What do you need to do when you are in high school to get ready for college?
Erin, Port St. Joe, Florida
The first step you should take as a high school student getting ready to apply to college is to start looking at different schools. At an early stage in the process, keep an open mind about colleges/universities of different sizes, locations, and programs. Don’t be afraid to start building a connection with the school. Email admissions representatives if you have questions, visit the campus or take a virtual tour online, find out what is required of you to apply, and speak with faculty and students about the different programs and what life on campus is like.
As early as possible, you should think about the courses you are taking in high school. Do your classes challenge you? Do you qualify to take honors, dual enrollment, or Advanced Placement courses. If so, strongly consider taking at least a few during high school, because they can significantly enhance your transcript portion of your application if you are successful in them.
During your sophomore year you should start thinking about the SAT/ACT standardized tests, which are generally required as a part of your college application, with a few exceptions at various schools.
You guidance counselors may encourage you to take the PSAT as a sophomore, to begin practicing for the real SAT. I, personally, encourage you to take it again as a Junior in order to find out if you qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. Even if none of the schools you think you will apply to require the SAT (which is unlikely), I recommend that you take the PSAT as a junior because of the scholarship opportunity.
Also, during your junior year, you can begin taking the SAT and/or ACT. Some students choose to use prep courses or prep books to prepare for these tests, but it is up to you to decide if you need them. Your guidance counselors often have similar resources that are available to you. I strongly urge you to take both tests, because many people prefer one over the other, and they are slightly different with regard to the material that they cover. For more information regarding the style and content of the tests, testing dates and locations, cost, and fee waivers, see the following links:
The PSAT can qualify you for National Merit, but it is not accepted with your application. Most schools will allow you to choose if you wish to send in your scores for the ACT or the SAT. However, be sure to check with the school you are applying to regarding their policy.
Similarly, some colleges require that you submit scores from some of the SAT II subject tests as a part of your application. Be sure to find out if the school you are applying to requires this or not. For more information about the SAT II Subject Tests see the following link:
Next, follow the steps needed to guarantee that you can get everything in order in time to apply for scholarships and financial aid, should you need it. Here is a link to my recent post about the financial aid process.
Also, find out what you need to get organized in order to apply to a certain school, and begin your application in the summer before/fall of your senior year.
-Sort out all of your deadlines to make sure you don’t miss any.
-Make sure you have the SAT or ACT completed and your scores sent in by the application deadline. Don’t forget that it often takes at least 6 weeks before you can send in your score report after taking the test.
-Be sure and ask your teachers for recommendation letters early. This gives them enough time to write a thoughtful letter, and it is unfair to ask them for such a favor with very little time before it is due.
-Give yourself plenty of time to write your admissions essay. You want to be sure that it is thoughtful and well written, since it is your opportunity to be honest and personal with the admissions committee, and allow them to get to know you beyond grades and test scores. Also, take time to share your essay with others for their feedback on grammar and style.
-Some colleges will ask you to use the Common Application. However, almost all of them also require a supplementary application. If they ask for one, don’t forget to send it in because it is generally just as important as your common application!
As always, be sure that you check with the college you are applying to with regard to all of their policies about applications, class requirements in high school, etc. They do vary from college to college.
Naturally, while you are engaging in all of these steps, you need to keep up with your grades and extracurricular activities, which are a very important part of your application.
Let me know if you have more specific questions with regard to anything I mentioned.
Good luck!
-Ali
