Juniors in high school have watched the Senior class receive college admittance notifications for the past few months. By the end of March and the beginning of April all of the acceptances and rejections will be in, and Seniors will be deciding on a school. Most colleges and universities require a commitment and deposit by the beginning of May. From observing this process Juniors will begin to realize that their turn for the college application process is right around the corner. Reality of what lies ahead – the complicated and sometimes scary process of college applications – will really start to hit home by June.
During this spring semester Juniors should be taking a standardized college entrance exam, either the SAT or the ACT. Moreover, Juniors who are interested in more academic schools also should be prepared to take the SAT Subject tests in June. Taking the Subject tests at the end of Junior year is the wisest course of action because most academic Juniors will be done taking their AP exams, and they will have a lot of the necessary information for the SAT Subject tests easily accessible in their mind. If students wait to take these tests in the fall, some information will likely be forgotten, and it will interfere with an opportunity to take the SAT/ACT a second or third time.
Juniors also should be making a summer plan since this will be their last summer before applying to college and the last chance to accomplish a few things. For instance, if a student has only taken the SAT or ACT one time in the spring, I highly encourage taking the exam a second time in the fall since most students will improve their score on a second attempt. Consequently, a summer study schedule should be created so a student can prepare for the SAT/ACT to achieve the best possible score in the fall. Other considerations for the summer include internships, a city college summer course, and community service opportunities. Students who are considering the Arts in college should make a summer plan that includes putting things together like portfolios, films, and audition materials (all supplemental material required with the Arts college application).
In short, I highly recommend high school Juniors making the most of their spring semester by taking the SAT or ACT, and by creating a summer plan. This is the time that high school starts to fly by and the more prepared a student is the easier the entire college application process will be for them. Being prepared and implementing these strategies will also help students create stronger college applications this fall, and may even lead to getting into the college of their choice.