THE ROAD TO COLLEGE
A ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN
FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
#10 of 20: June

The achievements – and the mistakes – of freshman and sophomore years have a lasting impact on college choices.

by Martha Green Quirk, M.A.

If you are a freshman or a sophomore in high school, it’s not too early to start thinking about college. Planning ahead for your college search takes more than a few weeks or months, so it’s is a great idea to get involved now with some specific activities and accomplishments.

It’s especially not too early because the academic program of courses you choose take in ninthth grade will be a big factor as you prepare for college. The courses you take, whether or not you have a summer job, the quality of the activities you participate in, the community service volunteer work you do—all these factors are going to influence your options for college down the road.

But don’t get bogged down in the college search process as a freshman or sophomore. You have high school to enjoy and friends to make and new experiences to pursue.

Find a balance between living a normal, fun life and being alert to doing well in your academic work so that you can make appropriate and intelligent college choices when that time comes.

The following reminders will help you get started in the preparation process over the next two years.

Freshman Year

● If you want to go to a selective, competitive college, their admissions offices are looking for excellent students who do well in honors, accelerated, and advanced courses, beginning in the ninth grade.

● Even if you think you want to be an engineer or an architect or a lawyer, take writing, history, and art courses as well as math and science courses.

● Be prepared to take 16-20 academic core courses and academic electives in high school, including four years of English (literature and composition), four years of math (many colleges expect calculus), three-four years of physical science (including at least two years of lab courses), three-four years of one foreign language, and three-four years of history and social science courses.

● Work with your guidance counselor to begin to map out your four-year high school curriculum so that you can enroll in the most challenging courses available.

● Constantly work on developing and improving your vocabulary. Read, read, read!

● Consider keeping a journal and writing about your summer experiences. Record thoughts that expand your point of view and reflect on events going on around you. This is a great way to begin to practice your writing skills.

● Learn how to play a musical instrument or write for the school newspaper or run for a Student Council office.

● Find a community service activity or volunteer project that appeals to you and continue your participation in it for four years. Most students don’t take the time to do this, so if you will be applying to a selective college, this will be a plus on your rsum, and your participation may provide you with a special experience you might not have expected.

● Beginning in your freshman year, keep a rsum of your activities and add to it each year. Include extracurricular activities, leadership positions held, athletic endeavors, employment, volunteer work, community service, awards and honors received, and so forth.

● Get ready for the PSAT and the SAT or the ACT by building your vocabulary, learning and reviewing fundamentals of high school math, and reading good books, newspapers, magazines— anything you can get your hands on.

● Consider enrolling in a two-week summer college seminar or special program for high school students to pursue study in a favorite subject.

● Important: do well your freshman year! Study hard to earn your grades, as they will count when you apply to college. C’s and D’s in the freshman year will not look good on your transcript—especially if you will be applying to selective colleges.

Sophomore Year

● Begin to identify your strengths and interests as well as your shortcomings. This will help you begin to consider colleges that play to your strengths or colleges that can address your shortcomings through the programs they offer.

● Get to know your high school guidance counselor. Counselors are often more eager to work with students who are motivated, show initiative, and who are self-starters in the college search process.

● Register for the PSAT. Sophomores can take this test in October as a practice exam. It will serve as the qualifying exam when you take it again in your junior year for the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Competition.

● On the PSAT, check the box that allows for your name to be given to colleges who are seeking students with your interests and academic profile. You will then begin to receive information from these colleges so you can learn about many different colleges.

● Consider taking two or three SAT Subject Tests in May or June.

● Attending local college fairs is a good idea as this is a great way for you to begin to learn more about different colleges. The National Association for College Admissions Counseling’s website has a section that will help you see where fairs will be held in your community.

● Get a summer job. Pursue an interest. If you like writing, try working for a local newspaper, or work for the community theatre if you like acting or stage craft or costume design. You might even consider attending a performing arts or academic camp during the summer to expand your interests in a particular area.

● Summer before your junior year might also be a good time to informally visit some colleges.

 

Martha Green Quirk, M.A., has been active in the college admissions field for over 30 years. In 2008 she founded her own independent educational consulting company, College Admissions Consulting (CAC), in St. Louis, Missouri. She is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC).

© Photo by Anatoliy Samara | Dreamstime.com