The Junior Guide

Start to consider which colleges you may want to apply to in the future. Consider factors, including your potential future career and college rank, especially pertaining to your possible major. Don't focus on this step too much, just enough to get a rough idea of what GPA, test scores, and extracurriculars you will need to get accepted. Are you considering colleges ranked in the top 100 in the nation? Top 50? Top 20? Top 10? This is what you need to determine.

Building a spike, or extracurricular theme, is one of the most important steps in the college application process. Unlike essays and standardized test scores, preparing for and creating a spike requires potentially years of consistent growth in an area that you are truly passionately about. For the Ivy League, this is a must, and for top 50 and 100 colleges, such as the many great public state schools, a spike is becoming a necessity too. Having a spike means that you have a extremely valuable advantage with any school you apply to. Create and develop a great one and you can go anywhere you want. Spike development should start as early as possible, such as in freshman year. If you haven't developed one yet, it's not too late. Although it will be more difficult, you can and should begin now to have the best chance of getting accepted to your dream colleges.

At the start of high school, it is vital to get the best grades you can. Work as hard as you can and as hard as you need to in order to get the necessary GPA for the colleges you might apply to. This will take hard work and determination, but you can do it. Get good grades early in high school as trying to raise a lower GPA later in junior and senior year is very difficult. Aim for above your dream school's average GPA for admitted students. If this doesn't happen, don't worry. Having an average or very close to average GPA for a given college is ok. A significantly lower GPA than a school's average will substantially lower any applicant's chance of admission.

Juniors should already have an understanding of standardized tests, specifically the SAT and ACT. The ideal time to begin studying is the summer before junior year; however, if you haven't begun it is ok. Fall of junior year is good as well and necessary because most students do and should take their first tests in the spring of this year. These tests are very important for college admissions, but realize they are not everything. These tests should be taken seriously, but should not cause unhealthy amounts of anxiety and stress. With a study plan and hard work you can get the score you need to get into your dream school.

Junior year is the year to begin thinking about potential teachers that you could ask for a strong letter of recommendation if your colleges require them. Although actually asking for letters of recommendations occurs in senior year, both junior and senior year teachers are eligible to write letters of recommendations. Sometimes other teachers can as well, but junior and senior year recommendations are strongest. If you would like to learn more see our letters of recommendation resources, especially as you prepare for senior year.