As parents and students plan for a new school year, it’s important to realize, even in times of uncertainty, that having a carefully organized timeline can help avoid the stress of an anxiety-filled senior year.
A student’s path to success actually starts during the early part of freshman year. Colleges admire students who show longevity in their activities, so the sooner students identify their clubs, sports, volunteer work, or other activities of passion, the longer they have to build a track record of accomplishments. Freshman year is the perfect time to take on a new musical instrument or sport that might make a student particularly attractive to colleges. A demonstrated commitment to volunteer work could earn a 50% to 100% tuition scholarship to The College of New Jersey which seeks “Bonner Community Scholars” and expects 300 volunteer hours each college year.
By sophomore year students should map out a tentative four-year academic schedule. If they hope to get through Calculus in high school, are they on track to do so? If not, they may want to double up on their math courses. If they plan to apply to colleges for a STEM major, will they have completed a full array of science courses – hopefully including some at the Advanced Placement level? Sophomores should also prepare for the October PSAT, as it will then provide a helpful analysis as to their strengths and weaknesses which can be addressed prior to their Junior year PSAT which also serves as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Exam. Hopefully, Sophomores are actively pursuing the activities of choice that they identified the previous year, gaining increased expertise.
High school Juniors start feeling the crunch of preparing for their transition to college. If they haven’t already done so, Juniors should start preparing for, and taking, the SAT exam as they can take it as many times as they like and submit only their highest scores to most colleges. It’s ideal for students to have completed the SAT process by the time they begin Senior year. Juniors should also pay close attention to their grades, as it is often the last report card that colleges see prior to admitting (or rejecting) applicants.
During the first two months of Senior year students should carefully prepare, and submit, their college applications. This will allow them to meet Early Action and/or Early Decision deadlines, which are typically November 1st or 15th, frequently increasing their chances of acceptance. Students should be sure to keep up their grades during their senior year, even after they have been accepted to their college of choice, as a serious decline in grades may result in a withdrawal of college acceptance.
By keeping on track of their academic responsibilities, students can truly enjoy their senior year – often the last one they will live at home with their families.
Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of Collegebound Review that, for the past 25 years, has offered PSAT/SAT® preparation and private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362
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