Junior Recs

JUNIOR YEAR Suggestions:

Academic performance.

Keep those grades up. Junior grades are THE grades you will present on your college applications. They ask for your current GPA. Given many of you will follow early action (use early decision only if you are ready to pay full price for a dream school), a good GPA your junior year is critical. Seek help as soon as you need it - never wait.

Writing. Attitude is everything. While others are expressing their hatred of the writing process, you tell yourself this is a chance to avoid stress in college. It is an unavoidable necessity, so don’t hijack your brain by telling yourself you don’t like it or can’t do it. You know you have to write; embrace it. When someone reads what you have written, they immediately form an impression. Each writing exercise gets you closer to mastery. Don’t shy away from it; the more you do it, the better you get. Work each writing assignment, and don’t rush through it just to get it done. It is a multi-step process and is the centerpiece of a university experience. Evaluation and assessment methods change drastically. You may only have two or three chances to get the grade you want. Much of it will depend on how well you write. Edit your work. Read it aloud to make sure you catch all mistakes.

Continue focus on your foreign language skills. Speak, practice it! What matters is fluency. Take a CLEP test and get college credit for your skills. AND, continue the pursuit of any language you began, don't toss it because it is no longer required. Continue it, and take other languages! Multilingual is cool!

Keep/file all essays which demonstrate college readiness. This will save you time when it comes to the actual application process. Your best work can end up online in your portfolio, or you might end up using the same topic for your application - so keep the good ones!

Develop your vocabulary, and don't say "like" every other word. Communication skills are key. You may have to interview during the admissions process, so choose impressive words. Make it appear easy. It will be if you use the vocabulary you've been studying. Learn root words; you can determine meaning if you break words into parts. If you know the parts, you decode the meaning. IMPORTANT: When you hear a new word, ask what it means. When you encounter a new word while reading, look it up after completing the chapter. Be curious! Don’t ever hear a reference to something over and over and ignore it. If you hear the phrase Hippocratic Oath, or Plato’s The Republic, or a word like esoteric - look it up! You have all you need at your fingertips - a phone, computer, or book! Laziness is not an excuse. If you are not a curious person, be afraid. Leo Burnett, a very successful advertising executive responsible for creating some of the most recognizable logos/brands on the planet once said, “Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” Curiosity does not kill the cat, a lack of it does.

Math makes the world go round. Business leaders, futurists, and economists agree that 80% of future jobs will require math skills. You need to understand it. What if you own your own business? If you are struggling with math, get a tutor, get with your teacher, take extra math classes during the summer, or watch lessons at Khan Academy online: www.khanacademy.org. Tell yourself you are a math master, and do what it takes to become one. Not everyone needs calculus long term, but everyone does use the basics/statistics/algebra over a lifetime.

College prep.

Check in with your counselor to MAKE SURE you are on schedule with your advanced measures, graduation, etc. Summer is the time to catch up if something is amiss.

Take both tests to see which is the best format for you--the SAT and the ACT (SAT if you are applying to Ivies). The ACT is now accepted in lieu of the SAT at most schools (it has surpassed the SAT in popularity). Decide which is best for you by taking both. Also, take ACT/SAT prep courses within six weeks of the test date. Register for the spring tests as soon as registration is made available. Take it spring/early summer of the junior year, and once or twice before you submit your final applications (October, November, and if you are still not happy with scores, take as late as December and send updates to schools). Both SAT and ACT are offered numerous times throughout the year. Your first test will give you a baseline. Do not send scores to schools unless you know you are getting a perfect score (or pretty close to it). You will send these later. Wait until you have taken the test a few times. You can send your scores when you apply. Colleges have filters set up for notification when someone is in their range of interest. The tests evaluate where you are in comparison to seniors - to those who have completed more coursework than you have. This means your score should improve when you retake it senior year. Prep can be expensive, but students always comment on how helpful it is. The ACT is a more popular test and completely fine to submit unless you are applying to Ivies or highly competitive schools specifically requesting the SAT and SAT II tests. TAKE practice tests. This is a significant way to prepare. Identify your weak areas by taking multiple practice tests.

When attending college fairs, collect the information, get business cards/contact names, and ask good questions. Begin the networking; connecting with representatives. Introduce yourself, and ask questions. Example of a good question: “I saw the internship sponsors online. Are there internships with startups or non-profits?" "Can I set up my own internship?" “I am sure I can find much of the academic information about your school online, but I would like to know more about the classrooms. Are students able to take notes on a computer?” “Are there research opportunities for undergraduates?” Some questions to avoid: “Are there fraternities and sororities on campus?” “Is the food good?” I hope you can understand what these questions really say if you ask them of someone trying to recruit college ready students. Don't forget to give them your contact information. For more suggestions, click here.

Continue tracking accomplishments and updating your online portfolio. Keep them in a journal, in a file, etc. You will not be able to remember these when it is time to apply if you don’t get them online or written down. Start tracking them now. Contact GetReadyU if you're interested in our digital portfolio workshop. Call 512.922.3236 or email tracey@getreadyu.com.

Continue relationships with your teachers; connect with one each year. Teachers will need to provide you with letters of reference. Start asking them now - some may ask you to answer questions or write essays when the time comes. Please, only ask coaches for athletic recommendations. Once you begin filling in your application, you will be able to send the reference request to your teachers through the system. Always ask them before you send the request (and don't send it last minute!).

Examine and determine what unique or unusual accomplishment, skill, aptitude, program, etc.; you will use to make yourself stand out. Unique is good. Everyone at school tries to fit in, but it is best to be your own person. If you like to publish videos demonstrating your own culinary skills, do it. Find your passion. Investigate coding. Read. Continue to build these skills (passions and interests outside of school are game). Keep track of hours spent per week so when it comes time to fill in applications, you don't have to try and remember. Basketball? 12. Destination Imagination? 4. Running of your own business? 15. You get it.

Hopefully you already have your list of potential schools, if you don’t, now is the time to research. Use search engines, read books which profile schools, talk to those you know who attended, etc. (see recommendations on the Books & Sites page). Make it your goal to meet the admissions rep at each of your target schools if you can. Attend fairs and introduce yourself. Once you've made a connection, don't inundate them with emails, but do begin to establish an online correspondence if you are interested in their school. If it is a competitive school, this can be especially useful. Find college fair dates on these sites: http://bit.ly/1hTnXoj, http://www.ctcl.org

Note feedback you hear about particular schools. Ask graduates from your high school about their experiences. You should have already created an email and filing system for your college related materials. Get on Facebook and contact students you trust to be academically motivated and ask how they are enjoying their particular campus. Do they feel a part of the community? Are they learning anything? Were they prepared?

Stay current. Read one news article a week. What is going on around you does affect you. For some college interviews, this could be very important.

Register on scholarship search engines like www.fastweb.com , www.collegeprowler.com , www.scholarshipexperts.com , and/or www.scholarshipmonkey.com, etc. These engines send you money alerts - look through them! Some essays require 250 words or less. The more you enter, the more likely you may win. If you never try, you never win, and every penny helps. Makes your ePortfolio look good if you can say you have entered contests and won. This demonstrates initiative and a good work ethic. Summer is the perfect time to focus on this activity. Doesn’t hurt to spend 15 minutes a weekend either.

Keep actively participating in your hobbies and extracurriculars.

The most important things you can do: get fantastic grades and show effort. According to the documentary Two Million Minutes, the average American high school student spends 900 hours in the classroom and 1500 hours in front of the television. How many hours are you on Facebook or playing video games? There's nothing wrong with that as long as you are on track to reach your study/application goals.

Spend time studying for your AP exams, start at least 8 weeks in advance. For IB, start even earlier - January. Most schools no longer accept a 3 for AP credit, and each college has specific score requirements for college AP and IB credit. If you are relying on successful tests to help pay for your first year of school, make sure you understand what credits are awarded if you think that will help motivate you to set aside study time. The whole idea behind the AP is to provide a year of college readiness, to qualify for freshman credit at the college level. Don’t leave money on the table; studies are worth the trouble! Even if your teacher sets aside practice time in class, that is not enough. Get a practice book or look online for test prep options. Apps are available too.

Sign up for the GetReadyU summer workshop if you would like to complete your application process before school starts. Applications go live on August 1st, so GetReadyU workshops begin after that. Would you like someone to explain the entire process to you in great detail? Are you still unsure as to what you want to do, or where you want to go to university? We have a proprietary way to help you figure out what you want to study and can create a long term plan for you to launch. Also, it can be very time consuming to complete the application process while pursuing a college preparatory program. In three days: develop strategies, learn about the process (including the tricks), pick schools, discuss interests and choices, sign up for scholarship searches, create checklists and calendars, complete online applications, fill out prewriting prompts, start essays, and come up with a plan to complete as much as possible before school starts. It is a HUGE relief to know what you are doing and why. We also specialize in international universities offering complete degree programs taught in English; this is our niche. Email tracey@getreadyu.com, or call 512.922.3236 to sign up, and of course, you can read more here or register online.

Summertime (post junior year).

If you need to improve your testing scores, take an SAT or ACT prep course. Be sure to check scores at particular schools so you know what scores are needed. Numbers change each year, but you can, at least, understand a general ballpark figure. This is a useful site: http://colleges.startclass.com. Enter the school name and scroll until you see the scores.

Once again, colleges do care how you spend your summers. Make solid choices.

Find a way to begin making money, summers preferred. Find a job, or as mentioned before, assess your skills and make money using them. Do an excellent job so your employer will write you a great letter of reference for future use.

Whether you register for a GetReadyU College Application Workshop or not, complete your applications before you begin school (pick schools, fill in any application information you can, write essays, etc.). When you return to school for your senior year, all you will need to do is remind your counselor you've sent the proper requests, ask for letters of recommendation, and fill in a few other details. The process is not like it was even a few years ago, it is time-consuming. Get it done early then finish up with a high GPA. You will have to send your final grades to colleges. Submit your application after the early decision deadline (unless you really have a top pick and are willing to pay full price), but definitely meet the early action deadline.