The junior year is a busy time for college-bound students, and many students find that it is another "step up" in difficulty from the previous two years. It's also an important year. Since most students apply to colleges in the fall of the senior year, the transcripts colleges will be evaluating as they make admission and scholarship decisions will only include grades through this year. Juniors also should take several standardized tests this year which may play an important role in the college admission process. Here are some "things to do" during this busy and crucial year.
First, you should plan to take the PSAT (pre SAT) in the fall. The PSAT is also used as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, and you only get one chance to take it each year. The test is given in high schools on one Tuesday and one Saturday in October each year; the dates are set by CollegeBoard and each high school must choose either the Tuesday or the Saturday testing date. This year, test dates are October 13 and October 16. Check with your guidance counselor for your school's test date and deadline to sign up. If your school does not offer the PSAT or you have a conflict on its test date, try calling other high schools in your area to see if they have space available. You should prepare for the PSAT before taking it; at a minimum you should work through the practice book provided by College Board. More intense prep books containing several practice tests are available at major bookstores. Click here to read more information about the PSAT on the College Board website.
Plan to take the SAT and/or ACT in the spring. Most colleges will accept either test, but if you can afford the time and the money, it's better to take both. Because the tests differ in several ways, you may do better on one than the other. Colleges will take your best score, so why not give yourself two chances rather than one? Unlike the PSAT, you do not sign up for these tests at your high school; you sign up online on the College Board and ACT websites, and there are several testing dates for each. You select your testing date, location, and pay online. Again, you should prepare for these tests before taking them so that you are familiar with the format and timing of each section. ACT and College Board have a great deal of helpful information on their websites, or you can buy a practice book at major bookstores.
Now, about those grades. Try to earn the very best grades you can in the most challenging classes you can handle. This is particularly important if you got off to a less-than-desirable academic start in high school. Often, an upward trend in your grades can mitigate somewhat lower grades in say, the first semester of your freshman year. It's also a balancing act. You want to challenge yourself, but you don't want to take so many difficult classes that your grades suffer. Many students take their first AP or IB classes as juniors, and some are shocked by the difficulty of these classes. They are probably harder than classes you have taken so far, even honors classes, and this is something you should expect. After all, you are doing college-level work and may be rewarded with college credit if you do well on the end-of-course exams! In general, I think it is better to earn a "B" in a more difficult class than an "A" in an easier class, but if you are making too many "C" grades, it may be time to reconsider the difficulty of your class selections. There are always exceptions to any general rule, so you should discuss your specific circumstances and goals with your guidance counselor.
As if studying and taking standardized tests weren't enough to do this year, you should also evaluate your extracurricular portfolio. This is especially true if you are seeking admission to a more competitive college, or are hoping to be awarded a scholarship. Although grades and test scores are the most important factors for most college admission offices, your activities outside of school are also important. There is no such thing as a list of "best activities" that are guaranteed to get you into the college of your choice, and you don't have to be involved in everything. Your best choices will usually be the things you truly enjoy doing and do well. (If they serve to make the world a better place, and are related to your planned field of study, so much the better!) Again, these are very general suggestions and I'd encourage you to discuss your specific choices with your guidance counselor.
Finally, junior year is the time to seriously investigate possible colleges and narrow down your choices. You can do a lot of your research online- check the list of links to the right as a starting place- but there is no substitute for making an actual in-person visit to the colleges you are considering. Talk to your parents, teachers, friends and acquaintances. Ask them where they went to college and what they liked and didn't like about it. There are also books that many of my students have found helpful, including Rugg's Recommendations, Colleges that Change Lives, and Looking Beyond the Ivy League, along with many others. Spend an afternoon at a bookstore and skim through a few of them.
Sounds like a lot? It is, but it's manageable if you start planning now, and you'll be much better prepared, have less stress and more choices once senior year rolls around!
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