Junior Year: Top Five Keys to Success

For the past two weeks, we have been identifying the Top Five Keys to Success for high school students who are planning on attending college. We started with freshmen and moved on to sophomores, and now it is time to discuss one of the most pivotal years of high school: eleventh grade.

As a junior in high school, you should continue doing what you did in ninth and tenth grade: setting goals, earning good grades, taking challenging courses, getting involved, developing rapport with teachers, and organizing college-search materials. But, there are many other — and much more specific — things to add to your to-do list as well.

Standardized Tests

As a sophomore, you prepared for standardized tests like the ACT and the SAT by reading books, taking practice tests, and possibly even taking the PLAN and PSAT. Perhaps you also received tutoring regarding test-taking strategies.

As a junior, it’s time to ramp it up a notch. Now you’re not practicing for these exams: you’re taking these exams.

Sign up to take the PSAT in the fall. A high score on this exam makes you eligible for a National Merit scholarship, which will help subsidize the cost of college tuition. Sign up to take the ACT as well as the SAT, including the SAT subject tests. It is best to take your first ACT or SAT early, as you can continue taking them in order to earn a higher score, thereby making you eligible for more financial aid (and admissions to more colleges and universities).

Finalize Your Resume & Contact References

As a freshman and a sophomore, you participated in extracurricular activities, you gained leadership positions in various clubs and organizations, you volunteered for causes that are important to you, and you started a part-time job or an internship. Hopefully you started (and maintained) a resume or portfolio throughout those two years as well.

As a junior, now is the time to finalize and perfect your resume. Work on formatting and tailoring your resume to suit your needs: for instance, if you are applying for a philanthropic scholarship, highlight your volunteer experience, and if you are applying for a merit-based scholarship, feature your GPA and challenging course load.

This should be one of your main priorities for eleventh grade — creating a stellar resume. This will be used for college admissions and scholarship applications, and you will also give a copy to those you ask to write letters of recommendation.

Speaking of your references, now is the time to approach those adults — teachers, counselors, coaches, bosses, etc. — and ask if they would be willing to write you a letter of recommendation.

College Search

During your sophomore year, you started the college search, focusing on the type of school you may be interested in attending; you also hopefully visited a variety of college campuses. Now, as a junior, it is imperative to continue that search and narrow down your list of options even more.

One easy way to continue this search is by attending a college fair. At such an event, you have the opportunity to meet with representatives from numerous schools — without ever leaving the building. Often, high schools organize college fairs during the school day for even easier access and opportunity for their students.

After you have completed a vast search of colleges, narrow down your list to the schools to which you are actually interested in attending. Then, arrange campus visits and meetings with admissions counselors. Using spring break of your junior year as a week-long tour of different campuses is highly advised.

After visiting the campuses and figuring out exactly where you want to apply, determine application and early admissions deadlines. Be sure to write these down in the calendar (or other organizational tool) that you developed as a sophomore.

Research Financial Aid

Upon researching your top choices, you probably realized that post-secondary education is quite expensive, regardless if you opt for in-state or out-of-state, public or private. Thus, it is imperative to apply for financial aid. This can come in many different forms: grants, loans, and scholarships. Colleges and universities will offer their own scholarships, usually based on financial need and/or merit. Scholarships are also available for countless other qualities as well: are you left-handed? did you attend such-and-such elementary school? do you have a parent/guardian who is employed by such-and-such company? do you have at least so many volunteer hours? And the list goes on and on.

In order to save time during the actual application process, start searching for financial aid as a junior. Identify types of financial aid for which you may be eligible, and keep a spreadsheet that includes the name of the award, the due date, the requirements, the amount, etc. This will only help you when the financial aid is actually needed.

Sign Up for College-Credit Classes

Starting your ninth-grade year, you enrolled in challenging courses — both to push yourself and to show colleges and universities that you are capable of persevering through difficult work. As a junior, you should continue taking such courses, but now you can do so for an added benefit: earning college credit.

If your school offers International Baccalaureate classes, consider enrolling in the Diploma Programme so that you can earn college credit while still in high school. If your school offers Advanced Placement courses, take advantage of them: with a high enough score on the exam, you can not only earn college credit, but you can also cross some prerequisites off your schedule. Finally, if your school offers dual-enrollment options, definitely take advantage of these.

With all of the research you have done, you know how expensive college is. There are many opportunities for you to alleviate some of this financial stress, and one of the easiest ways is to earn college credit (at a much-reduced rate) while still in high school. Just think about the money you can save if you can finish your post-secondary studies a semester — or even a year — early.

Juniors, this is a really important year for you. Yes, you are still in high school. Yes, you still have over a year before you head off on your post-secondary adventures. But, that time will fly by, and it’s absolutely imperative that you are as prepared as possible when it does.

Seniors, you’re on deck for Keys to Success. See you next week!