the fall as developmentally their brains are developing more critical thinking skills (although you may not witness it in other ways).
   6. Now you’ve seen junior year grades and spring test scores, refine your senior’s college list that includes a nice range of colleges to which your senior can actually get admitted. Naviance and The Fiske Guide are great resources to guide you and your teen’s exploration of colleges.
   7. Encourage your teen to start writing their essays for college applications. Many colleges share essays written by admitted students. Students should only write stories that are unique and interesting to read. They should plan to use essays more than once. Their essays should always be as specific and powerful as possible.
   8. Remind your senior to begin completing the Common Application. You can’t fill it out for them but you can provide parent’s educational information and other pertinent family data. Other parts are optional. Teens should only fill those sections in if they strengthen the application.
   9. Keep a master list of passwords. In the next year, your teen will have a multitude of user names and passwords for applications, standardized tests, financial aid, and scholarships. The majority of colleges communicate via their own networks so these user names and passwords are critical to keep.
   10. Plan college visits. While summer visits are often convenient, fall visits are ideal as the campuses are in action. Look at your teen’s fall schedule and arrange for some visits, interviews, and overnight visits for kids applying Early Decision. Let your teen visit classes, attend sporting events, and really experience the campuses.

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