Spring of Junior Year
Why is Spring of Junior Year so Important?
Grades
If you have struggled the first half of junior year, now is the time to turn things around! Your high school GPA is based on grades earned through junior year and it is the last full year that a college sees on your transcript. Buckle down and finish off strong!
Carefully consider and plan your senior year courses. Colleges want to see a student challenge themselves each year within the curriculum. This means senior year as well!
Extracurricular Activities
Be consistent with your activities. You don’t need to participate in ten activities but become more heavily involved in the ones that you have been part of throughout high school and that hold the most significance to you. Show responsibility and work towards becoming a leader in these activities.
Show further initiative and create opportunities:
Spring of junior year is an excellent time to show further initiative, leadership and interest in something you are passionate about. Standing out in the college admissions process takes time and thinking outside of the box.
Some unique experiences I have worked with students to create:
A young woman was interested in becoming a veterinarian. She did not just volunteer at the local animal hospital like so many other applicants. She also performed her own independent research into he ecology of the Hudson River. This stood out to admissions counselors.
A young man started a personal finance club at his high school in a wealthy suburb community. In his junior year, he took it upon himself to reach out to an area high school in an impoverished community and helped to mentor other students there to start their own club.
During COVID, a young man who was interested in studying nutrition in college, started a running club for middle school students during isolation. He organized meet ups and planned outings so that students could maintain social distance, be with others and get out in the fresh air away from their screens.
College List
Spring of junior year is the time that you will work on (or continue) college exploration and creating a preliminary college list. A realistic college list includes target schools as well as some healthy reaches. It is important to consider many factors when choosing where to apply.
Location
Size
Demographics of student body
Academics and majors offered
Clubs/Activities/Sports
Any special interests.
College Admissions Statistics
Financial
Resume/Activity Sheet
Part of the application process is highlighting your extra-curricular involvement.
Many students begin to work on their resume/ activity sheet earlier on in high school. If you have, then spring of junior year is a good time to make revisions and additions.
If you have not, then it is a good time to create one.
Listing your extra-curricular activities is an important part of every college application.
Doing it now, will save you time and effort when you are applying as a senior.
Standardized Testing / Test Optional
SAT/ACT
Spring of junior year is typically the first time a student will sit for standardized tests like the SAT or ACT.
Hopefully, you have been studying and taking practice tests. With more repetition, the more comfortable you will be on the day of the exam.
There are many tutoring companies that offer services and online supports to help with preparation.
I always tell my students to sit for an exam (preferably twice) even if they decide to go test optional. Why? There is no harm as they don’t have to release their scores to a college. The information covered on the exam is also fresh in their mind and if they do better than they thought, they can choose to submit these scores if it helps their application.
Test-Optional
The good news is that more and more colleges are becoming test-optional.
Colleges recognize that not all students are good test takers and as a result their scores are not always an accurate reflection of their ability.
Especially now, since COVID, more and more schools have chosen to become test optional as they recognize that student learning has been directly impacted.
To find out if a college/university is test optional, go directly to their website under admissions. Or one particular website that offers a comprehensive list of test optional schools is: https://fairtest.org/university/optional
Recommendation Letters
Spring of junior year is a the time to start thinking about which teachers you want to write you a letter of recommendation.
Ideally, you want a teacher who knows you and can speak to your work ethic and ability as a student in the classroom and out.
While you don’t need to ask for a recommendation yet, if you don’t feel you have a junior year teacher that can write on your behalf, then now is the time to connect with one and build a relationship.
Ideally, colleges want to see a recommendation from a junior or senior year teacher.
You should ask for two recommendation letters; one from a math or science teacher (as it represents one side of your brain), and a second one from either an English, social studies or foreign language teacher (represents the other side of your brain).
College Visits and Admissions Strategy
Visiting campuses, and learning more about a college/university is very important.
If you cannot physically go to a campus, there are many opportunities to take virtual visits, meet with admissions reps and do your own independent research.
All of these steps, can help you to figure out what you want in a school in terms of academics, campus community and location. You may think you love a school from word of mouth, only to find that when you visit the campus, you cannot picture yourself there.
Admissions strategy is also important to plan and consider:
Where do you want to visit?
What admission plans are offered and how do you plan to apply?
How do you make connections with admissions counselors and show your interest in a school?
What major or school within a university do you plan to apply to?
Summer Planning:
The Spring of junior year is a time to also give further thought as to how you want to plan your summer before senior year. Some ideas:
Pre-college summer programs
Deeper involvement in your activities; sports camps, travel leagues, independent research, community service etc.
Work or internship opportunities
College visits
College Essay -begin working on brainstorming and drafting of your college essay. The common app’s essay prompts are typically the same from year to year and a good place to start.
Start filling out the common application.
If you need assistance with junior year college planning, please reach out to me at lisa@guidance411.com. I offer junior planning packages that are comprehensive and will help your child start of their senior year ahead of the game and on the right foot.