This week, The Choice published our monthly Counselor's Calendar, designed to keep students on track during the college admissions process.
We've asked Joe Freeman, the dean of the 11th and 12th grades at Randolph School in Huntsville, Ala., for this month's admissions advice for juniors. Peter Jennings, the director of college counseling at Concord Academy in Concord, Mass., offers this month's admissions advice for seniors.
What follows are excerpts that are most relevant for international students. - Tanya Abrams
Juniors: College Checklist for Oc tober
Crush It in the Classroom
Undoubtedly you have already tired of hearing a teacher, parent or counselor remind you that “this is your most important year.†Even so, such a message bears repeating. Colleges evaluate you first and foremost on your performance in the classroom.
You have reached the last point at which your grades can have a significant impact on your grade point average. Furthermore, colleges are interested to see how you respond to the challenge of more difficult and advanced work - work that begins to resemble some of what you will encounter in your first year in college. Therefore, admissions officers pay particular attention to the grades from your junior year.
Maintaining strong grades or demonstrating an upward trend as you mature and grow into your intellectual potential will help colleges to make a decision in your favor.
Make Appropriate Adjustments
By now, you have receive d some important feedback in each of your classes. Use that feedback strategically. Which classes demand more of your attention? Which teachers do you need to start seeing for extra help? What concepts are particularly challenging?
Managing your time and setting appropriate priorities are critical skills to master at this point in your academic career. Ensure that your course load is both challenging and reasonable, and know your school's policies and deadlines regarding course changes in case you are overwhelmed or underserved by your current program.
Most important, as you encounter challenges and difficulties this year, work to advocate for yourself in overcoming those obstacles. As tempted as you might be to unleash the fury of Mom and Dad on that obstinate teacher, you will be much better served by forging your own solution to classroom struggles, and you will develop an essential skill for college in the process.
Also, keep some balance and perspectiv e. No grade, award or acceptance letter is worth a year of misery and deteriorating mental health. Schedule your social and vegetative moments, and do not sacrifice sleep in order to add hours to your day.
Consider Taking the PSAT
The format and content of the Preliminary SAT, or PSAT, are nearly identical to those of the SAT, which you should plan to take in the late winter or early spring. Familiarizing yourself with the test beforehand, reviewing the concepts that it will cover and developing some test-taking strategies will allow you to maximize your performance.
The score report you receive in December will give you a very accurate understanding of where you need to improve and what you need to focus on as you prepare for the real thing; it will provide question-by-question results.
That score report is the most critical piece of information you can have in constructing a testing plan, so ensure that it is not a reflection of a bad day or a poor effort.
Talk to College Representatives
As you read this, admissions officers from every college in the United States are inundating schools with glossy handouts, cool gadgets and an overflowing satchel of information about their college. They are at there to answer questions and to educate students about the opportunities their institution can provide.
Make every effort to visit with college representatives - particularly if you have an interest in their school, but even if you have never heard of them. You do not know what is out there unless you start asking questions based on your goals and interests.
Go to a local college fair. If a college that you are interested in does not visit your school, engage with that college by filling out an online inquiry or interacting with the admissions office on social media. Many colleges will look to see how well informed you are about them should you choose to apply.
Seek Depth and Leadership in Extracur ricular Interests
Do not take on new extracurricular activities at this point in your high school career. Instead, immerse yourself in extracurricular involvements suited to your expertise and passions.
Know what it will take to be a team captain, dramatic lead, first chair, class president or yearbook editor, and prepare yourself to assume those kinds of leadership positions.
Activities outside school can be important, too, particularly for artists and athletes. Service work and employment experience are also valid extracurricular pursuits. Whatever you do, ensure that the depth and constancy of those pursuits are authentic.
Seniors: College Checklist for October
Define Your Motivation for Going to College
Students often apply to college without honestly and deeply confronting the question: “Why college?â€
After all, the critical difference between high school and college is the difference between the questions of “What am I being asked to do?†and “What is possible?â€
Are career concerns motivating you? How do you feel about stepping outside your comfort zone? Does delving deeply into a specific subject fascinate you? Are you eager for college because this may be the last time you surround yourself almost exclusively with others your age (at least before entering a retirement home)?
Seniors with a clearer sense of why they are going to college develop a stronger slate of investigative questions, establish priorities and simply craft better admissions applications. Furthermore, they are happier when they arrive on campus because they are ready to sort through and capitalize on the myriad opportunities available.
Make Time to Think and Narrow Your List
Scheduling time to tackle tasks on the college admissions checklist is vital. One weeknight evening? Friday afternoon? Saturday morning?
Reclaim a productive segment of the week and schedule specific time to simpl y visualize yourself enrolled in college. Maybe there's value in a weekly walk committed to considering the vibe of the individual colleges you have chosen and how can you demonstrate your best self to these colleges. Will the highlight of your undergraduate years be a reading from the poet laureate, a trip to championship college sports game, or both?
This thinking will help you narrow your list of colleges, which typically should number between six to eight intuitions of varying selectivity.
Complete Early Applications, if Applicable
If you are considering early decision, early action or rolling applications, this is the month to focus on completing those. However, it is also vital to look beyond these deadlines to the regular round of applications and continue to research all the schools on your list.
Seek Out Teachers for Advice and Recommendation Letters
The design of the college process means others must be involved. By the end of the mont h, you should have secured teacher recommendations by asking those instructors who know you best to write in support of your candidacy. They, along with your guidance counselor (who will most likely also write for you), can be deep wells of information and support.
Share with them your plans and ask them what they know about specific programs or majors. You can also help them write a more effective letter by crafting a quick note describing your favorite assignment in their class, what you appreciated most about their teaching, and what you hope to do with their lessons.
And while we are on the subject of writing, as your application deadline approaches, be sure to write each of your recommending folks a handwritten note thanking them for their efforts.
Write Your Essay, ‘but Don't Overdo It'
This is the month for polishing off the college essay, and you could probably spend all 31 days reading the many books on college essay writing. The key to the essay, however, is not to make this task bigger than it is.
If you find yourself looking at a blank screen, go for a walk, think some more, and get the words on paper. Five hundred words isn't a lot of space, so choose a specific topic, refine it, and put it away. Return to it a week later and revise.
An essay deserves focus, but don't overdo it; the average admissions essay gets two minutes of an admissions reader's time. Trust your voice and story.
Supplements Matter
If some of the universities you are applying to require supplemental writing, be sure to give these pieces deliberate care. School-specific writing is particularly important at those colleges that measure demonstrated interest.
Responses that are specific and reflect a student's research about a particular program or aspect of campus life are far superior to those that regurgitate a college's mission statement or those dashed off the night before a deadline.
Writing which h ighlights Professor Platt's research into a study of 20th-century memory among Russian-speaking populations in the Baltic is far superior to vaguely stating your desire to attend a world-renowned university in the middle of a city or discussing your fascination with engineering for a college without an engineering major.
Take In the Vista: Look Up From Your Paper
Make certain the transition to college and the admissions process doesn't dominate your senior year. Plan a get-together with classmates with the rule that college talk is not allowed. Choose days with your family when the topic of admissions will be off-limits. You are far more than simply a college-bound senior.
This post was prepared in consultation with the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, a membership organization.
