The Path to College- time for action!

It’s never too early to start planning your path to college. Currently, high school seniors are visiting and touring their prospective colleges before making that monumental decision at the end of this month. In reality, their academic journey has just begun.

But how did they get to this point and how can you? If you haven’t started planning what your path might look like and how to be a preferred college candidate, it’s not too late.

Planning your 4 years of high school classes is the most desirable method, however, you can still become a strong candidate in your Sophomore and Junior years. How? Here’s some strategies you can utilize in helping you reach your college goals:

1. Academics – MOST IMPORTANT!

 Earn top grades this year (and every year) to have the highest possible GPA and class rank. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE OF ALL! Top grades are essential for both college admission AND scholarships.

Pro-tip: Take a challenging course curriculum you can handle. Keep this in mind when you register for your junior and senior year classes.

One of the most important factors college admission officers consider when evaluating a student for admission is the level of difficulty of student’s courses in high school. Throughout high school, you should take as many IB, AP, and Honors classes as you can handle. Taking difficult courses impresses college admission officers and will demonstrate you are ready for the rigors of college.

2. Build Quality Relationships

Start to build excellent relationships with teachers, counselors, and other adults. These people are essential to your success for college admission. Establish and develop strong, hard-working, respectful relationships. You may be asking some of these people for letters of recommendation in fall 2024.

3. Extracurricular Activities / Community Service

 Colleges look for long-term commitment by students in activities they are passionate about. Any type of student activity is acceptable, as long as long-term commitment is demonstrated. Keep a small notebook of your activities. Include all activities from freshman through junior years in this notebook in preparation for writing your résumé in January/February 2024.

Pro-tip: Plan to be a leader in a few extracurricular activities during the school year (if possible). Leadership is one of the most valuable student qualifications sought by college admission officers.

As for extracurricular activities, you should focus your interests on activities you are passionate about and be prepared to stay involved with those activities throughout your high school career. A high level of involvement and accomplishment over the long term in a few activities is more important than participating in numerous activities on a superficial level.

4. Summer Planning

In March - April of each year, plan your activities for the coming summer. Activities should help build your résumé and student qualifications. Try to show leadership in as many aspects of these activities as possible, while participating in community service, and ideally, continuing to be involved in academics through reading, tutoring younger students, or taking classes.

Hopefully these tips can be built-in to your college readiness plan for the next school year. If you’re interested in more information or a personal consultation, please complete the information request form and I’ll be in touch.

Good Luck!