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People say that junior year is critical for the college admission process since it is the last full year of grades that colleges will see when making the admission decision.  But that doesn’t paint the whole picture.  Students need to think about more than just good grades.  In fact, most college admission officers will tell students that from January of their junior year on it is “Full tilt towards college!” all the way.  But, what does that mean exactly?  In this article, I outline a timeline for students to follow for the remainder of their junior year of high school and highlight some of the important tasks that need to be completed.

College Visits:

If a student hasn’t visited a college yet, now is the time to do so.  The campus visit has taken on more importance than it used to.  Many colleges now look at demonstrated interest when making their admission decisions.  It also helps students learn what they like and what they don’t like about college campuses.  This is useful in adding or subtracting colleges from the college list.  Students should consider visiting colleges over any February break that they may have.  Start out by visiting a large variety of schools – big universities, smaller liberal arts school, urban schools, and more rural options.  That can help undecided students get a better feel for what they want.  By this spring, the visits should start in earnest.

Standardized Tests:

All the public school students in Connecticut will take the SAT on Wednesday, March 21 during the school day.  The national SAT test dates are March 10, May 5, June 2, and August 25.  Every college in the country also accepts the ACT, which is offered February 10, April 14, June 9, and July 14.  Some of the more selective colleges also require the SAT 2 Subject tests, in addition to the SAT.  With the exception of the March dates, you can take the subject tests any time the SAT is given.  The Subject Tests are what many parents may remember as the Achievement tests.  They are one-hour knowledge based tests, and students can take up to 3 in one sitting. The caveat is that you have to choose: you can either take the SAT 1 or the SAT 2 on a test date, but not both.  This means that careful planning is important to make sure that you get in all the testing that you need done.

Our goal is for students to have the standardized testing out of the way before starting their senior year of high school.  Our recommendation is that students take the SAT for the first time (that is if they haven’t taken it already) in March, and then again in May or June. If necessary, they can then take it in August for the last time.  If a student is in an AP class that has a correlating SAT 2 Subject test (for instance, AP US History correlates with the US History Subject Test, AP Biology, Chemistry, and Physics also correlate with Subject tests) then I recommend taking the Subject tests in May.  Students will be studying that subject then for the AP tests anyway, and the subject tests tend to not be as difficult as the AP classes.

Letters of Recommendation:

When you apply to college, they want to know what you are like now.  For that reason, they tend to prefer teachers from your junior and senior year of high school.  At the same time, many students will be applying early decision or early action.  Much of the merit scholarship money is given to students who apply early action or early decision, and studies have shown applying early improves your chances of getting accepted.  Those applications will be submitted in October – which doesn’t give your senior year teachers much time to get to know you.  So, it is a good idea to ask some teachers at the end of your junior year for a letter of recommendation.  This will give them more time, since they can potentially write it over the summer, or at least know that they will need to write it when they return.  

I recommend starting to ask teachers near the end of the year.  Asking for letters of recommendation can be a nerve-wracking thing for people of any age.  I suggest that students initially approach by asking, “I am beginning to think about which teachers to ask to write me a letter of recommendation for college, and I was wondering if you would be willing to write me a letter?”  Then you need to judge their response.  If they seem excited to write you a letter, then get their email address so you can send them the forms when they become available.  If they hesitate at all, consider asking another teacher instead.