Five Tips for Your Junior Year of High School TKG

Five Tips for Your Junior Year of High School Ah, junior year. For many, junior year signifies such milestones as getting a driver’s license, but it is also known for striking fear in the hearts of underclassmen everywhere. Yes, it’s very true that junior year is a cornerstone year for the college application process, and while we want to assure you that it’s going to be alright, we also want you to be prepared for the reality that junior year brings in tow. You probably know by now that junior year is when most people start taking standardized tests, but it’s also the year in which you should be getting all of your ducks in a row so senior year is not a mad scramble to the finish line. Don’t know where to begin? Fret not, young reader. Take a breath, and then check out our tips below on how to get started. The Grades One of the most crucial things to do throughout the application process is to develop a niche in a particular academic area. Think of this as your own unique brand you’ve been cultivating throughout h igh school. By now, you’ve probably found one or two areas of study you really like and a few you can’t wait to leave behind. Hone in on those one to two areas. Are you a fiend for English literature or a budding mechanical engineer? Now is the time to get really specific and dive in. Pick the hardest classes your school offers that correlate most strongly to your areas of expertise. There’s really no magic trick. The key is to get As in those classes.   No excuses. The Resume Your extracurriculars should also move forward the goal of showing colleges you are an expert in a niche area. Spend junior year maximizing your extracurriculars. Become the president or a leadership position in two clubs or organizations that align with your brand and go above-and-beyond. The summer should be an extension of the school year. Pick impressive summer activities that fit with your two areas of interest. Take a summer course in that discipline at a prestigious college or contact a professo r doing research and become their summer assistant. Get published. If you’re interested in pursuing poli sci in school, get a job on a local or state-level campaign. What you don’t want to do is go on a teen tour, spend another summer at camp, or go on some volunteer program for privileged kids to a disadvantaged foreign country. Do something unique and impressive, and work hard. Jobs are okay, by the way. If you can find a job that fits within your area of expertise, great. Admissions counselors should respect the fact that students have to work for a living, too. The College List Junior year should also be spent touring colleges. The initial goal should be to get a sense of what you’re really looking for in a school. Do you like the fact that you have to get on a plane to visit, or would you rather just take a train? Are you into cold weather or beach vibes? Big, state school or small liberal arts college? It’s crucial that you answer these questions for yourself early o n so you can finalize a college list by the end of the year. By the way, don’t settle for the manufactured, sanctioned school tour. Hang out on campus  while visiting and don’t be afraid to ask students questions like “what do you do for fun?” This is the only way to get a real feel for the vibe at each place you visit. The Essays Your writing muscles should be flexing from all of those AP classes anyway. Put that talent to good use and get your essays out of the way the summer before senior year. The goal of each essay should be to show the school why you are a great fit, so before you do anything, make sure you do a deep-dive into each school to which you are applying so you can clearly articulate why you and that school (and the particular major you intend to pursue there) are a match made in heaven. Each essay should tell a specific story with a beginning, middle, and end. Fight the urge to tell stories that are really dramatic or existential. It’s okay to talk abou t what you do after school or what you cooked for dinner.   And the good news is, you don’t’ have to reinvent the wheel. A lot of schools have similar essay prompts. Feel free to re-purpose as many as you can. Just don’t forget to change the names and details. The Letters of Recommendation You should have been nurturing relationships with teachers all throughout high school, but now is the time to really take it home. Line up 2-3 excellent teacher recommendations from teachers with whom you have developed a strong rapport These should be teachers who instruct classes in your areas of expertise. Need help writing a standout essay? Call us. We help students develop unique and impressive applications.