10 Essential Steps for High School Juniors Preparing for College
Are you a high school junior wondering how to get a head start on the college preparation process? Now's the ideal time to plan ahead and set yourself up for success as a college applicant. Here are ten crucial steps to guide you:
1. Finish Strong
Your junior year grades play a pivotal role in college admissions. Strive for excellence in your classes, as these grades will be a significant factor in your college applications.
2. Challenge Yourself
Opt for challenging courses in your senior year. Colleges value students who push themselves academically, even if it means opting for tougher classes and potentially earning slightly lower grades.
3. Connect with Counselors
Your school counselor can offer invaluable advice and write a personalized recommendation letter. Building a relationship with them is crucial, so take the time to seek guidance.
4. Build Relationships with Teachers
Forge strong connections with teachers, especially in areas of interest or future majors, to secure impactful recommendation letters that highlight your strengths.
5. SAT/ACT Preparation
Schedule your SAT/ACT tests if you haven't taken them yet. If you have, consider retaking them for potential score improvements that could enhance your college application.
6. Create a Comprehensive Resume
Compile all your extracurricular activities and accomplishments in one place. This will be a valuable resource for your college applications and recommendation requests.
7. Attend College Fairs
Utilize college fairs to explore various colleges, gather information, and start shaping your preferences. These events provide valuable insights into potential academic paths.
8. Engage with Colleges
Connect with colleges you're interested in by joining mailing lists and following them on social media. Demonstrating your interest can make a positive impression on admissions officers.
9. Visit Campuses
Plan visits to colleges you're considering to experience their atmosphere firsthand. This will help you determine the right fit for you and make informed decisions about your future.
10. Plan Summer Activities
While relaxation is important, consider engaging in productive activities like internships or volunteering to bolster your college application. These experiences showcase your commitment and initiative.
These ten steps lay the groundwork for a successful college application process. Use this guide to create a junior year checklist, ensuring you're on track for a seamless transition to higher education.
Vint Hill Educational Services offers academic coaching for students who have difficulty getting motivated, staying focused, or keeping up in school. With backgrounds in counseling, mentoring, teaching, and special education, our coaches are highly experienced at working with youth and helping students overcome a wide spectrum of challenges.
Academic coaching is especially beneficial for individuals with attentional problems, low executive functioning, or learning or cognitive disabilities—though it is also valuable for those struggling to deal with the ordinary stressors of understanding complex information, planning assignments, studying for exams, or transitioning to college. Students who work with an academic coach typically require guidance and assistance in:
· Getting and staying organized
· Planning coursework and managing time effectively
· Starting and completing schoolwork
· Studying and reading with proficiency
· Managing stress, anxiety, and distractibility
· Balancing academic and personal responsibilities
· Preparing for tests
Our coaches complete assessments to identify the student’s challenges, strengths, goals, and learning style. They then create customized plans that integrate a variety of tools and techniques to help build confidence and improve school performance. Strategies include positive reinforcement, setting achievable goals, optimizing skills, breaking down tasks, creating a supportive environment, and tracking progress.
We select the best coach for your child and provide a coach profile for you to review and approve. The coach matching process considers the coach’s education, experience, and personality, as well as the student’s issues, schedule, and preferred location (e.g., home, office, public library). Each session is one hour in length and one-to-one for individualized support. Parents receive access to our online Teachworks system, allowing them to review coaching session notes, receive session email reminders, and keep track of used and remaining session hours.
Academic Coaching
PAY-AS-YOU-GO AND PREPAID PACKAGES
One-to-one academic coaching in the home, office, or local library. The pay-as-you-go program is ideal for those students in a time constraint and needing focus in one area. Sessions are customized based upon the student’s presenting issues. These are revealed by having the parents and student complete an initial assessment. Our program includes a coaching plan, session notes for parents, and tips and resources that the student can use beyond the coaching experience.
One-to-one online coaching is also available.
*Our academic coaches have backgrounds in coaching, counseling, teaching, and special education. We hand-pick the best coach for your child based upon our matching process. We hire less than 10% of all tutor applicants.
PAY-AS-YOU-GO SESSIONS
No set number of hours
60-minute sessions
$95/hr
EIGHT SESSIONS
Eight total hours (prepaid)
60-minute sessions
$680 - $85/hr
One-to-one academic coaching in the home, office, or local library. Ideal for those students needing focus in one or two areas. Sessions are customized based upon the student’s presenting issues. These are revealed by having the parents and student complete an initial assessment. Our program includes a coaching plan, session notes for parents, and tips and resources that the student can use beyond the coaching experience.
One-to-one online coaching is also available.
*Our academic coaches have backgrounds in coaching, counseling, teaching, and special education. We hand-pick the best coach for your child based upon our matching process. We hire less than 10% of all tutor applicants.
8-Hour Academic Coaching Package
For more information, visit our website here.